No sat score, no admissions! Non-traditional student

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Specializes in Interested in Everything.

Greetings All,

I'm a little annoyed right now. I have a lot going on. I'm a 29 yr old Jr in college. I tried switching my major from PA to Nursing b/c of roadblocks. I've moved around to different parts of the US b/c my husband is a former military member. I've worked in several doctors offices as a medical assistant off and on for years. The problem I'm having is these past employers "don't remember me" or refuse to sign these verification forms so I can apply to the PA program. So, I decided to just switch majors and do nursing. I found out that the possibilities are endless in the nursing field. I have this book, "101 careers in nursing" and it's insightful.

Before I submitted an intra-university transfer (IUT), I called to find out what I needed for admission to the program. I was told that since I'm already a student at my college, a Jr and the majority of my pre-reqs completed, I would follow under the advance-track and I would only need my transcripts & a signed IUT form. Nothing more; nothing less. I wasn't told that I needed SAT scores from high school. If so, I would have never applied. Well, I submitted all of my transcripts and an IUT form. Two months went by and I hadn't heard anything. So, I called & sent out emails regarding my application status. They are now telling me that I need my SAT scores before they will consider my application:banghead::spbox::igtsyt:WT?? I told them that I graduated in 1998 (12 yrs ago) and never took my SAT b/c they were optional. I went straight into the military. I did, however, take the ASVAB! They wanted to know how was I able to go into the military w/out taking the SAT's. :confused::confused::anbd:The last I checked, SAT's are not required for the military; ASVAB's are.

They said the dean requires it and they will forward my email along w/my application to the dean to see what she has to say. It's been a little over a week and I still haven't heard anything. I'm leaning on just trying to go back to the PA route. I'm just so tired. I've been trying to make something of myself, whether it be a nurse or a PA and it's like a never ending battle. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse. I'm a certified MA, but every time I work as one, I find that it's not satisfying. I want more for myself. I don't feel fulfilled as a MA.

So, that is my dilemma. What shall I do? I wish I could just talk to my hubby, but he's deployed right now. As a matter of fact, he left today. So, I'm feeling extra lonely/sad/depressed & angry all at the same time. :mad::crying2:

I just feel like giving up. But I know God didn't bring me this far to let me down. I just wish I knew what I'm supposed to do. I'm TIRED! I'm tired of going to school; Tired of borrowing money to go to a college that I may not graduate from; I'm tired of fighting/trying/continuing.

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(((((((((((((Angelfire))))))))))))).

First, breath. Of course your feelings are a scrambled mess of yuck right now, so breath in, breath out, repeat.

I loved your emoticons, they were exactly what I was thinking when I read those lines. What a mess!

Anyway, what to do... I see a couple of options. (giving up is NOT one of them).

You could shake the dust off your feet and go to a different school (potential the most satisfying but presumably there are reasons you picked this college in the first place).

You could ask for a waiver. In person works better than over the phone, and be prepared to meet with many people when it is something nonroutine like this. Asking works better than demanding, it also helps to have a folder of your paper work all ready - you know they will be concerned about "x", so have "y" right there to show them. For example, SAT's predict success in college, have a copy of your transcript with you (they can look it up but that is not the point). Another example: they might want you to take the SAT, have the dates right there showing when you would have needed to sign up for the SAT in order to have the results back in time for the college to consider them - you could have done that IF you had gotten accurate information when you asked (careful to not be accusatory in that, you want them to want to help you). The last example assumes it works that way, I don't know when your school decides who is admitted.

If you tend to do well on standardized tests and there is time, it might be easiest to just take the test. They might accommodate your situation at least enough to hold a place for you (maybe give it to you on the understanding that you keep it only if your scores are above a certain amount) - assuming your application is clearly competitive other than the SAT factor.

You could take a year off from the fight, regroup, resupply, get well positioned (either take the SAT, find another school you like that doesn't require it, or find a loophole like the ASVAB instead) and start fresh and enthusiastic next year.

:hug:

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No one in your situation is going to take the SAT tests to satisfy some asinine request. Look for a different solution after you take some time to regroup.

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Lol. Well, I figure it isn't much different than taking the ACT, which I retook last year because my first one was taken before they changed the way they scored them. It is a hoop to jump through. Meaningless except that that school I'm most interested in uses the ACT score for about 1/3 of the points used to rank applicants. It cost $15, about 12 hours of studying, and a Saturday morning. Well worth it, imo, vs the higher costs, longer commutes, and weaker reputation of the other schools I have to choose from.

