GPA not high enough, can I still get in?

[JLW1622]

When I first started college I didn't take it seriously. With that came horrible grades and academic probation. I finally was able to finish with my AA. Unfortunately, I do not have a high enough GPA (2.24) and got Cs in microbiology, anatomy and physiology to get into a RN program. I plan on taking anatomy and physiology again to get a higher grade. I am also enrolling in a CNA course so I can get my foot in the door. After that I plan to try for an LVN program and finally applying for an RN program. Going to each program is the only way I can think of to get to my end goal of RN. I guess I am wondering others thoughts? Am I going about this the right way? Any advice would be great. Thank you!

[PurpleLover]

It depends on how competitive your school is in regards to your GPA.

The college I attend only asks for a 2.0 GPA. They actually will take someone with a 2.0 over someone with a 4.0 if they are done with all pre reqs.

[Lexicon]

It depends on the school, but also I've heard a factor they consider is how many pre-reqs you retake-- Some schools will only allow you to repeat a pre-req course once. Are you trying to get an associate degree in nursing and do an RN to BSN program later, or are you trying to get into a BSN program?

[JLW1622]

I already have an associate degree. My goal would be to get my BSN in nursing but right now main focus is just to get in an RN program. Most of the schools in the Bay Area that I have looked into have an accumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

[Mandy0728]

Retaking those classes is a good step in raising your gpa. You & I share a similar history. Right out of high school, I didn't take college seriously & I bombed a few classes. Once I chose nursing, I had to retake a lot of classes & was able to raise my gpa from a 1.93 to a 3.47. I just got accepted into a BSN program starting in January. I know you can do it, because I did it...even when I had an advisor that told me it was impossible.

[HoppaRoundNursie]

You should talk to someone that recruits for the school you want to go to. Some schools only factor your GPA from the courses that are pre-reqs for their program (excluding the things that do not pertain to them), so look into what your GPA would be if only calculating those classes. You can also re-take those courses and most schools will "over-write" the old grade with the new grade, but you should also look into that for your school to make sure its not a waste of time/money.

I highly recommend you do not go LPN>RN. One reason is that most of these do not stack and if you are wanting to eventually get your BSN, you will be adding a lot of classes that you do not need (and will repeat in my situation lol) to get your degree. Having that CNA experience will really help you out in the long run though.

Most schools you can download their course catalog and handbook which will show you what courses you must have and how they factor GPA. Good luck! I'm sure if you talk to someone at the nursing school, they will work with you to get you on track :)