4.0 in PreReqs? How RU Doing in NS??

I hear you. I would like to have the option of going on for a masters as well. In addition I would like to get into the Nursing honor society.

After 2 quarters I have kept my 4.0, but it has been hard. I think it takes brutal organization, and like Meriwhen, I always sit in the front of class as well. I found recording lectures helps, because then I can concentrate on the lecture and not be distracted by taking notes. Some of my classmates bring a laptop and try to type all the notes as the instructor speaks. I am not that fast a typist. After the lecture I bring my recorder home and transfer the recording to an MP3 which I then load to my IPOD. I listen to the IPOD when I am commuting in the car, doing housework, cooking dinner, shopping for groceries, and even when I am at my son's soccer, or volleyball games.

I also try to study a little every day, and the week before a test I will start reviewing for hours each day. It is a bad idea to leave it to the day before.

Some of my classmates, crammed their schedules full of units, trying to clear some of the GE requirements up so that they don't have to attend during summer quarter. These are people with 16 units and they also work. They are happy with passing grades. I am taking 16 units, but I am not working and I plan to take some classes over the summer. I just know it would be too much for me and I really want to get A's.

I am going to take it one quarter at a time.

I don't know if I will be able to maintain a 4.0, but I am going to try my hardest, and if I can't then I will still be happy that I am working my way towards being a nurse. Best of luck to you.

I think I might have to kiss mine buh-bye. Pharmacology is looking more and more like a B every day. I think I may still pull off As in the other three classes but BARRRRRRRRRELY!

Also, I graduated LPN school with a 99% average. Apparently BSN level nursing is a bit harder. Who knew?? lol!

One B+ isn't the end of the world. A few on the other hand...

I was the other way around.

I made C's in my anatomy/physiology and microbiology. Sure, I received A's in the easier pre-reqs, but I struggled with the sciences.

I've maintained a 3.8 in nursing school (this is my last quarter). All of the anatomy and physiology just seemed to click when I studied disease processes along with them.

I study a lot. I read the material and make sure I understand the "norms" and what is deviating from them. Then I move along to the NCLEX style questions.

I keep up on this throughout the quarter. I am not a crammer by any means. The night before the test I don't open a book unless there are meds that I really need to go over. I get plenty of sleep. I go into the test with bright eyes and don't stress. I think managing the stress is the key.

Good luck!

I am in my last semester and have a 4.0 up until now. I just spend more time on things, more because there is more to do. I am forced to study more because there is more material on each test. Keep ahead of the game, don't put things off, and take it one thing at a time.

I had a 4.0 in pre-req's and it looks like I'm gonna end up with a B this semester unless I kick butt on the comp. exam =)

The concepts are not that hard....it's really the amount of work you have to do to maintain a 4.0 GPA. In our class of 90 only 2 have that, but then again only 15 others have a B.....

Took awhile for me to adjust to getting 86,86,88 on tests instead of 100's, but trust me..you get used to it and quit being so hard on yourself. If you don't, you'll drive yourself nuts=)

I'm finishing up my first year. I still have a 4.0 and YES, it's a hell of a lot harder to keep it in NS.

What helps is studying every single day. Granted, some days all the studying I do is only 10-15 minutes' worth of reading because of the toddler, but every little bit really adds up in the long run. So does carrying around flashcards because then I can steal a couple of minutes here and there. Rewriting my notes helps me tremendously because I'm actively thinking about the material, not just re-reading it. And I read them to my son...he now knows what a stethoscope and a BP cuff is for and how to say "ninety nine" when I do assessments on him

Not cramming for tests the night before helps too--I learned that one the hard way because without fail, my son will decide that the night before a test, he is to get sick/cut a new tooth/get over tired/want to come in bed with me/feel his world is ending/etc. So I'll study hard in the couple of days leading up to the test to prepare for the inevitable toddler meltdown the night before. And I do have to sit front and center in the class so I pay attention--if I move to the back, I'll get distracted and/or fall asleep :)

What also helps me keep a 4.0 is having that 4.0. I was nowhere near that the first time around in college (my GPA started off at 3.0 the first semester and went steadily downhill from there) because...well, I was a fool about school the first time around. Now, I know better. And also, it motivates me to see how long I can keep it going.

:yeah:

I agree^^^ these things are essential to me and my family . It seems like when i try to cram the day before the test all he#$ breaks loose in the house . But i do rely on flash cards :saint:and reading helped me keep my GPA up totally .

I was a 4.0 student. My gpa is still very good, but it did decline when I entered the actual nursing classes. I attribute that to the alteration in the grading scale that we follow. In our program, the scale has been altered to make 78% the bottom. Anything below that is failing. So instead of 90-100% being a 4.0, 80-89% being a 3.0, and so on that you would see on a standard straight scale, you have to have 94% or higher in a class to get a 4.0. So You could be getting a 92% overall and only get a 3.5 in the class. The school used the NCLEX to determine their scale. Students that acheive lower than 78% in a content area statistically fail that content area on the NCLEX. In this way, the college can ensure that they have a very high NCLEX pass rate because they throw you out for anything low enough to predict failure on the NCLEX. And further, the college can boast that it is the best in the state because it's NCLEX pass rate is 97-100%, which attracts more students to the program.

And as far as your wanting to pursue further education and worrying about grades to get in to certain programs...it really depends on what you are going into and the path you took. If you are an ADN, almost any BSN program will take you regardless of grades...you simply have to have a license. If you are a BSN trying for an MSN program, they require at least a year working as an RN and look at the grades, but often take students with excellent references and work experience regardless. There are of course exceptions, but there is such a shortage in nurses with higher degrees that programs are really very accommodating.

It is possible to get a 4.0! I look at the overall acheivement...going to school, getting good grades, going to work and being able to pay that $3.42/gallon, going to church to worship, being a wife, cooking dinner, cleaning house, doing laundry, and being a mom to my kids. There's more to my world than 4.0's and to me that reflects so much more on an application for anything that I do in the future!