How old were you when starting prereqs and did it discourage you?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I just turned 22 and a lot of people I went to high school with are graduating with a bachelor's degree this spring. So I am feeling a little discouraged and sad.

I started community college right out of high school. I was a little lazy and didn't want hard classes so I went with elementary education even though I wasn't too sure about it. Well a year and a half into it I discovered nursing was where I really wanted to be so I changed majors and took classes for the local ADN program at my community college. I went to a information session and got misleading information that I could apply then with just a few prereqs done so I applied. I got a letter telling me I needed to finish all my prereqs before I could apply and the admissions advisor changed.

So feeling defeated I took a semester off which turned into two when my part time job's company declared bankruptcy and I had to work full time to help. This summer I moved from NJ to FL and have to wait until Fall 2013 to get instate tuition to finish my last 4 prereqs here. I wanted to take maybe a class or two until I was instate then I saw the price was almost 400 per credit! Yikes, I can't afford 1,200-1,600$ a class!

I have 5 prereqs done that apply to the program down here and my gpa is a 3.6. If I get in when I plan to I will be 26 when I graduate with a ADN. I can't get into a BSN program because my overall gpa in the classes I don't need anymore is still calculated into a lot of admissions which is only a 3.1.

I guess I am just looking for words of encouragement and your stories to help. I look forward to hearing some uplifting answers! :)

I started my pre reqs at 18. I'm 19 now and applying for my ADN program in January. So if i get in, I'll be around 22 when I'm done. And I plan to have my masters in nursing administration by age 26.

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I was 18 and now I'm 20 starting the nursing program this January!

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I started my pre-req's in 2010 at 39, graduated with an AA in 2011 and just finished my first semester of the BSN program at USF. Do not worry about what your brother did. It is great that he was able to go full steam ahead an get his degree sooner. We all have a path to take in life and the journey is not about where (or when) you start.... it is when you end up. You will do just fine.

I am the oldest person in my class of 120. Many of the students are only 19yrs old and it does not bother me a bit. When I was their age, I was in the Navy working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. My class tends to not be judgmental and we embrace whatever our classmates has to offer. All of us are great students but once in nursing school we all learn that our strengths vary. Age has so far not played a role in the way that classmates treat me.

Be proud that you are on the path to success!

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I just got done with my first semester of pre-reqs... I'm only 19 years old. I'm not discouraged at all but I am a little nervous and scared... :notworthy: And not because of my age... What if I don't make it? I've never done anything like this before and I never given anything my all like I am now...

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Never worry about age when it comes to education. You are never too old to learn new things, especially in a terrible economy when people much older than 22 are going back to college.

I agree! ^_^ Never too old to learn new things... Never too old to be a dream chaser...

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I'm 35 and will finish my prerequisites and hopefully start my BSN program in August. I'll be almost 38 when I'm done. I have a bachelors already which I earned when I was 23 and didn't know what the heck I wanted to do when I grew up. Soooo finishing fast winning!! Patience is so hard!! Good luck!!

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I started my pre-requisites right when I turned 17. I just turned 19, and was accepted to start a BSN program in less than a month.

A good portion of my cohort are in middle-age and changing careers! One of my classmates is in his sixties. Never too late! :D

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Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

I graduated today! I just turned 61, yup that's 61 and I have a job offer. If you really want something, just go for it.

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Like another poster said, you will be the same age whether you pursue this now or not! So why not if it's what you want!? I finished my first degree at age 22. I have a BS in biology with a minor in chemistry..what my university also called a "pre-professional/pre-med" degree. My plan fresh out of high school was to become an MD, because that is what was expected of me. I did not have the grades to get into medical school upon graduation though. I was young and placed too much importance on my social life. I applied for almost 100 jobs in an attempt to utilize my degree. I ended up working as the office manager/fitter of hearing aids for a company for 5 years. I made good money and was good at my job, yet I felt something was missing. I began to research career options and nursing caught my eye. The more I read about nursing, the more I ached to become one. I left my career after 5 years to go back to school.. to pursue a BSN this time. I already had many of my pre-reqs done from my first degree, but I started back at age 26. I will be 29 when I graduate in May 2014.

The first time I went to school I feel I was just too young to really know what I wanted. At 18, I was good at biology, so why not major it in? Everyone in my family wants me to be an MD so I should be pre-med. My heart was not in school the first time I went. I was just going through the motions. I did graduate but with a poor GPA.

I am actually very thankful for my mistake. Obviously not from a financial standpoint, but the experience is part of who I am. Nursing is what I was meant to do all along. I am glad that I am pursuing this degree while I am a bit older than the "traditional" college student. I am 27 now. The social life is not a priority as it was the first time I went to school. I feel I have an edge on some of the younger students. I have lived a little, experienced a career for a few years. Got the social bug out of my system the first time I was in school. I am much more responsible and focused now. Be fortunate that you are going through nursing school now, a little bit older and wiser about the world than the younger ones.

I am not much above the average age for my class, at age 27. We have one woman who is 57. Most people are around 21-23, but there is wide age range.

As hard as is it, try not to compare yourself to your brother. My sister got her PhD at 27. It has been hard, but I finally feel like I am coming into my own. No longer comparing myself to her accomplishments and feeling inadequate. I may not be working on my PhD, but who knows, maybe someday? I am working on my BSN and I have never felt more proud of myself. I finally feel like I found it... just took a little longer path to get there.

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I graduated today! I just turned 61, yup that's 61 and I have a job offer. If you really want something, just go for it.
Congratulations!! :) Best wishes for your new career!
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18...fresh out of high school. I am definitely the youngest in my class. Everyone else is much older, but I like that because it puts me in a much more mature environment!

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Specializes in ER.

I was 17 and fresh out of high school. Still needed my parents' consent and signature lol

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