Pre-Nursing student ... need advice

[lizziedarabbit]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently taking my prerequisites at a community college in Southern California, hoping to transfer into a BSN program (I know it's super competitive). My top choice is UCI, and I've been working hard toward that goal, but Anatomy is killing me RN. I don't know what I was thinking when I signed up for this accelerated Anatomy in Summer. It's moving so fast that I've already passed the drop deadline, and now I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up with a B.

Any chances left for me to transfer into UCI Nursing with this B? 🥹

For context, I'm certified as both MA and CNA, currently work as MA doing back office mainly. I also have some foreign nursing education (though none of it transferred when I moved here), and I'm bilingual, not sure if that's a plus or no. Should I get some volunteer hours to boost my application?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

[NurseAbi]

Those certifications are great but anatomy is a foundational subject in nursing. Schools vary how they handle it but some pay extra attention to courses that are basically core prerequisites. 

I think the bigger challenge for your situation is that you are in California. Getting a B isn't the end of the world but you are in a highly competitive environment where even people with a flawless GPA still get rejected.

[lizziedarabbit]

NurseAbi said:

Those certifications are great but anatomy is a foundational subject in nursing. Schools vary how they handle it but some pay extra attention to courses that are basically core prerequisites. 

I think the bigger challenge for your situation is that you are in California. Getting a B isn't the end of the world but you are in a highly competitive environment where even people with a flawless GPA still get rejected.

I agree with you 😢 I actually feel very overwhelmed right now. UCI is my dream school but I'll try to apply other schools as well for sure. Hopefully I can get in one 😭 

[Sandy O]

A B is not the end of the world. UCI is a competitive school, but there are other excellent programs to consider, such as CSU Long Beach, which has a strong NCLEX pass rate and a well-regarded program. It's a good idea to keep options open in case you don't get into your top choice. Community service hours can only strengthen your application, so definitely continue those. If you really want to attend UCI, consider looking for volunteer opportunities or student groups online to become a familiar face, which may also help when it comes time to apply. I hope this helps!

[akulahawkRN, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

A single B grade will not be the cause of you being rejected. There are many excellent programs so in addition to the above advice, I would suggest also applying to other relatively local So Cal programs that generally have NCLEX pass rates that are also high. Being that you're going for a BSN program, your options will be a bit more limited so make sure you're looking at those admissions processes and finding out what they require, what they recommend, how they do their selections (lottery, merit, queue of qualified applicants, etc.) and how they arrive at determining a candidate's qualifications. My ADN program, for example, used prerequisite GPA for a certain points value, the TEAS exam score for some points value, prior healthcare experience/license/certs for some points value, veteran status for some points value, low income for some points value, and so on. Once you met the minimum points value to be considered a "qualified applicant" you were just as "qualified" as someone who "maxxed-out" the points. All qualified applicants were then selected randomly from a single pool. Another program locally here uses a similar system but I think they select the top 50 or so applicants by points and another few become "alternates" and so on. In their case, the lowest GPA of the accepted candidates floats a bit and isn't exactly easy to pin down because GPA isn't the only criteria they use. 

In my case as an ADN grad, I can "upgrade" to a BSN by attending an online, blended, or in-person program and take the coursework needed. Since I'm already a working RN, there should be minimal (if any) clinical work to be done as BSN is an upgrade and not something I'd need for attaining an RN license. 

[Annie.D]

One B usually doesn't automatically disqualify you, but UCI is very competitive, so overall GPA and recent science grades matter most. Your clinical experience and bilingual skills are definite positives, and targeted volunteer hours can help strengthen your application.