man, going back is a waste of time...

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from what i've gathered, going back to school for nursing is the biggest waste of time if you've got anything lower than a 3.0 from your previous degree. its sad to realize that nursing schools dont recognize the hard work and effort of a "second chance on a career" because pulling off a 4.0 in prereqs wont help you at all.

i should have majored in some joke degree like "physical education".. that way i could have gotten a 4.0 and not had to worry about going back

Yeah as soon as you go back you can put your loans back in deferment, I was just trying to make it so I didn't use up my whole 6 months of my time to make no payments while out of school.

Thanks for the info about Wayne, I have been trying to make it to one of their info sessions but they always have them on Tuesday nights while I am in pharmacology class. Hopefully they have one in early summer that I can make it to!

If you're unable to start school at least halftime, and your monthly student loan payment is a certain percentage more than what the gov considers to be payable according to your income, you can qualify for forbearance. I was in forbearance for 3 years after my bachelors (because I didn't get a paid a whole lot and I had massive loan amounts). There are also some other ways to manage your loans based on what you can pay that you can check into. But if you need prereqs, taking 6 credits a semester exempts you from any payments.

I am in an ADN program at a local community college where past grades are of no importance. They base their acceptance on the NLN exam and an essay and past experience in the healthcare field. I did graduate with a Assoc. in Liberal Arts with a 3.79, but that was not in the mix in their decision to accept me. Just kicked butt on the NLN I guess!!!! :)

here is a link to accelerated BSN and masters programs

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/APLIST.PDF

I am taking the prereqs right now at bmcc cuny in manhattan; apparently to get into their nursing program the only grades that matter are for health sciences math, A&P I, english, and speech. You need chem to take A&P I but they can be done simultaneously (as I did last semester). This semester I'm in micro and A&P II, but these classes are ones that you can take when you're already in the nursing program. The problem is that there are so many applicants that only those with a high A/B average (again, only in those 4 classes mentioned above) are accepted into the nursing program, unless you belong to a union and are guaranteed a spot through their quotas. And BMCC doesn't offer the BSN as they are a 2 year school.

I personally am not doing the BMCC program. I had applied to Hunter (a 4 year CUNY) last spring, but got bumped to BMCC for space issues. I reapplied to Hunter last Fall and was informed I could attend this semester. At Hunter, you need to be a student there for at least one semester before applying for their nursing program. I decided to stay at BMCC since I will be starting an accelerated BSN-MSN program here in NYC in May. My undergrad GPA was in the low 3. range, but I had a few years of work experience (in a california hospital) after college which made a huge difference when I was applying for my first graduate degree. My graduate gpa was in the high 3.'s, and I aced chem and A&P I and health-sci math. I also think my work experience helped in my application for the accelerated program I will be starting. But it's very hard to find hospital work in NYC unless you have a license of some sort!

Good Luck!

how are classes at BMCC?? i am currently working in the city now and have been thinking about taking classes at BMCC this summer.. i plan on taking about 1 night class per summer term (i believe that there are 2 terms in the summer).. u think that is enough for me to handle.. or should i increase my load?? in terms of community colleges-- do the classes transfer to schools of other states?? i know that they are integrated with state universities within the same state, but what about other states? i saw u were from california so i was wondering if u had applied out there too.. let me know

and must have a PULSE! :chuckle

A pulse! :uhoh3:

:rotfl: HAAHAAHHA

how are classes at BMCC?? i am currently working in the city now and have been thinking about taking classes at BMCC this summer.. i plan on taking about 1 night class per summer term (i believe that there are 2 terms in the summer).. u think that is enough for me to handle.. or should i increase my load?? in terms of community colleges-- do the classes transfer to schools of other states?? i know that they are integrated with state universities within the same state, but what about other states? i saw u were from california so i was wondering if u had applied out there too.. let me know
I think the classes at BMCC are fine, but these are the first science courses I've ever had. We seem to have more lecture time and less actual lab experience than I expected. Pretty much just take notes for the entire class period and then get tested on those notes every month or so. I only studied the night before my exams and got A's in all my classes, and believe me, science is not my strong area. Summer is pretty intensive since you go every day, and I don't think they offer science courses in the second term, but I could be wrong.

