I want to become a nurse, but I have the following issues.

RNDreamer · Aug 6, 2007

You can research different private nursing schools, and universities...and speak to academic advisors to see if there is a chance for you to be accepted. CUNY colleges aren't the only schools offering nursing programs....Check out Beth Isreal school of nursing, etc. At my school, LIU-Brooklyn campus, if you don't meet the requirements, they MAY accept you as a pre-nursing student..then after a semester or two, if your grades are good, your status can change to nursing student. I would definitely browse through the NY forum to find out about different schools in NYC. There are options for you.

I've decided that I want to make a career change to nursing. However, I have issues concerning my academic resume that, from research and what I've read in this forum, may be huge barriers from entering the field. I haven't been to school since 2005, and I have 71 credits earned at Baruch College, but with a GPA of 2.345. Baruch is a business school that does not offer nursing, so I would have to transfer to one that does. However, from all I've researched, it seems that my cumulative GPA is a tremendous barrier. Even if I remained at Baruch and raised it into the high 2s so that I could transfer to another CUNY, my GPA would still be too low to qualify for any of the nursing programs at any of the community colleges or Hunter College. At Hunter, it would seem mathematically impossible for me to transfer and then get accepted into the Generic Pathway by the Fall of 2008. At that point, I thought that I would transfer to a CUNY CC, but then I hear about long waiting lists and needing perfect GPAs to even be considered. Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? Is it possible and would I have to just completely start over college?

AmazingJason · Aug 6, 2007

I am going to visit admissions offices at several colleges, as well as open houses over the next several days. I'm going to push anyone and everyone I can for the right information and answers because I'm scared that I'm not going to take the next correct step in getting where I want, and that I'm going to waste more time, effort and money in the process. I've made enough mistakes at Baruch; I don't want to make any more.

I guess what I'm worried about is that let's say I transfer to a school like BMCC and I do my pre-requisites, but I still have my low GPA and it prevents me from being accepted. Do I just sit there and just wait? I wouldn't have a problem transferring to another school, but does the same thing happen there? I don't want to just keep bouncing around, constantly transferring between schools.

I don't know. I'm researching a bevy of schools and trying to figure out the logic behind the admissions processes and so forth, but I increasingly feel alone, lost, confused, and more discouraged with time. I'm going at this on my own, which is why I posted here. I am hoping someone could assist me in whatever way they could in making sense of everything. If nursing is an unrealistic endeavor because of my grades, then so be it.

nurse2btracy · Aug 6, 2007

Take all your pre-reqs at a CUNY school since it is cheaper. I am not sure how all CUNY schools determine who gets in but at Hunter they look at all classes taken to determine their GPA. At a local CC on Long Island they only look at pre-reqs (for nursing) to determine GPA. I have a 3.4 and was rejected 3X. I finally applied at Beth Israel and was accepted during the second round of interviews.

Your best bet is to try to do well in all pre-reqs and apply to a private school since local colleges are almost impossible to get into.

Good luck!!!

Tracy

nyaussie · Aug 6, 2007

Hi Jason

I am assuming by attending Baruch you have not completed many (or any) of the sciences required for nursing school. This would be A&P 1, A&P 2, Micro and possibly Chemistry. I believe regardless of what school you go to these would be required. These can be taken at a cuny cc and you dont have to be enrolled in a Nursing Program to take these. You could probably go ahead and do these classes while researching what nursing schools will take. Many private schools look at more than the GPA and you will have a chance to explain your performance at Baruch during an interview. Do well in these classes and this will improve your chances of being accepted. Good Luck!

optimistic1 · Aug 7, 2007

Don't be discouraged if this is really what you want to do. What you did at Baruch will be irrelevant if you want to do to nursing school. You don't need to transfer over anything that is not applicable to a nursing program. You basically will be starting college over in a a sense, because what you took at Baruch likely has no relevance to a nursing program. Nursing course requirements are different from the classes you probably took at Baruch.

I'm speaking in terms of what I know - meaning I went to BMCC and finished the nursing program there, so I can't speak for anywhere else. Previously I had graduated from another CUNY school with more than 130 credits and a GPA lower than yours. I didn't transfer over my whole transcript. I didn't have to because it wasn't necessary to attend nursing school. Overall GPA doesn't matter. The only thing I transfered over were two ENG courses that applied to the nursing program, which I had gotten good grades in. The rest I didn't need towards a nursing degree at BMCC. Example: I had a low PSY grade so I couldn't use it, didn't transfer it, and I re-took it at BMCC.

As others have mentioned, all BMCC looks at in terms of qualifying for the nursing program is your GPA in four classes (ENG, PSY, A&P I & MAT - you can get better descriptions of these in other posts, and you also need A's, maybe one B) and that's it. After that you have to take the rest of your pre-req's (which are mostly science courses and then the nursing classes themselves.

Sorry for the long-winded reply, but your situation isn't as hopeless as you think. It's been done before.

If there is anything else I can explain for you (hopefully less wordy) let me know.

zolveria · Aug 7, 2007

You can always do the lpn if you like..

i think there a place on 125th street if its still there.. i will try and find out the name again.. its been a while since i lived in NYC i live in Hudson valley now..

