Need entry RN advice for school please.

If you don't mind, I'd like some mucho advice here.

Two tiers of questions:

I started college with a poor gpa, but finished strong with a B.S. in Psychology. My overall gpa is a 2.81 with a 2.83 in sciences (including behavioral sciences like Pysch, Soc., ) and roughly a 3.06 in sciences excluding behavioral sciences. However I turned my last two years in college around to a 3.43 my last two years (60 credits) with my last year (post degree, mainly to make me look better - roughly 20 credits) was a 3.95. On most pre-req sheets, when I can pick and choose what electives I want and whatnot, my g.p.a. for that comes in around a 3.25. I'd say I'm a 3.4ish student from here on out, not the 2.0 or whatever I was early on. My problem is, even if I document that in my narrative or in some manner in the application, I'm afraid that some schools, especially the ones I may be applying for, won't look past the 2.81 cumlative or the C I got in Chem I and Medical Microbiology, which were taken during my 'turnaround phase'. All my other typical pre-nursing classes I have an A or B in.

I goofed off my first couple years in college, so my options I believe are limited in some ways. I want to eventually (98% sure) become an NP, that is my eventual goal...but want to become an RN first. I don't mind the intensity of the program (accelerated vs traditional), cost, or length of time it takes - I just want to start a nursing program.

Tier 1:

Out of the three, which program would you say is harder to get into?

1.) An accelerated (~13 month) RN program.

2.) A traditional (2 year) BSN program

3.) Accelerated BSN-MSN

4.) Traditional BSN-MSN (~2 years + ~2 years)

Tier 2:

Is it even worth applying to these schools?

Johns Hopkins

- Traditional - RN

- Accelerated - RN

( I just read on the MD board that they have about 1000 applicants for 100 seats...so I guess I would be out of the running for both of those programs?)

Thomas Jefferson

- F.A.C.T. (Accelerated - RN)

- BSN-MSN for 2nd degree non-nurse students

Drexel

- A.C.E. program (Accelerated - RN)

University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMB)

- Accelerated MS

- Traditional BSN - RN

I know there are other programs out there, but right now I have very limited money (for application fee's and some exams certain schools want me to take) and would highly highly prefer to go to school in an urban environment. I believe that is also part of my problem...ubran schools tend to be near cities or in cities, which makes it more competitive and thus, hurts my chances. I also know there are other schools out there that fit my criteria, but those would be my top 4 schools...but I'm wondering if I have the application to even bother with filling out their application.

FWIW I don't have any community service hours (most of my time goes spending it with my sick mom and researching all this stuff) and I did inquire about voluntering at the local hospital, but don't have enough money to go there (my car is about to die so don't want to put too many miles on it..plus the cost of gas to get there - it would be about a 40 mile trip each time if I did decide to do it).

Please be honest, I got thick skin. :) It would help me money wise too, to not even apply for a school I have no chance of getting in (maybe like Hopkins).