I have a confusing situation, need advice on how to proceed

[kmarie5995]

I'm a senior in high school but I've been attending Olympic College my last two years through running start. I'm going to graduate with an associate's degree (not in prenursing though, I needed to take some high school requirements). I have taken English 101 (3.2), English 102 (4.0), Statistics (2.8), Intro to Chemistry (4.0), Intro to Organic Chemistry (3.9), and Lifespan Psychology (4.0). My overall GPA is 3.69 at the college. In this academic year, I'm also going to take Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2, General Psychology, Interpersonal Communication and Microbiology. I also will either get my CNA in spring or summer depending on if the class schedule works with my school and work. I guess I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm thinking about retaking Statistics and English 101 because my grades weren't competitive. Are LPN programs less competitive here? Would I be better off doing my LPN and then an LPN-RN bridge program? I eventually want my BSN. There are a few direct entry for freshman BSN programs here but they are confusing on how to apply if you have prerequisites done. For example, I will have all of the prerequisites done for PLU and I've been admitted to PLU as a freshman (and considered for conditional admittance to the nursing program plus I got a pretty hefty scholarship) but according to the nursing department I need to reapply as a transfer and then apply to the nursing program because otherwise I will have to retake the classes. This makes no sense to me and in the FAQ they say that classes from OC will all transfer. Same goes for the new first track BSN at UW Bothell. The only direct entry freshman program that seems willing to consider my transfer classes is University of Portland. If I retake English 101 and Statistics in Fall (as well as take Nutrition), are there many Spring and Winter start programs? My parents are really displeased with the fact that it'll likely take a year or two to get into an RN program and I think they are assuming that I'm just being lazy and want time off school. That's the opposite of true though! If I by some miracle get into PLU, I will have a Bachelors in three years which is my dream. I'm just really unsure of how to proceed. I did Running Start so I could save money on schooling so retaking all of the classes seems counterproductive.

[WNTfanM9]

First of all, your parents are nutters. If they did a little bit of research they would know how difficult it is to get into a program.

Secondly, if you have an associate's degree, I would go straight to a BSN program if that is your ultimate goal. Reapply to PLU as a transfer so you don't have to do Gen-eds again and then apply to the nursing program

[freedomrn1]

I agree with WNTfanM9, your parents are off base and probably do not understand the difficulty navigating the "nursing school" maze. This is because schools can be individually discretionary with their admitting requirements. I suggest you carefully take courses that meet the pre-requisites for admittance to an accredited ASN or BSN program. An ASN or ADN program that is accredited in my opinion is the best choice for you. You will, at the end of your program, which is not more than two years, be able to sit for the NCLEX (the same test a BSN graduate takes after 4 years of traditional study). With an active RN license and your degree, you can start working as a RN and concurrently matriculate into an accredited online BSN program pretty much anywhere in the country. If I were you, I would maintain as high of a GPA as possible and matriculate into a solid online BSN program with a strong name. From there, the sky is the limit. Alternatively, if you have all your pre-requisites in place, you could qualify for an accelerated 12 month ASN program that I know of in Florida. The school is not yet AACN accredited but it is a state board approved and licensed program. I understand that graduates of this program can get into Herzing, Chamberlain, and Capella without a problem. Good luck!