My school seems to be different....what admission req. do you have to complete?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hi,

i am a little confused ;-)

I read here all the time that you guys take anatomy, microbio and all that as "prereq's".... do you really have to do all of those generals before starting nursing school? Here, admission requirements are:

High school diploma/GED

accepted college student

CNA- current registry

medical terminology- take class or pass test

pass assessment test for english reading/writing and math opr take respective classes

attend a nursing info session

thats it- then they take applications for the following year sometime in january (08 is filled already)

all the other generals you can take anytime- maybe thats because once youre admitted, you still have two to three semesters before starting nursing school....? but from all i read here, my school seems to be unusual- no essays, no letter of intend, no required GPA...? and what is NLN?

i would almost feel better if it came down to performance- at least that way i knew all i had to do is my best. but with this first come first serve business, i already have nightmares of 500 wannabe nursing students pushing thru the door of the college at 7 am on january 30th 2008 (thats when they take applications for 2009)

sooooo..... is my school really that unusual? either way, i am starting to feel like i am in way over my head..... when i decided to go into nursing i somehow thought all i had to do was go to the college and sign up for class... :rolleyes:

No- it is a Community and Technical College.

You guys are starting to scare me off *lol* I didnt plan on taking too many generals this year already, because, i will have to take Chemistry 101 and Psychology 131 (they are prereqs for microbio+ developmental psych, which are part of the nursing curriculum) and i will most likely have to take at least one math class (dont think i'll pass the assessment)

However, i already have my sociology done- better than nothing, i guess ;-)

i guess i will make an appt with the student advisor and try to find out more...

yes that sounds like the best bet, what it seems like to me is they are telling you the minimalist requirements but there is more to the story. Actually if you looked at the web sites of most schools you won't get the full picture. I know my school just says you need ap 1,2 micro, math (a basic) and english....however what it doesn't say is you need chemistry to get into micro and algebra to get into Chemistry so you have to take those as well. Once you talk to an advisor you can make your plan and have a better feel for when you will be done.

Just a reminder it might seem overwhelming and forever but it seriously goes by quick and the time will go by regardless. I know I got frustrated one semester and didn't take any more classes thinking I would just head out into the work force instead....didn't take me long to realize that was a mistake and missed a whole semester while doing it.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
thats it- then they take applications for the following year sometime in january (08 is filled already)

There must be more since the Jan 08 class is full, how do they determine where to cut it off? It has to do with something like gpa, pre-reqs completed or even the time you submitted the application. I'd ask for more information.

We didn't have essays or interviews either ours was based on gpa and the NLN exam scores. Pre-reqs had to be completed before applying which is kind of a crock because a majority of people taking all those classes will never even get into the nursing program.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I am in the process of attempting to gain entry into an LVN-to-RN program. Here are the different prerequisites for 4 different schools.

SCHOOL #1: A&P I, A&P II, Micro, English Comp I, General Psychology, and Human Growth and Development.

SCHOOL # 2: A&P I, A&P II, English Comp I, English Comp II, General Psychology, Human Growth and Development, and an elective.

SCHOOL # 3: A&P I, A&P II, Nutrition, English Comp I, General Psychology, and Human Growth and Development

SCHOOL # 4: A&P I, A&P II, Micro, English Comp I, General Psychology, Human Growth and Development, Computer Science, and an elective

This is making me nuts! Jumping through these hoops is getting expensive especially without any guarantee of acceptance.

School #1- won't take Growth and Development CLEP so I took the class but didn't get accepted because they filled with in county students first no matter what their gpa, grrrrr.

School #2- won't take one of my English CLEPs so I had to take another one not hugely expensive but a PITA. Won't hear from them for a couple of months

School #3 won't take my University Women's Studies class as their Humanities elective, ok so its off to enroll in "basket weaving 101" or something equally as important, sheesh.

School #4 won't take any Sociology CLEP. I find that so annoying that I'm not even applying there.

Bottom line: I am going to bite the bullet and also apply to a BSN Program even though it will take me longer and they are so much more expensive. These CCs are getting on my nerves and its my understanding that the Universities are easier to get in if you have decent grades.

No- it is a Community and Technical College.

