Grades... bad

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Hi. Ok, so here it goes. I'm a 22 year old college student who has just moved from wyoming to california. I've been to 3 different colleges since graduation and has just registered at my fourth. I had to move many times, which is why there have been so many. My problem is that when I first started college I did not really know what I wanted to do, I messed around my first 3 semesters. My grades were not bad by any means but then I moved again to wyoming. While I was there I partied and failed out of college, 2 semesters I got pretty much all F's, a couple of D's. I took a year off and now just moved back to california with my family and am enrolling in community college. I really want to be a nurse and understand that I severely messed up. My dilemma is that I have submitted my transcripts from the other two colleges, but not the third with the F's. Should I or shouldn't I? Also, really do I have any chance of getting in if my GPA from before the F's was not really that great anyway. Can I not just start fresh? If getting into nursing school is not an option what about the CNA-LVN-RN route, could that be a path, or am I doomed? I am just looking for a little guidance and hope?

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You could start taking the pre-nursing classes to get your GPA up. My community college will take my last 12 credits (nursing related) and use that GPA if i have been in college before, which I have. I have an associates in office administration from 2001. Grades not bad...not super. So last year I started getting the pre-reqs out of the way (chem, psych, math, A&P..etc)!! Good luck!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

If I were you, I would just start ALL over, from scratch, at a community college. Kick butt on the pre-reqs, and get in, and then graduate with an ADN. That might take an extra three years, but it will be worth it in the end. ;)

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Specializes in ICU.

You're probably going to need to submit all your transcripts, including the one with the 'F's - not to take pre-req classes at your new community college, but eventually when you apply to nursing programs you are required to submit all transcripts from all institutions you attended. The best way to get your GPA up is to retake your failed classes and get better scores - most schools will allow you to replace a course grade if you retake it and do better the second time.

Just register for your pre-nursing classes and get going, if you do well your GPA will rise! :) Depending on how many credits you had and how low your GPA was before, it could be a quick rise or it could take a long time and lots of hard work.

I would take all of your transcripts in to your new college, sit down with an adviser, and ask them what the best course of action is for you to get you moving in the direction of a nursing program.

It's not too late!

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Im sorry I wasnt very clear some of the classes I took were pre reqs for nursing school. does that change anything?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

How low were your grades for your prerequiste courses, OP?

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Hi. Ok, so here it goes. I'm a 22 year old college student who has just moved from wyoming to california. I've been to 3 different colleges since graduation and has just registered at my fourth. I had to move many times, which is why there have been so many. My problem is that when I first started college I did not really know what I wanted to do, I messed around my first 3 semesters. My grades were not bad by any means but then I moved again to wyoming. While I was there I partied and failed out of college, 2 semesters I got pretty much all F's, a couple of D's. I took a year off and now just moved back to california with my family and am enrolling in community college. I really want to be a nurse and understand that I severely messed up. My dilemma is that I have submitted my transcripts from the other two colleges, but not the third with the F's. Should I or shouldn't I? Also, really do I have any chance of getting in if my GPA from before the F's was not really that great anyway. Can I not just start fresh? If getting into nursing school is not an option what about the CNA-LVN-RN route, could that be a path, or am I doomed? I am just looking for a little guidance and hope?

I did the same thing when I started school, but only at the same college. I retook classes for grade forgiveness, you should talk to a counselor about that and see if there is a way you can do it.

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Can I not just start fresh? If getting into nursing school is not an option what about the CNA-LVN-RN route, could that be a path, or am I doomed? I am just looking for a little guidance and hope?

I petitioned to have my previous transcript excluded and started from scratch. My 20-year old Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree carries a "stellar" GPA of 2.6 due to the very activities you mentioned.

I am so glad they accepted my petition and it was actually a very good thing for me to retake classes like Psych 101, Composition, and even Chemistry 101! I don't know how they assess for recent classes, but you can always try.

Talk to an advisor and see what they say.

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I haven't started my pre-reqs yet but I know at my school if you take, I think there is three classes, more than once and still don't pass you won't get into the nursing program!

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I think you're required to submit a transcript from every post-secondary school attended. If I recall correctly not doing so is grounds for immediately dismissal.

Most academic forgiveness programs are only applicable for classes taken over 10 years ago. You most likely won't be able to start over, but if you do well from here on out I'd imagine you will be able to get in somewhere. If you maintain a 4.0 for the next 60 credit hours and have stellar entrance exams it will be very obvious that you:

  1. Screwed up
  2. Grew up
  3. Kicked butt

Unfortunately you now have no room for average performance and you really need to be at the top of your classes and application pool. It's probably more difficult to succeed in California compared to some other regions.

If you can find a school that for entrance purposes only counts prerequisites and does grade replacement, then you can pretty much guarantee yourself a spot. This is probably the safest bet although I'm not sure if any schools do this in CA.

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I think you're required to submit a transcript from every post-secondary school attended. If I recall correctly not doing so is grounds for immediately dismissal.

This is my understanding as well. I think I remember seeing that on the applications of both colleges I applied to when recently returning to college.

I am in a similar boat - although my lovely semester of F's (after 3 semesters of all A's and B's :nuke:) is from 10 years ago, I still had to submit those transcripts to my current institution. I only had a few classes that transfer and apply toward the nursing prereqs at my community college, and luckily, they were ones I had A's in. The nursing dept. only counts the nursing prereq grades and they also only count the higher grade if you retake a class. (I believe up to 3 tries) You might want to check to see if the nursing program you want to get into goes on overall GPA or just the grades in nursing prereqs.

Submit ALL of your transcripts and then retake the nursing prereqs that you got bad grades in and shoot for A's! Good luck!

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Start from scratch, don't transfer your grades to your new school. I know some schools will just take the highest grade, but it just doesn't look good. I would start over.

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