Need some advice badly??

[StlRN87]

Hi, I've been lurking on the boards for awhile, but am in desperate need of some advice. A little back story first.

I started college when I graduated high school back in 2005 and long story short was a huge party animal and switched majors frequently before entering nursing when my then girlfriend now wife became pregnant. As you can imagine my GPA was in the tank with a huge amount of credits to show for it. I got back on track and finished my ADN degree with all A's and B's except two C's. I am now 2 weeks away from finishing an accelerated RN to BSN with all A's and B's and am in the process of applying to FNP programs.

After crunching some numbers tonight from the three different schools I've attended it looks like i'll finish my BSN with a overall GPA of 2.907(worst case) to 2.955(best case). I'm not 100% sure of these numbers, but think they are fairly accurate. I've already applied to 4 FNP programs and 1 seminary because prior to calculating I thought my GPA would be above 3.0 for sure. I'm very disheartened because my last 60 hour GPA is 3.529 and I was accepted to an honor society for the university I'm at now, but feel like my application will just be tossed out due to the cutoff of 3.0.

I'm going to go ahead and finish the applications since I've already spent the money on the application fees and asked for letters of reference, but the whole process seems like such a waste now. I'm not sure what my options are. There is a 5 credit hour botany course on my transcript from the CC where I earned my ADN that I failed. I've thought about retaking this, would the schools replace that earlier grade with an A for reasons of GPA calculation next time?

I was honestly prepared for rejection from each of the schools I applied to. I know with only 1.5 years experience as an RN and a GPA at the minimum I would be a long shot, but I would have been satisfied with the learning experience of applying and at least feeling like my application had been reviewed even if I was rejected.

I'm not going to give up, but am feeling pretty dejected at the moment. In the likely event of rejection I will spend a year doing anything I can to strengthen my application, any advice or words of wisdom will be appreciated.

[zmansc, ASN, RN]

First, remember the old adage, the past is the past, it cannot be changed, but the future is in your control. In other words, you can't change the hole you have dug yourself into, but you can work towards your goals. Also, positive attitude will get you a long way, so keep positive and if this is your goal, work towards it slow but steady.

Second, There are literally dozens of threads just like this every year, all the advise you get on this thread will be repeats of advice that has been given in the past, feel free to search out those threads and gain all the advice you can ever want to hear.

Third, Why 4 NP and 1 Seminary program? Have you not decided what you want to do yet? I would strongly suggest you figure out what you want to do before you spend the money on a program because it might be the career for you. Both of those careers will require quite a bit of dedication.

Forth, As for getting into programs I think there are many programs that will consider your application with the GPA you have, especially with the last several years having substantially higher GPA than your first college years. If you do get rejected, feel free to ask the programs for feedback. Why was I rejected and what could I do to make my application more appealing to your program.

Finally, realize that not all NP programs are created equally. Many programs are targeted towards unique or different groups. Make sure the programs you are applying to are targeted towards you, and work toward becoming an applicant that they will want to accept.

Life is a marathon, take the slow and steady pace.

[StlRN87]

Well the 1 seminary is because I would like to work as a FNP in a ministry type of setting. I wouldn't actually be getting a degree that would qualify me to be ordained it would be a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies, basically something that would help me to perform nursing (specifically NP) in a missionary setting.