Groveling for a Direct-Entry MSN Program

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Dear Nursing Community,

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to the forum and I'm glad I finally found such a wonderful resource for all things nursing - only I wish I found it sooner.

I just recently graduated from UCSD '07 with a B.S. in Human Biology. I was a pre-med student but finally decided against it in my last year at UCSD. My real passion and heart was firmly placed in nursing, but due to the influence of friends and family and their notion that I'll be "selling myself short" if I didn't try pursuing medical school, I put my nursing education on hold. Luckily, I came across the direct-entry MSN programs which came as a sign that I may still have a chance at nursing. And so I followed my gut and applied to some direct-entry MSN programs - more specifically, I applied to California State University Los Angeles, UCLA, and Western University. My undergrad. GPA is not competitive at all (trust me - I'm thoroughly embarrassed at what it is), however, my volunteering experience has been pretty extensive. My question/problem is this:

I'm not feeling too confident in being accepted to any of the programs I applied to for several reasons. My GPA isn't competitive, and the classes I completed at UCSD, which I believed to be equivalent, was far from what they (the schools to which I've applied) wanted. I'm taking prerequisites right now, namely Physiology and Microbiology, and I'm still holding onto an inkling of hope that I'll be accepted. BUT if not....what in-all-that-is-good-in-nursing do I do then? I'm looking for a fast way to get where I've always wanted to be, which is to be an NP. But if I do get rejected :crying2: then its a year setback. And within that year I have to decide what would be the best course of action to get an NP in the quickest most efficient way possible to save for lost time.

Do I just start over and earn my RN at a junior college, then apply to an accelerated BSN-MSN program?

Or should I just volunteer for that sad year at a hospital and reapply to the direct-entry MSN program again?

Should I even think about an MSN at this point?

Or what other options are out there for me to take to boost my resume as a better candidate for an MSN program.

I am about to go bonkers with the stress and the pressure of not getting accepted and being left out in the cold and clueless about what to do in the coming year. I just hate the idea that I will have to put my life, literally, on hold for a year. My plan was to earn an MSN degree in the next 3 years, start working, and get married. My girlfriend just applied to the Cal-State LA BSN program which is 3 - 4 year program and we were planning to graduate pretty close to each other so we can settle down as nurses earlier. But this setback would push our plans further back and it is such a shame. Please, anybody, help!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Well, I would say not to give up hope, but direct entry programs are super competitive and it may take YEARS to inflate your GPA if it is low like you say. My advice would be to become an RN through a community college (if there is one that is close to you) and then do an RN-MSN bridge program. A new RN can make pretty darn good money with an Associate's Degree and you would then be earning valuable experience that would help you not only be a better NP, but also to help decide what type of advance practice you really want to go into. Just my two cents on this...good luck no matter what you decide!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Hospice and Palliative Care.

Hi Nosmas,

:hrns&wlcm:

Welcome to the forum, it is a wonderful resource! I do not know your exact situation, so I can only make generalizations as far as your course of action. If you have a low undergrad GPA, I think you can still make up for it by acing your prerequisite classes, doing well on the GRE, and writing a stellar essay as a part of your application. Most of the applications I filled out for ELMSN/MEPN programs gave the option of writing a short essay if there were any discrepancies/low points in the application. This would give you the opportunity to address any concerns and give one last impression as to how you are willing to go above and beyond in your pursuit of nursing.

If nursing is your passion, then you are lucky. There are so many avenues to receiving your education, so my advice to you would be to apply to as many programs as possible, in order to keep your options open. I've heard the community colleges in Cali are lottery-based and can have waiting lists up to 2-3 years. It may be different in your specific community, but definitely something to look into. If there are no waiting lists, then I'd definitely recommend applying. You can still pursue your Master's to become an NP at a later date: yes, it will take 4 years (2 for ADN, 2+ for Masters) instead of 3 years through a direct-entry program, but it's probably a lot more affordable and still gets you where you want to go. I think you should also take a look at traditional or accelerated BSNs in your area. Same idea: you can always work on your Master's upon graduation. If your ultimate goal is to start school ASAP, then these would be some great options for you. If you decide to wait it out and apply to next year's direct-entry programs, I think you should definitely retake any prerequisites that you did not receive A's in so that you could be more competitive. The university's definitely seem to look at the whole application (Grades, essays, letters of recommendation, GRE scores) so I think could have a better chance for acceptance if everything else looks great. I know the Associate's programs, at least in my neck of the woods, are very competitive on the basis of Prerequisite GPA only- which can make it difficult to be accepted if you are not a straight-A student.

Good luck and again, welcome to allnurses. I'm confident that you will be find and educational path that is right for you.

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Let me ask this first - can you apply anywhere in the country? I was just accepted into Yale's direct-entry program, and I have friends (2 of which did not have good GPAs at all) and they both got accepted into a direct-entry program, one at USD and one at Columbia.

