High School Student Trying to get into a Direct Entry Nursing School

Published

Hello!

I am going to be a senior in high school this year and I made my decision into becoming a nurse! I am trying to apply to colleges where there is a direct entry (USF, Case Western, Purdue I heard are all direct entry)

However, my grades are not the greatest, especially my junior year which is supposed to be the most important year...

I got accepted into a medical program class my school offers, would that help?

I would like to try to get into really, any direct entry at this point.

Is there a chance I can get in? What are some good direct entry nursing schools you know?

Any reply would be great!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Define "not the greatest." Nursing schools tend to be extremely competitive. Therefore, without very good grades, your options may be limited. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend focusing on direct entry programs, broaden your net. Even if you get into a direct entry program, if you are unable to maintain your grades at a certain level, you will not be allowed to progress.

Also, nursing doesn't pay enough to justify the tuition. Most likely you will be able to take out loans to cover the cost, but you'll need to pay that back with interest. Many students are shocked to learn what their monthly student loan payment is after graduating. For example, $100,000 paid off in 10 years at 4.75% interest is $1048.48 per month.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

What do you mean by "direct entry" nursing program? I'm used to that term referring to graduate level nursing programs for individuals who already have a BA/BS degree in something other than nursing. A high school graduate would not be eligible for those programs. Are you referring to something else?

Best wishes for your journey!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to pre-nursing

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Since you can't change your previous grades, all you can do is locate as many direct-entry BSN programs as you can. As a previous poster said, the tern "direct entry" means different things to different people. So, I wouldn't rely on that term exclusively as a search term for hunting for programs on the computer. To search, I would go to the State Board of Nursing website for your state and each state that is close enough to you that you would consider going there. They probably have a list of all the BSN programs in that state. I would then go to the websites of each of those schools and see if there are ones that accept students into their programs right after high school.

Once you have located all the possible schools that match your desire to avoid having to reapply for entry into the nursing major ... then start applying to the ones that seem a best match for your needs.

One more thing ... choosing a school that does not have direct-entry might be the best thing for you. Don't rule that out. Such a school will probably look only at your college grades -- and your junior year of high school grades won't matter much to them. You still have the opportunity to do well in school this coming year to prepare for performing well in your first year of college. And it's those college grades that will count the most if/when you have to apply to get into the nursing major after your freshman or sophomore year.

Good luck

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Planning on seeking the nursing programs where one applies after completing the college prerequisite courses would be a good way to negate the poor grades from your junior year of high school. Almost all nursing programs look at your college grades, not your high school record. And many programs only look at the grades from certain courses during the admissions process. Turn over a new academic leaf now and you will go a long way toward reaching your ultimate goal.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
Define "not the greatest." Nursing schools tend to be extremely competitive. Therefore, without very good grades, your options may be limited. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend focusing on direct entry programs, broaden your net. Even if you get into a direct entry program, if you are unable to maintain your grades at a certain level, you will not be allowed to progress.

Also, nursing doesn't pay enough to justify the tuition. Most likely you will be able to take out loans to cover the cost, but you'll need to pay that back with interest. Many students are shocked to learn what their monthly student loan payment is after graduating. For example, $100,000 paid off in 10 years at 4.75% interest is $1048.48 per month.

I can't think of why a "direct entry" is so important to you other than you think once you get in you can just coast on through.

If you haven't improved your study skills to better than "not the greatest", you will flunk out of a direct entry school and have nothing (no degree, no license, no job etc.) to pay your tuition loans back with. No fun.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry.
If you haven't improved your study skills to better than "not the greatest", you will flunk out of a direct entry school and have nothing (no degree, no license, no job etc.) to pay your tuition loans back with. No fun.

Very true. I know this from experience. When I first tried college with my not so great grades and not so great study habits, i failed. Then I tried college again with a brand new mindset, and new study habits; it was a success. I had matured significantly and most importantly, I was driven. I graduated from nursing school which no one (including me) thought was possible.

If you're struggling now, take it slow a bit. Don't waste your money. Also, since you're in high school, you will most likely start off taking prerequisites before getting into core nursing. If you want a head start, go to a community college and talk to an academic adviser, tell him/her that you want to know the requirements are for nursing school, and what classes you need to take. He/she might make you an educational plan to guide you. Make sure you shoot for straight As because nursing is competitive and if your grades are not, you may not stand a chance.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Direct entry for a BSN means you are admitted directly into the nursing program as a freshman when accepted into the school. You do not have to do a separate selective admission process after starting your freshman year. I have a senior daughter looking at these programs as we speak and they are extremely competitive (at least here on the east coast)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro.

The only thing the colleges I attended looked at was that I had a HS diploma. They didn't care about my HS grades. Interesting if those schools do weigh a teenagers high school grades for anything other than scholarship.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.
The only thing the colleges I attended looked at was that I had a HS diploma. They didn't care about my HS grades. Interesting if those schools do weigh a teenagers high school grades for anything other than scholarship.

My direct entry program did (and still does) base my acceptance into the nursing program entirely on my high school grades and ACT score.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro.
My direct entry program did (and still does) base my acceptance into the nursing program entirely on my high school grades and ACT score.

Well I suppose technically most universities require an overall minimum GPA for HS & an ACT/SAT score for general acceptance, but that is for everyone, nursing major or other.

Just not heard of that in my area so that's new to me. Kinda crappy to base acceptance into a nursing program based on a grade you may have earned as a 15-18 year old in high school. That's just my opinion of course. Anyway learned something new today.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion