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?
I was far from an A student before I went to Nursing school, but I did very well on the admission test. Once I got in I was an A student. It all depends on your study habits and I found helping others understand helped me a great deal. My shool did not graduate anyone with a less than a B average.
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I was never an "A" student in school. I struggled in A&P and got ''C's. Could have done better but got sick. Overall, my pre-req grades were four "B"s and 2 "C"s with a G.P.A. of 2.7. This still got me into Nursing school immediately after taking my pre-req's, because this school was on a first come basis. My school has a 95% NCLEX pass rate and so far I am doing just fine, and am grateful for the opportunity that has come. I am so glad that I didn't have to rely on other local colleges in my area that have you waiting or competing with other students for a higher G.P.A, which can take years. I am getting too old for that and want to enjoy my life. I found that all the hype about having the highest G.P.A is just a bunch of crock and the schools are out for your money! I have friends who were turned away with a 4.0 G.P.A and couldn't get in for whatever reason. Also in my nursing class, we have had students who are sraight A students already fail out! The staff told us on our first day of class that if we are used to making straight A's, it will not happen in nursing school. Go figure! So explore your options and be willing to make sacrifices. The school I attend is an hour and a half away, but had I not been willing to make that drive, I would still be on the waiting list at the local colleges in my area. Best of luck to you!
We accept high school students with an 80 average and a SAT score of 900 or ACT of 19. For transfers, we want a GPA of 2.75. Grades are important but we recognize that many factors go into a good nursing student. Good luck to all trying to get into nursing schools now. I never imagined it would be so competitive 20 years after graduating with a BSN myself.
To answer your question...YES...I was a B student (for the most part), as well as some C's also. my GPA was a 3.29 when i entered nursing school. i was accepted into 2 programs. they are both ADN programs (angelo state university and Coleman). I actually applied to 4 BSN programs also, but was not accepted (HBU, TWU, UT-HSC houston, UT-HSC san antonio).
Those of you applying who are discouraged from not having a 4.0....Don't stress!!! Don't get discouraged!!!
Although my GPA was low for the BSN programs but there's nothing wrong with the ADN program. You can always do the RN-BSN bridge after graduating from the ADN program and getting your RN license. That's the plan for most students in my class...
Just a tip...when you take the HESI (if needed for the program), if you don't do well the first time...you can actually go online to the Elsevier website and they create individualized readings for sections you need to focus on depending on how you did on the test. This is really helpful!
I'm in the Los Angeles area attempting to get into several nursing schools having just finished my pre-reqs. In school, one of our instructors gave us a spreadsheet that was made available on one schools website. It's what's known as the Chancellor's formula. You have to punch in your overall GPA, core sciences GPA (Anatomy, Physo, Chemistry only), and your English 101 GPA. It also ask you for how many repetitions you may have of any of the core sciences.
We were told by this instructor that most schools in the area require a cut score of 75%. If you pass that benchmark, then you are allowed to take the TEAS test. If you pass that with a 67% or higher score, then you are placed into the lottery pool and students are chosen at random from the lottery.
For at least two schools in the area, Glendale Community College and Pasadena City College, they get about 550-600 applicants. Both schools report that about 250-350 applicants will actually be accepted into the lottery pool. Out of those only 50-60 students are then chosen.
In every class they have a considerable amount of students who never make it to completion. I've looked at the Nursing school graduation photos at PCC and there are never more than 25 students in the photo. That says to me that there is high rate of students not graduating outright, or falling behind and graduating late. Or maybe they just didn't show up for the photo :)
This is baffling to me considering that it takes a good year to complete all of the pre-reqs. You would think students that make it through the pre-reqs would be prepared to survive Nursing school, but clearly this is not the case.
