New Nursing Student Path Assistance

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Hi good afternoon,

Hope all is well. My name is Aldrin Mendaros, I am a graduate from SFSU in Business Management interested in a career change into Nursing. I was researching a little bit and saw that there are programs for an accelerated BSN program if you already have a bachelors degree. However unfortunately my GPA is low at 2.36 and many schools require a 3.25 and above. 

My question is can I use my credits toward an ADN for RN? Angle here is I can aim to get a BSN after I receive an ADN (assuming everything goes well). And is that better, or should I search for a school that will accept me with my low GPA to pursue a BSN?

There is Denver College of Nursing that accepts 2.0 and above GPA as long as you have the pre-requisite courses. However it is a private school and tuition is around $58k. 

Any insight and direction of what path to take is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

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Hi Aldrin,

For California, per SB 1393, you would be waived from GE requirements for CA community colleges and CSUs. You will still need to take the specific nursing prereqs if you haven't already.

You should check with the academic counselors of Denver SON/other programs you're interested in that are outside CA if that is also the case for their programs.

I recommend ADN, then bridging to BSN part-time while working. That seems to be the most budget friendly path.

That's what I plan to do. I start my ADN program in Jan. 

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Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

Aldrin,

You must take certain science prereqs to get into a reputable nursing school, and most schools require that those be taken within the past 5 years.  Take those, and get a 3.0 GPA on those.  You must also be able to explain in your application essay why your GPA was so bad the first time around.  The ABSN is very difficult, and schools want to make sure you can handle an intensive program.

I have written more extensively on this type of situation, as I was in the same boat.  You can search on my name to find that.

Best wishes

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