Just need a little Help

[Aidank90]

Hello everyone,

I've been posting here every now and then trying to soak up as much info about nursing school as I can. I am going to give you my stats and experiences, and you tell me where I should go from here.

3rd-year microbiology student (4.5-5 year program) at an out of state school. I found out that nursing is something I really want to do and be great in. There is no nursing program at my current school. I have most prerequisites done with about a 3.4-6 prereq GPA. Overall 3.0 GPA. I am planning on retaking a few courses and finishing my prereqs at a community college. We have a terrible chemistry department here and I didn't do so well in gen chem 1 and 2. Im crushing it in Ochem now (different and better instructors). I started volunteering at a local hospital and I really like it so far. I am planning on maybe taking a CNA course this winter to really get hands-on experience and a job in the field. I work in a fitness center and am CPR/AED/First Aid Certified. I have worked in a pharmaceutical lab as an intern a few summers ago (if that means anything).

So I wanna get into a nursing school. I love the nurses I have met in my life and I want to contribute and change lives, just like they have for me.

I don't want to do an ABSN because I am going to need to work during my program. I also hear these are extremely expensive.

Whats the best way to get into a program? Should I try and transfer? Should I take a bunch of community college courses to bump my GPA, then apply? Should I graduate with my current degree? I don't want to waste money on a degree I don't care for if I am going to eventually find my way into nursing.

Also, any schools that you suggest I apply to with my GPA and experiences? My GPA should increase when I retake classes at a CC. I'm having a tough time finding programs that I have a chance in and aren't extremely expensive. I am a male, but I don't hold that to increase any chance of getting in. I understand the system is a lot more complicated than that. Yet if there are any schools looking for males though I would love to hear about them.

If you guys have any suggestions or advice that would be awesome!

[BBP42]

I graduated from a community college Associates degree RN program with no debt at all, because the program was so inexpensive. However, the low price meant heavy competition for seats. Many of my classmates had CNA experience, and I feel like they started out way ahead of the game because of it, so I think that would have value. Many of my classmates also already had Bachelors in other fields. Those classmates were able to get the Associates RN, start working, and complete accelerated online MSN programs that awarded the BSN along the way at a reasonable cost. I don't know if that would offset the fact that you may still need 2 years to finish the degree you have started. Look into community college nursing, my specific program heavily weighted your grades for A&P 1 &2, which counted equally to your overall GPA. Maybe you wouldn't have to retake as much as you think. Good luck!

[Sour Lemon]

Whats the best way to get into a program?

That depends, entirely, on the program. I suggest looking at specific program(s) and then deciding where to focus.

My program looked at GPA of the sciences, only. They cared nothing about CNA experience, volunteer work, or grades of other prerequisite classes (as long as they were passing).

Some schools simply have minimum criteria and put everyone who meets it on a waiting list.

There are so many possibilities for admission criteria that you've really got to choose a program to aim for if you want to avoid wasting time and effort.

[Aidank90]

Yea, I've been looking into lots of programs and their requirements for admission. I guess this is what I am trying to say:

Has anyone transferred from a 4 year university under a non nursing major, into a BSN program? If so, how did they do it?

What are some schools that accept a higher percentage of transfer students?

Does anyone have any insight on the transfer process? As well as advice to make it smoother?