Help! Looking for Advice on Getting into Nursing School

[moshecat]

Hi there!

I am looking for some advice on how best to complete pre-recs for an ABSN. A little background, I have a BA in French, with a minor in Biology, and I have actually completed a number of pre-recs (with a 3.0 or better) that are required by most programs. The exception to this would be Gen Chem and Organic Chemistry (taken and not done so well in) and Ethics (haven't taken yet). There is also the odd program I'm looking at that requires Pharmacology, so there's that too.

I have been out of college for two years now, and I'll be leaving to work abroad for a year soon. My question is, when I come back do I need to retake any of my pre-recs? Or should I retake the two chemistry classes, and complete the additional classes required by specific programs? Will multiple transcripts look bad? If so, should I just retake everything and start over with a clean slate? What can I do to make myself as competitive a candidate as possible?

Please help!

Clueless in Seattle

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

First of all, I am bone-envious of your opportunity to live/work abroad for a year. What a great opportunity.

But I want to clue in to a a couple of dismal realities. The minimum admission requirements listed in in the program catalog do not reflect the reality of actual admission. All applicants are ranked by the qualifications that are listed (e.g., GPA, admission test score, etc.) and then they start filling the class from the top down until all the slots are gone. The actual minimum GPA of admitted students will be significantly higher than the catalog minimum. There is also a 'shelf life' for some pre-requisites - usually math & science. They expire after 5 years or so and you'll have to retake them if they are too old at the time you submit your application.

Bottom line, you may want to cast a wide net by looking at many different schools when it comes time to apply to a nursing program. Competition for admission is still really fierce in many parts of the country. If you're unlucky enough to be applying alongside a cohort of high-flyers that have top-notch everything, you could be blown out of the water even if you had a 3.8 GPA.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Second all of that, and add: If you have a particular program in mind, call their nursing academic advising office for definitive answers about prereqs, their shelf life, and the average GPA of the last several classes admitted. Then widen your search to include several schools, and ask them the same questions.

Here's a thought: apply to nursing school in Ireland or England (or somewhere else if you have the language fluency). There are barriers there, too, but perhaps you could have your European gateau and eat it too.