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Are there other programs in your area you can apply to that do not have this requirement? I've never heard of non traditional students being required to take SATs. (As a sidenote,Interesting thing with the term non traditional students, - seems like we are more traditional these days.) I know different schools do different things though. I'd look for a program that does not require SATs. Good luck.

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Specializes in Interested in Everything.

greetings everyone:

sorry for the late reply. i never received my comment notifications. i go to howard. i called my college today to figure out which sat they wanted me to take--subject test or reasoning. i was set to register to take it in late october. the person i talked to told me to "wait to take it b/c they are pushing your application through to the dean for a waiver," but i won't hear anything until next fall. all i could do was :uhoh3: :no: :banghead: :angthts: :flmngmd::anbd:

i'm strongly considering transferring to a different college. i feel like i'm just walking around in circles, going absolutely no where. i'm no longer in the army, so there shouldn't be any "hurry up & wait" games.

i called george mason university and spoke with someone from the nursing admissions committee. i told her that i attend hu and would like to transfer there. i also asked her some questions regarding the admissions process. the 1st thing she said was, "well, you do understand that our nursing program is hard to get in? the majority of our students have at least a 4.0 gpa & 1600 plus sat scores. you can try to apply, but i would suggest that you stay at hu or apply to other colleges b/c our program only accepts the best qualified students." blah, blah, blah.

so, after she was done, i said, "great! with the exception of the sat, i meet your qualifications. i have a gpa of 4.0 and i've maintained a high gpa since i've started school." then she cut me off and said, "well, you need to take the teas exam to see if you qualify for our program." i grew tired of talking to her. she clearly had an issue about me wanting to apply. her "scare" tactics did not phase me one bit.

my mother suggested that i go to a cc 1st and get my associates then apply to a 4-yr university to get my bsn. i already have 78 credit & after this semester, i'll have 84. that seems like a waste of time. i would be going backwards. i really wish i would have been able to finish lpn school in 2004. to make a long story short, my hubby was working 2 jobs & my mother refused to babysit for us. so, i couldn't finish. childcare, at that time, was $551/week for my 3 babies (22 month old daughter & newborn twin boys). due to finances & lack of affordable childcare, i was forced to withdraw from the lpn program.

i'm a fighter & i will not give up (although, i really want to say the hell with it). i'm still preparing myself to take both the act &/or the sat. which one is better?

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You need to take the test required for the school you plan on attending, unless you are going to take both of them. Waste of time and money. If you turned your credits into a degree, even if only an associates in general studies, the tests should not be required. You aren't entering college straight from high school. But then, you know that.

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Specializes in Interested in Everything.
You need to take the test required for the school you plan on attending, unless you are going to take both of them. Waste of time and money. If you turned your credits into a degree, even if only an associates in general studies, the tests should not be required. You aren't entering college straight from high school. But then, you know that.

Exactly! That's what I told them. It just doesn't make sense to me. But I will do what I have to do. They take both the ACT & SAT. I'll do some research to see their differences. The thing that gets me is, for the past few years, I followed the curriculum for the physician assistant program & I'm only 2 classes from meeting their prerequisites (which is acceptable for admissions. As long as I'm not 15 credits in the hole, I can still apply & get accepted). The PA program does not require SAT scores. When I was admitted to the college, I didn't have any SAT scores. I was admitted based on my transfer credits, GPA, admissions essay & LORs. Now, that I'm at the same college, but under (tentatively) a different degree program, I have to take additional classes (8 to be exact). I can't do that either b/c they haven't viewed my application. OK, now I'm depressed!:mad:

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I think this guy ... :anbd: ... sums up the RIDICULOUS bureaucracy of nursing school.

Good luck figuring this all out!

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I encountered the same carp when applying to nursing schools. I already have degrees and should be in accelerated BSN, but there isn't one in my rural locale. The nursing entrance requirements are as arbitrary and capricious as anything that I have ever encountered. Not only did some schools ask for SAT/ACT scores, they wanted high school transcripts, too. When I questioned the rationale, they said everyone was ranked on a points system, and all applicants had to submit the same documentation in order to be ranked. One school disqualified me because I didn't ever take Soc 101 and all transfers with advanced standing had to have completed Soc 101. Jeebus, dontcha think I could have managed to cram Soc 101 into an associate degree program someplace, especially considering that I'd already done all of the other non-nursing college courses?? Nope. Didn't have it on any transcript = disqualified.

Sorry, but someone needs to come up with some national standards for nursing admissions, not just let each school make up it's own arbitrary and capricious whims. If you transfer in Engineering, or Accounting, Education, or almost any other degree that has been in existence since the dawn of college, they have pretty much worked out how to accommodate a transfer or advanced-standing student. Nursing admissions pettiness makes administrators look incompetent.

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