low overall gpa, high prereq gpa?

[shehak20000]

Hi. Okay, so I am going to be a second semester junior with a very low gpa. Basically, by the time i graduate my undergraduate gpa will be roughly a 2.6, with a physiology major.

however, i have NOT taken any of the prereq nursing courses (on my undergrad's school accelerated BSN program it showed 9 classes that I could still take).

I am motivated now. I was very immature and I have a new found focus and i'm running with it. Unfortunately, it's too late to salvage this semester grade wise but from next semester on I will be on my game.

So here is my question.

Are there any accelerated BSN programs that you guys know about that look at only the prerequisite course grades for admission? I KNOW THAT I CAN DO BETTER IN THESE PREREQUISITE COURSES. from this moment forward it's A, A, A.

Or even if not just the prereq's, the last 30 credits??

Ideally, I'd like to do the accelerated BSN right after graduation, as due to my low gpa and everything i'm already going to be extending my undergrad education by one year.

Is all hope lost? :(

P.S: I'm getting my CNA this summer

[HJS27]

Depends on the requirements and competition for the schools in your area. You may want to consider getting your RN from a community college associate program, and then completing your BSN after that. Many associate community college programs do not focus on GPA, but on successful completion of pre-reqs instead. Talk to the admission advisors at the schools in your area...they are the ones who know. Good luck!

[mysterious_one, ASN, RN]

As the previous poster stated it depends on the admission requirements of the specific college. I am in an ADN program at our local community college. They looked at GPA of your prereqs and coreqs (and an admission test). It was very competitive. Anywhere from 3.77 to 4.0 had a chance.

[future L&Dnurse]

I very strongly suggest that you go talk to an advisor IN the college of nursing to discuss what their requirements are and how they choose their students. My program weighed science credits more heavily than non-science, and also looked at references, essays, and experience. My GPA was 3.39 when I got in (It has gone up since then) and I was accepted on my first application.

[amyk_ncsu]

I can't tell you not to worry too much, but I can say from experience that it is still possible for you to get in with a 2.6 gpa. My gpa (though I hate to admit this) was around 2.6 or 2.7 when I graduated from a university with a BA. It would look much more negative on you if you had that gpa and failed to graduate at all. I had a great high school gpa, and a good SAT score, so I can only assume that these three together were competitive enough.

So, I think that all hope is not lost. They will likely look at your college gpa, hs gpa, sat/act scores, and probably take into account your grades in your pre-reqs (A&P, micro, etc). My best advice would be to talk to an advisor or the admissions coordinator at your school. This was something I did, and I showed a lot of enthusiasm and talked to them about why my grades were what they were in college. Whether or not this had any impact on my admission I don't know, but it certainly didn't hurt!

Good Luck!

[MB37]

So, you will have completed 5 semesters with a 2.6? And you still have 3 to go on this degree, plus 2 for prereqs? That's 5 more semesters. If the number of credits attempted for the next 5 semesters is about equal, and you earn a 4.0, you'll be able to bring your overall GPA up to a 3.3. With a prereq GPA of 4.0, there are programs that will accept you. A lot of CCs only count prereq GPA, and it seems like fewer ABSN program do. LSUHSC in New Orleans offers an accelerated program, with fewer prereqs than most (since it's a longer program), and they only look at your "prereq and co req" GPA (or at least it's what I remember from when I got accepted, and it's all the mention on the website). It's called the CARE program. I'm sure there are others, check out requirements at schools in your area or anywhere you'd be willing to move to.

[merrick]

My school only looked at nursing pre reqs and it is a BSN program, although not accelerated.

[futurecnm]

Many associate community college programs do not focus on GPA, but on successful completion of pre-reqs instead.

This may differ depending on region but here the community colleges are more competitive and harder to get into. They go solely on GPA on the pre-reqs and how many you have completed. I think the avg GPA in our entering class was about 3.8.

[LydiaNN]

So, you will have completed 5 semesters with a 2.6?

I don't think that's what this poster means. I think they are anticipating raising their GPA based on their projected grades over the next 3 semesters.

[MB37]

My bad, I missed a couple words in the OP. Hmmm...a 2.6 overall is a little harder to get around. I just checked LSU's website, and all they specify for the CARE program is that you need a 3.0 in your prereqs and coreqs, to get into the regular program you need a 2.8 cumulative. If your prereq/coreq grades are extremely good, it might still offset a poor overall GPA, but remember that prereqs typically include classes like English 101/102, which you probably took when you hadn't buckled down yet. You may want to at least broaden the scope of programs you look into, and consider ADN and Diploma programs in your area. You should be able to find a program of some type or another that either admits by lottery or wait list, or that only looks at prereq GPA. Good luck!

[Cinqly, BSN, RN]

I would suggest talking to an advisor for pre-nursing, or someone in the nursing program directly. In addition to ace'ing the next three semesters (which is totally do-able if you put your mind and effort into it ), they may be able to suggest other ways to make your application more appealing. I think that getting some work experience as a CNA is a great idea. There may be other things you can do that would increase your chances. I would also write a kick-butt essay when you apply anywhere (whether it's required or not), that expresses your desire to be in the school, why you may have had trouble in the past, and what you are doing that would make you a good nursing student for their program. Unfortunately, it will ultimately depend not on just how well you present yourself, but what's also on paper. Don't fret, though. My friend applied to the program I'm in now with a 2.9 from a previous degree, got all A's and B's in her pre-req's (anatomy in the summer, no less!), and was waitlisted for the spring. I know that's not exactly what you wanted to hear, but she was appealing enough that they gave her a chance!! Also, don't limit yourself to one school. If you are going to finish your first degree, go ahead and apply to several programs, accelerated second degree as well as ADN. You'll give yourself a better chance of getting into one if them. Also, it's just my two cents, but I would try to get into a BSN program before resorting to a community college. Not because one is better or worse, but because you've already done all the work to get the bachelor's degree, and why not try to get a second one in nursing?!? It's the same length of time to become an RN (pretty much) no matter what type of school you go through. I am working on my second bachelor's in nursing now, and I love it!

Best of luck to you, and keep your eye on the prize!

[AggieNurse2B]

Hi! I've been looking into the accelerated BSN at TWU in Dallas/Houston, and it appears to me that they only look at relevant classes. They seem to only care about your nursing prereqs, along with a few of your basic courses. If you go onto their website, they have an Excel spreadsheet "calculator" you can use to see what they look at and figure out what kind of chances you've got of getting into their program.