NOVA and LFCC pre-nursing student

[Meganktar]

I am taking per-requisites to try to get into nursing school at either Northern Virginia community college or Lord Fairfax community college. I am hoping to apply this winter (2015) and get into the program that starts May 2016.

I have a few concerns as I know nursing programs are very competitive, especially NOVA's. My GPA when I apply will be somewhere around a 3, which is not as good as I feel like I would need it to be. Does the admissions office take into consideration as to when the classes were taken? Basically when I started at NOVA I was 18, and did not take school seriously. I went for two or three years, then stopped going. Since being in the "real world" without a college education, I have decided to go back to school to get a degree in nursing. Since starting up again I have gotten A's and B's in all of my per-requisites, as well as A's and B's in co-requisites. Bring that when I started school again I had a 2.1 I was only able to do so much to bring my GPA up. Has anyone gotten into NOVA or LFCC programs with a GPA around a 3? Most of what I have read people seem to have at least a 3.5 if not better.

By the time I apply I would have completed all of the non-nursing classes that are needed for both degrees. Will this help my chances of getting in?

Another concern that I have is that I have not worked in a medical field before. Do people who have worked in a medical field tend to get priority? I am currently trying to find a job in a medical field, but have not had much luck. Any suggestions as to where to try? I have about 8 years reception experience, so I had been applying to patient first as a receptionist but have not had any luck. Most places seem to want someone who has worked at a medical office before, and because of school I have a limited amount of flexibility.

Any other thoughts or information anyone has in regards to the application process to NOVA or LFCC would be great to. I am excited to start my nursing career but I still have so many questions about the application process. I am planning on talking to advisers this fall, but any information I can get now would be appreciated.

Megan

[Cobrie17]

If you're not pleased with your GPA, consider re-taking a class (or several) to at least boost the GPA of important pre-reqs, like the science classes. NOVA is a competitive region, so boosting your GPA this way isn't a bad idea.

Also, I applied to George Mason University without any medical experience and was turned away. Their policy is that they won't discuss the details of their decision with you, so I spoke to people who I know got in and found two major trends: they were either bilingual or had some sort of previous medical experience.

In the mean time, I got a job as a home caretaker for a little girl with complex mental and physical special needs, retook my Micro (bringing my grade up from a low B to a high A), got my minor in Women and Gender Studies and applied again. This time I got in.

What I did was I made myself stand out. 1) I had an interesting job with nursing-esque qualities. While this isn't always easy to find, I would suggest volunteering at a local hospital, clinic, or nursing home for some experience. 2) I fixed the one glaring negative issue with my application (my low B in Microbiology. I retook it and got a 97). 3) I pursued another one of my passions via a minor, which is unusual for a pre-nursing undergrad to have.

I hope this gives you some ideas for making yourself a competitive nursing candidate. Good luck!

[progress16]

Update: Did you apply anywhere/ get in???

[Meganktar]

I apply at the end of May, I had one more class to finish. I got an A in A and P 1, and A in Microbiology, and a high B in A and P 2. I took my teas and got 87% on the Math, 84% on the reading sections, but only a 70% on the grammar part. I am worried that will hurt my chances of getting in though. The good thing is my GPA, or at least the part of my GPA being looked at, as the school only looks at the last 12 credits, was a 3.6 or 3.7, so I am hoping that will help.