Is nursing right for me? (First year of college)

nbsublime · Jul 2, 2013

You won't know until you try. And high school is a lot different than college. Most people try harder because they are paying big bucks to attend and they can see what the outcome will be if they succeed or not.

HippyDippyLPN · Jul 2, 2013

I graduated high school with a 2.4. I graduated LPN school with a 3.8. I am starting my LPN to RN bridge this fall and get to skip many pre reqs because I tested into college level courses, including math which I took intermediate algebra 3x before I passed it in high school.

I was too busy socializing to be bothered with hard work in high school and just assumes I was "not smart enough" so I had (in my young immature mind) an excuse to do poorly. I paid and am paying for all of my schooling, I wanted to do well, so I did. Don't let previous schooling be your track record, prove yourself wrong. I did and am doing so now, I'm proud of myself for being the student I could have been all along!

ScientistSalarian · Jul 2, 2013

No strangers on an internet message board can tell you if you're "smart enough" for nursing. Since it's so early in your college career start working through some of the nursing prerequisites (anatomy, physiology, micro, nutrition, etc.) and see how it goes. If you give it 100% and just can't get your GPA into the acceptance range for whichever RN program you're looking at there are plenty of less-competitive health care careers to consider (LPN/LVN, CNA, MA, phlebotomy, EMT, etc.).

But hey, you'll never know what you're really capable of until you try, right?

jagmyswag · Jul 2, 2013

This gave me so much more confidence! Thank you so much!

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Jul 2, 2013

It is not if you are smart enough, but are you mature enough to go to nursing school. You need to take a serious look at yourself. If you are not willing to come home from school and lock yourself in your room, study and put in 150% effort into your classes then don't start school. Take the pre-reqs for nursing school and see if you have the dedication to study your butt off and get good grades. Unfortunately, getting into nursing school is competitive and they usually choose students by GPA. From the messageboards on this site, most people applying for school are in the 3.25-3.75 GPA range for their pre-reqs. Most nursing schools will only allow you to repeat each pre-req class once to improve your GPA for applying.

NCmcMan · Jul 3, 2013

My goodness, you sound just like me. I guess you just gotta go for it, and make it work.

Is nursing right for me? let me start off by saying I am not smart at all... Literally. I took Applied Geometry my senior year in high school, I failed many classes, and barely passed high school with D's. Now I finally have started to take decisions about my life and am looking toward nursing. but I am worried that I won't do good in Nursing School or my Pre reqs, I am worried I won't understand the concept. Help please?! Am I smart enough for nursing?

LaceElaine · Jul 3, 2013

Doesn't matter what your grades in high school were. Typically, most kids don't study much in high school. Even if you DID study, it's not that you're dumb, it's that you didn't study enough. Don't let your doubts get in the way of your future. What really counts is dedication and if you have the time to do it. If you carry out the same habits in college, that got you the Ds in high school, you'll most definitely fail in college. But you can get straight As if you push yourself hard enough. I'm not the brightest person either. I'm in A&P I at the moment and I calculated the time I spend studying the week before a test and it came out to 45 hours! Now if you can't dedicate yourself like this, you won't make it. But if you stay strong, you will!! It's though, believe me. I much rather go out to dinner with friends, but I know this is my calling and I've never wanted anything so bad. This is what pushes me. I hope that you can find the strength to push yourself harder than you ever have before. Good luck :)

LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN · Jul 3, 2013

I was a HORRIBLE student until my senior year in high school. Especially with math. Math is still my weakest subject, thirty years later. In my senior year, I began to apply myself, and found out I was much more intelligent than I gave myself credit. My grades reflected that. Fast forward thirty years, and I just finished two years of pre reqs, which I did meh, in some classes and got As in others. This most recent semester, Spring semester 2013, I got straight As, and that included A & P 2. I start the nursing program in August (RN). If my aged brain can do it, so can you. It's all relative to your determination and your mind set. :)

Dtermnd2Bgreat · Jul 3, 2013

I feel the same way, but we can do this! When are you starting?