No Luck for Me :(

[ashbowlen]

Hi guys, I'm new to this site and I just wanted to say that I applied to Linfield and I didn't get in. I just wanted to vent for a moment because I am so upset. I think I am mostly sad because I have a friend that was accepted and I wasn't. I'm happy for her but at the same time a bit upset because I have wanted to be a nurse my whole life, there is nothing else in this world I could see my self doing. And my friend just decided this year she wanted to be a nurse. I'm just upset and I needed to vent it to others that might know how I feel. I feel lost, and I am upset I have to wait a whole year to reapply. I wish there were interviews to get into school.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

I am sorry to read this. Don't dwell on this too much. Do work on your application and feedback. Never quit trying until you succeed. Good luck. :)

[cyd000]

I just wanted to add a little tidbit of information. I have been trying to get into nursing school for about 4 years now. During that time I had the chance to speak with a..."horses mouth" in one of the BS nursing programs we are all familiar with.

She told me "off the record" (hence my reason for leaving out names) that your essay and experience really dont have that much to do with getting in. She said "it comes down to your GPA, we want students that can pass tests and finish the program. If our stats are low we loose credibility and accreditation".

So really, in the end, if you dont have a 3.8 your not getting in. Its not about turning out good nurses its about turning out good test takers. A nursing teacher recently told me that she feels like a she is committing fraud because all of her "girls can pass a test with flying colors but give them a needle and they will rip your arm apart, and I'm sending them out there to work on people like they know what they are doing, they cant even make a bed"

A good way to know why you didnt get in is if the college has no interview process. These colleges only care that you completed the application properly and about your GPA. Just look at any of the 2 year programs that go on a point system. 80-90% of the points awarded are in the GPA area. You will get maybe 2 - 4 points for being a CNA or having previous health care experience.

An advisor at one of the community colleges told me that with a 3.7 GPA I was not competative and I should go back and retake classes! I have a friend with a 3.8 GPA who has been trying to get in for 2 years and was told the exact same thing by a 4 year program advisor.

The schools need to do what MD schools have done and streamline the pre-req's and application process. All schools should have the same pre-req's and same admission guidelines, complete with interviews (this is so important, if doctors need to interviewed then so should nurses!) so these schools arent turning out a bunch test takers with poor clinical skills! (and I am not generalizing here, I am sure ther are a ton of people that are good test takers and will be fantastic nurses, I'm just saying some people who have no business being nurses are getting in just because they have a high GPA)

And they should interview a selection of people from all GPA levels, where they may be lacking academically (say a 2.5) they may be excellent when it comes to clinical skills and will be great nurses. I have a friend who is an excellent nurse (went to scool 10 years ago) but she cant take a multiple choice test to save her life. She said had the same GPA requirements been in place when she went to school then half the nurses out there wouldnt be nurses today.

All I can say is get all A's and apply to every single program there is within a resonable distance and do everything you can to get those extra points, even if it is only 2 for toughing it through CNA training! And then hope you beat out the other 500 or more applicants with a 4.0 for the 30 or so spaces that are available.

But dont stress about your essay, thats not what is keeping you out.

Good luck to you! I think you are on the right track by retaking your classes its probably the wisest decision....I'm going to end up doing the same thing!

BTW I am not trying to be rude or make anyone upset I'm just reality checking here. This is the way it is when it comes to RN program admissions and that is unfortunate. Its unpleasant and disappointing that is the reality of it.

Thanks!

[khazel2002]

I want to put my two cents in:

#1 - I agree about the interview and the streamlining of pre-reqs. It would make applying sooo much easier.

#2 - I have no doubt that the info you passed on about the GPA is what you were told. But I have had a different experience.

I already have a Bachelor's degree. My overall GPA was a 3.4 (this is the 1st BA and the Post-bacc pre-reqs combined) and my science GPA was a 3.3. I got into a great BSN program, in Portland, on my 1st try (I got into 2 programs, by the way). No, I'm not trying to brag.....I have a point. So what was my edge? I have no idea. But I did write a passionate essay, and I had also had somewhat of a clinical background (clinical research), but I also think that a CNA, Med Asst, or even volunteer work would have done the same thing.

The only reason I wanted to pass this info on is a memory of last year, about 2 weeks after I submitted my applications. I had recently found this site, and started reading the (numerous) negative posts about how hard it was to get into nursing schools, and how nobody gets in with a GPA of less than 3.8, and it was really just a hopeless cause...I was so depressed, I wished I could turn back time and get my applications back. It turned out well for me.

I would hate for anyone else out there to give up their dreams like I almost did. Please, don't give up hope.