Poor Grades in Non-Required Pre-Requisites

[McNurse1295]

I attend UF and recently decided to pursue a career in nursing after several years of planning to attend med school. Among the many factors that led me to my decision to switch was the fact that I was not doing very well in Organic Chemistry or Physics II. I ended up receiving a D+ in Orgo and a C+ in Physics. I do well in all of my other classes (hence my frustration) and have managed to keep my GPA at about a 3.4 despite these poor grades. I have earned A's in all of the nursing program pre-requisites so far. Since I am already a senior, I plan to complete my degree in biology and apply to accelerated nursing programs in Florida. UNF, UF, and UCF are my top choices. I am worried that the poor grades I received while on the pre-med track will discourage programs from accepting me. Does anyone know how these grades will affect admission decisions? Thanks!

[mindofmidwifery, ADN]

It depends on the school/program. I've heard of some schools only taking prerequisite grades into account but my school counts all grades from previous coursework.

[Simplistic]

Those grades are definitely going to hurt you... BUT, your GPA is still decent. If you kill your HESI or TEAS, you should have a decent chance at getting accepted. HOWEVER, accelerated BSN programs are COMPETITIVE, especially in the schools you mentioned. Good luck.

[McNurse1295]

Thanks for the advice! I'm hoping to raise my GPA to a 3.5-3.6 before graduating next year and I've already started studying for the TEAs test. Do you think it would make a difference if those courses weren't even required for my degree? My degree is biology with a focus on natural sciences so both orgo and physics were essentially electives. Also, do either of you know anything about the differences between ASN and BSN in the actual job field?

[McNurse1295]

Just to update - I ended up scoring a 91.3 on the TEAS exam and applied to UF, UNF, and UCF with a 4.0 pre-req GPA and a 3.6 undergrad GPA. I was accepted into each program! For anyone who is nervous to apply for the same reason I was, don't miss out on the opportunity to try. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.