I know "it's not a race", but...

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Specializes in Adult Cardiac ICU.

Hi all,

I'm a pre-nursing student with three core classes left: A&P I, A&P II, and Microbio. The issue is that I can't take these courses at the same time, so I'm left with two options. I can either A) take accelerated A&P I and A&P II half-semesters (knocking both out in the spring) and take Microbio in the summer so I can start the nursing program by Fall 2015, or B) take my time with these classes and start the program by Fall 2016.

Ideally I will start the program this upcoming fall, but I'm concerned because I hear A&P is difficult and the accelerated version is nearly impossible to keep up with. I'm a PRN CNA and usually work full-time hours so it's not easy to balance school and life. I'm also concerned because spaces for these classes fill up quickly, so I'm not even guaranteed a spot (in time) at all.

I hope to attend Georgia Regents, which I believe accepts a new class of nursing students only every fall. So if I take my time with my remaining 3 core classes, I'm stuck with half a year of "wasted" time before the program starts. If it comes down to it, I've already decided to make the best use of that time and possibly volunteer more, gain an extra certification, minor in gerontology, and plump up my resume a bit. Also, it would be nice to take the classes at a regular pace and really learn the material. But I did take two years off after high school so it would be nice to start the program ASAP... Does anybody have any advice/recommendations/personal experiences to share?

**Side note: I hear GRU CON Athens has only 40 spaces per class. I know these spaces are in high demand. I haven't submitted my application yet due to waiting for the TEAS. For some reason I feel like they won't accept an application at this point of the year, which discourages me from trying to speed through my classes...

Lastly, and FINALLY- bless anybody who read this entire post and now basically knows every boring detail of my life story. I just made my account today but I've used allnurses.com as a source of information for a while. I just want to point out how amazing it is that we have such a supportive field. I've yet to find any post ignored or a member who is not genuinely trying to help. I don't know how many other undergrads can say the same. :-)

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.

I think the decision should be based on how well you pick up information and how apt you are with sciences. If you don't pick up information the best or aren't very good with sciences, then I'd take the slower route. If you're really good at both, might as well take the faster route. It depends on your level of competence.

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Specializes in Adult Cardiac ICU.

I'd consider myself to be a fast learner. I have pretty good memory retention and I hear A&P requires a lot of memorization. I'm not naturally adept when it comes to science but years of heavy science courses have paid off.

This is definitely a factor I need to consider but I was also hoping to get some feedback on the admissions process and if it's worth trying to finish these 3 classes in two semesters. Sorry my post seems somewhat vague. I guess I am struggling with the uncertainty of the outcome if I choose to take the accelerated courses and apply for Fall 2015. Does anybody know how long an application lasts? (If I apply now, will the application still be valid for 2016?) Does anybody have any experience with GRU admissions?

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I took AP and Micro together. I thought that since I went thru LPN school those two classes would be a cake walk. Hahaha. I had to quit my job just to make it thru. I got A's in both classes. If I can do it, I have faith that you can too.

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Specializes in Adult Cardiac ICU.

Wow, thanks for your encouragement and props to you for tackling both classes at once. I had to cut back on my hours to focus more on school, so I definitely understand. I hope you're reaping the benefits of a BSN!

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

Also, understand that the concepts you learn in physiology will come back to you again & again in nursing school. Blood flow through the heart? Respiratory system? Digestive system? You will need to KNOW this info, not just barely pass to get by. So, I would highly encourage you to take your A&P courses at a pace where you can not only pass well, but retain the info.

Could you possibly take A&P I and Micro together and then A&P II in the summer and still be able to get in to nursing school in the fall? Otherwise, I wouldn't try to cram it all in at once, especially the condensed, accelerated courses. You need to know this info well to apply it in nursing school!!!

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I took A&P II and micro together to avoid having to wait another year to start the nursing program. I couldn't imagine adding another year to the process....maybe if I were younger...and didn't have kids...etc...but school isn't easy on a family and I am trying to get through it as quickly as I can (and still get the grades I need). Science comes fairly easily for me and I didn't find A&P or micro to be particularly hard....just finding the time to devote to studying can be difficult. soooo I say it really depends on your situation.....are you in a position that you can easily wait another year? or do you need to get done quicker? Do you think you can maintain your grades through accelerated courses or do you need full semesters? It CAN be done if you need to get it done faster but you have to be able to devote the study time for the classes....so working full time and taking accelerated courses may be rough....just depends on your learning styles and such

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You might not need to "waste" a semester if you take it slow. I'm in nursing school now (ADN). Each semester is 11-12 credits of nursing classes and 3-4 credits of non-nursing (psychology, sociology, English, etc.) I took all those non-nursing classes before I started nursing school so I could focus just on the nursing courses.

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Ruby -

I would also check with your school before making your final decision since some require all of your classes done by a certain date to be able to apply for the fall. I am essentially in the same boat as you I have everything completed minus the A&P I and II plus micro. I could take the A&P I and micro this spring but even if I completed the A&P in the summer I would miss the deadline to apply. I choose to push my A&P II to fall 2015 and I will be taking some classes that will count toward my Bachelors degree. I plan on submitting my application Jan 2016. I personally do not think you will be "wasting" your time if you take other classes and have to push back your date to apply.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.
Ruby -

I would also check with your school before making your final decision since some require all of your classes done by a certain date to be able to apply for the fall. I am essentially in the same boat as you I have everything completed minus the A&P I and II plus micro. I could take the A&P I and micro this spring but even if I completed the A&P in the summer I would miss the deadline to apply. I choose to push my A&P II to fall 2015 and I will be taking some classes that will count toward my Bachelors degree. I plan on submitting my application Jan 2016. I personally do not think you will be "wasting" your time if you take other classes and have to push back your date to apply.

This was going to be my point- you generally can only have so many outstanding prerequisites when you apply. Usually one, MAYBE two.

I would be wary of taking these classes at an accelerated pace if you can avoid it, because they're intense as it is, and your GPA is vital for getting in. I've been there- I made the mistake of taking them all in one semester years ago (while working two jobs). I literally almost killed myself, and I got 2 Fs and a D that I had to work hard against.

As far as how long an app lasts, it's usually only good once, so you'd need to reapply the next year. There's no way a program can keep every app in the running over and over again.

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Ruby -

I would also check with your school before making your final decision since some require all of your classes done by a certain date to be able to apply for the fall. I am essentially in the same boat as you I have everything completed minus the A&P I and II plus micro. I could take the A&P I and micro this spring but even if I completed the A&P in the summer I would miss the deadline to apply. I choose to push my A&P II to fall 2015 and I will be taking some classes that will count toward my Bachelors degree. I plan on submitting my application Jan 2016. I personally do not think you will be "wasting" your time if you take other classes and have to push back your date to apply.

I would check this, as well. In my school, you cannot take any of those 3 sciences at the same time; they must be taken sequentially. You cannot apply for the nursing program until you are are inr Microbiology, which is the last of the sequence, and by the time that happens, they have already made their cut for the following semester of nursing.

So, for me, I took Micro in Spring 2014, but they had already made decisions for Fall 2014 nursing class, so I had no shot at getting in. I am spending this semester taking 4 classes that I would eventually need for my RN-to-BSN bridge program, and was recently accepted for the Spring 2015 nursing class.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I took AP1 in the same semester as stats, nutrition. and lifespan- and micro the same semester as AP 2- I think it's doable!

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