RNDreamer · Aug 7, 2007

Are you referring to this program?

http://cnetnurse.com/pre_pro_testing/nyc_doe_2005.html

You can always do the lpn if you like..
i think there a place on 125th street if its still there.. i will try and find out the name again.. its been a while since i lived in NYC i live in Hudson valley now..

AmazingJason · Aug 9, 2007

On Tuesday, I attended the Open House at BMCC and acted diligently with anyone and everyone to obtain the precise information to make a decision. Eventually, after several nerve-wracking hours of running around, making a thousand inquiries to a thousand people, and consulting with my SO (significant other) who's working in another state, I decided to accept an on-the-spot admission and processed a transfer application. The next day, I went to Baruch to perform a transcript request and returned to BMCC to verfiy my residency and immunizations. Now, I will be traveling back to my SO, and come back to NYC just before registration starts.

Thanks, opt, for the information and the reassurance. I did know about the stipulation where I could perform a one-time removal and replacement of transfer credit. Ultimately, that's why BMCC is the best choice for me (I earned a C in Psych at Baruch). However, I'm still a wreck because I don't know the exact process by which I can utilize this benefit. Opt, do you know how to perform the request and when you have to do it? My transcript is still on the way to BMCC and should be there at the middle or end of next week, and registration is on August 20th. Everyone I've spoken to keeps telling me to speak with the pre-clinical Nursing advisor, but he/she is not returning until August 20th at 11 AM. My current strategy right now is to call Baruch and BMCC several times during next week to verify that my transcript was sent and received, go to BMCC the Friday before August 20th to evaluate my transfer credit, see the Nursing advisor on the 20th at 11 AM, and hopefully, I can register for the Psychology course.

Hopefully, everything works out. I still feel incredibly anxious because registration is still up in the air. And afterwards, I'll have zero margin for error in the grades I earn for the pre-clinical courses. My strategy right now is to study my ass off, study when I wake up and before I go to sleep, take essential notes from the book and class, sit in the front of class, attempt to answer every question posed by the professor, consult with the professor periodically on my status in the class, ask if there are any extra-credit assignments I could complete, and do as best I possibly can on tests and papers with the ultimate goal of scoring As on them. It is absolutely imperative that I do well because I cannot return to Baruch (their regulations ban me due to the transfer to a 2 year school) and I will have given up everything I earned there to do this. I feel as if my entire life is on the line right now because I'm not a spring chicken anymore (past my mid-20s), and honestly, I have zero idea what I'm going to do if I can't get into a nursing program here or somewhere else.

alik · Aug 9, 2007

Hi,

I am changing my carrer also I am working in Hospital as MRI, PET and CT scan reader but there is no development in this field. I started nursing school two years ago and now I am finishing this Dec 07 at Cochran school of nursing. I think you have to take course one by one at Cuny, I mean pre-requirment courses and than look private college. Please do not look in Cuny college, there requirment is very high and it is very hard to get in the programm.

good luck

Slimlady727 · Aug 9, 2007

hi,
i am changing my carrer also i am working in hospital as mri, pet and ct scan reader but there is no development in this field. i started nursing school two years ago and now i am finishing this dec 07 at cochran school of nursing. i think you have to take course one by one at cuny, i mean pre-requirment courses and than look private college. please do not look in cuny college, there requirment is very high and it is very hard to get in the programm.
good luck

i was looking into cochran but since their program isnt accredited i changed my mind. dont knock cuny, they are very flexible and have alot of weekend and night classes (depending on the school). they are very affordable compared to private schools. you dont have to take your pre-reqs one by one. as long as there is no prior pre-req for the course you can take it.

optimistic1 · Aug 10, 2007

I can't remember exactly how I did it since it was about five years ago, but make sure they don't transfer over your entire trancript - which will include that 'C" in Psych. If it does transfer over, I think they will count it and taking it again won't help. Maybe that's what you mean by "one-time removal and replacement of transfer credit", but I'm not familiar with that. Check into it. Like I said, only transfer what you need, not what will work against you. When I did it, I went to the registrar (I think) and they pulled up my transcript on the computer since it was also CUNY and thay transferred over what I asked them to - the two ENG courses. Mr. Sierra (the nursing clinical coordinator) told me that had I transferred in the PSY "C" grade it would have counted, so good thing I didn't.

Being in your mid/late 20's will put you among the younger students in your class, so don't worry about that. You have fifty years before you retire, so one or two more on the front end shouldn't really matter much.

The pre-clinical courses are ones that you can get A's in, so do the work and you'll be fine. When you finally get to the nursing courses all you have to do is pass - and you'll be happy with that. Believe me.

You are young so don't rush it. Take one or two courses at a time. Make sure you get the grades you need. If you end up with a 3.3 or 3.5 GPA, you'll have to wait every semester until it comes down to that level, which might not happen for a long time with the great demand for nursing school we have now. There is no waiting list. Once you have your GPA in those four courses - that's it - then it dependes on how everyone else does that current (or proceeding) semester.

If you get a 4.0, you're in, a 3.7+ and you should be fine. Those are the only four courses that matter. Focus on them.

Good luck.