I advise you guys NOT to...select Nursing as an undergraduate major if you plan to go to medschool.
It doesn't make any sense for me to work so hard in this program while some other student is having much easier time with his art major. Can somebody please enlighten me? I understand that knowledge in nursing will help me tremendously in medschool but what good will it do if I can't even get in? All of my other friends are applying with a GPA of 3.7 or above. Mine is 3.4 right now and it's very difficult for me to keep it up. Plus, I haven't any time to study for the MCAT yet and I have to take it next summer. Is anybody else in the same situation?
I'm not complaining about the curriculum, just the ridiculous grading scale.
I'm already done with my medschool prereqs and just have to finish this BSN program. Any input will be appreciated.
I've never heard of anyone going through nursing on the path to med school. It sounds as if all you can do is finish up and hope for the best. Hopefully this poor choice will not come to bite you on the behind.
In my area you would not be able to get into med school with a 3.4. I believe the bare minimum is a 3.8 but even that is really pushing it. Plus I would personally not go into nursing to prepare you for med school. It just seems like too much work.
With no thought to practicing as a nurse? Do someone a favor and free up a space for someone who wants to be a nurse. Thank you.
I don't see how this is revelant at this point in time. No space will be freed up. No spot will be opened up for a nursing school hopeful by dropping out now and if the OP never takes a job as an RN, nothing has been taken away from other new grads. Best thing s/he can do is find out what the best course of action is and if that's completing the BSN, so be it.
It is relevant because every resource that is wasted on this person at that school is a resource that could be used on students who want to be nurses. How many times have we read that someone was denied reentry because "there is no space". If an instructor spends five minutes on a student who wants to be a nurse it is relevant. If one individual who truly wants to be a nurse and works hard but just can't achieve that 3.4 GPA, is allowed back into the program and goes on to finish, then it is relevant and worthwhile. The OP can still get into med school with a different major, provided 3.4 is good enough.
Guys, go easy of the OP... It is obvious that he or she is upset and just wants to vent. The OP made a mistake by getting into nursing, lets not beat her down
Any chance you could change your major to something that would be appropriate to the types of classes you have taken for your nursing major, such as biology? Or that you can self design a major using the combination of various classes you've taken so far? A few people in my program have changed their majors from nursing to biology because they realized a few semesters in that nursing wasn't for them.
All I have to say about this is I really hope that if you do get into med school and become a doctor that you don't forget how much hard work nurses actually do. Don't treat them as a nobody or that they don't do much as a lot of doctors do.
I advise you guys NOT to...select Nursing as an undergraduate major if you plan to go to medschool.
It doesn't make any sense for me to work so hard in this program while some other student is having much easier time with his art major. Can somebody please enlighten me? I understand that knowledge in nursing will help me tremendously in medschool but what good will it do if I can't even get in? All of my other friends are applying with a GPA of 3.7 or above. Mine is 3.4 right now and it's very difficult for me to keep it up. Plus, I haven't any time to study for the MCAT yet and I have to take it next summer. Is anybody else in the same situation?
I'm not complaining about the curriculum, just the ridiculous grading scale.
I'm already done with my medschool prereqs and just have to finish this BSN program. Any input will be appreciated.
CharlotteDarcy
Yeah, that wasn't the best move to be honest. Numbers matter in med school applications. At this point, your best bet is to prep for the MCAT in a major way. I have a friend who finally decided to go to PA school because he couldn't get in to med school. He has stellar grades, has been working as an EMT for several years, but had low MCAT scores.
Aside from trying to ace the MCATS, I would consider changing your major, even if it it late in the game. Try to talk to an advisor knowledgeable about the med school admissions process, but I think taking time to get your GPA up will look better than graduating with nursing with a low GPA. If you're not that far along yet, changing majors shouldn't raise an eyebrow with anyone. I don't have the stats handy but I think a large percentage of college students switch majors.
Good luck to you. Med school is hard to get in to.
We'll just have to agree to disagree then. If you want to go after a "waste of resources" turn an eye to the many (often private, for profit) schools who will accept anyone who can meet the minimum requirement, and then turn around and dump them because they aren't 3.4 something students and have miserable retention rates. How many posts have you seen on here about beginning classes starting with 30, 40, 50 students and by the end of the semester/year/program have widdled them down to half? Talk about a waste. Those instructors could be put to better use teaching at a school that strives to keep their retention rates as high as possible and do their best to graduate students who are ready to pass the NCLEX. At least if the OP does get into med school and becomes a doctor, then that might be one more doctor who is more understanding towards the nursing staff.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
It's not a competitive GPA - when I was trying to get in, a 3.4 was somewhere around two standard deviations below the mean of students who matriculate to medical school. That said, medical schools do look favorably upon nurses who apply and have competitive GPAs - they already know about all the BS that goes on in healthcare and what physicians actually do.
Mi Vida: med schools tend to either grade Pass/Fail or Honors/Pass/Fail.
Wow, why all the hate towards this girl? One mention of med school and suddenly half the forum is jumping down her throat. The ones making assumptions are the ones I would NOT want to work with!
Write a kick-ass personal statement.
Do great on your MCATs. That's the best way to set yourself apart from others in your GPA range.
Apply to schools with lower applicant numbers who are more likely to look at the applicant as a whole.
Are you looking at allopathic schools only? If so, I would not keep my hopes up for immediate admission. You will have to be persistent in this process, applying more than one year in a row to show your determination. You will become a more attractive candidate as you accumulate experience in the nursing field. Show the adcom you did not become a nurse just to get a one-up on the rest of the applicants. Show them your passion for what you do. If you do this, they will see you are really in it for the long haul and they will pay attention to you eventually.
If you are looking at osteopathic schools on the other hand, I would say you have more than a good shot of getting in the first time around - I mean this!
I'm not going to sugar coat it for you. Those who are saying that med schools look favorably upon nursing majors... well, that's one way to look at it. The reality of it is that nursing and medical technology are the two MOST DENIED majors from medical school, percentage wise. The numbers don't lie. I will save the quotes from medical school admission officers commenting on why they think these numbers are the way they are, as I don't think many nurses, especially on here, would take kindly to it.
wow, why all the hate towards this girl? one mention of med school and suddenly half the forum is jumping down her throat. the ones making assumptions are the ones i would not want to work with!
100% agree with this. take it easy folks. it's not a bad thing when someone wants to achieve a goal. the op came to vent, not to be attacked.
op: good luck with everything. the above poster had some great ideas. my bf is trying to get into med school and is looking into do schools. you may find that they aren't as competitive. don't give up, it's worth a shot.
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chelynn
131 Posts
I've never heard of anyone going through nursing on the path to med school. It sounds as if all you can do is finish up and hope for the best. Hopefully this poor choice will not come to bite you on the behind.