So the odds in the Los Angeles area are pretty nuts. I have a 3.1 overall GPA, a 3.4 GPA in core science, and I had a B in English from undergrad years ago. I retook English 101 to get an A just this fall to improve my cutscore. I can tell you with a B in English 101 (I'm still awaiting my grade for retaking it....hoping to get an A but as of right now I have a B in English 101)...the Chancelors formula returned a 73% on the cutscore. It would have been a 78% but I had to withdraw from Micro the first time. I of course found out I was taking Micro with one of the hardest instructors (******** ****** at GCC...avoid her class it will kill your GPA. She gave out 11 Fs and 7 Ds on the first exam). I retook again that summer and got a B in Chemistry with Dr. ******.
So everyone should note, that if you withdraw from any core science course, you will be deducted a whole 5% points in the Chancellors formula (State of California). For me it was critical. I dropped from a 78% to a 73% which was just shy of the 75% cutscore needed. If I had gotten an A in Micro the second time...it would have negated retaking the course. In terms of the cut score, it appears that you get knocked less if you get a C the first time, than having to withdraw and then getting a B.
In any case, most school only allow you to retake only 1 core science. Since I already retook Micro, my only options to raise my cutscore above 75% are to retake English 101 and get an A. Or to take enough classes to raise my overal GPA from a 3.1 to a 3.35. This is no small feat when I have over 100 credit hours. Raising GPA is slow going when you have so many classes. So of course I'm doing the English 101 retake route.
It is nuts, but when I played with the Chancelors formula...it is clear that English 101 GPA is weighed equally with the Core Science GPA. That seems nuts to me. I would think it would be way more important that someone did well in Core sciences than if they got an A in English 101. But don't underestimate it's impact on your chances of getting accepted in the State of California.
It is certainly a stressful, mind numbing experience to get accepted somewhere in the Los Angeles area. I only hope that the fact that I am a Hispanic male will help me tremendously. I'm quite certain a female with the same grades would have a uphill battle to wage in Los Angeles.
You have clearly explained exactly why so many nurses take The College Network route. Almost risk free, depending on student. Self-paced studies, so you can work without having to turn your life upside down to attend college. We bring college to you.
Little stress, little pressure. No classes. No class schedules. Guaranteed passing grades for ALL prerequisites & general studies (Algebra, Stats, History, World Religion, A&P 1&2, Microbiology, Chemistry, etc. And, in the end, students are invited to walk with campus-based students and receive identical, real college diplomas, complete with cap & gown and shaking hands with the college president.
Can't fail and we provide guaranteed financing for all working nurses (LPNs, RNs) and CNAs who want to earn real college degrees from mainstream universities (Indiana State, Regis University). All distance learning, no classes. Your pace, your place.
I'm in the Los Angeles area attempting to get into several nursing schools having just finished my pre-reqs. In school, one of our instructors gave us a spreadsheet that was made available on one schools website. It's what's known as the Chancellor's formula. You have to punch in your overall GPA, core sciences GPA (Anatomy, Physo, Chemistry only), and your English 101 GPA. It also ask you for how many repetitions you may have of any of the core sciences.
We were told by this instructor that most schools in the area require a cut score of 75%. If you pass that benchmark, then you are allowed to take the TEAS test. If you pass that with a 67% or higher score, then you are placed into the lottery pool and students are chosen at random from the lottery.
For at least two schools in the area, Glendale Community College and Pasadena City College, they get about 550-600 applicants. Both schools report that about 250-350 applicants will actually be accepted into the lottery pool. Out of those only 50-60 students are then chosen.
In every class they have a considerable amount of students who never make it to completion. I've looked at the Nursing school graduation photos at PCC and there are never more than 25 students in the photo. That says to me that there is high rate of students not graduating outright, or falling behind and graduating late. Or maybe they just didn't show up for the photo :)
This is baffling to me considering that it takes a good year to complete all of the pre-reqs. You would think students that make it through the pre-reqs would be prepared to survive Nursing school, but clearly this is not the case.
