Newbie

Welcome Melody!

Since you already have an idea that becoming an RN might be what you would like(My aunt was a nurse,that's why I became one) maybe you can research the schools that will be local to your area and see the pre requsites that you will need. in high school I would take a course load heavy in the sciences like biology/chemistry/algebra. You will take those courses in Nursing school but if you already have a basis in them you will be far ahead. You need to pull a pretty good GPA because I hear that nursing schools are harder to get into(I graduated in 1980 so my info might be a little dated). Some highschools have programs where you can shadow a nurse in a hospital to get an better idea of how it is. I'm sure someone will come along with more advice,I thought I'd just start you off.

Again,welcome.:balloons:

You must be a smart little cookie graduating 2 years early. I bet you will be a credit to our profession. :)

Be sure to take bio and chem with labs in high school. That is a must as is algebra. These will be necessary before going into college level science and math courses.

I would research colleges in your area to check on waiting lists, pass rates, etc. Volunteering or a shadow program would be great for you too. Best of luck!!

How neat to hear that at such a young age you know what you want to do . Definitely get a good foundation in the science courses and math, this will be very helpful. The nursing field is awesome, you will love it. Best of luck.

Meldey,

You are restoring my faith! I was beginning to believe all the stories about nursing becoming a "last on the list" career choice for smart young women. Thank You!:heartbeat

I'm in Houston - so feel free to PM me for any area-specific information you may want. We aren't exactly a tourist mecca, but it's a great place to be a nurse. We have several great schools of nursing, but the admission process is very competitive.

In Texas, we have a residency requirement in order to qualify for in-state tuition. The difference is significant!!! Have you thought about taking a year or so off and using that time to get to know yourself a bit better? Maybe volunteer work at a hospital? There's no need to rush into anything & there is a lot of evidence that this is really beneficial when it comes time to start college.

Houston is pretty hot, but just down the road is Texas A&M University - Home of the fightin' Texas Aggies! I believe they now have a nursing department and the university is a whole lot of fun (well worth the heat).

In actuality you can search high and low for the best nursing school, but you will get a zillion different opinions. I finally decided a good nursing school experience has more to do with what you put into it.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you and welcome to the boards

:wlcmggrp: