Need some guidance on classes and Portland schools!

Collor · May 28, 2015

My suggestion is to try to get as much pre-reqs done as possible before applying (pcc credits transfer and they are affordable). The ABSN is quite intense and that is just taking into account the nursing curriculum.

As far as getting a's or b's. A&P is worth 5 credits, so I would say aim for the "a". Classes that are 3 credits...would be better for b's. Does that makes sense??

buttercupp85 · May 28, 2015

I can't speak for the Ohsu accbacc program, but I'm in the regular 3 year program and I know when I applied mid- pre reqs I was straight out rejected and when I applied the next year with all prereqs completed I got in. I think I lost a good deal of points. That being said, I know they have revamped their application points system since I got in, but believe you will still lose some points without your pre-reqs finished. I do know in the accbacc program you have to have all your non-nursing finished before entering the program, which is different from the traditional program (we can finish co-reqs along with our nursing courses). Obviously, accbaccs already have a bachelors degree, so your non nursing classes are minimal. I would try because you never know! You could get in. Or get on the wait list and get in after. I would say a good 1/4 of my class was wait listed and got in when other people refused their spot.

Your previous degree gpa is quite high (congrats!) so of course try to get as close to A's as you can in your prereqs, but one A in an A&P class does not warrant taking it over for an A in my honest opinion. I have great A&P professors and I went to them on a weekly basis for help which really helped along with review sessions. I thought the first A & P class was the hardest and it got easier from there.

Also, if your goal is to be finished with school ASAP, I'd recommend also applying for the normal 3 year program along with accbacc programs. Say you don't get into the accbacc program the first time, by the time you get in the next year and graduate you could have already been done with the normal 3 year program. If that makes sense. If of course you want to spend the least time in school as possible, then just shoot for accelerated programs. Hope this helped!

Delfena · May 29, 2015

Thank you both very much! I realized that I should have probably separated those questions into different posts, so it wasn't so much like a novel (sorry!). Can either of you speak to the statistics question?

Collor · May 29, 2015

You can take Statistics without taking another math class. If i remember correctly, whatever college math credit I had was enough to take Stats. Stats is its own thing.

MotoMonkey, BSN, RN · May 29, 2015

With the OHSU 3 year program they look at your cumulative GPA but it is my understanding that they focus mainly on your prerequisite GPA. You can do a Google search for OHSU prerequisite coursework form. Once you find that PDF you can use it to accurately calculate the prerequisite GPA that OHSU will be focusing on.

I hope that makes sense.

Also, as far as stats go, it is my experience that most institutions require you to have completed math 111 before taking stats. Ohsu will count epidemiology for your stats requirement depending on what institution you take it through.

Lastly I would like to address this

I know that OHSU only requires one course of A&P to apply, but how realistic is it to be accepted with minimal prereq's complete?

I applied this year to OHSU and was not accepted. I had all but three prerequisite courses completed. The three I was missing were nutrition, a second writing course, and a second social science elective. All three of those courses were in progress during winter term and had been marked as such on my application. The rest of the required prereqs had been completed and the GPA of those courses was, I think, 3.93. I had one B in a three credit course. I have completed microbiology and also have about 1000 hours of healthcare experience.

So, it is my experience and opinion that without having all of your prerequisites completed you will have a very slim chance of being accepted into their program.

Sorry about the length of my reply, I hope it made sense.

MM

Delfena · May 30, 2015

Thanks you! MotoMonkey: Thank you for the thoughtful response. Did you apply to the 3 year program or the AccBacc? I'm most interested in the AccBacc. At the info session, they made it sound like admissions decisions were almost entirely based on cumulative GPA for that program. So if that's the case, I was just wondering if missing a couple of pre-req's would affect that.

MotoMonkey, BSN, RN · May 30, 2015

I applied to the three year program. It would make sense that with the AccBacc program they would want to look more heavily at your cumulative GPA just due to the number of credits. If you can graduate with a competitive GPA, it speaks a great deal to the kind of student that you are. That being said, I would not underestimate the power of having your prerequisites finished. Your cumulative GPA says a lot about you as a student in general but the prerequsites speak more to how strong you are in the areas of science and biology, which will act as the foundation for the skills and information that you are taught during nursing school.