Nervous About Nursing School Admission

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Hey all,

I'm a student at Northern Virginia Community College just starting pre-reqs for the nursing school. I understand that getting into the nursing school is competitive, and while I have no doubt that I'm capable of succeeding and will perform well on my pre-reqs, I do have a bad academic history that is fairly recent.

I started NOVA as an audio production major because I didn't get into any of the universities I applied to. I had a streak of depression in high school which I got past in my senior year, but ruined my junior year grades. After high school, with NOVA being my only option, I went because I had no idea what else to do. I didn't take it seriously at all, finishing my first semester with a 1.75 GPA. I took this spring semester off to find some direction. I worked throughout and began volunteering with my rescue squad. I took an EMT-B course this summer and got an A. I really am enjoying the work, and on my clinicals I felt like I got a great exposure to what everyone in the ER does and think nursing is for me.

Next semester I'm taking A&P 1 and English 2. I have the direction and motivation to succeed at this point, but I'm anxious about whether or not I can actually get into the nursing school. I understand that it's very competitive. Several hundred applications for less than a hundred spots. I plan to nail my pre-reqs and TEAS, but that's all that goes on my application other than my college and high-school transcripts. There's no other way to represent myself. No way to mention my EMT experience, my commitment to the process, my work history, etc.

What can I do to maximize my competitiveness? Should I be looking to apply to multiple schools? There is no chance of a 4-year accepting me at this point in time, I have tried. Should I be looking at another major? My backup plan will be paramedic school or medical lab technology.

Thanks.

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Yes, you can get into nursing school. First, you need to get a 4.0 or as close as possible, on all your nursing prereqs. Second, apply to multiple schools.

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I would recommend applying to multiple schools just to be safe and give you some more options. With that said, have you tried getting a meeting with a nursing advisor or person who does the evaluations? Taking a look online, I see, "Have a minimum GPA of 2.5, based on the last 12 credits of pre-requisite coursework or last 12 credits of cumulative coursework" in addition to other requirements. You may find that they only take into consideration applicable coursework and that there is a way to show your EMT experience/number of hours worked as an EMT. Work hard and find out ways to keep up your motivation level as you take those prerequisites.

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I'm in the same situation as you ! lol I went to nova when I wasn't taking school serious then went to ECPI to get my associates in medical assisting and now I'm back for nursing..honestly my advisor just told me to retake the classes I failed to raise my GPA but hopefully they take work experience when we apply to the program

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