Was anyone a not so great High School student and become a GREAT college student?

[emndarmic]

Hello,

I am getting ready to start my pre-reqs January 3rd.

I am actually nervous about starting. When I was in High School ( I graduated in 1990) I wasn't a very good student and was never "Made" to do anything by my parents. I was the only one who Graduated out of my family, my Sister quit school at 18, my Mom quit in the 10th grade to get married to my Dad (not married now though) and who by the way made it to 7th grade w/ out learning to read or write anything more than his name. I don't want this to sound like a sob story that's not what I am trying to do here. My problem is even though my GPA was only 1.777 I have a huge desire to become a Nurse. You have to have a 2.0 at least to be admitted into the program, they said I can make it up in course work before then. I have wanted this since my Daughter was born in 1996, I got to see upclose and personal what an OB Nurse gets to do and I soooo bad have wanted it all these years, 2 more children later here I am, I watched them as I delivered my next 2 sons, the feelings I get to even watch Birth Day on Discovery Channel is pure delight, I get teary on those T.V. shows and always say out loud "I want that", I have the desire to do it no matter what anyone else says,

I get negative vibes and comments from Mom like, " Are you sure you could handle being a nurse? What if a baby would die on you", things like that discourage me, I think of things on the flip side, what if I can help a little one or an older Lady with daily activities, she sees the sad or gross as she has put it before, and I see the beauty. I realize it is not always wonderful, but I want to make a difference in my life as well as patients. I have a great husband and 3 wonderful kids that I want to make a good life for too. As I told my DH yesterday and got the death look, "Once I become a Nurse, they could put me on 2nd shift and I wouldn't even care", now that's desire to become a Nurse (Tee Hee Hee). I think my Moms probem is that I am stepping out and wanting something out of my life unlike what she has done, by the way my Mom and Sister are stay-at-home mom's (me too, but I don't want to do that forever like my mom has done) they have no desire to get out and work nor does their Husbands care if they do or they don't

My fear is w/ a GPA of 1.777 is that I won't be smart enough to make my dream happen. I can't start my program until Fall 07', so I will have all my AP's and Microbiology all the hard classes out of the way (I know there is still gonna be hard ones, but the way we have it set up now is first quarter the only thing I have to take is Foundation of Nursing and that is it, then 2nd quarter will be Foundation of Nursing 2, 3rd quarter will be Foundations in Womens health and Children then the 2nd YEAR I will have to take it all except for Sociology which I will have already taken, does this seem possible for a person like me?) . I had a boyfriend all through High School and never took things seriously, I never never never studied because it would take time from him, never took my ACT's or anything that I would ever need for College, always thought I would be at home just like Mom (not that there's anything wrong w/ that, I've been at home w/ my kids for almost 10 years, now my desires have just changed).

I'm sorry this is so long, but I can't discuss these fears w/ anybody else for I am embarrassed of my grades.

Has anyone had a low average like that and still made a go of Nursing, or do well in AP like you never thought you could or Algebra ( I stink in math too). I am going to post this in another place too so maybe I can get a lot of feedback and get some self confidence about myself. My DH, Sister and Dad are very supportive of me (Sis bought me scrubs already as an incentive, so that was cool). Thanks in advance. Have a Great Weekend..

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Yes. I was flunking out of high school, hated it, so I dropped out. A few years later, I got a GED. I was also raised in a family where college, life goals, etc. were never mentioned. This was in the 1980s.

I graduated in 2000 with my AAS in Nursing-

I graduated Phi Theta Kappa and was valedictorian of my nursing class.

I am the only person from my immediate family to ever graduate from college.

I achieved my goals without any financial help, and with nothing but disapproval and discouragement from my family.

Today, I am the "big deal" in my family. They also consider me to be the "rich" one, lol.

You can do it!

[bluestar]

Average high school grades. Went to college as an adult, took it very seriously, did very well.

