Nursing Entrance Essay

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For the school I am applying for, they require just a short essay about what life experiences have led me to choose this career. I would love any type of feedback to help me make my essay perfect. I will be leaving it blank in the sentences where I type where I work & other personal information. Thank you!

For me nursing is a natural career choice. Most of my family is involved in the healthcare field. My mom and aunt are both Family Nurse Practitioners and my grandmother is an LPN. I was 10 when my mom graduated from _______ University with her masters in Nursing; because of this I know how challenging the career is, how dedicated you have to be, and how far you have to push yourself to be successful in the field.

I took the Certified Nursing Assistant program my high school offers through __________ and I passed the exam in June 2014. I have experience working on rehab units, long-term units, Alzheimer's/dementia facilities, and I am currently employed by ________ Hospital and ________ as a CNA. I have really gained a new love and respect for this profession. I see every single day at work how hard all nurses work and how hard they have worked to get where they are. Through my experiences as a CNA I have learned that every breath of life is a gift and no one learns this lesson better than someone who nurses a dying patient day and night.

At 18 years old and a senior in high school, I didn't think about how many options I actually have in the world and how many paths I can choose to go down. I graduated High School in June 2014 and my first career choice has always been Nursing, but it seemed more of a dream to me than something I could ever actually achieve. I immediately applied into my second career choice, Education, mostly because I knew I had to get my GPA up and I needed my prerequisites before applying into Nursing.

Now, 20 years old, two years later, after choosing very different career choices to explore these last 2 years, I will be graduating in May 2017 with my Liberal Studies degree. Over this time period I have learned how to balance my classes with the rest of my life, I have grown and I have learned how to prioritize myself. I took the prerequisites needed, plus plenty of others along the way. I have managed to get my GPA up. I am going with what has been in the back of my mind all along, something I always thought I wasn't smart enough or good enough to pursue. This is my dream and I know I will get there and I'm ready for what it takes to get there. I am ready for this challenging career, I am ready to be dedicated to this career, and I am ready to push myself to be successful in this career.

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Personally, I would omit the part of needing to get your gpa up. I would keep it vague and say you tried other educational paths but your heart remained on nursing.

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Specializes in GENERAL.

Just don't ever say that you like corresponding with inmates.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Sorry, but it appears that you weren't really serious about your education or pursuing your "dream". Otherwise, why did you enroll in education to 'get your GPA up" at the very beginning of your college experience... you didn't even have a GPA at that time. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. And later, you divulge that you will be awarded a Liberal Studies degree... what happened to your education major? It's confusing. You allude to the fact that you may have believed you weren't smart enough to be successful in Nursing. If so, include this as the rationale for making those choices.

Your essay reveals a lot about your family, but very little abut you. Are there any events that convinced you that Nursing was where you need to be? If so, describe them. Were there any patients you cared for that you particularly remember? Any specific situations in which you witnessed or helped a nurse with patient care? Were there specific things that your mother or relatives revealed that had specific meaning for you? Describing these influences will make a much more compelling story & provide insight about your character.

I would also caution you to polish up your vocabulary & grammar. Make no mistake, the reviewers WILL be paying attention to your writing skills and ability to communicate in writing.

Wishing you the best of luck on your educational goals.

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