I was wondering if there are any nurses that can answer some of my questions.
My questions are
1) What are typically the prereqs to get into nursing school please don't say it depends on you schol i just want to get a general idea of waht you had to take.
2) What kind of grades do you have to get in your prereqs to get into nursing school, i heard that its really really hard to get in, do you think someone can get in with a 3.5-3.6 GPA?
3) Do you have to be SUPER smart at math? Honostly i SUCK bad at math, should i consider a different career? I know there is some math involved, what types of math are these that are invilved?
4) Whats the defferent between getting your RN with and asso. compaired to a bach? whats the salary difference? whats the differece overall??
5)I excell in sciences ( I havent taken any Chem or Physicis yet, i am currently a Junior in HS) so is this caree good for me if you like science alot?
6) I plan on relocation to southerncalifornia ; whats the starting salary there? Do you think i'd be able to live comfortably in SoCal as an RN?
7) is it EXTREAMLY hard to become a nurse? It has always been my dream but i dont know if im smart enough, what kind of GPA do you need? I am a Junior in HS, and my gopa is between 3.2-3.6 it goes up & down, can you tell me if ill make it??
I appriciate everyones help, if you have anyother info please post it!
1) What are typically the prereqs to get into nursing school please don't say it depends on you schol i just want to get a general idea of waht you had to take.
I live in Northern California, so I can give you the perspective from here. Most community college in the area require the following as pre-reqs:
Anatomy (or A & P I)
Physiology (or A & P II)
Microbiology
Introductory Psychology
Sociology (or Cultural Anthropology)
English 1A (or equivalent)
Nutrition
Human Lifespan (or equivalent)
For CSU you'd also need:
Organic Chemistry
Statistics (or an equivalent higher math course)
Many college-level microbiology courses require a basic chemistry course as a pre-req. All organic chem courses require general chem be taken beforehand. There are some notes on math pre-reqs below.
2)What kind of grades do you have to get in your prereqs to get into nursing school, i heard that its really really hard to get in, do you think someone can get in with a 3.5-3.6 GPA?
The programs in NorCal come in two flavors. Some are strictly competitive. For those, you need something close to a 4.0 to qualify. Others, particularly community college programs, require only that your GPA reach a threshold level (usually around 3.0). That qualifies you to be put into a pool of applicants, with the final selection by lottery. Getting into the lottery programs can be problematic. In one local community college program, the applicant pool consisted of more than 700 candidates for a total of 30 slots per semester.
A few schools still work off a straight waiting list, but these programs are few and far between.
Be advised that all public undergrad programs in California will soon require that you pass the TEAS test with a minimum level (usually 67% in each subject area) in order to be selected. Some of the competitive programs also use the TEAS score as an entry criteria. The questions on the test are set at a 10th grade level.
3) Do you have to be SUPER smart at math? Honestly i SUCK bad at math, should i consider a different career? I know there is some math involved, what types of math are these that are involved?
Many chem courses require algebra as a pre-reg, and statistics would require algebra I and II as pre-reqs. Be aware that college math courses move quite a bit faster than high school courses. However, there is plenty of help available at most campuses.
On the plus side, statistics has more to do with logic than with math. I'm pretty thick-headed where any kind of math is concerned, and I managed to get an A (although I studied my head off).
4) Whats the difference between getting your RN with and assoc. compaired to a bach? What's the salary difference? What's the difference overall??
I'm certainly no expert, but from what I understand, some employers pay a higher starting rate and/or preferentially hire candidates with bachelor's degrees.However, in either a university or a community college, you'll wind up with an RN, and that's the most important part.
It's worth noting that many universities offer programs to upgrade from an associates degree in nursing to an bachelor's, provided you've passed the RN licensure exam. Many of these programs are designed for nurses who are working full time.
5) I excel in sciences ( I havent taken any Chem or Physics yet, I am currently a Junior in HS) so is this career good for me if you like science alot?
I think a love for science will serve you well. There's certainly plenty of science in the pre-requisites, and a good bit during nursing school.
6) I plan on relocation to Southern California ; whats the starting salary there? Do you think i'd be able to live comfortably in SoCal as an RN?
Many California nurses make six-figure salaries after a few years, but it generally requires either specialization or the willingness to work overtime. I do think you'd be able to live comfortably in SoCal.
7) Is it EXTREMLY hard to become a nurse? It has always been my dream but i dont know if im smart enough, what kind of GPA do you need? I am a Junior in HS, and my gpa is between 3.2-3.6 it goes up & down, can you tell me if ill make it??
It is not extremely hard, but it is certainly challenging. You'll likely need to spend four semesters doing pre-reqs and general education, and then four more semesters of nursing school. You'll need to dedicate yourself to studying, which will require some sacrifices where your social life is concerned and will probably make it difficult to hold down much of a job.
Make sure you have solid study skills and plenty of dedication and you'll make it. Most people who fail out of nursing programs do so because they're either unwilling to put in the hard work required, or because outside influences (relationships, jobs, children, emotional problems, etc.) make them unable to concentrate on their studies.
Excellent job answering her questions Mossback. I couldn't agree more with everything you said :)
hearts895, RN BSN
465 Posts