Dropping undergrad to take CC courses?

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Hello everyone

so I'm in my undergrad studying biology, and I am trying to find a way into nursing school. I have about 4-5 semesters left until graduation and I was considering dropping my undergrad to take community college courses for my prereqs. I have taken a decent amount of prereqs at my current school, and my GPA is okay. I want to take CC courses to boost my GPA and knock out my prereqs at a significantly cheaper price (rather than doing them here at my current university). Is this a good idea? I don't necessarily want to do an ABSN because of the inability to work. And I don't want to graduate with a degree in something I don't want to do. I want to transfer into a BSN program, but does dropping my undergrad look bad? Even if I get good grades in the CC courses?

Any advice or or comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone.

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I had a friend do this when he was entering his 3rd year at his university. He was majoring in kin, couldn't get into a microbiology class at his uni so he dropped out and he opted for taking it at a community college. It worked out for him in my opinion. He got into a nursing program at a community college shortly after and was still considered an undergraduate so he was still able to receive all the grants, scholarships, and loans from the federal government because of his low income status. I would say go for it if you know what you are doing!

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Good to hear! I'm glad they found their way. My idea is to drop my undergrad, take CC courses for a GPA boost and transfer into a BSN program. I hope it works out for me too!

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Good to hear! I'm glad they found their way. My idea is to drop my undergrad, take CC courses for a GPA boost and transfer into a BSN program. I hope it works out for me too!
I guess it's really dependent on your location now because if you're in California, most CSUs only accept a handful of transfer students for their BSN program and it is EXTREMELY competitive. I mean near perfect 4.0 GPA competitive. Best of luck!
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I'm a California resident doing my undergrad in another state. I'm willing to do my school just about anywhere that's accredited and reasonably priced.

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.

This is what I did. I chose to drop my undergrad in business at my state university and pursue nursing at a community college. I completed all my prereqs and the rest of my general eds at the CC and am still here in the RN Program.

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Mindiofmidwifery,

Are you happy with your decision? Are you going to try to do an ADN-BSN bridge or an MSN program when you are done there?

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.
Mindiofmidwifery,

Are you happy with your decision? Are you going to try to do an ADN-BSN bridge or an MSN program when you are done there?

Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision but looking at myself and at the long term, I wouldn't have enjoyed a typical desk position and I don't forwsss myself having gone the ABSN route because it's so intensive and I have to work while in school.

I plan on going ADN-BSN then working for a couple years before going for my MSN. I THOUGHT I wanted to be a midwife but I'm really second guessing that now and leaning more towards critical care so I'm now looking at the different paths I can take to become a critical care NP. I'm so glad I chose to go for nursing lol

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Well good for you, I'm sure you will find your way. You are already in a program and have a way better understanding of the field than me.

I currently have a 3.15 in my undergrad, I don't know if it's worth sticking through my undergrad and graduating with a similar gpa, or taking CC classes to raise it. But that also means I technically dropped out of my undergrad. I don't know how that looks to nursing schools.

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Specializes in Critical care, Trauma.

I don't think that stopping an undergrad program to move to a CC and work on prerequisites is a bad idea. If for some reason it were to be asked about later, you can honestly say that you wanted to change majors and the school you're at current doesn't have an Nursing program. I started off college in 04 majoring in psychology and limped along for 2 years getting very borderline grades and was on academic probation (wasn't ready for school, not focused, depression issues, etc). I left at the end of 06, became a CNA and CMA in 2009 and started working on nursing school prerequisites in 2010. Granted I did not jump into a BSN program, the options in my area were all to go from LPN to ADN to BSN so that was the path that I chose and neither leaving a previous program or my god-awful grades from years prior held me back. Granted I do NOT live in California, I live in Kansas where we have less programs but they are less competitive. I don't remember the CC LPN or ADN programs even asking my cumulative GPA (though maybe they did, it's been a little while), I just remember them asking for my grades in the prerequisite classes.

You might check out the application process for the CC program(s) you want to get into, including the actual application form and asking someone at the program what kind of GPAs and entrance exam test scores they generally admit.

Good luck with your decision.

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Thank you! That was extremely helpful! I think you are right and I'm going to just ask around. I don't want to major in biology I want to major in nursing. I will do what it takes to get there. Thanks again for the help!

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I also was a Biology major at my state university. Was not able to apply for as pre-nursing due to it's new policy being strict and straight forward for the competitiveness. So I decided to attend CC for my science pre-reqs to apply for the RN program at the CC and do RN-BSN in the future. Other than that, going back to a CC is helping me gain the confidence to interact with my professors more than I ever did at a CSU (one class, 100+ student).

Overtime it made me see my interest with certain classes that I have the thought of wanting to strive for more classes to keep my options for the Health Career open.

Nursing is my primary choice due to the stability, but I have don't have ENOUGH experience to say it's the career that will fulfill my character/skills that I will have build for the next few years of studying. Still searching, always a student, always learning - I'm an "average" non straight A student, but my strive to truly learn is inevitable.

I sometimes worry about the time/years spent with this decision, that being the judgement of people/family thinking I am wasting my time being "indecisive" and staying at a community college too long, but I try to keep in mind..

"Reach for the stars and you'll land on the moon. The moon is pretty damn awesome"

- My Microbiology Professor

I often apply this saying as..

Take as much opportunities as you can, even if it means taking classes/volunteer opportunities and you'll later find yourself in a position that was meant for you. Sometimes the unplanned things can be pretty damn awesome..

Some people say they want to be ____, but then when they experience it they often feel regret. Maybe it was due to the money, the popularity, the opinions of people. That being said.. no, dropping undergrad in my opinion would not look bad. It all depends on your purpose.

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