Both BMCC and Hunter transferred in all my credits from my B.S., but I went to a private college in California. Actually, they also accepted my PE credits from a community college in California, so I don't think transferring will be a problem. The private university I'll be attending in May accepted BMCC classes for prereqs. I didn't apply to any other schools, but I don't think transferring credits to another state would be a problem.

One of my classmates is transferring to SUNY Buffalo from BMCC; she says their gpa requirement for nursing is below 3.0. It's pretty much based on amount of spaces available, and the Manhattan area schools are naturally much more competitive since there are so many students.

I agree with everyone. As a 46 y/o nursing student with a family it is difficult. If I knew this was my future I would have done this at 22 but I liked being a travel agent. I spent a year finding out about Nursing programs first. Since I had an Associates I didn;t want another. But... most college won;t accept science and computer over tens years. I found a school to accept me and trying desperating to make a 2.75 in my science classes, while being a single parent and taking a full course load.

My advise is private colllege have less reqtrictive requirements than state schools (or community college) since it is money driven more than the others. My state school said I would have to take my sciences as a sophomore and ace them and then they would SEE if they woudl let me inthe program which began in Fall only but I have to apply in Jan. prior. LOTS OF PRESSURE there and they requested I take the SAT's again.

Nursing is not the the best field to enter in pressure of time restrictions. Do your research and see how far your willign to travel. Look at private schools if you really want this.

Ria in NJ

Specializes in ob, med surg.
from what i've gathered, going back to school for nursing is the biggest waste of time if you've got anything lower than a 3.0 from your previous degree. its sad to realize that nursing schools dont recognize the hard work and effort of a "second chance on a career" because pulling off a 4.0 in prereqs wont help you at all.

i should have majored in some joke degree like "physical education".. that way i could have gotten a 4.0 and not had to worry about going back

Chuck! I'm 42. I'm finishing my first year in nursing school at Rappahannock Community College in Warsaw VA. I have a previous 4 year degree from Penn State which I am extremely proud of but which I got by the skin of my teeth!! I had no problem getting into the community college. As far as the 4 year degree goes, I will only have to take 3, maybe 4 classes to take to get the BSN after the associate degree and 2 of those will be because I did so bad on the same courses during my first degree! So total time in school will be under 3 years, about 5- 5 1/2 semesters

If you are looking at 2nd degree nursing programs or accelerated programs, yes many of them do require that you have a 3.0 gpa. However if you go the standard BSN route many schools only require a 2.5 gpa. There is a school here in Oklahoma city that does not even require you to apply for nursing school. You simply have to be accepted to the school. If you have a degree already, I'm sure you would be accepted to the school. The only problem is the school costs $15k/yr. That was way out of my league. It may be worth you looking into since money is no object. http://www.okcu.edu/nursing/kson.htm

At my small, CC they only use the specific classes required for the program when figuring your gpa. For example, if you took a lot of artsy-type classes, or lower level classes to refresh yourself before starting the tougher stuff, none of that is even looked at. This actually hurt me a little, since with all my classes I have a 3.3, but with just the pre-reqs I have a 3.2. My current midterm grades are A's, so my actual gpa going in should be near 3.6. Our minimum is 2.8, and there are 40 available spots and there's usually not even that many applicants. Last year they did have 43, so they let the 3 extra go to a part-time program. So far this year, there's less than 20 applicants, but the deadline isn't until May 15, so Iguess there could be some more. So basically, unless 20 people with 3.7 & up all of a sudden apply, I'm in. I realize how lucky I am after reading about some of the waiting lists & competition at larger schools.

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