Need help and advice please!

[npang]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here so I'm hoping I start this thread in the right forum and get some feedback. I'm 19 and a sophomore at SDSU. I'm currently a pre-nursing major but I think I've done too much damage to my grades to get into any program.. On top of that, my parents are putting a lot of pressure on me to finish school in the next two years. I'm actually leaving state to pursue an Associate's Degree instead of a BSN now at my local community college. My grades on my transcript so far look like this:

General Bio - C

Psych Intro - C+

Developmental Psych - C

Statistics - C

Organic Chem - C

Sociology - A

Oral Comm - B+

Anatomy - B

Poli Sci - B+

Mythology - A

History - B

English - B-

Intermediate English - B-

Philosophy Intro - B

My C's have really hurt my GPA. Right now, I have a 2.77 cumulative. I have to be honest, I deserved every grade I got, but I'm kicking myself in the *** for it now. I'm planning to finish my spring semester at state where I'll be taking microbiology and physiology and hopefully get A's in those last two prerequisites. Then I'm planning to go to Southwestern in the fall and apply for their ASN program. I'm also gonna try to take a CNA program this summer as it's required for Southwestern, but the thing is, I'm a little concerned about them doing background checks as I may or may not have something on my juvenile record.

The story behind that is I was caught shoplifting when I was 15 but did a diversion program where they told me they would seal my record once I turned 17 and I could honestly answer "no" if I'm asked if I was arrested. However, I recently contacted someone from the department and they informed me that someone may be able to get a hold of that record depending on the extent of the background check they do.. but they assured me that it would read as a "contact" with the police, not an arrest. So my question about the CNA program is if I have anything to worry about with the background check.

I'm not proud of myself. I've never been a great student. My freshman academic year in college has been a failure, but I'm trying so hard to pull myself together now and I'm really serious about becoming a nurse. I managed to get a 3.2 GPA for my sophomore fall semester and I'm really surprised about it, but I know I need to do better this time around. The problem at SDSU is that I can't retake any of the classes I got a C in because they're not C-'s, and the pre-nursing advisor told me that even if I were to retake my classes they would still look at my C's. So I've decided to stop wasting my parents' money and just go to Southwestern after this year finishes.

I just need to know if my plan seems to be on track and if I have any hope. I'm so stressed about school and the CNA program. I know I'm young and I have a lot of time to retake classes over at Southwestern, but the thing is my parents really need me to finish faster than I can. I don't know what to do. I'm sorry, I know this is long but I hope someone gives me their honest opinion and sound advice here.

Thanks

[♑ Capricorn ♑]

hi npang :) welcome to allnurses.

it doesn't hurt to try. you can finish your last two prereqs and apply to the nursing program of your choice, and see what comes of it. it would be a good idea to find out from the nursing school what their admission requirements are exactly. i am sure some schools look at more than just grades. although, grades are important i don't think that is all they consider when accepting applicants.

i know when i applied to my school i was required to write an entrance essay, take an entrance exam, interview with the dean of my school, supply references and recommendations, and supply transcripts. they looked at my whole application portfolio, not only specifically on my grades.

you can always try and repeat the classes for a better grade, if that is something that would interest you. also, applying to more than one nursing school may help your chances of being accepted too.

good luck to you. :)

[npang]

Thanks for responding!Yeah, I'm planning to retake courses. The program at my community college is point-based I believe so I'm hoping I get every last point left possible with micro, physio and TEAS. But I don't know about the CNA program because I'm worried about them questioning my background. I may just be overthinking it though since it's only a misdemeanor.

[littlerayofsunshine, BSN, MSN]

First off -- relax. You are so young. You have plenty of time to turn this around. You sound like an intelligent young woman and you are owning up to your first-year missteps. Not everyone settles in at college as easily. I understand the parental pressure issue. My son is a freshman this year and we have had lots of discussions about grades and expectations. But, I am also a BSN student (2nd degree) and can totally understand how tough these classes can be. I am not sure I was mature enough at your age to tackle a pre-nursing program. I was a humanities person, which was pretty easy for me.

Anyway as you probably know, you can get an ASN (assoc. in nursing), and work as an RN. Then you can do the RN to BSN route later. I think that's a smart goal to shoot for if you can't get into your university nursing program. My instructors tell us all the time that BSN will be the standard in the near future. Plus, it opens up more doors for promotions, more responsibility, specialization, etc.

So, my advice would be to see an advisor at your CC and find out what GPA you need to be accepted and which courses they consider. Many nursing programs only look at the relevant sciences -- A&P, Micro, Lifespan psych, maybe Org. Chem. Maybe you would want to retake any C's in those classes, but a lot of times, they average the two grades, so the best you could do would be a B. So, go see the advisor and find out. Also check into all the nearby CCs. Every one is different. As far as the CNA class goes - don't sweat it. I think most people with an interest in nursing do great. It will give you a leg up on your first semester of nursing school, because you'll learn lots of the basic skills. Also, CNA experience gives you confidence and some familiarity with a health care setting.

Bottom line - don't give up. Accountability is a great trait in nursing and I am impressed that you are taking ownership of your education. If you feel like you could have gotten an A in those pre-reqs I mentioned, then you should be fine in nursing school.

Good luck!

[npang]

Thank you and I'm sorry this response is so late! Forgot my password. But my major concern now has shifted to my juvenile record. It's only petty theft and a lot of people I've talked to about it tell me I'm over-thinking it and it should be fine, but I can't be sure and am pretty inconsolable about it.

The thing is, I've done some research and heard that whether or not I expunge/seal my record, it'll still possibly show up in my background check. So I'm wondering if I should disclose it anyway when applying for my CNA this summer, even though I've been told I don't have to. I don't want it to show up and then have them question my dishonesty, but I don't wanna hurt my chances of getting accepted based on a 50/50 chance that something will show on my record. So I'm wondering if anyone knows how their routines go or if they'll disqualify me based on a misdemeanor. Again, the offense wasn't too severe, just petty theft. However, it happened when I was 15 and it's only been four years since the incident so I'm worried they'll feel I'm a bit of a risk to hire, especially since my grades don't make me look to good either..

Hope someone responds to this with any information they might have. Thank you!