Hi nursing students! I don't want to take you away from your studies for too long but I was hoping you can answer some questions for me.
Are there any of you out there that were mostly "B" students that got into nursing school. If so, how long did it take? Were there other factors you think set you apart from other applicants?
To all students: What was your acceptance GPA? How many schools did you apply to? Anything special set you apart?
Why are you opening up a thread so others could have a pi****g contest at your expense? Where does it say only "A" students are accepted into nursing school. I'd rather have a "marginal" book tpye of nurse who has his/her skills down pat than a "book smart" nurse that is CLUELESS when it comes to patients, procedures, and manners.
A little forewarning: Everyone and their brother claims to have a GPA hovering around a 4.0. If you believe that, send me a private e-mail because I have a bridge to sell to you in Brookklyn. Cheap. I don't care what kind of family background students have, how much they made at their previous jobs, how many apps they have on their I-phone. I. Don't. Care. And neither does anyone else. It's these threads that only serve to violate those that are trying and not flashing their "look what I have and what you don't" catty personalities.
I totally agree with you.
Unfortunately, all the nursing programs where I live only accept 'A' students
I was a B- student, who was lucky, to have a BA in Arts and work expereinced which bumped me up the list.
In nursing school I have improved my GPA to the B/B+ level and I am fine with that.
It's a letter grade not real life. Its fine if one is totally an A book smart person, but what does that mean in terms of clinical skills and life experience??? Could mean nothing... a letter grade should not be the only determinent of a potential nurse or a nursing student. Competences and clinical skill base is what makes us nurses.
Good luck and don't listen to the "perfect" GPA people who seem to have a negitive attitude.
I had As and Bs in my pre-reqs and it took me 2.5 years to get accepted. My GPA in the pre-reqs was a 3.6, but my overall GPA was only a 2.8 from doing poorly straight out of HS years before. Keep working hard and follow your dreams... you'll get there!
I didn't get any As in the prerequisites for my ABSN program- only Bs. I had a 3.01 undergrad, and a 3.2 in pre-reqs.
I started my pre-reqs in Jan of '09, applied in October, and got the letter in January of 2010. I was still in the process of completing the last 2 required courses when I got the acceptance letter.
My school looks at everything, though- essays, recommendations, GPA, interview, etc, but I hope that this relieves some of your fears. :)
Well, if one doesn't have a stellar GPA, here are two strategies that might get you into nursing:
1. Apply to private schools. Instead of lining up for the budget friendly community colleges and state universities, try applying to private schools even though you think they might be out of your price range. A Catholic private college here (and I know this for a fact) reduces the cost of its ADRN degree from whatever down to the $26,500 that Pennsylvania Trade Act Assistance people get as their TAA retraining money. A trade school that offers LPN also has some wiggle room and can be negotiated down a little, say the people with WIA money. Then, also, more financial aid, scholarships, and grants may be available at a high priced school. And since those private schools are high-priced, they don't get as many apps, and thus they risk running a school with many empty seats. So 100% of $26,500 is better than 100$ of nothing, and maybe they can somehow write off that loss, too.
2. ^^ Ask for a discount. Private schools might just do that.
3. Consider LPN. In PA, LPNs are in demand for long term care facilities. Some LPNs work in hospitals. Pay ranges from $15 to $19 per hour, with LTC paying higher than hospitals. Bridge programs to RN are becoming more common. Employers may pay your tuition for part-time college while you work. It may be possible to work PT or full time as LPN, have health insurance and tuition benefits, work nights & weekends, and still do your full time day RN degree program. If not, then at least you can still do all of the non-nursing credits toward it. And you are working as a nurse, and gaining experience as well as income, not just standing still.
I am the student nursing recruiter for a college in Buffalo, NY where we have been offering the BSN since 1942. Our current transfer GPA is 2.75. We have openings for Spring 2011 still. I know it has become very difficult to transfer into nursing programs throughout the nation. From what I have heard over the past 2 years is that GPA requirements continue to rise which closes the door to many competent students who have invested time and money in "pre-requisite" courses.
The College Network offers distance-learning programs for ASNs (ADNs), BSNs, LPN-to-BSNs, and MSNs through Indiana State, Regis, and Excelsior. TCN is partnered with the 1st two colleges, so grads walk with campus-based grads for exact same degree. For these programs, nurses need to have a 2.5 GPA and pass a TEAS.
Since in the programs, nurses never attend classes and can keep working full time (and even raise children), they can work at their own pace, as fast as they can or as slow as they need to. Nurses in the program do not have to deal with waiting lists either, but they need their LPN. Full-time nursing schools may be a little faster, and they are all pretty good, but we are an alternative for working nurses.
This stated, lots of nurses have a 4.0, which is awesome, and lots of nurses have lower GPAs for lots of reasons. Usually, you're good, though, as long as you're at or above 2.5 for us and many other programs. As others responses mentioned, your ability in the practice means more than your academics.
