Published Jul 4, 2012
Alphatraz
2 Posts
Hello I graduated college about 6 months ago with a bachelors in criminal justice with a biology and forensics minor. I've had it rough through undergrad. I was originally a biochemistry major but had to change since my gpa was too low to declare my major. I graduated with criminal justice and a 2.5 gpa. I am relocating to northern nj with my fiancé and looking at nursing programs at community colleges. My question is would it be possible for me to get into an ADN program with my background. I have over 90+ hours of community service which could be a good soft. My goal is to do the adn and then get the bsn at seton hall or rutgers. Also what could I do to increase my chances to get accepted?
lovedijah
234 Posts
I'll be honest, there are people with 4.0's not getting into nursing school, so you may find yourself in a tough place. Have you completed all of your pre reqs (you said you minored in biology). If not, try to get A's in all those classes. The volunteering is great, but some schools don't consider it as a factor.
On the other hand, you may find yourself in a situation where the school only looks at entrance exam scores. That's how my school is, so your GPA would have no factor on you getting admitted.
I would narrow down the schools you want to get your ADN at and look at the requirements and how they decide admission. Each school will probably be so different, and you'll have an idea of what you need to improve for each school.
I do have most if not all of the prerequisites. All I would need are the actual nursing courses. Right now I'm applying to three different community colleges (Essex, Paterson, and Hudson CC.) are the ADN programs as uber competitive like BSN programs?
Nursing2102
276 Posts
Hi,
I too graduated a year ago with a bachelors in Criminal Justice from a NYC college. My GPA was 3.3. I applied to a BSN program on LI and was accepted! I was so surprised and happy. I will basically be going back to get a second bachelors degree in Nursing (BSN) which will take me around 3 years instead of 4 (all my general education requirements from my 1st bachelors transferred over.) I think every school is different in terms requirements needed for acceptance into the program. I looked into the school I was applying to A LOT before I applied so I knew what I needed. The school I got into did not require any volunteering or anything like that. It required taking 2 tests (math and reading) which you needed to score well on in order to get in (for the math you needed 18/20 questions.) I would check with the schools you are looking to apply to and see what the requirements are and take it from there.
Stephalump
2,723 Posts
ADN programs are competitive. However, they all look at applicants differently. Some will only look at your Prereq GPA. Some will weight entrance exams most heavily. Some have a scoring system that is really cut and dry. You really need to look at each school individually and see where you stand then. Odds are you're going to have to retake some classes - that is definitely not a competitive gpa. However: for all I know, you could be applying to a school that only looks at your A&P scores, and you could have A's in those.
Bobmo88
261 Posts
My advice is to take a close look at the admission criteria for each program you are considering applying to and see which one suits you better. Maybe some programs care more about pre-requisite GPAs, work and/or volunteer experience, and test scores like the TEAS test. The BSN program I got into was a points based system and even though I had a 2.81 pre-req GPA, I did well on my TEAS test, have work experience, speak a foreign language, earned a bachelor's degree, and am a local resident. Play your strengths and do whatever you can to make yourself more competitive!
NJnurse89
6 Posts
My advice to you is to take some more general elective courses to boost your GPA before applying