Odd circumstances, need some advice!

[iaca]

Hi everyone, this is a great forum, I have been lurking for a couple months now! I just have a few questions and need some advice of where I should go from here. Long story short, I want to get my RN but need some advice considering my circumstances.

Heres my story.

I had an extremely difficult period in my life after graduating high school through my early 20s. I won't go into it, but it heavily affected my grades in college. While living in Iowa. I got expelled for bad grades from one university. I then moved to california, and continued on into community college I basically failed out again there. After this, I decided college wasn't for me and decided to work as a computer programmer while I figured my life out. So I did, and I'm great now. Much, much happier and my life has stability.

California is great! But the job market there imploded in october! Now I'm back in Iowa, finishing college. I'm a psychology major, and my grades are great now. My major gpa (cumulative) is 3.67. I have a 3.86 gpa now since returning to school, and I have ~45 semester units left. (not including science prereqs for an absn)

I want to enter into an accelerated bsn program after I finish my bachelors in psychology and complete the science prereqs. But my question is this. What are my chances of getting accepted into a program? My first 60 hours of college are LITTERED with F's. I really screwed things up. But I improved vastly and am now basically getting straight A's with the odd B. Will this be enough? What kind of performance do I need to show to get accepted into a program? Anything I can do to set myself apart?

Other thoughts:

I figure I should be looking at private programs as their admission requirements seem to be a bit lighter.

Should I think about getting my LVN, then doing an LVN to RN program? How difficult are those to get into?

Any other thoughts would be appreciated!!!

[jschut, BSN, RN]

Yep. I think alot of us were in that boat at one time.

I do believe you will be fine.

Good luck!

[Mandie-SRN]

From my experience when i was apllying to nursing schools, they basically just looked at my named and GPA from the required courses. I am out in southern california though im not sure where you are at. I think that programs are looking for students with a high GPA and thats it.

Amanda T.-Elsevier Student Ambassador

[Veganmom]

I'm not sure if they have a program available like this where you live, but in Texas there is a Fresh Start Program. It allows you have the option to not include your classes that are older than 10 years old. If you take that option, none of your classes during that period count towards your credits or GPA. During the informational session at one of the nursing schools, it was explained that they do take into consideration that many students have difficulties when entering college for the first time and the later higher grades are given more weight.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Actually, I think the OP's situation is not at all unusual. In fact, I have heard of more than one university that provides students with the option of declaring "academic bankruptcy" which wipes out all their previous (horrible) records - LOL. I think this is a great idea for any of us who look back on our mis-spent youths.