Failed out of nursing school. Do I have a fair chance of getting into another?

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I was in a previous nursing school and failed out my 3rd semester. I have tried to transfer to a different school for a year and wasn't successful! Finally, After a year I was able to transfer as a traditional student and was told as long as I meet the requirements I would have a fair chance. Well now I have passed the hesi entrance exam, I have a 3.0 GPA, and I've taken all of the pre reqs and I've applied for clinicals. I exceed the minimal requirements and then some. But now they are telling me that " me failing out of nursing school" will be taken into consideration. Does this mean I don't have a fair chance of getting in? Has anyone had this problem?

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I was in a previous nursing school and failed out my 3rd semester. I have tried to transfer to a different school for a year and wasn't successful! Finally, After a year I was able to transfer as a traditional student and was told as long as I meet the requirements I would have a fair chance. Well now I have passed the hesi entrance exam, I have a 3.0 GPA, and I've taken all of the pre reqs and I've applied for clinicals. I exceed the minimal requirements and then some. But now they are telling me that " me failing out of nursing school" will be taken into consideration. Does this mean I don't have a fair chance of getting in? Has anyone had this problem?

It's certainly a big negative most of the time ....especially if the school is reputable. Just from reading these boards I can tell you that's it's been a big problem for a lot of people. I have no personal experience, though.

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

D you have a "fair" chance. Of course. It sounds like you are implying that considering your failing a previous nursing program would be unfair, when in fact it is quite the contrary. A "fair" chance would look at that failure before making a decision that would impact other students who have never failed a nursing course.

Most reputable schools will not admit a student who previously failed a nursing program within so many years. Usually 5 years. In addition, a 3.0 is not competitive for most reputable schools.

This is not to say that you will not be accepted somewhere, just don't expect it to be easy and your best bet would be to go private for profit schools (think expensive and many times subpar education). Or find an LPN program that will admit you with a previous failure. If you can pass that nursing program and get licensed, more doors will open for you to get your RN.

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The school that I was accepted into is a private institution! When I spoke with the director she told me I couldn't transfer from college to college but I could enter in as a " traditional " student which would be the the requirements that's considered for students applying to clinicals. I just assumed when she told me that and when registering the advisor told me I was considered " competitive ". It's just after the comment today it had me worried, being that I'm about to pay 3 times the tuition I was paying at the previous school!

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Is there something I could do? Or someone I should speak to about my situation? Before applying I spoke with the director of the nursing program and she told me I could enter in as a traditional student, so I didn't need a letter of good standing to transfer. She also said that I would only be required to meet the minimum requirements and the transfer student requirements. But after today what the assistant told me actually has me worried. I've been out of nursing school for a year. & if I was told I could enter in as a traditional student and meet the requirements fair and square, why does my previous college courses has to be taken into consideration? í ½í¸•í ½í¸•

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It's certainly a big negative most of the time ....especially if the school is reputable. Just from reading these boards I can tell you that's it's been a big problem for a lot of people. I have no personal experience, though.

Is there something I could do? Or someone I should speak to about my situation? Before applying I spoke with the director of the nursing program and she told me I could enter in as a traditional student, so I didn't need a letter of good standing to transfer. She also said that I would only be required to meet the minimum requirements and the transfer student requirements. But after today what the assistant told me actually has me worried. I've been out of nursing school for a year. & if I was told I could enter in as a traditional student and meet the requirements fair and square, why does my previous college courses has to be taken into consideration? :(

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D you have a "fair" chance. Of course. It sounds like you are implying that considering your failing a previous nursing program would be unfair, when in fact it is quite the contrary. A "fair" chance would look at that failure before making a decision that would impact other students who have never failed a nursing course.

Most reputable schools will not admit a student who previously failed a nursing program within so many years. Usually 5 years. In addition, a 3.0 is not competitive for most reputable schools.

This is not to say that you will not be accepted somewhere, just don't expect it to be easy and your best bet would be to go private for profit schools (think expensive and many times subpar education). Or find an LPN program that will admit you with a previous failure. If you can pass that nursing program and get licensed, more doors will open for you to get your RN.

The school that I was accepted into is a private institution! When I spoke with the director she told me I couldn't transfer from college to college but I could enter in as a " traditional " student which would be the the requirements that's considered for students applying to clinicals. I just assumed when she told me that and when registering the advisor told me I was considered " competitive ". It's just after the comment today it had me worried, being that I'm about to pay 3 times the tuition I was paying at the previous school! This sucks

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Is there something I could do? Or someone I should speak to about my situation?

You should speak with representatives from the program at the school you're attending and ask what you can do to make yourself a more desirable candidate. You should start by working on bringing your GPA up to make you more competitive. Meeting the minimum requirements simply means that you are eligible to apply, not that you'll be a competitive applicant.

why does my previous college courses has to be taken into consideration?

Because it's an indication of what type of student you'll be in the future and your ability to be able to successfully complete coursework. It's not the only indicator, but one's history of performance can be a strong indicator of what to expect in terms of future performance. Improving your GPA is also an indicator of your ability to grow and improve as an adult learner.

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It's just after the comment today it had me worried, being that I'm about to pay 3 times the tuition I was paying at the previous school! This sucks

Please think things through long and hard before you proceed (if accepted). Make sure you understand why you didn't make it the first time and have a concrete plan to prevent it from happening again. What's worse than failing out once is failing out twice with massive amounts of debt and NO degree to show for it.

I assume you were in RN school since you refer to the "third" semester. It might be worth looking at LVN programs in the area (not private), their requirements, trying to get admitted, then trying to bridge to RN after completion. There are still a few programs around with waiting lists as opposed to competitive entry.

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In general, it is the norm for nursing schools not to admit students who have failed another program. I have also noted that people who leave a program, or even take a leave of absence, are (anecdotally) treated in a different light when they return or try to return. It happened to me. Retreads just seem to have a harder time of it.

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Define what you mean by "fair." Why should a school take a chance on an applicant who has already been unable to succeed in a nursing program once, when they have more qualified applicants than they can possibly admit who haven't already had problems in a nursing program?

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I agree with what everyone is saying for the most part but the OP did say she spoke with the director of the nursing program who told her she could enter as a traditional students and meet the college's requirements for application to the nursing program. Meaning to me that the nursing director already knew she had failed from the previous program and was encouraging her to apply to their program and if the OP isn't spinning it in a way it didn't happen then it looks to me like she wasn't told she would have the failure marked against her. to me that isn't fair. if the director of nursing wasn't up front with her about how her failure would affect her chances of getting accepted and that she needed more than the minimum requirements in order to get in, that isn't fair. but OP, are you totally sure she didn't tell you all this when you met with her? sounds like a big chunk of info to leave out of that conversation. more likely she did mention it but you were probably so focused on being allowed to apply that you might have glossed over that part but now it's relevant.

I know from the students I see at work that if they fail they can't get into another one. it's Do Or Die time.

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