25 Jewish/Hispanic Male S.FL and slightly lost......

[mabforlife]

hey all,

i have a couple of questions that i must ascertain for the near future. i know that after asking these questions, i am going to get flamed for not "searching". but before anyone does, these questions and statements are tied into one another, and can ultimately affect my opportunities into getting into a school.

with that being said, i will try to keep these simple. let me give you my bio first

25 hispanic male (jewish, but latino on my birth certificate)

graduated: bach. business administration from florida atlantic university

gpa: 2.8

pre-reqs for nursing completed: psychology (b), sociology (b), chem (b), chem lab (a), nutrition (b), anatomy (b), anatomy lab (b)

pre-reqs for nursing this semester: micro bio, micro bio lab, anatomy 2, anatomy 2 lab

the problem is this. there is way too much competition in south florida and/or all of the state of florida for nursing. not to mention at almost every school they require a net, teas, or some type of their own entrance exam that is not transferable with one another. the nln is only now accepted at 2 schools (pbcc, and nwfl cc), the hesi (a1) is usually used for a ccne school (4 year degree programs), and some community colleges are trying to finally phase into the hesi (a2).

the major issue for me is that i do not want to waste any time and not to mention money (application fees) with applying to schools i have a less chance at getting into. i have spent my time doing a lot of research by actually talking to advisers at the universities, and calling them about requirements, the spots that are available, and how many people apply per year at each school. it seems that 4 year degree programs have less spots available, and double or triple the amount of applicants.

for an example, fau has approximately 70 spots per academic year. they have received more than 2500 applications. barry university has about 120 spots per academic year, and they received more than 1500 applications, university of miami is approximately the same.

my point of question and statements are this. i do not care where i go (in-state, out of state, private school, public school), i do not care how much the program costs, and i do not care if it is a adn, asn, bsn, or accelerated msn (np) program. i want to know if there is a school that just simply takes the hesi (a1, a2), or no entrance exams and is quite simple to get in (anywhere!). it has to be accredited, and should be able to transfer to grad programs and/or out of state by the time i am done.

i was also wondering if "diploma" (not an a.s. or bsn) rn programs are good enough to be able to transfer to grad programs right afterward since i already do have a 4 year degree. (yes most grad programs have "bridge programs" for their np programs.)

i know these questions are all over the place, but at this point the competition is fierce for simple nursing programs. if anyone can help steer me to the right place, it would greatly be appreciated!!!! :)

-michael

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

My friend, who has a previous B.S. degree in public health with a cumulative 2.6 grade point average in her prerequisites, was accepted into the 14 month accelerated RN-BSN program at Texas Christian University. Since this school is a private university with expensive tuition, it is not as competitive as some of the other RN programs in the city where I live.

She had also been conditionally accepted to the RN-BSN program at Tarleton State University. The condition was that she had to raise her grade point average to a 2.75 by the end of that particular summer by retaking some science prerequisite classes.

[rgar98]

Michael,

What does being Jewish and Hispanic have to do with your post?

Richard

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Michael,

What does being Jewish and Hispanic have to do with your post?

Richard

Perhaps he wishes to put somewhat of a face on an otherwise faceless internet user name. Some people can actually paint their own mental picture of a guy who identifies himself as Jewish and Hispanic. It's all good!

[rgar98]

Can you give me an idea of what that "mental picture" might be?

Thanks.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Can you give me an idea of what that "mental picture" might be?

Thanks.

It's different for each person.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Michael,

Despite the (negative?) responses you received, I would encourage you to flaunt your "difference from the normal NS applicant" flag. Many nursing schools are trying to increase the diversity of their student body, and when it comes to that, you're a Triple Threat!!! I would also urge you to dig deep to find some scholarship/grant money aimed at any of your three (!) nursing minority categories. Your GPA is kinda low for nursing school applicants - it is going to be a real problem for a lot of public schools. Most of the less-competitive schools are private with very high tuition. LOL - did you know that the French Foreign Legion actually has a stipend program for nursing education??? srsly. But it's limited to men, of course. That may be a bit extreme, but you see where I'm going here. . .

If your goal is NP, you would probably be better off in a traditional nursing program that includes LOTS of clinical practicum & opportunities for experience. GOOD LUCK!

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I suspect the ethnic and sex reference has to do with the very real variable that some schools prefer to accept nontraditional or ethnic (minority) students, or Jewish students etc.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I suspect the ethnic and sex reference has to do with the very real variable that some schools prefer to accept nontraditional or ethnic (minority) students, or Jewish students etc.

I haven't noticed any particular preference for nontraditional/Jewish students, though cannot speak on the other. Quite frankly it would be hard to tell, given as the board that makes those decisions rarely has a chromesome chart on the application and one cannot assume based on name or appearance. And, generally Jewish does not rate a "preference" anywhere, and given the makeup of most nursing schools, nontraditional is the norm.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I agree completely. I think there is a bit of a prevalent attitude in some sectors that being ethnic, minority or of a particular sex or genre will garner a preferential view in light of the application. I got the impression since the OP was looking for an easier way into nursing school that perhaps he thought his ethnic information might bring forth information on schools geared favorably toward those things and perhaps make up for a less than stellar GPA.

[dozndawg]

Ok after sifting through all this racial-religious-political mumbo-jumbo. I thought I would add try IRSC IN FORT PIERCE. If you need more info about the program PM me.