getting into nursing programs with low UGPA, high pre-req GPA?

demeanor89 · May 22, 2012

I've been reading that nursing schools are looking into the TOTAL overall GPA, not just the most recent and pre-req's, which scares me a bit. I first attended a community college, graduated with an A.S. Liberal Arts with a 3.08 GPA. I transferred to an art school for a semester (I had around a 3.4), couldn't afford the price tag, and came back home before transferring to Stony Brook. I finished Stony Brook with a 2.6 GPA. I added all the credits and quality points from each school (except Pratt, I don't have access to the transcript) and it works out to a 2.77 overall. I started taking the pre-req's for nursing last semester and received an A, A, B+, A-, and A in Chemistry 1, dosages course, A&P 1, chemistry 2, and developmental psych. The other pre-req courses such as English 1, English 2, statistics, and psychology were previously completed with an A, A, B, B+.
I admit I messed up the first time around -- I majored in sociology, didn't take many math or science courses, and was more focused on working and social activities than studying. Now that I've gona back after 5 years and have managed to do well, I'm bummed to learn my previous mistakes will be held against me. I need to attend a state or city school because I maxed out on federal loans (I didn't receive a dime of financial aid for my first degree). I feel like I've just wasted a couple thousand extra and a bunch of time attempting to go back. All I could think about was my friend who graduated with a 2.8 GPA being accepted to podiatry school, but I have a similar GPA and might not even get into nursing school at the undergrad level!!
Any advice on what my next step could be? I worked as a domestic violence victim advocate for 3 years which originally what sparked my interest in nursing. There is a strong overlap with case prosecution and medical facts in rape and domestic violence cases and I wanted to eventually become SANE certified.

I feel the same. I also went to Stony Brook and graduated with a 3.0, but I was a biology major..BIOLOGY and I don't think I will be given credit for my hard work to bring it that far out as these schools only take the best gpas regardless of what the major was. And being a bio major at Stony Brook is stressful enough and if they don't see that I busted my bum and managed a B average as a bio major, then I totally regret being a biology major as it's nearly impossible to get these perfect 4.0's in a major like that. Besides compared to others who pursued my major, I would be considered one of the top ones out there since the average gpa of biology majors at SB is around 2.2ish (bad I know), and now I'm stressed that I won't even get into nursing b/c of this horrid competition. I feel deathly scared as I will have no chance but again it's always best to hold up some hope. You never know, you may have a shot and good luck!

DoGoodThenGo · May 22, 2012

am going to say this *yet* again. most colleges/universities have long required one to send *all* transcripts of all post high school work with some sort of minimum gpa required for ages. well at least since one has been looking at colleges (the 1980's).

for lack of any other objective means past academic performance is a pretty good indicator of one's future grades. yes, there are persons who did poorly for various reasons in high school and or their first years in college then bust out an "a" average later on, but culmative gpas are what they are.

unlike some other majors nursing programs do have a specific goal; to produce graduates that are deemed competent to enter the profession via passing the nclex hopefully the first time around. quite allot of funds and effort by both professional organizations and individual programs have gone into analyzing whom is likely to pass the nclex. what it does often come down to is that those with high academic grades have an overall better passing average than those who do not.

back in the 1980's or so when nursing was out of favor as a career choice and nursing programs were going begging for students if not shutting down all together it was possible to get into a program with a "c+" (2.5 gpa). that mainly was because open slots widely outnumbered applicants. however even then you had a good number of students who did not complete due to academic reasons.

nursing programs have been put on notice by local hospitals/facilities that they are *not* in the business of teaching nursing. therefore graduates had better arrive at their doors with the education/skills deemed necessary to start orientation (what there is of it), if not don't bother.

that brings us to the other part of the equation. while nursing school was never a cake walk, as the profession has become increasingly technical the demands made upon a rn have increased. it is safe to say that the practice today has many aspects that would have been considered practicing medicine ten or twenty years ago. all this with hospitals/facilities and the general public demanding a very low margin for error. despite increased standards for entry and retention into nursing programs, and to land a hospital gig there are still way too many nursing/med errors in this country. leaving aside the huge cost in dollars there is the human toll in adverse outcomes up to and including patient deaths.

being as all this may the only advice one can offer is for those with decent but not great gpas to seek out private nursing programs and or small schools that have a more personal admissions process. often such schools will look at one's entire academic past but allow for some leeway long as pre-reqs are where they need to be. these programs often also give weight to personal interviews that give a chance to explain "why" certain grades went the way they did. i'd avoid cuny and most suny programs as they are all getting way more top quality applicants than they can admit.

Destin293 · May 23, 2012

Good to know I'm not alone! Interestingly, my best friend/former SB roommate graduated the same year I did (2007) with a degree in clinical laboratory sciences with a 2.8 GPA. She went to BMCC to retake a couple pre-req's, took the MCAT 3 times (did terrible the first 2 times, aced it the 3rd time), and now she's set to graduate from podiatry school next year. So, I guess if you can't become a nurse, at least you know you can always become a doctor! =P

DoGoodThenGo · May 23, 2012

There was an article in yesterday's New York Times (you can probably find the link on Google News) about how CUNY has chnaged in the ten years or so since open enrollment ended, especially for the elite four year universities (Hunter, Baruch, etc..).

In general Asian and to an extent White student population has increased while Black and Latino is going down. What is alsohappening is that the average SAT scores and results on CUNY's "new" standard admission exams is increasing as well. Long story short many high achieving NYC students see CUNY for the education bargain (around $5,100 tuition per semester) it tis. While this does help bring CUNY back into the reputation for excellence it once held, many are being left behind and or out.

Lots of students with either do their undergrad degree say at Hunter and go on to a "NYU", or "Columbia" for graduate work, and or do the first two years of undergraduate work at CUNY then transfer. Either method can save thousands if not tens of thousands in college tuition costs.

As related to nursing CUNY's four year and even two year programs are an excellent choice. While there *may* be some perks to attending NYU, Duke, Columbia or another of the famous nursing programs, most facilities care most that one is licensed and can prove compentence regardless of where one went to school. Hunter-Bellevue actually is quite famous in it's own right , so being a grad isn't too shabby.

With everyone and their mother chasing RN licensure either as a "safe" new career or after being downsized/fired/let go/ etc... you have vastly more high quailty applicants than programs can absorb. The newest "trend" ABSN/Second Degree RN is really shaking up the scene. Between traditional BSN and ABSN programs there are more and more newly minted four year grads hitting the streets looking for work. This is why I and many others think this time the "BSN required" may stick around at least for the top facilities such as NYP,NS/LIJ, Mount Sinai and a few others.