Low GPA

[shammie]

I know a girl who has a low GPA & doesn't know what to do. she came to me with advice and I don't know what to do really. I heard private colleges accept people with low GPAs.. so Is she better off applying to a private college or just choosing a new major? /:

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[bsartor]

I'm not sure about private versus public colleges but there are a few options depending on the schools in the area. Generally community college have a lower GPA requirement than universities. Some even base the admission on a combined score of GPA plus an entrance exam like the TEAS exam. This helps applicants with low GPA because if they do really well on the exam they can make their overall score more competitive. Another option is for your friend to take prerequisites at a local college, do very very well and use the cumulative GPA to apply to a program. The other option is to apply to a Medical Assistant program, do very well then bridge to LPN or RN. Your friend really needs to call several programs and figure out the requirements for each to see what her options are.

[readyforachangenow]

Not all private colleges accept everyone . It really depends on the institution. If they have a class limit then GPA will matter. Some private colleges will accept ANYONE as long as they meet the minimum requirements but again they do not have a class limit.

In my area community colleges are just as competitive as state colleges. Some of these schools also factor in some type of entrance exam such as Kaplan, TEAS, or Hesi. These can help if you have a lower GPA.

[SunsetButterfly]

Depends on the program... most all the private schools I am looking at are very competitive. Your friend should contact the schools she is looking at and ask them what their minimums GPA's are and also what is the average GPA of people accepted. Then your friend will have a better idea of where she will be able to get in to.

[rubato, ASN, RN]

Community colleges can be very competitive too. Mine was impossible to get into unless you had a 3.75 or higher.

[ScientistSalarian]

Nursing programs are generally very competitive but it really depends on the individual school. I'm not sure what your friend's exact situation is (has she finished all of her nursing prerequisites?) but she *might* be able to pull it off, even with a lackluster GPA. Some nursing programs (like mine) award application points for both your science and overall GPA, weighting the pre-nursing classes much more heavily. They also give points based on how well you do on the TEAS. So hypothetically, if she could pull all A's in her nursing prereqs (anatomy, physiology, micro, statistics, etc.), does extremely well on the entrance exam, and can gain some extra points for volunteer/work experience or speaking a second language, it could (maybe) be done!

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Your friend will have to ask specific schools...I had a "low GPA", but got over 90% in the entrance exam, had challenge and boosted my grade average...the recruiter stated what I needed to get in, did it, went through the program, and passed...and it was a grueling program that I enjoyed and prepared me.