Looking for help

dkmamato3 · Jun 28, 2012

Joya - I have no specific advice on the school or specific program, but it sounds like you are missing 9 specific prerequisites in order to be eligible to apply for the 2nd degree nursing program there. Did the faculty adviser give you a printout of the classes that you need to take?

You can take these either at the university or at a community college (a cheaper option - just make sure that the university will accept the transfer credits). With respect to timing, it all depends on when the schools in the area offer the classes and if any of them are sequential in nature. For example, Anatomy and Physiology I is only offered once a year at my community college. If you have 9 prerequisites to complete, it will likely take you a minimum of 2 semesters (or 3 terms if you are on the quarter system) - but again it all depends on what type of classes it is and what type of student you are.

Good luck :-)

Everline · Jun 28, 2012

You probably need to apply to the university (in general, not the nursing program) and take the 9 courses, then apply to the nursing program after you take whatever tests are necessary. I recommend you speak with someone in admissions at the university so they can guide you on how to apply and register for the courses you need. I am assuming these courses are pre-requisites. Go in and talk with someone instead of doing it on the phone, if you can.

IndyElmer · Jun 28, 2012

I'm not sure if there's more than one York University, but the one that I found (after typing my response) is in Canada, so I'm not sure how much my answer applies to your situation, but I'll go ahead and post since it's already typed :)

It is unlikely that you will be able to complete 9 courses at once (9 courses is often at least 27 credits which is far too many for one semester). Also, if you are required to have 2 psychology courses, you will be required to take introductory psychology before being allowed to take a second, higher-level psychology course (such as abnormal psych or developmental psych). If the school offers anatomy and physiology as a combined course, you'll likely be required to take A&P1 before A&P2, and even if they are offered separately, it's generally suggested (or even required) that you take anatomy before physiology.

Several of the courses listed as pre-requisites for York U. are fairly time-intensive (such that you would be better served to take them over 2 or even more terms). You may find that the courses have a pre-requisite requirement that you are missing (which could further extend the time needed to complete the pre-requisites). For example, some universities have an intro biology course listed as a pre-requisite for any/all upper level biology classes (such as anatomy, physiology and microbiology) while others may only "suggest" an intro biology course prior to taking the upper level classes. (Statistics classes sometimes have math pre-requisites too.)

My experience with pre-requisites is that at most schools there is not a special program for completing the pre-requisites, in fact, if Canada has a system similar to the community college system in the States, you may be able to save money by completing part or all of your pre-requisites at nearby community colleges. However, before choosing the community college, you would need to find out which classes are transferable and which are not. My local community colleges have partnerships with nearby universities so that their academic counselors are excellent resources for figuring out what you can take at the community college and what you can not. If community college might be an option for your pre-requisites, I would talk to the community college adviser and then the university adviser before deciding where to do your pre-reqs. Each adviser has an agenda to try to get you to spend your money at their school, so keep that in mind when evaluating the information given by each. Also, find out if York gives equal weight to courses completed at the community college (my university treats them equally), but some universities give slight favor to those who did their pre-reqs at the university rather than a community college.

Once you decide to take classes at York or at a community college, your next step is likely to get admitted as a student. I had to submit a general application to both my community college and the university to be able to take classes. Once I was accepted as a "general" student, I was able to meet with an academic adviser to set-up a plan of action for my pre-requisites and then register for my classes through the registrars office/website. (At my university, I had to do an extra step and submit an application to the nursing department to become a "pre-nursing" student which then gave me access to a pre-nursing academic adviser.)

IndyElmer · Jun 28, 2012

I had to submit a general application to both my community college and the university to be able to take classes.

I did part of my pre-reqs at the community college and part at the university, so I had to do a general application for each. If you decided to only take pre-reqs at the community college or only take pre-reqs at the university then you only need to do one application.

Joya878 · Jun 28, 2012

Thanks for the quick reply.

Joya878 · Jun 28, 2012

Thank you very much for quick replies

loriangel14, RN · Jun 28, 2012

Since you are in Canada you will have to do the prerequisites at a university.You should plan on 2 years to complete the 9 courses.