Least competitive schools for accelerated BSN or second degree BSN

milwerica, MSN, APRN · Jun 4, 2009

Alright, I shall try to help you. First off there are a ton of Accelerated B.S. to B.S.N. programs around the United States. Though I feel they all have a degree of competitiveness. I also would say you have a limited chance of getting into even the least competitive if you have no background working in some type of health care. I am enrolled in an Accelerated Online B.S. to B.S.N. program through University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. A requirement for the program was to have C.N.A. license and have worked as a C.N.A. To strengthen the application they wanted individuals that have worked in nursing homes as C.N.A.'s. As far as your GPA, I feel it is great. But without that knowledge of CNA you are going to be at a huge, I mean monumental loss. The program I am in is 12 months and we earn a credit a week. I am on my second class and we read over 100 pages a day and have exams almost every other day. If I did not have that CNA basic knowledge I would be done for. I would have no clue. That is why the program is accelerated because we are expected to have the basic foundation already through our previous B.S. degree.

My recommendations to you is get the CNA, apply to all the accelerated programs you can and take in all that you can from now until the entrance of the program because a lot of what is in the program is taught based on the assumption we know the basic foundations. Good luck to you and I hope the best. I do recommend the UW-Oshkosh accelerated online BS to BSN because it is online and I do not have to sit in class!!!! It is 12 months and I did not feel it had a great competitive group. The cost currently is $34,500 and includes the tuition, laptop, iPod touch, webcam, and all the software needed for the program. No I am not part of the faculty, but I am greatly impressed and enjoying the program.

Wish you well.

ChanelCinq · Jun 5, 2009

milwerica how do you become an RN online? Even with a CNA it seems impossible to do an RN program online.

Anyway, online classes do not work for me. Personally, I need a face to face environment. Thanks for the advice but I would have to take time off work to do the CNA and it seems like it would be back peddling. Most of the accelerated BSN programs and the direct entry MSN programs have dropped the CNA requirement over the years.

I am finding that different schools measure GPA in different ways so my GPA may be a bit higher.

So does anyone know which schools as less competitive than others and inexpensive? Is there a list out there as to which schools are easier to get into?

CrufflerJJ, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jun 6, 2009

I keep posting various questions in various forums and I have 5 threads with not a single reply. I posted a similar post in the “Pre-Nursing Student Forum” about 2 weeks ago and still do not have a response. Since I am looking for second degree BSN programs or ABSN programs I thought I would try here. Hopefully I’ll get an answer or two.
I am looking for inexpensive schools anywhere in the country that offer a second degree BSN or ABSN that are not too difficult to get into.
My GPA is about 3.3 and that is everything including all the cosmetology units at a community college before transferring to a University. I have well over 250 units.

I'd recommend the University of Cincinnati Accelerated Pathway program. Of course, I went there, so take my recommendation with a LARGE grain of salt!

They seem to be very decent about GPA's, not at all competitive/Type A. The program itself is very challenging, but admission isn't too ridiculous. As to "inexpensive", I dunno. My student loan was ~$16K for 5 quarters, ASSUMING that you qualify for the UC Graduate Scholarship (which requires a GRE score of >1100 or thereabouts).

I had people in my cohort with prior degrees ranging from dance/art to Biology to Spanish to Psychology, Criminal Science (ex-cops) to Public Health to Engineering (YEAH Engineering!!!).

Good luck!

snnamchi · Jun 29, 2009

Hi dear,

ok, let me tell u what i know to the best of my ability. The truth is that all accelerated BSN programs are going to be competitive. Why? b/cos just like u have Bachlors, many other people with bS are looking for the same thing, which is an accelerated program.

I have a BS already and applied to university of south alabama for Fall 09. my GPA is 3.1 only, so your 3.3 is good.

Due to the fact that this program is competitive, they deffered me to the spring of 2010 ok. The reason they deffered me is becos most people that applied have got 4.0GPAs.

can i tell u that i was accepted...

The deal is most of these schools calculate the GPA based on the requirements that they need ie Anatomys, math, english etc. Even though your undergrad GPA is 3.3, as long as u had good grades in those requirements, they will calculate just those classes and that will give u a higher GPA.

So, to cut long story short, no program will be easy to get into and yes as long as you had good grades u will be able to get in cos i did with a 3.1 undergrad GPA and get to start in spring 2010.

Hope this helps...good luck!!

heathert_kc · Jul 26, 2009

I would look at the University of Arizona, I have done extensive research on these programs for my husband. They look at your prerequisite GPA only (A&P, Chem1 and 2, human development, nutrition and micro), not your total GPA. And if you are willing to stay in the Tucson area for a couple year and work at a hospital it is free and only open to students who sign contracts with participating hospitals.

ChanelCinq · Jul 26, 2009

Thanks heathert_kc. I did see that. I just don't know if I want to spend so much time in AZ. But UA is definitely on my list. University of Miami is another one where tuition is free but you have to commit 3 years to a local hospital.

Mike A. Fungin RN · Jul 28, 2009

I realize you're trying to focus your search better by trying to find the places you're most likely to be accepted to... but if I were you and I found a "less competitive" school I'd be very nervous about going there. If it's easy to get in, there's probably a reason.

ChanelCinq · Jul 28, 2009

I realize you're trying to focus your search better by trying to find the places you're most likely to be accepted to... but if I were you and I found a "less competitive" school I'd be very nervous about going there. If it's easy to get in, there's probably a reason.

Mike thanks for your input but I don't want to throw away money. The CA state schools turn away 4.0 students. They are extremely competitive and have anywhere from a 3% to 20% acceptance rate. Now that the CA budget is in crisis that number will go down even further.

It makes no sense to me to apply to schools that I will not get into. San Francisco State University would be my number one choice but they have anywhere from 1000 to 1500 applicants each year. My cousin was a nursing major at Sacramento State University. However once you have completed your lower division courses you can then apply to the nursing dept. She had a 3.9 and applied for 4 semesters and was not accepted. She ended up leaving Sac State and going to a community college in Sacramento. So after 3.5 years at Sac State and another 2 years at a community college and she still does not have a Bachelors.

Anyway my situation is different as I already have a Bachelors but I am not going to waste my time writing personal statements, sending application fees, paying from transcripts for each of my schools, and getting references if there is no chance for me to get in.

I have to be realistic. I don't have a competitive GPA so why on earth would I apply to a very competitive school unless I wanted to throw away money?

mell260 · Oct 24, 2009

I'm interested where you ended up applying?!

ChanelCinq · Oct 24, 2009

I'm interested where you ended up applying?!

I have not applied anywhere yet. Still searching, still frustrated and confused as ever.

Finishing up last pre-reqs and should be applying now but time is limited and I really don't have a CLUE where to apply. I feel like my research leads to dead ends. For example a school sounds good but then they have a couple different pre-reqs all the other schools didn't have or the school is too expensive or today found out the number one program I wanted to get into is fairly new and has an extremely high drop out rate and failing rate and it is a second degree BSN program.

So now I plan to scratch that plan and I took a specific pre-req just for that school. It was the one I really wanted but not with the news I got today.

So I feel like I have taken steps backwards rather than forwards. Still searching for suggestions and ideas.

By the way, how would I find a list of schools that focus on TEAS rather than GPA. I did 92.7 % and was in the 99th percentile so I wanted to look for schools that don't emphasize GPA but focus on TEAS scores.

mell260 · Oct 24, 2009

I think with a 3.3 you should definitely be able to get in somewhere. People have gotten into 2nd degree programs w/ much less.

I know that University of Ariz and Northern Ariz University, UF, and UMass Boston all only look at your most recent classes/pre-reqs.