Your thoughts about GPA correlating with entrance to a nursing program are completely valid. My school claimed that they chose students via lottery providing you had a minimum of a 2.5 GPA in English, Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology. However, before I finished my pre-reqs, the school changed the policy...they had some sort of calculation that took into consideration any "withdrawals" that you had - they wanted students who had a high success rate at completion plus ....good grades. Many students didn't even try for A's because they thought it didn't matter...as far as I know, those students didn't get accepted in the program!
Right from the beginning, I had a feeling that getting A's would increase my chances of getting it in so I worked really hard to get A's but then
I made the mistake of taking the accelerated version (6 weeks) of Physiology while I was working and it was simply too much for me...at mid-term I was getting a D. I knew that if I dropped the class, my chances of getting in would be reduced so I stuck it out and talked to my teacher about it and did extra credit. And thank God, I just barely got a B. I ended up with GPA of 3.75 (with no W's) and was accepted into the program with my first application.
For me, nursing school was not easy. I did have to work part-time but being self-employed allowed me to work around school. Still, I understand why schools want to choose students with a high success rate because over one third of my original class did not graduate with me. Some got kicked out because of grades, others may have had things happen in their lives where they could not continue to go to school, and a few others got kicked out because they weren't up to par during clinicals. Note: a few of these students were allowed to simply repeat a semester and may still graduate if they pass.
During the nursing program, teachers would say "don't worry if you're not getting an A, hospitals don't look at your GPA...they only want to know that you passed". Well, that may have been true in the past, but not so now...nearly every hospital that I have applied to wants a copy of my transcripts and one hospital even stated that there's no need to apply if you have less than a 3.0 in the nursing program. Lucky for me that I did reach that benchmark but I still haven't found a job yet. There are jobs in convalescent homes but my dream was to work in the hospital so I'm just going to have to redouble my efforts in my job search.
Anyway...moral of my story: GRADES DO COUNT! Don't listen to other students or teachers who tell you they don't.
Grades always will count...graduation GPAs that is. The question was about being accepted into a program, I believe. So, a nurse can enter a program with a 2.5 GPA.
Higher GPAs never, ever hurt, of course, but unfortunately for a number of reasons, not all nurses enter college with a 4.0. Hospitals and other medical facilities do hire nurses who do not have a 4.0, though. Still, the higher the GPA, the better, and that's where an alternative program may help on both ends, enrolling and graduating!
To that point, in our programs, nurses take self-paced courses (prerequisites and general studies) one-at-a-time, allowing them to focus on one subject-at-a-time. A course can be completed in as little as 2 weeks or as long as needed, averaging 30-45 days. Through us, nurses study, and then take CLEPs that are proctored and earn full, transferable college credits. We even guarantee that nurses will pass all of these non-nursing courses, such as College Algebra, A&P, Micro, etc.
These are self-paced study courses, so nurses can spend more time on more challenging subjects and less time on ones they face less challenge. In this approach, any nurse can raise her/his GPA...students have way more control over their final grades in this educational approach. But certainly, all nurses want to graduate with as high of a GPA as they can.
Distance learning offers all nurses a clear way to take direct control of their entrance GPA, on all prerequisites and general studies. Ultimately, nurses fare better with higher grad GPAs, but they can start with a 2.5. Doing prerequisites and general studies one-at-a-time provides a way to significantly improve GPAs for enrollment into a degree proggram.
If a nurse has time and $$ for full-time nursing school (doesn't have to work full time), that is a great approach, and it is probably faster. However, if a nurse can't attend a nursing school full time, we bring school to nurses, and they graduate with actual fully accredited college diplomas. Then, they take boards and practice in their home states. And maybe they graduate with a much higher GPA than they might otherwise. The bottom line, though, is to get your education!
Sounds like a nice program you have - a good option for many. But for me, I needed a school (community college)that I could afford and $26/unit was right up my alley. Some students applied for financial aid and didn't even have to pay the unit cost. Also, I'm really glad I got to go to school with other nursing students. The support I received from them was impossible to get from family members who have no idea what you're going through.
But, to get in a program where there are 600-900 students applying and they accept only 60, can be tough. So yes, grades will certainly count against the competion. Of my group, no one had less than a 3.0 going into the program and many had higher than 3.5. Please note however, that guys have less competition than girls. I noticed that of the guys in my group had the lowest GPA of anyone.
If I did not get accepted to the community college, I may have considered going to a private school back then but would hate to go into debt during an economy like this.
As long as you got at least a "C" in A & P you could be accepted into our program. Programs in the north and east seem to be much harder to get in, with much longer waiting lists.
My school was more interested in "you" than your gpa. I got in with a "c=degree" bs gpa of 2.77. My acceptance was conditional on me completing a&p I/II before nursing classes began. Which obviously I did. Glad I went where I did. Had fun, learned a lot and was as prepared to hit floor as I could be.
DarkBluePhoenix
1,867 Posts
I totally agree with you.
Unfortunately, all the nursing programs where I live only accept 'A' students
Sad isn't it?