How many of you had to wait on a waiting list for nursing school?

[aabdelhadi88]

Right now, I am frantically looking around at my state's community colleges for some AAS, or ADN nursing programs.

I am working on my pre-reqs right now, and I was told that once I finish the pre-reqs I will be able to apply for a position in the nursing program at my school. As of today, the waiting list for those who applied in the past spring 09' semester have to wait until Spring of 2011 before they enter. I asked the advisor that if I got good grades all across the board would I be able to enter the program sooner? And he told me no, and that it pretty much comes down to whoever stays or whoever decides to take their name off the list.

This poses a problem for me but I may have some alternatives. I am 21 years old now. I would really like to plan on graduating and start working as a nurse before I am 25 years old. I made some mistakes in school and I regret not putting forth the initial effort to get into this program when I first entered college (but then again, I did not know that my CC offered a nursing degree until about 6 months ago!) but now all of this has changed and I am determined to get in and out as soon as possible.

The biggest problem I have is that, when I do finish all of these classes next spring, this most likely means that I'll have to wait until 2012 to get into the program which means I won't graduate until 2014. I just want to know what is someone supposed to do while they wait for this program? I am afraid of two things. I am afraid that if I wait this long, my brain will become a bit rusty, and I am afraid of just being out of school in general. The only way I can keep myself going is by keeping my brain active.

To combat these two fears, I can, and will attempt to do the following. I can apply to ASU's and NAU's BSN program (both of which, I will attend the information sessions soon) and hopefully get into both of them, if not one of them. OR, I could finish my pre-reqs and get certified as a nursing assistant and just work as that for a year up until they are ready to take me. There are advantages and disadvantages to both routes. The advantage of getting into ASU's or NAU's program is that I'll have my BSN so it'll save me time in the future, and they're both pretty good schools. The disadvantage is, my GPA took a hit and is at 2.6, it's horrible I know, but hopefully the three summer classes I am taking will bump it up to a 2.9 by summer's end, and then I am targeting a GPA of about 3.4 by the end of the year. We'll see how it all goes, it's just all about time management and dedication and since I got slapped on the head and realized how out of shape my GPA was I am determined to the bone to bring that sucker up. And of course the advantage of becoming a CNA is that I'll have something to do, should I decide to wait, and the disadvantage being I'll be making small change.

If I decide to stay with my city's community college it pretty much comes down to me getting a B or better in Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II which I think I will be able to do (but this doesn't mean I will only get B or better in these two classes, I am rooting for A's across the board). I am going to be up in the Phoenix area next week and will be roaming around for the colleges and community colleges and try to gather as much information as I possibly can.

I just thought I'd share my slight frustration at the waiting list ordeal, but I am also not willing to let this stop me from being a nurse.

Please, any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.

[SweetLemon]

I applied in May and began school the following September for an ADN degree. I orginally applied for my BSN but was told I needed to wait 2 1/2 years before I began classes. :selfbonk: I figured with that kind of wait if I wanted my BSN I could take the bridge courses and be able to work at the same time.

[aabdelhadi88]

I applied in May and began school the following September for an ADN degree. I orginally applied for my BSN but was told I needed to wait 2 1/2 years before I began classes. :selfbonk: I figured with that kind of wait if I wanted my BSN I could take the bridge courses and be able to work at the same time.

I am assuming you're doing your ADN with a community college then? If so, prior to you applying did they tell you that there was a waiting list?

I am just hearing several different things about waiting lists in general. Some have told me they're all bogus, others have told me that they designed it that way to weed out some people and discourage others, which kind of seems stupid in my opinion but, whatever.

[letarn2b]

i though most schools did not have a waiting list.My though was they accept every semester and if you do not get in you keep applying till you get in or transfer to another school.Good luck im sure you will get in if you are determind :)

[8jimi8ICURN]

I didn't have to wait at all. I finished all my prereqs, applied and was accepted for the following semester. Maybe you should move to austin. there is no waiting list here. It will cost you more for the out of district fees for the first year, but then again you can work as a CNA without any formal schooling here too. The problem right now is finding a job in this town! Of course, you can always go back home and work in AZ after you get your RN. There is no wait list here and Austin Community College has 3 different modes of schooling, online, on site, and a hybrid online/on site program. Altogether the AASN cost me about $5000, including books and uniforms.

[aabdelhadi88]

I am definitely widening my options. I am willing to relocate but not far. I'd still like to be within driving distance of AZ so I can come and visit my family on the holidays and breaks.

My other concern with going to an out of state community college is that most of the times each college's pre-reqs will vary.

I have no problem as long as it's maybe one or two classes that are different, but if it's five or more classes that are different, then it just becomes a problem for me. I'll check out Austin's community colleges as well.

Anyone else?

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

My CC had a waiting list that was first come, first served. They have decided to go back to the way it used to be, which was performance based admissions.

I was on the waiting list for a year. The only reason I got in when I did was because the hospital I was working for at the time was doing a program where they gave 8 spots in the CC program to current employees.

[LizzyLuv]

I am in the same boat. Im a cna, i have the majority of my classes done at my community college, I pretty much only need to take the science classes. My frustration is the same as you. The wait list! I do not want to wait. Im 23 yrs old. Im getting old. Anyway, I am thinking about doing Lvn at a adult school and then doing the Lvn to Bsn bridge program at a UC or CSU.

[aabdelhadi88]

Another thing I am doing, is that I recently picked up a volunteer position at an inpatient hospice care in town. I start working there as soon as I am done with orientation and so forth. I am really excited about this position, but I also need to embrace myself for what I will experience there.

I can get a lot of letters of recommendation from a lot of reputable people. Again, I don't mind being a CNA or even an MA, but at the same time I really just want to get out as soon as possible. I don't want to go back to working in retail, or as a server because while I can understand that many students hold those types of jobs, I really can't do that. I have to do something that's closely related to what I want to do.

[8jimi8ICURN]

http://www.austincc.edu/health/rnsg/

Traditional Track Prerequisites

Complete all prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of 'C' and meet minimum 2.7 GPA requirement:

Human Anatomy (BIOL 2304 + 2101 lab or equivalent) (Assessment test required for enrollment).

Microbiology (BIOL 2420 or equivalent)* (THIS IS AN INTRO CLASS)

Math (Any College level Math course)

Human Physiology (BIOL 2305 + 2102 lab or equivalent)*(Assessment test required for enrollment).

Pharmacology (HPRS 2300)

* The Microbiology and Human Physiology courses must have been completed within the past five (5) years.

SURE AZ is about 12-15 hours away by car, but i think you can get a flight on southwest for like 160 round trip most of the year. :)

[AllSmiles225]

Community colleges in NY have the same reputation for having wait lists. One of my friends was told it was a 2 year wait..she decided to go to a more expensive private school because she didn't want to wait. Best decision? Probably not, but I think she felt like she was going to get suckered in to picking a different major if she didn't keep going to school.

[MystyqueOne, BSN, RN]

Have you looked into Chamberlain College of Nursing? THere is no waiting list and you can do your pre-reqs through them. It's a three year, accelerated BSN program. You just have to have a GPA above 2.5 and high school diploma. THere is a HESI test and essay that is required, but if you want to become an RN sooner rather than later, then I would check them out. I start there in July, but I also start at the third semester in year one, so I have only a little over two years before I graduate with a BSN. The website is Chamberlain.edu. Check it out. I can give you more information if you haven't already found it on their website. Just another option. They are accredited by NLNAC and ACNN (or something like that). (The same accreditations as ASU, GCU, and out of state colleges.)