How Competitive is RN school?

CrimsonAlchemist · Jun 12, 2011

It probably depends on where you are applying to. My school has an Accelerated RN program. You skip LPN and take an 18 month program and graduate an RN.

They have 25 open spots a year and 100+ people apply to it. Admission is decided by your PAX-RN scores, GPA, class scores, etc. There is no admissions essay or interview.

I got in on my first try because of a high PAX score. Last year I was registered as a Psych major and English minor...After some soul searching, I switched to nursing. This last year was spent taking care of pre-reqs.

Although I got in first shot, many other students that I considered to be my knowledgeable equals scored low on their PAX and either got wait-listed or rejected.

So although it wasn't hard for me, it is for many others.

But to reiterate was I said earlier, we have 100+ applicants with any 25 open spots. I think the LPN program has around 30 spots each year.

fem · Jun 14, 2011

There are many paths you can choose to get where you are going.

Each choice has a different amount of competition.

LPN-BSN programs (students who are LPNs going directly for their BSN).

LPN-RN (ADN=2yr RN) programs (=the least competitive in my opinion)

RN-BSN programs (once you have RN, then you go for BSN). Not sure of the competition for this option. I'd think you have to keep decent grades during the RN program to be eligible for the RN-BSN program.

Competitiveness depends on many things. I already have a 4 year degree (BA=Bachelor of Arts), so the local universities would have LOVED to see me go for the Accelerated BSN program which is about a 1 year program (after pre-requisites). But I was adamant that wasn't the path for me, because the accelerated program was 19+ hours a semester. I didn't do that type of curriculum when I was younger, much less attempting science classes at 19 hours a semester. To me, that was a set-up for failure.

I tried to go for the traditional BSN program at the local university. It was VERY competitive. About 1100 applicants to less than 100 seats. So my chances were less than 1 in 10 for that possibility. Funny thing that I was "recruited" by the same university. I politely chuckled to the "recruiter". I said why do you need to recruit with the 1100:100 ratio? Perhaps the recruiter just had lucked on a "cush" job being married to the Dean?! LOL. Anyway after meeting with me it was determined that I was not a candidate for the traditional BSN at the university level. My graduating GPA was only 3.2 and the students being accepted had a minimum of 3.8 GPA. Many with 4.0's. This recruiter already knew my GPA by email, so why did we waste time? This would have been my preferred choice, because if I could get in, even if I only earned C's, it would have been ok, as (at my age), I would not have hoped for going beyond a BSN.

Now, I think I've got a realistic shot at the generic ADN-RN program. It is still about 400:100 seats (1 in 4 chances of a seat). I focused on getting 4.0 on all my science prerequisites to guarantee me a seat. Plus I did fairly well on my TEAS (RN school pre-entry exam). I'm pretty confidant I will start RN school August 2011.

Some of my classmates are opting to pay the big bucks and going to private school. Still have to have pretty good grades, but because you are paying mega bucks, you have pretty good chances of being accepted.

A few (not so fortunate) classmates are opting for Keiser Univerisity (not State accredited universities). These types of schools let pretty much anyone with money or ability to get a student loan into their schools. They are geared toward money making, not education. I strongly urge you to avoid this option. Many students come out of this type of arrangement not passing the NCLEX and with heavy debt. But this option is not very competitive in my opinion.

Consider your local colleges. There were 3+ in South Florida I was seriously considering. Each had different prerequisites (all had the core prereq's, but then it varied on some of the less important pre-reqs) and criteria for acceptance. I was hoping for Palm Beach State College because I didn't want to deal with Miami traffic. Turns out that it was about 1 year faster to get in to Miami, so guess I will have to suffer with the traffic. Further, Palm Beach college based acceptance on entire GPA (my 3.2GPA from a lifetime ago) as opposed to Miami Dade College only based acceptance on science prerequisites (so I made a point to earn a 4.0 on those recent classes to help guarantee my acceptance).

Some colleges have part-time curriculums. So you can work part-time or full-time and go to RN school part-time. Colleges in more rural areas in Florida do not offer that option.

OK, maybe that is too much information?!

Good luck

RNfema

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 15, 2011

The community college LVN-to-RN completion programs are very competitive for admission in the area where I live. It is common for 100+ people to apply for only a few slots. The state university LVN-to-BSN completion programs are also highly competitive, but not as hard to get into as the community college nursing programs.

Of course, the private for-profit RN programs in my area will admit any LVN with a pulse who can pass the entrance exam and conjure up the tuition money.

Shirley Shin · Jul 14, 2011

Community colleges are very difficult to get into because of the price so the waiting list is extremely long. Going into a private "for profit" institution may be easier, but it is very expensive.

heathert_kc · Jul 16, 2011

From my experience in my area it is easier for an LPN to get into a bridge program than a plain old pre-nursing student to get into a straight through rn program at local community colleges. It really depends on how the schools in your area are set up... some schools allow you to join the second year of their two year program and accept students on a space available basis (& may only have a few spots), while other programs have specific bridge programs where they accept a full class of LPNs interested in pursuing their rn. I have a descent gpa, but still far from perfect, retook a couple courses even, but got into two out of the two community colleges that I applied to the first semester I tried. It probably helped that I did really good on my ati, had about 2 years experience with a great written reference, plus had 100% of the required gen ed completed. Depends on location and luck, just do your research and see what is out there.