Kicked out of nursing school, I don't know what to do now

Tacocat, ASN, RN · May 21, 2018

I am not on academic probation or anything at the school. I have just been kicked out of the nursing program at the school Bc I received less than a C in one of the nursing courses. I don't know what my options are now. Will any other schools accept me for nursing RN?

Can you retake A&P 1 to strengthen your transfer application?

lacerti, BSN, RN · May 21, 2018

I would suggest retaking A&P 1 via permit at one of the CUNY community colleges that are closer to home during the summer if you are able to do so; the classes are bound to be much smaller (not like the typical huge lecture hall) and may feel less intimidating. I'm not too sure how tuition pricing will be, however, since you'll request taking the class through Hunter you may be charged senior college tuition, as opposed to the cheaper junior/community college tuition--seek advisement from a nursing advisor from your school for clarification. As some of the other suggestions have been mentioned, also consider competing your Bachelor's in another field that can be comparable in the nursing curriculum (again, speak with a nursing advisor for assistance); there are ABSN/second-degree programs that although will not overlook your GPA, they will consider holistically your application components.

Caprica6 · May 21, 2018

Hunter has ruined my gpa

How did Hunter ruin your GPA?

Gentleman_nurse, MSN · May 21, 2018

OK first thing take a deep breath and calm down. Your future in nursing isn't over.

I attended Hunter, not for nursing but did investigate it when I was applying for RN programs. Now things may have changed but it was my understanding:

1. You needed to complete prerequisite courses as pre-nursing major (open admissions) and then apply for entry into the clinical nursing program at Hunter which was a competitive process.

2. There was grade forgiveness policy which you can retake a class and the old grade is dropped from your GPA.

Is this still the case? Were you denied entry into the clinical part or you were guaranteed entry into the nursing program as a freshman as long as you passed your classes?

elkpark · May 21, 2018

How did Hunter ruin your GPA?

(That's what I was wondering, also ...)

Ac4414 · May 21, 2018

The anatomy class at hunter is known for being very hard. I know it may sound like im pushing the blame onto the school's rigorous classes but after taking anatomy and receiving a D, my gpa has plummeted and is now a 3.07. Many nursing schools in the city require a high GPA in order to be admitted and my GPA is just not up to par. Im considering St. Pauls school of nursing as well because Ive heard they will accept people as long as they pay the expensive tuition. Does anyone know how the tuition pricing works at St. pauls? is it based on price per credit, im hoping to cut down the tuition price because i have several prerequisites i can transfer over. Will my tuition be drastically reduced?

ElleWoods · May 22, 2018

You're going to have to call St. Pauls to get these questions answered. Very few people will know how their tuition pricing works and how to cut tuition price unless they are administration or financial aid office and I highly doubt they browse Allnurses.

Also I notice St. Pauls only offers Associate and I don't want to sound pessimistic but it will be very hard to find a job with just an Associate degree in nyc. I would highly suggest becoming a LPN then doing a bridge LPN - RN program. I know Laguardia has one.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · May 22, 2018

You're jumping the gun here.

Before you worry about trying to get into another program, you need to figure out why you're unable to perform in the classes that you've already taken. Without completing that crucial step, you're likely to continue struggling and you don't have any room for error at this point.

elkpark · May 22, 2018

The anatomy class at hunter is known for being very hard. I know it may sound like im pushing the blame onto the school's rigorous classes but after taking anatomy and receiving a D, my gpa has plummeted and is now a 3.07.

Still not seeing how that's something the school did to you. Every nursing program has "very hard" courses, often the science prerequisites. Did everyone, or nearlyl everyone, in your class get a D in the anatomy course? If not, it's hard to argue that the problem is the school.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · May 22, 2018

Still not seeing how that's something the school did to you. Every nursing program has "very hard" courses, often the science prerequisites. Did everyone in your class get a D in the anatomy course? If not, it's hard to argue that the problem is the school.

^^ This x 1000 ^^^

elkpark · May 22, 2018

Still not seeing how that's something the school did to you. Every nursing program has "very hard" courses, often the science prerequisites. Did everyone, or nearlyl everyone, in your class get a D in the anatomy course? If not, it's hard to argue that the problem is the school.

And I'm not saying that just to be mean; if you want to have any chance of getting into another nursing program, you're going to have to do some serious self-examination and understand what went wrong the last time and what you're doing to make sure things will be different the next time. Nursing schools are going to ask you about your last experience and what went wrong, and they will not want to hear that it was the school's fault.

Nursing programs are well known for being extremely reluctant to admit people who failed out of another nursing program, or otherwise left under a cloud. They are all inundated with qualified applicants who haven't already been unsuccessful in nursing school before, so you have to be able to make a pretty compelling case about why they should take a chance on you.

Best wishes!

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · May 22, 2018

And I'm not saying that just to be mean; if you want to have any chance of getting into another nursing program, you're going to have to do some serious self-examination and understand what went wrong the last time and what you're doing to make sure things will be different the next time. Nursing schools are going to ask you about your last experience and what went wrong, and they will not want to hear that it was the school's fault.
Nursing programs are well known for being extremely reluctant to admit people who failed out of another nursing program, or otherwise left under a cloud. They are all inundated with qualified applicants who haven't already been unsuccessful in nursing school before, so you have to be able to make a pretty compelling case about why they should take a chance on you.
Best wishes!

A&P, microbiology, pharmacology....those are the gatekeeper classes in nursing. Literally, A&P is like Gandalf with his big stick..."You shall not pass." I made a B in A&P the first go round in my 20s, took it again in my 40s and STILL made a B - AND it was the hardest I've ever had to work for that stupid B.

It only gets more uphill from here because 90% of nursing builds on the foundational A&P.

You are going to have to contact admissions counselors to see what you can do at another school. Before you decide to give up at Hunter, talk to that counselor and decide whether you can mitigate this grade. It's likely you CAN mitigate. It's also likely it will take effort on your part to mitigate and move on.

If you don't like that advice or any of the discussion prior, it's going to be difficult for you in any career, not just nursing.