Nursing school and a 3.47 GPA.Do I stand a chance?

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I entered college with a passion for Nursing.However,I got rejected 3 times with a 3.55 GPA! I lost interest,switched my major from Prenursing to Liberal arts.I graduated this year with my A.A and a GPA of 3.47.I was thinking of becoming a Teacher but I realized that I might just be settling.I like the Education field but I'll have more opportunities and probably a better life as a RN.I have a baby on the way so I need a flexable schedule and good pay.Don't get me wrong,there is still a part of me that wants to be a Nurse.I just forced myself to believe that I no longer liked Nursing.Perhaps a coping mechanism? LOL.Any advice?I live in New York.Do you know of any schools that will accept me with my GPA?

Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
do you think everyone who studies nursing are really passionate about it? come on.lets be real.the students who did poorly in your class didnt do so b/c they didnt like nursing but b/c they just didn't try hard enough.

i wasn't talking about not doing well in school...i was talking about after school, when the real test comes! when it comes to book learnin' and skills, trying hard works! however, you can never try to care. you do, or you don't.

no, i do not think that everyone who studies nursing is really passionate about it; hence what i said. i guess i know that i, personally, could not devote time, money, and energy to a career that i was not passionate about, especially when people's lives are at stake. for the sake of patients, i hope that nurses are passionate! i know that several who are in the work force are not. i'm not stupid. i also know that i love nursing and caring for my patients, but several times i have asked myself "why on earth did i do this, again?"

*jess*

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Hey Want2BeeRN,

I have to say that I'm a little concerned with the reasons you want to get into Nursing and your outlook on it. It's halfway unrealistic but I'm not here to knock you down. I DO think you will be able to do it and there is no reason why a baby can keep you from doing something that you are set on doing. In fact, many of the people I know with children are even more motivated to get ahead because they have a little one who relies on them.

Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to suggest that you start applying for several LPN programs. I read where you previously mentioned that you have "worked too hard to become an LPN"...but MANY people have worked "TOO HARD" and don't automatically get accepted into Nursing school. With the insane competition you really and truly cannot be picky or you will likely get no where.

You can continue to apply to Nursing schools and get shot down ( I don't know ANYWHERE that takes people in their RN program with less than a 3.8) or you can increase your chances by applying to an LPN program. No one said that you had to stop there. Once you finish that, it will make it a bit easier for you to get into an RN program..and from there you have only 1 to 2 more semesters to become an RN.

I have several friends who have 3.9 GPAs and are being rejected from the Nursing program. So...you can wait around for a few more years and "hopefully" get into an RN program..or you can increase the odds by applying to the LPN programs near you. I just came back from LaGuardia CUNY yesterday (where I go) and they won't even look twice at you if you have less than a 3.4 for the LPN and if you have less than a 3.8 for the RN program.

You can't have things both ways. Getting into Nursing school IS discouraging, I won't lie...but if you can't be persistent now, what makes you think that you are going to be able to stick it thru either? You said that the people who couldn't handle Nursing just "didn't try hard enough in college"......This, in my eyes, is a VERY poor generalization. Although there are some who do not try, many just simply cannot handle the intensity of it..although they are VERY passionate about it. Nursing is VERY hard...and I know SO many Nurses that are depressed, on meds, and crying after work EVERYDAY because of the stress.

Know what you are going to get yourself into. I would hate to see you attempt to become a Nurse, only to find out one year later that you crumbled under pressure and lost your license in some random case.

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No one can know what is in your heart, sweetie. Only you know that!

My GPA includes my lousy grades from when I got my EE degree in 1984 (and I *hated* EE!). After 8.5 yrs as a 'rocket scientist' for USAF/NASA, I got into programming mainframe computers. After 16 yrs of repeated layoffs, I had enough. I was kinda getting tired of the daily grind anyway! :D

I have 5 natural and 4 step children, but none are young. The poster right above me lives in an area where NS is THAT competitive. My school (FCCJ in FL) does it based on pts from your pre-reqs and NAT score. Even with an overal 2.6 (3.66 in pre-reqs), I have more than enough points to be accepted to NS for this summer. So there IS hope depending upon the school!

Also, having raised so many children and having 3 family members in nursing....AND the fact that it is most likely the highest paying 'retraining' I can do (I need to replace as much of my $75K income as possible!)....AND the fact that I want to interact with PEOPLE instead of this silly machine....I chose nursing! Each one of us has our reasons. Yours don't mean that you won't be a good nurse and it doesn't mean you won't love the field.

The ONLY piece of advice I would give....there is NOTHING worse in life than working a job you hate! I have BTDT and would never go down that road again! We spend the vast majority of our waking hours at work....hating your job makes life almost unbearable!

Go for YOUR dream! (Just make sure it is the right one for you!)

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I called Wright State University and they said last year they accepted someone with a 2.7 gpa. Also, if you get a 3.3 you are in the

BSN program

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

One of the CNAs I used to work with was in a similar situation with her GPA only I think hers was lower. Anyhoo, she got in because she applied to " just take some core prereqs while she figured out what kind of career she wanted ". So she took biology and chemistry and got A's in both, I think she took a math course the next semester and did really good. Then when she applied again to the nursing program she was accepted. I believe she also got a letter of recommendation from our nurse manager.

Basically, where there's a will, there's a way. Go for your dreams. If nursing is your passion, go for it.

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yes as some of the other post said never give up if nursing is what you want. Going the LPN route may help you to get into a program easier because of the low grade pt average (not low overall but to low to compete to get into a program). The universities where I live will not even entertain nothing below a 3.8. But in the meantime if you cannot get into a LPN program you should do teaching until you get accepted. I have several classmates that have been rejected twice already and they are waiting for this fall 09 results. What ever you choose to do good luck!

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