Grades

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Hello there,

I am feeling pretty discouraged right about now. I came into Nursing school with a 4.0 GPA and I did excellent in all of my pre-req courses. The first semester of Nursing I maintained my 4.0 and achieved more than 100% in most of my courses. Now, this second semester of the first year, I am doing I guess "above-average" but I am struggling in one of my courses where we are finally being exposed to the more critical-thinking scenario based questions and I am having a hard time. This last exam, the topic was Gerontology and the exam covered things like social security issues, legal issues, elder abuse, chronic illness, etc... I studied seriously the hardest I have ever studied for a test. I read the chapters FIVE times over. I made SO many flashcards (hand-written) and then made flashcards on quizlet. I studied with a nursing student quizzing eachother for 3 hours in one sitting. I was quizzed by my boyfriend as well. I feel like I went through every avenue of studying possible and I got a B on the test. I am now to the point where getting an A in the class is unobtainable. I got A's on the first two exams, a C on the third, and now a B on the second. I have been studying the same way.. except this last one I studied even harder. I am having a really hard time and am getting really nervous about my grades from here on out because this teacher with the hard questions is one I will be having for the rest of my nursing school experience and her questions make me feel so nervous and make me feel horrible.

Any advice? Thank you. I really appreciate it.

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Specializes in Endocrinology, hopefully.

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!

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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!!!

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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!

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Specializes in Neuro Intensive Care.

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.

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

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.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I would recommend just going and talking to the instructor, tell her how you are studying and that you are frustrated that you are not doing better, and ask her advice. Teachers appreciate students who try hard, and aren't afraid to admit that they might not being doing everything the way that will get the best result.

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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 :) :)

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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

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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

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

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

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