Min for Admission: 4.0 GPA's + 99%ile TEAS Score

rnin11 · Aug 29, 2009

I agree it is getting ridiculous...my GPA is a 4.0 after taking 27 classes at this school (that is 27 A's including all of my sciences). I have also earned my certification as an MA and just graduated with an AD in Business Management- Healthcare. I scored in the 90th percentile on the TEAS and I still got waitlisted at my CC. Thankfully I got called off the list and I start NS in two weeks and I am truly thankful.

How many great would-be-nurses are we losing due to this hard to acheive academic expectation? I know NS is tough and the "weak" need to be weeded out but who is to say that one person who may test better will be the one that proves to be the better nurse?

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Aug 29, 2009

I agree it is getting ridiculous...my GPA is a 4.0 after taking 27 classes at this school (that is 27 A's including all of my sciences). I have also earned my certification as an MA and just graduated with an AD in Business Management- Healthcare. I scored in the 90th percentile on the TEAS and I still got waitlisted at my CC. Thankfully I got called off the list and I start NS in two weeks and I am truly thankful.
How many great would-be-nurses are we losing due to this hard to acheive academic expectation? I know NS is tough and the "weak" need to be weeded out but who is to say that one person who may test better will be the one that proves to be the better nurse?

That's exactly what I mean, thanks for posting! It really bothers me that there are some schools out there (and one of the schools to which I am applying is like this) that are making decisions solely on the numbers - no personal statements, no recommendations, no extraneous information need be submitted - only need your transcripts and your TEAS and the highest get the prize.

How then am I supposed to demonstrate to a school like this as a 3.7 prereq GPA (which basically includes not only very recent A's in sciences but also includes a C+ in Dev Psych taken years ago when I was an oh-so-unfocused undergrad) that I am a more promising and dedicated candidate than the perfect 4.0 snotnose fresh outta the BA gate [no offense to anyone] who just last semester decided "Oh let me try out nursing school" without yet one day in the workforce or life experience? That's my real question. Oh by the way, this "numbers" school is the only one like that to which I am applying (it's an otherwise excellent school) - all the other schools require recommendations and statements so I get to give a more complete picture for them. I just hope more schools don't start foregoing the recommendations and personal statements as well. They stand to lose out on recognizing really good well-rounded people for the profession.

Glad to hear you made it through the first obstacle course, good luck!

rnin11 · Aug 29, 2009

My school doesn't consider anything but grades, gpa, and teas...no interview, recommendations, or work experience is taken into consideration, either. While I agree that the scores give an idea of how someone will perform, it does not guarentee a student will be successsful in nursing. You make a great point about having a one grade taken from years ago effecting your chances of getting in (due to a lower gpa). Thankfully, my school does not take THAT into consideration because before I started at this particular school, I had a 1.9 gpa from a university (it was over 20 years ago).

Epona · Aug 29, 2009

I can see your point where it would be upsetting with these stats. I look at it like this... if it's meant to be, it will be. Case-in-point: I went back to RN school after 12 YEARS. I had a B average (from my first degree) and got into a school in my area. I got right in and everything transferred. I lucked out big-time. RN school was the HARDEST thing I have ever done. I made it though... honors grad., passed boards 1st time out and landed a job two weeks after getting my license. I PRAYED A LOT and asked the Great One to guide me. He did.

If it's meant to be, it will happen. Good luck and have faith! :saint:

MTTMPE · Aug 29, 2009

I think that's sooooooooo true. I'm taking my classes online while i'm deployed to Iraq. I got a B in my sciences class. I thought i was doing good. But, i need to repeat the class. because i'm competing with some students who have all day to do nothing but study. May i add that i have a friend who kept a 4.0 all through nursing school, and can't pass the BOARD TEST.

Snwbdr · Aug 29, 2009

you kind of have to look at it from the school's point of view.....sure anyone can write an essay about why they wanna be a nurse and cheese it up....anybody can give a great interview....but the schools need something tangible to separate one candidate from the next....

springing · Aug 29, 2009

1) Nursing schools should place higher emphasis on experience in healthcare...if you've worked as a CNA or an EMT for a couple years, you should be given higher priority than, say, a 4.0 GPA over a 3.5 GPA. Grades are important (this is why, if I were running a nursing program, I would not discourage students retaking classes to raise their GPA...knowing that anatomy & physiology is only a good thing) but they're not everything.

2) The real question in my mind is how many of the people who respond to this post are intending to become nurse educators? Anyone? I know I'm not. I wonder how many of the hundreds of applicants on the waitlist at the closest community college to me are intending to become nurse educators...probably less than 10. Until more of us are willing to step up to the plate, this will continue to be an issue.

lightsnoise · Aug 29, 2009

A lot of schools do look at experience in health care; thus, they give you extra points....what I think they need to do is to put less emphasis on the teas test because you can have a 4.0 and score in the 70th percentile and be around the same level as someone with like a 3.3 who scored in the 95th percentile. I actually think they should give more emphasis on overall GPA because those classes are like 10x easier than the pre-req courses...anyways, in California, it seems like the minimum for admission is 4.0 gpa, super high score on the teas, bilingual, and some direct patient contact either through volunteer or health care work...so it seems like this is already coming true.

HyperSaurus, RN, BSN · Aug 29, 2009

One of my friends came to Michigan from Washington State because her school was like that: a 3.9 GPA, and she still wasn't good enough. Here, at my school, I was accepted with a 3.2 GPA (although that jumped up to a 3.8 at the end of that same semester). All my school does is look at grades. Once you meet the qualifications, they rank you from top grade to lowest grade and that determines your acceptance.

Oh, and Springing, I am highly considering nursing education after I get some floor experience.

Snwbdr · Aug 29, 2009

I don't think overall GPA should be given more emphasis....I want a nursing student/nurse with a stronger understanding of the pre-req's than of history and political science, or some other bs course that fulfilled the general ed requirements....I agree the TEAS was a joke but apparently enough people have issues with it, so it either says they just don't test well, or don't have a general knowledge of the subjects tested....

I do plan to become an educator after I'm out of my program.....and there are always ways to get into a program....but that doesn't mean any joe-schmo who decides "I wanna be a nurse" should be allowed into school either.....I didn't have a 4.0 GPA, am not bilingual (at least for it to count for points) nor did I have any previous experience with direct patient contact (either volunteer or work, and yet I was still accepted to a BSN program at a CSU.....

The way I see it, if you didn't do well in your pre-reqs, then something isn't clicking the way it should, and it's actually a pretty good indicator as to how well you might do in nursing school.....I've heard people tell me getting into nursing school was the hardest thing......well I call BS....Nursing school is a huge challenge and the schools need an objective method of determining whether or not you're potentially cut out for it

ItsTheDude · Aug 29, 2009

i don't see it as too selective and there's is no national nursing shortage at this time (hasn't been for a while, it's just hype), the economy has caused health employers to be more cost effective (hire less), older nurses aren't retiring as fast and older nurses that left the work force have reentered it. the economy has changed the psyche of many people and this will linger for years.

there's so many ways to become a nurse via diploma, adn, bsn and acc bsn. turning out new nurses is a big industry backed by an even bigger industry, the health care industry.

new rn's (no experience) are having hard times finding jobs in many areas of the country. whenever ppl become educated that the nursing shortage is hype the admission criteria will fall. no need to go through all you need to go thru to get into and grad nursing school for no job.

the health care industry is basically hiring experienced nurses now, not enough new grads to soak up all the new grads being spit out, that's not hiring a nursing shortage.