[rgrgray]

I think you will do great!!! I was never good in high school I HATED IT!!! needless to say i got pregnant at 16 and quit got my ged a couple years later and went back to college two years ago and I have done really well! to me college is nothing like high school I am older and take it wayyyy more serious! I think you will do fine, now you know what real life is all about, bills, mortgage, car payments etc. and you know what a college education can do for you and your family. I wanted my children to be proud of me and use me as a good example " if mom can do it so can I"

[wanna help people]

My story is similar to a lot of others I have read here. I graduated in 1984 with a high B average. I almost never studied, but school just came naturally to me. I flew "under the radar" and was never labeled a nerd because I didn't try hard enough to make A's. I started college immediately after high school and proceeded to party my way to failing out and getting my MRS degree instead. I got mediocre jobs and finally after 20 years got up the courage to go back to school. (It took me 3 years from the time I started thinking about it to actually have the nerve to take the college placement test.) I am now a 4.0 student that studies every spare minute. I have just been accepted to an RN program. (I will be in the first class under this program.) I guess what I am trying to say is that if you work hard enough and want it badly, you will succeed. Follow your dreams!!

Tracey, in FL

[TRINI_RN]

I started out highschool on the honor roll. In the 10th grade my mom and dad split up, mom got 2 jobs and as the oldest I became responsible for everyone else. I kind of just stopped caring about school, or my grades. If I hadn't done so well in the 9th and beginning of 10th grade, I probably wouldn't have had enough credits to graduate.

Now I'm in college for the first time, I have a 4.0 Gpa with; Eng111, Eng112, Sociology, Psychology, and Bio 101 completed. I'm currently taking A&P 1 and Algebra and have an A average in those. The point is, the past is the past, only you can decide your future. Anything is possible if you put your mind, and heart to it. You CAN succeed, and there are so many people here that will help you through it. Good luck!

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

Absolutely sukked in H.S. Barely got through each year.

I was a clown and daydreamer, and while I liked the music, arts, and languages side of school ..and our great PE program, (and did well in these) anything else I had absolutely no interest in. Ahh wait.. I liked Geography, too.. maps, countries, etc.

And biology.. liked that, too.

But Math, physics, chemistry, history, economics, all that "dry" stuff... BLECH!

But once I got out on my own it was an entirely different thing. I amazed myself, but mostly my FAMILY with my sudden "brilliance".

Straight A student from that point on. No matter what courses I took, I aced them. Maintained a 4.0 all through my nursing studies as well.

Guess the difference lies in the fact that now you are doing something YOU want to do.. YOU are interested in, and the goals are YOURS and yours alone.

That made a huge difference at least to me. I'm a whole lot more motivated (and therefore "smarter") when it's something I choose to persue.

[michele08540]

YES- if you have the will and desire you can do it.

Keep those negative influences away from you- don't let them know anything.

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY and when you succeed then they will know.

Hopefully your living situation is different now, your environment can either weigh you down or lift you up.- But you must believe in yourself first.

Shake it off and go for it girlfriend!!!!!

[RedSox33RN]

I graduated in the 80's. HS was a rough time for me, and I graduated (barely) in the bottom 1/3 of a class of 130 or so students. I was actually placed on academic probation in my junior year, because I received more than 2 F's on my report card.

College and nursing are important to me. Not only because I'm footing the bill, but because it is what *I* want. I KNOW I could have been a good HS student, but I didn't apply myself, and honestly, didn't have a parent that really cared (except for when report cards came out). I now have a 3.98 average in college, and truly enjoy learning. Yes, it gets tiresome, and I'm going through a phase now where I can't wait for this course to be over with (hopefully just a temporary setback, due to family problems now), but I think the important thing is that I feel this is important, and I know how to succeed. It will take hard work, and I know I can ask for help if I need to.

You have it within YOU to fail or succeed. It may come more easily to others, but 100% of it STARTS with your mindset. Decide what you want, how you want it, and go after it. Best of luck!

