Grades

I'm like you. I've gotten As in all of my pre-reqs and am starting the program in the fall... I've heard OVER and OVER "Cs get degrees!" I know nursing school is tough. I know I may not always do as well as I am accustomed to... But I also think saying, "Eh, a C is fine" is just... Well... Lazy.

So, I feel your pain and I am SO impressed that you have high expectations of yourself. Good luck finishing out the semester!

I'm with you!!! I was incredibly proud of my pre req average and then I started nursing... It really is a different ball game. I have found that my grades are lower than they were but we were told that students who were getting A's will likely get B's, B's will turn into C's and if you normally get C's then god help you (their words not mine). I think it's different going from a memorization aspect to a critical thinking and application model and the change in expectations has been reflected in my marks. I find now I struggle to maintain the average I need for scholarships and it is so frustrating because I have always had an easy time making A's. I've learned to let go a little and work hard and to the best of my ability, and try to be satisfied with my results. At first I was upset over my marks, but when I listened to others discuss their marks it put it into perspective for me. All of our averages took a hit as we learn how to think like nurses. It's a learning curve, a frustrating and sometimes defeating learning curve. Keep at it!!!

I also had all A's in all pre-req's and actually had a 100% in a&p, chem, and organic chem w/o extra credit. I love science and math. Yet I came to nursing school and got B's that took my average to a 3.7. I had been upset about it the first semester and the second but in the third and fourth I let myself be okay with b's and didn't kill myself studying. I am actually graduating valedictorian next month. I know its hard not to let it get to you, but just do the best that you can and let that be good enough!

Maybe it's not how long or how hard you study, but maybe how you are studying. Everyone has a certain way and the key is to find the way that works for you.

I graduated with 3.85 from nursing school and 3.89 from grad school. Guess what... nobody cares. There were people with much lower averages who got jobs, and people like me who did not get jobs. That's all that matters. You can sit and look at your pretty transcripts all day but it's cold comfort when you're not working as a nurse.

Thank you all for the responses, they all were very helpful and made me feel a lot less stressed about this grades situation. I am actually meeting with my professor tomorrow just to discuss possible test-taking strategies I can implement in order to help me do better on her tests and also just to let her know that I am concerned about my scores and just want to do better! Thanks for all of the help, again :) :)

I graduated with 3.85 from nursing school and 3.89 from grad school. Guess what... nobody cares. There were people with much lower averages who got jobs, and people like me who did not get jobs. That's all that matters. You can sit and look at your pretty transcripts all day but it's cold comfort when you're not working as a nurse.

not true, for masters programs

Are you studying along with an nclex review book? Sometimes it is the style of question asking that gets you, the whole, there are two right answers thing. the review book goes into detail on each body system and also talks about test taking strategies.

and yes to the talking with the teacher!

and yes, is you are going to go on in school, your gpa will matter for admissions!

good luck

When I took my NCLEX and for most of my tests I tried to think about the scenarios as how I would explain them to my patient. So instead of rote memorization data, I was trying to "teach" the information to this imaginary person. Might help. Best of luck and I hope your prof has some advice for you :)

Tait