So the odds in the Los Angeles area are pretty nuts. I have a 3.1 overall GPA, a 3.4 GPA in core science, and I had a B in English from undergrad years ago. I retook English 101 to get an A just this fall to improve my cutscore. I can tell you with a B in English 101 (I'm still awaiting my grade for retaking it....hoping to get an A but as of right now I have a B in English 101)...the Chancelors formula returned a 73% on the cutscore. It would have been a 78% but I had to withdraw from Micro the first time. I of course found out I was taking Micro with one of the hardest instructors (******** ****** at GCC...avoid her class it will kill your GPA. She gave out 11 Fs and 7 Ds on the first exam). I retook again that summer and got a B in Chemistry with Dr. ******.
So everyone should note, that if you withdraw from any core science course, you will be deducted a whole 5% points in the Chancellors formula (State of California). For me it was critical. I dropped from a 78% to a 73% which was just shy of the 75% cutscore needed. If I had gotten an A in Micro the second time...it would have negated retaking the course. In terms of the cut score, it appears that you get knocked less if you get a C the first time, than having to withdraw and then getting a B.
In any case, most school only allow you to retake only 1 core science. Since I already retook Micro, my only options to raise my cutscore above 75% are to retake English 101 and get an A. Or to take enough classes to raise my overal GPA from a 3.1 to a 3.35. This is no small feat when I have over 100 credit hours. Raising GPA is slow going when you have so many classes. So of course I'm doing the English 101 retake route.
It is nuts, but when I played with the Chancelors formula...it is clear that English 101 GPA is weighed equally with the Core Science GPA. That seems nuts to me. I would think it would be way more important that someone did well in Core sciences than if they got an A in English 101. But don't underestimate it's impact on your chances of getting accepted in the State of California.
It is certainly a stressful, mind numbing experience to get accepted somewhere in the Los Angeles area. I only hope that the fact that I am a Hispanic male will help me tremendously. I'm quite certain a female with the same grades would have a uphill battle to wage in Los Angeles.
Good luck to you all.
It makes sense to me that they would value English 101 as much as the sciences. You need the sciences in order to understand what is happening, but nursing is also about communication. Without the ability to clearly communicate your understanding, does it really matter that you understand it?
You have clearly explained exactly why so many nurses take The College Network route. Almost risk free, depending on student. Self-paced studies, so you can work without having to turn your life upside down to attend college. We bring college to you.
Little stress, little pressure. No classes. No class schedules. Guaranteed passing grades for ALL prerequisites & general studies (Algebra, Stats, History, World Religion, A&P 1&2, Microbiology, Chemistry, etc. And, in the end, students are invited to walk with campus-based students and receive identical, real college diplomas, complete with cap & gown and shaking hands with the college president.
Can't fail and we provide guaranteed financing for all working nurses (LPNs, RNs) and CNAs who want to earn real college degrees from mainstream universities (Indiana State, Regis University). All distance learning, no classes. Your pace, your place.
I've never heard of a legitimate college that guarantees you can't fail.. no classes no schedules? Seems like a 'too good to be true' type of education.
You have clearly explained exactly why so many nurses take The College Network route. Almost risk free, depending on student. Self-paced studies, so you can work without having to turn your life upside down to attend college. We bring college to you.
Little stress, little pressure. No classes. No class schedules. Guaranteed passing grades for ALL prerequisites & general studies (Algebra, Stats, History, World Religion, A&P 1&2, Microbiology, Chemistry, etc. And, in the end, students are invited to walk with campus-based students and receive identical, real college diplomas, complete with cap & gown and shaking hands with the college president.
Can't fail and we provide guaranteed financing for all working nurses (LPNs, RNs) and CNAs who want to earn real college degrees from mainstream universities (Indiana State, Regis University). All distance learning, no classes. Your pace, your place.
Truthfully, I don't really trust this kind of education. My college experience has been about far more then testing out on the content of each course.
I agree with mjmoon as well, guaranteed passing of classes? To go along with guaranteed financing? Definitely sounds like someone's got a bridge to sell...
jekisslpn
19 Posts
I was far from an A student before I went to Nursing school, but I did very well on the admission test. Once I got in I was an A student. It all depends on your study habits and I found helping others understand helped me a great deal. My shool did not graduate anyone with a less than a B average.