Nursing School Admissions

[chuckcamp]

I need some advice as to how I should get into Nursing school.. I've already got a degree from a top 25 school (as if it really matters anymore) in economics. therefore, i have no prereqs for nursing schools but I plan on taking these classes at a community college.

the problem lies in my undergrad GPA. i have got about a 2.5, which is not very indicative of how hard I work and how able I am... most of that gpa was weighted down by some bad grades my 1st and 2nd years of college, because i was 18-19 years old and partied alot, etc. my last 2 years of school went pretty well.. i became a workhorse and got real good grades my last 2 years worth of academic hours. even if i ace my prereqs in community college, my overall gpa wouldnt eclipse the 3.0 mark.. which is what my concern is. i'm confident that i can ace classes at community college (knock on wood). does anyone know if doing well in prereqs is worth a damn if your grades in nonrelated classes earlier in ur career bring your "overall" down??

another question i had was about schools.. i heard that private schools with higher tuition tend to be "less selective" due to the fact that there is a smaller applicant pool because people tend to not want to shell out the big bucks.. is there any truth to this rumor?

my parents are in the healthcare field and are more than willing to pay for my education (esp. if its in nursing). i am currently in new york but i plan on going back to florida for prereqs/nursing school... i was wondering if anyone knew the admissions details of schools back in florida.. i plan on applying to USF, UCF, FSU, UF, UNF (which are all public schools). since i am in new york, i am also considering private schools up here as well (anything that will increase my chances!) PLEASE, I NEED SOME ADVICE!!!

[LittleCatB]

I need some advice as to how I should get into Nursing school.. I've already got a degree from a top 25 school (as if it really matters anymore) in economics. therefore, i have no prereqs for nursing schools but I plan on taking these classes at a community college.

does anyone know if doing well in prereqs is worth a damn if your grades in nonrelated classes earlier in ur career bring your "overall" down??

PLEASE, I NEED SOME ADVICE!!!

at the school I'm applying to, my current grades at the current school I'm enrolled at are the only ones that count as my GPA. So my 2.5 GPA from community college 7 years ago does not count... But my 3.5 GPA at the university I attend now does.

Check with the school you want- if you're taking your prereq's at a different school, those grades may be the only ones that count.

[JenW]

I have applied at a community college for their ADN program. I'm in a similar boat as you in that I have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field and my GPA is only around 2.8. However, the program I applied to only counts the grades for the pre-reqs. (YEAH!)

As far as how selective the programs are, I think it depends if you plan on applying for a 4-year program or a 2-year program. I don't think that there is as much competition for spots in a 4-year program (BSN) as there is for the 2-year (ADN) programs. But, as was mentioned in the previous post, check with the schools you are interested in. I've noticed that each school has very separate and unique criteria for selection and admission.

Good luck!

[FutureNurse2005]

to be honest, I think the school will look at your most recent grades and judge from that. If they see crappy grades in years 1 and 2 but then see excellent grades in later years, they'll wanna know why the big difference.

Just work as hard as you can!! Good luck!

[GracefulRN]

Chuckcamp,

Don't sweat it too much. Most of the nursings schools I am aware of base your admission GPA only on your nursing prereqs, and if they don't I know that they will look at your most recent performance and see that now you are kickin' butt and takin' names. Good Luck.