Insiders point of view.

Jules A, MSN · Jul 8, 2008

Hi MissChristy and welcome!

It depends a bit on the school you are applying to but at mine it was largely dependent on your gpa in the pre-reqs and an entrance exam. At my school having a 4.0 for the pre-reqs was very helpful. Definitely take your time and do as good as you can with them. If you are interested in doing this I would schedule a meeting with the Director of the Nursing program as soon as you can so you will get accurate information. I found the general counselors were out of touch with the workings in the nursing program at my school.

It sounds like you have quite a lot on your plate with all those babies so just take one thing at a time. I wish you the best.

Altra, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2008

If this is really what you want then all you can do is apply yourself with 100% effort to that goal.

Perhaps you could apply to more than one program, if available in your area, to increase your chances of being accepted as soon as your pre-reqs are completed.

Life is not always a linear path. Good luck to you! :)

mpccrn, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2008

bottom line.....depends on how bad you WANT it. you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to. good luck! :nurse:

cjmjmom · Jul 8, 2008

Your past does not matter! I agree with other posters, if you really want to be a nurse you will be as long as you apply yourself. Do the foot work and you know Who will take care of the rest! Good luck with your pregnancy and have FUN with your chldren...I am sure they are a blessing!

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2008

I believe that the BEST way to answer your question would be to contact whatever programs you are looking at and discuss your situation with whoever handles prospective students.

It's entirely possible that they would require you to take a few pre-reqs there if your classes don't meet what they would want...but you would benefit from doing what you can early. Also, some prereqs are "hybrid" courses at some schools. that is, they are online using the college's software and you may not have to actually set foot on campus at all....or very rarely..

GL to you and whatever you put your mind to, you can do!

allnurses Guide · Jul 8, 2008

hi there. i am hoping to get some feedback/advice if anyone is willing to give it. so here is my story.
i wasn't successful in high school and waited until i was 21 to start college. ive been attending online college, working towards a bachelors degree in communication, which after a lot of thought and decision making i decided i hated. its not the career for me, and i just cant make myself do it. i mean, who wants to spend years working in a career they are hating!?! not me!
after a lot of soul searching i realized that i feel like my true calling is nursing (not just out of the blue, ive always wanted to, but have little faith in myself.)
so ive done some research and realize that i need to get my prerequisites done before i can apply to a nursing program at a university. which works out well seeing as how i am currently pregnant with my 3rd baby in 3 years and on bed rest and couldn't attend a physical college if i wanted to.
so i am trying to get as many credits as i can online. but i went back and checked the nursing schools website about their admitting and it sounds like they are really picky (understandably so). and its kind of daunting.
and now i am losing faith in myself once again because it says its "highly competitive" and i'm worried i'm not what they want! what if i'm not what they want?!? what am i going to do with myself?!?
no one besides my husband has a lot of support to offer, and even he doesn't totally get it. my mom and dad were total jerks about my choices when i was a teenager and even when i told them i decided i wanted to actually pursue nursing instead of just talking about it, they just shrugged and said "hopefully you stick with something this time." luckily my mother in law is a nurse and she is so helpful. but unfortunately is deployed right now and cant really spend a lot of time helping me with this stuff.
well i'm going to stop ranting. i just could use some encouragement or advice... or something.
thanks for reading if you were able to make it through...
haha!

the good news here is that you know exactly what it will take to get into nursing school. that is easy to find out. you can then create an action plan to get there. its not beyond you, but it is a matter of commitment. there will be days you hate doing school, things you will have to give up or pass by, times when its boring and sucks etc. i am sure you realize all of that already. what you don't seem to realize is this is really quite simple. its just a matter of choice and having a plan for that choice. you choose to do whatever it takes, then map out for yourself what that is. if your family is negative, they don't get to talk to you about it. find other pre-nursing students. yeah, its competitive but i have found, at least at this pre-requisite point, that most of us want to help one another succeed.

just remember, you will get out of it what you put into it. and when you graduate, you will have learned something so incredible about yourself. that those family voices are wrong. that the voice in your head that said you can't do it is a liar. that you are worthy of success and worthy of the effort success takes. you can do it. but, like the rest of us, you have to decide. yep. its competitive. nobody can change that fact. but you get to choose if you are at the top of the pack or the bottom. its not random. those who get in, get in as the culmination of months and years of effort. no reason you can't be one of them. 100% chance you will get in if you do what is required. those requirements are high. only you know if you have it in you to work that hard and to sacrifice to make it happen. not your husband, your family, the nursing industry or this board. just you.:heartbeat