Columbia might be a good choice for you actually, because they take a large class, and they tend to look less closely at grades, and more closely at other life experience (or so I hear, I didn't apply there).

Anyway, I am a firm believer that you can make happen whatever you like, so just get out there, do what you can, and some practical advice -- apply to as many schools as possible!

Take care,

Kens

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Nosmas,

I was in the same boat as you. I was premed but decided my last year in college that medical school wasnt for me and because of this I got a lot of disapproval from my family. I also had a low gpa but so far I have already been accepted to two programs and interviewing for another FNP program. Dont give up!!!

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I just wanted to echo what many above posters have said. I have a similar situation, excet I have been out of school for 15 years. The fact that my BS GPA was over 15 yrs old did not make a diference. I could not gain acceptance into a Direct Entry program, even though my pre req's grades were 4.0, because my old GPA drug me down. (Now, maybe I could have if I was able to move, but I could not get into anyof the 4 within driving distance.)

So, even though at first everything in my hated the idea of wasted time, I am getting ready to begin a local CC ADN program and then do as the above poster suggested in a couple years and apply to an RN to MSN program. After getting over the initial "No, this isn't my plan!!!" feelings, I realized that this course has several significant advantages.

1. I can work in two years, making money and gaining experiance.

2. I can stay close to home and spend more valuable time with my family while they are young.

3. The costs involved are wayyyy less and in the end, I am only spending one more year in school than I would in a Direct Entry program.

4. Finally, as someone who has never worked in direct patient care, this route provides me with more time to get my feet wet and experiance various areas of nursing before deciding fast and solid which type of advanced practice to invest in.

Best wishes to you. Also, give yourself some grace in figuring the rest of your life. You're young and have lots of time. Maybe you do the RN and then get married, have your kids and pursue the advanced degree later? It's amazing how young you really are when you hit 40!

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Hey Everyone,

I want to express my extreme gratitude for all the encouragement I've received thus far. It just means so much when I feel that my situation puts me in such a hard bind and to finally find a community who really understands. I think going with the tract of getting my ADN first would be the best. However, that won't stop me from reapplying to more schools in the long run. I've had pretty good patient care experience as an EMT intern and such, so I might appear more competitive to other schools who don't stress on grades too much.

Thank you for all your input and advice it is extremely and absolutely appreciated!

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Let me ask this first - can you apply anywhere in the country? I was just accepted into Yale's direct-entry program, and I have friends (2 of which did not have good GPAs at all) and they both got accepted into a direct-entry program, one at USD and one at Columbia.

Columbia might be a good choice for you actually, because they take a large class, and they tend to look less closely at grades, and more closely at other life experience (or so I hear, I didn't apply there).

Anyway, I am a firm believer that you can make happen whatever you like, so just get out there, do what you can, and some practical advice -- apply to as many schools as possible!

Take care,

Kens

Hi Kensington,

Can I ask what qualifies as the not good at all GPA? I'm not especially confident about my GPA either and may consider USD for next year if the schools I'm applying to now don't work out. I haven't heard anything about USD's admissions...how low of a GPA are they taking in the case of your friend?

Thanks and congrats on Yale!

Good luck Nosmas! I'm applying to UCLA too and also desperately hope to be admitted, although am pretty darn sure it's not gonna happen... at least we'll soon know so we can move on with our planning!

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If it were me, I would spend a year, taking like 8 classes and ace them (get all As) to bring my GPA up. Then I would apply (or reapply) to all the programs I wanted.

You have a good degree from a good school which means a lot. If you could get As in your prereqs (even retake some from undergrad if needed) then I think you would get in quite a few places.

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I suppose one person's bad GPA is another's dream..it's all relative. My previous undergrad was a 2.6. I thought it was ok at the time. Ofcourse, back then I wasn't considering continuing my education. As far as bringing up my GPA, I would have had to take 49 credits (and get A's in them) to bring up my cumulative GPA to an even barely competitive GPA. It would have taken me longer to make myself competitive for a direct entry than to actually complete the ADN program I was eligible for.

I'm on the East Coast though and I understand from reading these forums that schools work differently in different areas. My local Univerisities were looking at cumulative GPA total undergrad or total GPA in 59 credits of pre req's. My ADN program only looked at GPA in the 8 pre req courses. I took those, at night over two semesters and got A's in all.

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Hi Kensington,

Can I ask what qualifies as the not good at all GPA? I'm not especially confident about my GPA either and may consider USD for next year if the schools I'm applying to now don't work out. I haven't heard anything about USD's admissions...how low of a GPA are they taking in the case of your friend?

Thanks and congrats on Yale!

Good luck Nosmas! I'm applying to UCLA too and also desperately hope to be admitted, although am pretty darn sure it's not gonna happen... at least we'll soon know so we can move on with our planning!

My one friend at USD was a 2.7 I believe, and my friend at Columbia was a 2.9.

Thanks so much, I'm excited to get going already! :)

Kens

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ok that's really encouraging. thanks!

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