How do you feel about B's?

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In one of my classes, we've been having tests back to back for the past 6 weeks. I've made B's on most of them, and my class average is a B. Of course I'd rather have an A, but I know I study as much as I possible can and give it my best effort. Someone in my program today said they want tutoring because they're getting B's and want to do better. Would you consider B's worth going to tutoring over, or would you be happy with that grade?

I'm taking chem right now and if I make a B I would be sooooo happy. I usually get As and Bs.

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Specializes in Medical cardiology.

I was a nursing peer tutor and I was proud of both the student that excelled and the student that squeaked by because they were both trying their hardest and doing their best. Tutoring can be helpful in so so many ways. If your school provides it for free, why not make an appointment? Even just 1 appt to learn some new study skills could be helpful.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ICU.

Get the strongest understanding you can while in nursing school. I did feel grades were an accurate representation of someone's understanding and recollection of a subject, unlike what some may say. You'll get rusty fast once you graduate, so the more time you spend mastering different disease processes, complications, common treatments, and medications, etc., the better off you'll be. I wouldn't sweat a B+ though. Some test questions are just strange and unrealistic.

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In the end the grade letter doesn't count, it's whether or not you can take care of a patient. I had a person who got the A on the test but was so busy memorizing facts like he did for the sciences that he couldn't do the hands on stuff. For a skills test it took him an hour to change a central line dressing. He wound up dropping. Would you rather get the B and have people skills or get the A and have none?

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Specializes in Psychiatry/Mental Health.

I say aim for understanding, but also don't be complacent with your grades. I was an A-B student throughout my program, and then during our last semester I got a 60 something on an exam that I studied hard for and it absolutely floored me. I would have felt so much more confident and secure had I had solid As.

Also, if you have more semesters remaining or plan on going further in school, some scholarship opportunities consider GPA. I never really cared about these until I started getting them.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
Bs get degrees

So do Cs

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Specializes in Ortho-Neuro.

I am a little more than halfway through my nursing program, and I have a bachelor's degree in another field.

When I went through school the first time, I didn't even try. I got a few As, mostly Bs, and one C. I was upset about the C because it was a serious philosophical difference with the professor, but for the most part I didn't sweat the Bs. I got through the 4 years of college with a decent GPA and didn't think about it again.

Fast forward 12 years and I started pre-reqs for nursing school. My school is extremely competitive, so I knew that a single B in my pre-reqs would disqualifiy me. I worked my tail off and went into nursing school with a 4.0, not counting my prior degree. I am in a 2-year ADN program with a 100% NCLEX pass rate for over 8 years running. Our grading scale is also intensified with a 77 is failing. We started with a cohort of 50 students and so far we have lost 17 students due to failing grades or unsatisfactory clinical performance. We gained 3 students from the cohort ahead of us who had failed a course but were permitted to retake due to merits in clinical.

My first year in the nursing program, I continued to ignore all life outside school and studied all the time. I managed to continue to make As the first two semesters. Over the summer I started BSN classes and earned As in both. This semester it feels like everything is hitting the fan. I am taking two classes at the moment, one accelerated and one full semester, and I have a B in each. Basically I am drowning. I feel like I really understand the material inside and out, but I am sleep deprived from a wonky clinical schedule, and I am having trouble adapting to the instructor's (same person teaches both classes) testing style. Tests this semester are less frequent than the last semester, which means they cover more material. Also the tests in both classes tend to happen on the same day. This semester has far fewer non-exam assignments to bring up exam grades. We have many more large projects this semester as well, but these are ungraded pass/fail and have no bearing on our overall grade unless we fail the project. I have adapeted my study style for this semester, but this has only improved my grade a little, and not enough to scramble back up to an A.

I am in an ADN program, and I know that the hospitals prefer BSNs, so I tried very hard to keep my 4.0 average. I also have no healthcare experience and very little work experience at all due to being a stay-at-home mom to a special needs child during that time. I hoped that having a 4.0 would set me apart enough to get into a hospital RN job. I have started the BSN, but I won't be finished for another year after sitting for the NCLEX, and I don't know if an incomplete BSN will help or hurt my chances.

For the most part I get it. Bs get degrees. Cs get degress. I celebrate with my classmates who barely squeak by to pass a test, and I am not bitter about those who earn higher grades than me. It really isn't about the competition or ranking, because we are all in this together. I am mostly concerned about getting the As just to get hired. Once I have my first job, it really won't matter any more.

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Our nursing classes require B - 80% or better. They will round up 79.5.

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I strive for "a" for the same reason. I'm a much older student...I'm older than many of the parents of the people I go to school with...LOL. For that reason, I truly feel I need to set myself apart when it comes to job seeking.

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Just another lil' insight: I studied with and was very close to the valedictorian in my class. I made C's, she made A's with a B or two. I had lunch with her last week - turns out, we're making the same exact base pay!

I'm SURE it looked good on her resumes and was commented on in her letters of recommendation... Certainly, having A averages when finals came around would have reduced my stress level at end-of-semester. But, at the end of the day, we're all doing all right!

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If you want to go to graduate school you need an A, otherwise a B is great.

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