New pre-nursing student "need advice"

Published

any tips on what i should do to prepare for my 1st year of college, and how to keep my gpa up?

Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
BUT you don't know how many people that i saw fail out of pre-req's that stated "i am going to be a nurse." i don't understand it, alot of nursing programs are VERY hard to get into, but people just don't take it serious enough.

That is because most people believe in what they see on TV, that everyone wins in the end. This is not true, of course.

Many people fail at things throughout life and just because he/she may want something really really badly, does not mean he/she will necessarily get it. Some people either do not work hard enough or they do not have that aptitude to succeed at a particular goal.

In any case, if those people you know failed and still claim they will be a nurse, maybe they will also look at what they did or did not do and take an honest assessment of his/her abilities and their willingness to achieve his/her goals? On th other hand, they may not. :specs:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
I plan on re taking my Chem © and my A&PII (B-)..this year I will not worry about the competition, I plan on BEING the competition.

Outstanding!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, ER, Hemodialysis.
That is because most people believe in what they see on TV, that everyone wins in the end. This is not true, of course.

Many people fail at things throughout life and just because he/she may want something really really badly, does not mean he/she will necessarily get it. Some people either do not work hard enough or they do not have that aptitude to succeed at a particular goal.

In any case, if those people you know failed and still claim they will be a nurse, maybe they will also look at what they did or did not do and take an honest assessment of his/her abilities and their willingness to achieve his/her goals? On th other hand, they may not. :specs:

i agree different people have different aptitudes, but most of the people that i am talking about were the ones that showed up to class late, if at all, and just did not take it seriously. alot of people say they want something real bad, but the truth is they don't want it bad enough to do what it takes to get it. for example, do you go out to party, or stay in and study? do they watch american idol, of read that chapter for tomorrow? this is more or less the kinda thing that i am talking about. i do think that most people have the mental capacity to better their lives, but choose not to. why? because they have to work towards it. no one is going to hand you a better life. some people want it so bad that they will not let anything stand in their way. we have a blind student at my school. i am amazed at his drive. i don't think i would do it, but he chose not to let his blindness stand in the way of his education at a university.

i am not saying that those people that failed out will not be a nurse (nor DID i say that), but i don't understand why they did not take it seriously in the first place. i hope that they do re-evaluate where they went wrong, and if they still want to be a nurse, i hope that they obtain that dream.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Be selective about your teachers. I learned the hard way after taking statistics with a raving lunatic! Fortunately, my school allowed me to drop the class without penalty, but now I check all my professors out with http://www.ratemyprofessors.com . You can sort them by ratings, as well- this is how I found the best chemisty and biology teacher :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The problem is...my school does not post the names of the teachers before registering to any class (in other classes maybe). huh:( They just use staff 1,2,3 etc. I love ratemyprofessor site though...too bad I can't use it.

:( :( :(

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My biggest suggestion is always study groups. However, I know not everyone works well with groups so study, study, study. You can learn a lot online, educate yourself about process so you feel more prepared.:)

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What classes are you taking?

Regardless, my advice to you would be to study. And not just study to memorize, study to learn and "retain."

You'll want to keep at least a 3.0 GPA, which isn't too hard if you study enough. I got my pre-reqs done last year and on average I spent about an hour a day studying, and I should have studied more. I got A's and B's, but I could have gotten all A's if I would have thrown in those extra hours.

I don't know how you are, but for me the hardest classes I took were Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry, and English... Well, English wasn't hard, it just sucked. A lot of people just take AP I and AP II, but I missed that opportunity so I had to take anatomy and physiology as separate classes, which was harder, but I did well. Just read and retain, and quiz yourself. Also a good tip is to re-read all of your lecture material right after class is over. This helps you retain what you've learned. In college it's mostly lecture, notes, and study, and it all falls on you to make sure you know it.

And even if you study a lot you'll still have plenty of free time to do whatever you want, and time for a job if you want it. Just manage your time and you'll be fine.

Also, if you can land a job at a hospital or nursing home or some other type of health care facility, that would be great experience. You'd probably need a CNA if you don't already have one.

I start nursing school in August and I'm just now taking a CNA class so that I can work at a hospital during schooling and I wish I would have started this a long time ago.

Anyway, good luck.

I couldn't agree more. Just study and don't memorize because if you do, you will end up forgetting everything you have "studied". Another thing, don't drop out of any class no matter how hard it is. I did that and i will kick myself in the ass for it. Remember, you are taking those classes for a reason. Just study enough and you will be fine. As for your GPA, if you just keep it above a 3.0 you should be fine. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thanks, but i also would like to have a 3.5-4.0 gpa because i want to be a mentor next school yr. Hopefully all works out so how did you go about finding people that were focused at the beginning of the year.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

1. Stay organized

2. Do NOT get behind in the reading and studying

3. Study everyday...atleast review your notes

4. Make flashcards, rewrite your notes, whatever for memory retention

5. Understand the material after it's memorized

6. Ask for help if you don't understand a topic

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion