please help! i need opinions!

[haleighanne]

hello everyone! i'm new here, nice to see a place where pre-nursing students like me can get some actual advice/information! :)

well, here's my background story in a nutshell...i attend a 4 year state university and i'm now currently a junior. i'm a pre-nursing student and i applied to the program and unfortunately didn't get in...super super competitive. now the options that i have since i didn't get in are either: 1) change your major or 2) go to a different school. since i didn't want to change my major, i'm now currently at home taking some summer classes and my plan was to stay at home for a while and go to nursing school here.

here's the kicker: i am behind a couple of classes in my pre-reqs. i did NOT do well in my anatomy class so i'm retaking it now and i have to take microbiology in the fall, which puts me at a disadvantage because now i can't apply to any of the schools here until next semester and i am the type of person that HATES waiting around and i can't go this long without taking classes. i was thinking of possibly going back to the university in the fall and majoring in either criminology or family and child sciences, and while i continue my education i will finish my pre-reqs and apply to another school here in my hometown which has a 2 year waiting list (the term starts summer 2014 and i graduate spring 2014)

so my question is, to all of the men and women who have possibly gone through the same situation, is should i just wait and apply for the community college here at home for next year or should i graduate from the university and go to the program with the 2 year waiting list afterwards? would i be wasting my time if i graduated with a different major???? please help

[WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN]

It really depends on what you want to do with your life. I suggest you don't put your eggs in one basket. Finish your pre-req's and apply to every school in and around your area (and out of the area if you're comfortable). Give yourself the best chance you can to get into a nursing program. While waiting for letters you might be able to take criminology pre-req's along with nursing pre-req's if you're a full-time student. At that point if you don't get into a nursing program then you'll have an easier transition into nursing. I was actually going to major in criminology and become a teacher (it's a little backwards, but I have experience with special education students and may have been able to get a job with any BA or BS) because I just KNEW that I couldn't get into a nursing program. It's great that you have a backup plan, but make sure you give yourself a good shot at getting into nursing before giving up.