GPA just not good enough

AFhopeful · Aug 6, 2012

Can you take some classes to boost your gpa?

Fumanchuesday · Aug 6, 2012

sure sucks... go to school somewhere else... i got in with a lower gpa than u... my school went STRICTLY off gpa which i think is complete bull. the top 50 gpas got in... didnt matter where the prereq work was done (some schools are obviously easier than others)... i was a cna for a whole year before applying and i still got put on the waiting list bc of my 3.55 gpa... i ended up eventually getting a spot and it turns out only one of my classmates had ANY healthcare experience... only 24 out of the original 50 made it to graduation. i was obviously a better candidate than the majority of my classmates, but the whole process is flawed if the gpa is the only factor! end rant/

rokbe, LPN, LVN · Aug 6, 2012

Fuman,

thanks for your response..Im curious where you live that you got in with 3.55..There isnt one school that I applies to that took lower than 3.8

Is that a pic of you,because if it is,then you look just like Chris Meloni from Law and Order..

zoe92 · Aug 6, 2012

If the GPA is holding you back, I would recommend retaking a class or two to boost your GPA. Also, maybe look outside the region you've been applying to. I live on the east coast and it is equally as hard to get in. Just keep trying & applying! Eventually you will get in.

Fumanchuesday · Aug 7, 2012

Ha! no, that's not me in my pic... it's Brian Wilson (baseball player). FEAR THE BEARD

I went to nursing school in New Orleans. It's actually the only place I applied, although i did have back up plans. I'm from Shreveport (about 5 hours away). I mainly chose to go there bc it was an accelerated program.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Aug 7, 2012

Ewwww, that's awful! 3.7 is a great GPA - certainly proves you can do the work in nursing school. I'm sorry it's been tough so far.

Like others said, taking a couple more classes to boost your GPA might help. I don't know what kinds of schools you've been applying to, but if you've been applying to BSN programs, maybe start by pursuing your A.A. and then get your BSN later? I know it takes longer, but I bet that community college programs have slightly different requirements for admission and are definitely a lot cheaper. Plus, your employer could always pay for your BSN later on, especially if they have some sort of arrangement with the program (the hospital I work for does).

Good luck!

ap21ril · Aug 7, 2012

I had to apply three years in a row, but I finally got in at an ASN program. Are you trying for BSN programs only, or ASN as well? In my area, we have less applicants for the ASN, so less competition. It will end being one semester longer than if I had gone through the BSN program, but still.

rokbe, LPN, LVN · Aug 7, 2012

i have a BA.now im applying for ASN ..i

neldel · Aug 7, 2012

Which schools in WA are you looking at? I am in NW WA and will be starting the ADN program at Whatcom Community College next month. There are two other ADN programs, Bellingham Technical College and Skagit Community College, and one local BSN, UW Bothell at Skagit.

rokbe, LPN, LVN · Aug 7, 2012

oh you got into Whatcom.Im on the waiting list for Whatcom,number 2. I started at no.4..im praying I get in

I also applied to NSCC3 times,,didint get in.Didnt get into Everett either.I also applied to Tacoma and today was the lottery but they disqualified my application because of an error I made.

cally527, RN · Aug 7, 2012

i have a 3.7 gpa and 90 on the HESI and I have been rejected from at least 5 schools..The lowest gpa they are taking are maybe 3.9.i just got a rejection yesterday,they took 30 students and had 200 applications
I live in Washington state and have applied all over the state. and want to know if it's this competitive everywhere.i dont know what to do

Every school and every state is different. When I was taking pre-req's, I kept reading all of these posts here on AN about schools with 2 year waiting lists. I found that none of the schools in my area had waiting lists that were 2 years long. I was lucky, the local college I go to had a pretty easy application process. (In fact, it was the only school in the area that did not use an Allied Health or Nursing entrance exam. They changed it and are now using a points system that requires the applicants to take the TEAS V, write an essay, take more pre-req's and also give points based on grades for the pre-req's)

In order to apply to my program (it is an ADN program) you had to have the pre-req classes completed with a "C" or better and you had to meet the minimum scores on the entrance exam.

Here is why it was pretty easy..... the pre-req's were chemistry and either Biology or AP1. The entrance exam was the Accuplacer (the test most colleges use to place freshmen into their English and Math classes) The minimum scores allowed were 95 for Reading Comprehension, 96 Sentence Skills and 75 Arithmetic. The maximum score for each section was 120. Once you met the minimum requirements, you were allowed to submit your application to the program. The admissions dept. looked at your Reading Comprehension score and the highest scores were accepted. Once the top scores were accepted, if they had 5 spots left and 8 applicants all had scored a 106 on the Reading, then they would look at each applicants Sentence score and accept the highest score, if those were tied, then they looked at the Arithmetic score. If those were tied as well then they looked at your grades.

Sad, right? And, you would think that this school had the WORST nursing program ever if the admission process was so silly. But the program is good and the NCLEX pass rates are always in the high 90%. (It was 100% for one of the classes last year.) In fact, the NCLEX pass rate is better than some of the more "prestigious" BSN programs in the area. (This is the Boston, MA area which is known for its colleges and hospitals)

So look around, I am sure that there are school that would love to accept an applicant like you with with a 3.7 GPA. Good luck and don't get discouraged!!!