I didn't get into Nursing School!! Help!!

missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

Nursing is science based. I couldn't have done nursing at a young age, because I wasn't focused. If nursing is what you want to do, then retake science courses and study. Your patient's life may depend on it. You may have to argue with a doctor on a course of action, and you need all the knowledge possible to make a valid argument.

I resent the person who said they came to Kentucky to become a nurse. Kentucky isn't an "easier" place to be accepted to nursing school. I found it to be highly competitive, and was worried about applying when I had a 4.0 GPA because my previous bachelor's degree was only a 3.4.

FutureNurseglen · Mar 20, 2016

Yes, you will do the ADN/ASN for two years, once you do that you can work as an RN and go to school at the same time for one more year so that you can get your BSN. When you apply to these nursing programs make sure you ask if they have a bridge to BSN programs too. Here in CA a lot of universities are linked with the community colleges, and the way it works is that we will do 2 years within the ADN program and instead of having Summer's off, you will be working on your BSN. Yeah you read that right... No breaks[emoji23]. Lol, but it is a good way to finish in 3 years time. Don't give up. Don't let your grades discourage you, I have a lot of friends that had to retake courses just to be eligible and they are currently in the process of waiting to hear back. If nursing is really what you want to do, then give yourself the best chances possible to be competitive for the programs. I'm sure you will be a great nurse[emoji4] best of luck to you.

FatsWaller, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

Nursing is science based. I couldn't have done nursing at a young age, because I wasn't focused. If nursing is what you want to do, then retake science courses and study. Your patient's life may depend on it. You may have to argue with a doctor on a course of action, and you need all the knowledge possible to make a valid argument.
I resent the person who said they came to Kentucky to become a nurse. Kentucky isn't an "easier" place to be accepted to nursing school. I found it to be highly competitive, and was worried about applying when I had a 4.0 GPA because my previous bachelor's degree was only a 3.4.

I don't know why you would resent me, the facts are the facts. Kentucky has a population of 4.4 million, California a population of 40 million. The sheer amount of people trying to get into nursing programs, especially BSN as many California hospitals will say on their websites they will not even hire ADN, is exponentially higher. I would not, no way, no how have gotten into a BSN (especially an Accelerated BSN) program in California, or the West coast for that matter. I know one of the schools I applied to in the LA area told me they received 3,000+ applications for about 120 spots, that is insane and im sure more then 120 applicants had a 4.0 so how would I with a 3.0 be even close to competitve? I applied to States like South Dakota, Michigan and Kentucky and I got into places. Yes California has more programs but not enough to support the population and the amount of people who want to relocate there for weather, pay, etc. Bellarmine University in Louisville accepts everyone who applies, and then starts their weeding out process in the program. We started with 100+, we now have 45. There is not school that does that on the West Coast that I know of, so Kentucky was in fact â€˜easier' for me to get accepted.

Azon · Mar 20, 2016

Well shoot... I had a 3.8 GPA and scored among the top 3% in the nation and got put on the waiting list for TWU's nursing (aka I didn't make it, so I'm an alternate). I hope the best for you, I really do, but this field is far to competitive to be making C's on your sciences. Best advice I have for you is to do what everyone else has suggested and retake your classes or go into a different field you might like (such as child development or education since you said midwife) that isn't very dependent on science.

RN_2012, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

Entry to nursing school is not easy. It is highly competitive. Everyone in my class of 2012 had 4.0 GPA when accepted and it was a community college.

RN_2012, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

My school in Kentucky had over 1200 applications for 120 spots and low GPA isn't going to cut it.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

OP, you are getting some misinformation from people in here, which is why it is best to actually speak to the school themselves.

Certain areas of the country are more impacted than others. Which is why some people may think it's easier, but in truth it's not really. ASN programs are often much more competitive than BSN programs. Why? Because they are located at cc for the most part making them cheaper.

I'm sorry but your grades are not at all competive for pretty much any nursing school no matter where it is. You need to fix your study habits and learn. You can't expect to go to nursing school if the foundation has not been laid.

Also, nursing school itself is 10 times harder than the prereqs. I'm not exaggerating. Take the next couple of years to refocus your study habits, retake the classes, then apply. I don't think you have an understanding on what it takes to become a nurse.

Purple_roses · Mar 20, 2016

If I were you, I would take some time off from school and figure things out. There are some important questions that you need to answer for yourself here.

Most importantly, why did you do so poorly? If you got Cs in your prereqs, there's a pretty big chance you will fail out of any nursing program you're accepted to. So, why did you get Cs? Did you take too many classes at once? Did you have too many outside responsibilities (work, kids, relationships, etc.)? Did you have a hard time prioritizing?

Once you figure out where you went wrong, ask yourself how you can improve grades. Do you need to change your study habits, or maybe the way you study (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic)?

You will most likely need to retake your prereqs. Both BSN and ADN programs are competitive because everyone and their mother is deciding to go to nursing school right now. There's a person who graduated from my school (community college) who was put on the wait-list for a 3.7 at first. You need to bring that GPA up, especially in your sciences. This will take time. There are some schools who only require a 2.5 GPA, but the 2.5s never make it in because everyone else's GPA is higher. And as far as lottery acceptance--I don't know of any schools in my area who do that. You would probably have to move to find a school that does that.

I know this doesn't sound fun, but I promise it will be worth it in the long run. You will struggle in nursing school if you don't have a solid grasp on the basics (which are all of your prereqs). Figure out what went wrong, fix it, and work really hard with the goal of understanding what you're learning instead of simply passing.

Good luck to you.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2016

I have no particular advice except to do what others have said - bring up your GPA. And let nothing deter you from your goal. Best wishes.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2016

Buddy up with a couple of people from other classes, see what they're getting in lecture, since you're all, as you say, taking the same test.

mrsboots87 · Mar 21, 2016

Come to AZ. Quite contradictory to what many people have said, there actually are options for nursing school outside of competitive entry. There are of course private schools just about everywhere that are insanely expensive but accept everyone. Even though there are very good private schools out there, there are also horrendous ones with poor reputations. And whether good, or bad, they are too expensive for the pay you will make after graduation.

Then em many places have lottery entry. So anyone who meets the requirements has an equal chance of being accepted, it just could take a while depending on your luck.

Lastly, like I was stating earlier, you could come to AZ. The community college district has a 2.5 GPA requirement and a 85 on the math portion and 75 on the English portion of the entrance HESI. They are wait list based and take 1 Semester to a year or two to get into from the wait list. The schools are well regarded, all regionally and nationally accredited, have fantastic NCLEX pass rates. The catch is that the programs are intense and do a lot of weeding out in the first and second semester due to not have competitive entry. Some students just aren't prepared because of their poor GPAs. You would be in that boat. I don't mean that to be rude, just that your poor science grades put you at a major disadvantage no matter the school you attend. But if you make it through the program, it will be from a well respected school.

There re are options. But beware, with your admittedly dismal GPA and poor science grades, combined with your poor study habits, your chances of actually passing nursing school are not very good.

I would suggest retaking all the sciences. Whether they make you more competitive or not. You wouldn't want a nurse caring for you who hasn't mastered the basic science courses from pre reqs and neither does anyone else.

missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2016

Bellarmine University in Louisville accepts everyone who applies, and then starts their weeding out process in the program. We started with 100+, we now have 45. There is not school that does that on the West Coast that I know of, so Kentucky was in fact â€˜easier' for me to get accepted.

Your thread states that you didn't get into nursing school. This post here contradicts your original post. So which is it? Did you or did you not get into nursing school?