Pre-Application Jitters Here..

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I have finished all prerequisites required for my school's RN program. I am applying in two weeks and I have taken and passed the TEAS. I earned B's in Anatomy & Physiology 1 and in MicroBiology, but A's in all other classes leaving my GPA at 3.75. I have read many posts and heard horror stories of applicants being denied repeatedly, hoping that I will not be one of them. To anyone applying soon, how does your GPA look and what are your feelings about being accepted on your fist attempt? Now I am just waiting for acceptance or rejection, so I keep reminding myself that they'll either take me or leave me and there isn't much of anything else I can do.

:confused:

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Maybe if you say where are you applying, more people will be able to give you an idea?

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My school has a ranking system. A's get higher points than B's plus you get points for finishing all core classes and for passing HESI with at least an 80. I passed all sciences with A's and Prob n Stat with a B, scored 80 and above on my HESI ending with a 3.8 GPA. I just received my acceptance letter on the 23. I was super nervous because there are so many applicants and few spots in the class.If you don't make this round you may be on an alternates list or apply again for the next semester.

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I am applying to State College of Florida and Edison State College. I do apologize for any confusion, I didn't necessarily mean to ask for the GPAs of anyone applying to the same schools. I'm actually hoping to get insight on what the general competition may be (anywhere, not just locally).

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That's great TnMtnRose, congratulations on your acceptance!

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First, I just wanted to say that that is a wonderful GPA you have and I wish you the best of luck on being admitted to RN school. I do know schools look at your overall GPA and your prereq GPA (science courses). But, that is not the only thing they consider when accepting applicants.

At my school I was required to take an entrance exam, TEAS I believe. I was also required to write an essay on why I wanted to be a nurse. I also had to supply references, letters of recommendation for my school, and an interview with the Dean of my RN program. Yes, my school did look at my GPA and scored it with the point system. Mine wasn't as high as yours but like I said, they do consider more than a GPA and every school is different.

Some schools may require one to be a CNA for admission, mine did not. But, I can see how being a CNA or hospital volunteer or other health professional (LPN, phlebotomist, medical assistant etc) would benefit someone for acceptance. I also knew in advance that I would need to be certified in CPR and first aid before attending nursing school. So, I made sure I had those certifications when I was applying.

I asked alot of questions. I was always in touch with my school making sure they recieved this or that document. I asked them if there was anything I could do to better my chances of being accepted into school. I kept in touch and followed up on issues that arised. Basically, I didn't let them forget who I was which confirmed even more my committment and interest in their school. I attended all of the pre-nursing student meetings and orientations at my school. I made friends with current nursing students at my school and asked them questions about school. I talked to the nursing instructors at my school and asked them about the program.

I pretty much did anything and everything that was in my ability to "stand out" and rise above the rest. And, I was accepted. :w00t: But, I do know that if I wasn't accepted that I would try and try again. Just because one does not get accepted into a nursing program the first time, does not mean you are a failure. There could be many reasons why one doesn't get accepted the first time and it doesn't always mean its personal. It could be space availability among other things.

You'll be fine. Either way, keep at it and don't give up. I wish you the best and good luck. :)

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Capricorn, you have great determination and drive. Thank you for responding. Congratulations on your acceptance, too! I hope that I can give the advice you've given to me, to someone else very soon.

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You're welcome. That is what we are here for, at least for me. To all help each other. I know I'll need help too come next year. Until then, I'm just sharing my knowledge to others who might find it useful.

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

I got the same scary feeling like, now that I passed microbiology its all done I will be applying soon after I get my AA and teas. I still have to take the TEAS my GPA overall is only 3.45 for my AA I do not think u got anything to worry about. But some schools do not consider the overall GPA just my nursing preq's GPA which is what I am hoping. I think mine is very low overall but higher if I look at just the nursin courses. I hoping to get into BSN UCF either main campus or UCF Daytona campus my backup school will be Florida State College at Jacksonville. I think schools want a well rounded class not just a bunch of geeks with 4.0 GPA's and perfect teas scores.

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Ash, I just wanted to say that so far everything sounds good. You've got a great GPA and the prereq course grades are good. If your school works like mine does than it would mostly depend on what you got on your TEAS. If I remember correctly the national average is 60-65 or so with a "good grade" being a 80 or so. I will soon be applying to a junior college in Northern Alabama and they weight the TEAS test very heavily. In fact, at my school they almost completely disregard GPA (you have to have a 2.5 as a minimum. Anything above that does not give you additional "points" to get in). At my school we're rated on a point system. A competitive candidate will have 140 points. In this system each point you get on your TEAS is one point toward your overall score so it's very important to do well on the TEAS. Other points are determined by what you received in Anatomy I, II and Microbiology and whether or not you've completed all the other prerequisite classes.

With your GPA and the grades you made in your science classes I can safely wager you did pretty well on your TEAS so I think your chances of getting accepted are excellent. I know the waiting must be nerve racking but keep up hope! You seem to be on the right track so far.

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Thank you Griffin, I appreciate the response! I scored high 80s on every section of the TEAS, except for the English portion. My adjusted individual score is 80, so hopefully that will help. I certainly give kudos to those who score 90+! I've seen a few of those here. That's the competition I'm afraid of! Lol.

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Congrats woohoo what a great Christmas present!!

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