low gpa in BS, want to get my RN or BSN

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hey guys,

I am a recent grad with a degree in Business Marketing and live in CA, however I have a very low GPA (2.28). Ya i know its bad but family and keeping them fed was a huge issue. Anyways, I am now trying to go into the medical field and get a BSN degree or at least become a RN. I have been looking online for the past two weeks and have heard that every nursing program requires a 3.0 GPA, is that true? Is there anyway around that? I am very confused about what steps to take and how to start going for my RN license. Please HELP! Any Ideas?

Thank you in advance!

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I do not mean to hurt you but getting into any nursing program with 2.28 does not seem easy nowadays! But if nursing is what you really want to do, take some classes to pump up ur gpa at least 2.5 or you can go private schools. Good luck with your dream !

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Did you start pursuing your BSN? Because one way you can bring up your GPA is by taking your per-requisites. Those a required before you can even apply to most BSN programs.

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I had just below a 3.0 on my BBA. I took 6 classes and 2 labs I needed as pre-requisites and it barely brought my overall GPA to 3.0. I had all A's in 5 classes and 1 lab. The 6th class was Chemistry and I got a C with a B in lab.

I did not have the minimum GPA even after pre-reqs to get into BSN programs in my area, but I already have a BBA, so I'm going to an ADN program and will try and bridge to an MSN program later.

My ADN program puts a stronger emphasis on your science pre-requisite GPA than overall GPA. Still, I was not accepted the first time I applied because I still had 2 pre-requisites in progress and it is a highly competitive applicant pool at my school. I just finished the classes I was taking and applied again to the next application period. I got in easily the second time around because I did well on the pre-RN entrance exam and had a very high GPA on my pre-requisites (I think it was 3.85).

Several schools I looked at give preference to EMTs/LPNs. One of the things my school recommends is to apply to both the LPN and RN programs simultaneously if you don't get into the RN you can take the LPN and then will be given priority to the RN program. Also, LPNs enter as second semester students in the RN program.

Don't give up on your dream.

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Thank you guys for responding! I understand that it is very hard to get into the programs with my gpa. But i still have hope because i need to take all the pre-reqs for the nursing program..which i havnt even started...which leads me to another question...since i already have a BS..where can i take the pre-reqs for nursing and what are the general pre-reqs required for the Rn license?

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@afoster1 i havnt pursed anything yet. Just gathering all my facts before applying to anything

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@pc2801 thanks for the advice! Do you think it'll be better if i go back to college and get a second bachelors or just do the pre-reqs and raise my gpa that way?

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Take your pre-reqs at community colleges, and if you have good study habits take online classes i.e. psych, nutrition.

I was enrolled at many different community colleges that offered online classes, but I made sure to attend in-class for micro, autonomy, and physio because it helps to understand the body when you start nursing school.

Many nursing schools have different requirements so if I were you research the school and find out what classes you need. You can usually find all that online or talk to a counselor to help you get started.

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I agree with the other poster, take your pre-reqs at the community college. I did all mine in person, but you can do some of them online especially psych/lifespan development and nutrition.

You'll have to look at the programs you are interested in attending as to what pre-reqs they require as most programs require some common courses like A&P I & II, and Microbiology, but will vary whether or not you need a sociology, chemistry or other courses. I took my pre-reqs at two different CC's simultaneously because that was the best way to take the classes I needed to fit my schedule.

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Since you already have a Bachelor's these are the pre-requisites that you will most likely need, but again you would need to check with the program that you are interested in to make sure.

Chemistry with Lab 4 credits

Anatomy and Physiology 1 & II with Lab 8 credits

Microbiology with Lab 4 credits

Human Growth and Development 3 credits

Statistics 3 credits

Nutrition 3 credits

Also, I agree with many of the other posters that you should look into taking them at a community college, it is cheaper and more convenient. But again check with the school that you are interested in, because most schools don't care that you take them at a community college, but there are some out there that will take that into consideration when making an admissions decision. Two applicants with the same GPA and qualifications, however, one took the pre-requisites at a community college and the other took the pre-requisites at a 4 year school...just like the whole thing about ADN vs. BSN.

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Thank you so much for all the advice i found a ADN program that is approved by the state board of nursing in CA. I am going to visit the college and get more info about the pre-req.

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Most of the community colleges where I live base entrance on the teas score and grades in specific science prereq classes. They only require a 2.5 on the last 24 hours as an absolute minimum requirement. I had a low gpa from my first time in college years ago, but once I started back I kept a 4.0 for all my prereqs. I was accepted into nursing.

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