You guys are starting to scare me off *lol* I didnt plan on taking too many generals this year already, because, i will have to take Chemistry 101 and Psychology 131 (they are prereqs for microbio+ developmental psych, which are part of the nursing curriculum) and i will most likely have to take at least one math class (dont think i'll pass the assessment)

However, i already have my sociology done- better than nothing, i guess ;-)

i guess i will make an appt with the student advisor and try to find out more...

Nah, don't be scared. I know of two community colleges in my area who have rather minimal requirements for entry into the program.

#1 -- CNA license, med terminology, general healthcare hodgepodge fluff class, NET

#2 -- Chemistry, Psychology, med terminology or pass the test, CNA license

At college #1, their requirements are such because it's aimed at making LPNs out of ya. To advance to obtaining your RN, you need the standard prereqs.

At college #2, I think they're just trying to get bodies in the door. It's a more rural program and not always running at capacity.

My first nursing school, for a BSN program, did not have as many prereqs. I had to take some university requirements - sociology, american government, etc., and I had taken my math and english for a previous degree. The only science prereqs were micro and chem. My first semester was Anatomy, Physiology, Developmental Psych, and Intro to Professional Nursing. Then Katrina came to town, and now I live in FL. Definitely go to an info session as soon as you can, they'll tell you both what you have to take and what you should take. A lot of schools list some sciences as "co-reqs," which means you don't HAVE to take them prior to admission but it's recommended that at least most of them are out of the way. You may be able to take them while you wait for a spot, however, after you apply. Good luck to you!

In the RN program at my school, you only HAVE to have completed A&P I with a passing grade (70) and display "math competancy" to apply. Because the competition is so brutal, you actually stand VERY little chance of getting in without completing:

A& P I

A & P II

Microbiology

Intro to Psychology

Developmental Psychology

Intro to Chemistry

English Comp I

English Comp II

Ethics

You generally need a mix of at least A's and B's in these classes to be competitive. I had all of these completed with a 3.7 GPA and only made it into the program as an alternate. I originally received a letter telling me to "raise my GPA" to increase my chances of acceptance for the future.

The school that I applied to is much different than the others in my area, the requirements are high school bio and chem only, there are no placement tests and I was required to submit an essay with my application and attend an info session.

My school is part of a state wide system. An applicant has to complete 29 to 31 credits of pre-reqs. These are the requirements for two schools;

  • Critical/Analytical/Science GPA (20%)
    • Anatomy (5 cr.) - BIOL-N 261
    • Finite Math - MATH-M 118
    • Critical/Analytical/Science course

  • Nursing GPA (30%)
    • Anatomy (5 cr.) - BIOL-N 261
    • Finite Math - MATH-M 118
    • Critical/Analytical/Science course
    • English Composition- ENG-W 131 or ENG-W 140
    • Introduction to Psychology- PSY-B 104 or PSY-B 105
    • Introduction to Sociology - SOC-R 100
    • Remaining courses selected from the following clusters to reach 29-31 credit hours:
      • Communication Cluster (1 course max),
      • Social Competence Cluster (1 course max)
      • Cultural Diversity Cluster (2 courses max) and/or
      • Humanistic Appreciation Cluster (1 course max.)

  • Interview with Faculty, Alumni and Community Nursing Partners (30%)
    • 20-30 minute interview with eligible applicants will be scheduled after the application is submitted.
    • A written essay (500 words maximum) will also be required as part of the application and will be discussed in the interview

  • Service experience (5%)
    • May be met through one or more of the following:
      • Work experience
      • Volunteer Experience
      • Completion of pre-nursing course ( NURS-B 104)
      • Performance Based Programs: minimum GPA/research
      • Scholarship Based Programs: minimum GPA/service-learning

  • Cumulative GPA (15%)

Chemistry competency is required for admission - 2 semesters of high school chemistry (with a grade of C or better each semester) OR a college-level chemistry course

After you jump through all of those hopes and are evaluated and ranked, each applicant is place into three categorie, which are;

Category A--applicants who have completed more than half of the credit hours required for application at the campus to which they have applied. Category A campuses for application purposes are IUPUI; IU-Bloomington and IUPU-Columbus.

Category B--applicants who have completed more than half of the credit hours required for application on an Indiana University campus other than IUPUI; IU-Bloomington or IUPU-Columbus.

Category C--applicants for whom more than half of the credit hours required for application were earned at an institution other than Indiana University. For example, Purdue University, West Lafayette is considered a Category C institution.

I am applying this semester and will have completed all of my pre-reqs for application at the end of this semester.

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