[DusktilDawn]

My grades were all over the place, depending on whether or not I liked the class. Barely passed math and chemistry. Aced biology and english. The first time I went to college was to become an RPN, when I made that decision I had also decided I was going to get straight A's. That is exactly what I did. Almost had a 4.0 GPA (3.75 in psych nursing theory) when I returned to become an RN. Because this was important to me, I worked my butt off.

Steer away from the negative naysayers. Do what you need to do to achieve your goals. There's a saying: It's the things we haven't done that we regret the most (or something similar).

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Hello, emndarmic!

Did we have the same mother? We must have passed each other on the stairs at home and never noticed each other! :chuckle My mother must have popped out from the same mold as yours. I wanted to be a teacher. All I heard from my mom was "you'll never be a good teacher because you can't even babysit for your brothers and sisters." I heard that kind of mentality all my life from her. It's negative thinking. I listen to my sister who is a duplicate copy and I can't stand to be around her for very long. Believe me, there was, not is, anything wrong with you. I love my mother, but she is a negative person and finds fault in everything. That's not a very good way to go through life. What helped for me was getting away from home and her constant berating. I progressed pretty rapidly after that.

I went through high school doing minimal homework and hardly ever studying. When I got to junior college because I really wanted to go to college I had a very loud slap in the face as I started doing poorly. The reason was that I never learned how to study properly. But, I'm 55 years old now, got 2 AA degrees and a BSN under my belt. I've learned a few things along the way. First of all, your attitude toward school has changed. That is going to make a big difference because you are going to be willing to buckle down and do what it takes to learn and pass your classes. You have more maturity as well and are more settled in your life so you have a different view of the world than you did when you were a teenager. Unlike the young people you don't have to worry about boyfriends anymore, do you? You have to drop any resemblance of the negative attitude you might have picked up from your mom. It will hold you back. I say that because for awhile you are going to be the only one to pick you up by your bootstap and get you going. That's incredibly difficult sometimes. I had no college role model either. I was the first and only one in my immediate family who has gone to college. I know my relatives make fun of me behind my back when I do poorly at something. All it does is make them feel good and justify why they didn't go to college themselves.

The great thing about college is that they are very forgiving of your high school grades, especially since you are a mature person (I deliberately avoided saying old). Check your school for a class in how to study. It will be invaluable to you. These classes are offered through the counseling department, usually. Ask your counselor or someone in student relations. Someone will know about this course. I outright flunked Sociology in my first year of college. I was too stupid to know enough to withdraw from the class and took the "F". I've gotten far better at studying over the years. I've found that when I'm really interested in a subject I will really go at it all the way. It's a little more difficult with the required classes in the liberal arts that you have to take. However, when it came to nursing, I was off and running with my books. Get some instruction in how to study because I think it will help you immensely.

Going to college is a great thing for your children to see. Children learn by example. Don't be surprised when your kids tell you they want to go to college themselves. Try to get some sleep the night of January 2nd. :chuckle You don't want to be falling asleep your first day of class and giving the impression of being a party girl. :roll Best of luck to you.

[Mirai Kangofu]

I was a smart kid till middle school, when the pressure of Asian parents, having to be a constant Mom Jr. of 5 younger siblings while my parents were constantly fighting and my mom having severe issues, being the only Asian in my school, and a horrible time being bullied by classmates got to me. I rebelled and deliberately flunked my classes in attempt to escape my parents and classmates, spent my teen life depressed, sent to quack shrinks in hopes of an easy solution, and put in foster care. Things got better when my aunt and uncle took me in. They gave me constant attention, took me to some real psychologists and psychiatrists who worked with me rather than against me, and helped me turn my life around. I still got horrible grades and only graduated on time because I took weekend and summer high school classes at the local community college. In college, I got good grades because I swore to myself that I would succeed and prove everybody wrong.

[liljsmom02]

it doesn't matter how u did in high school. i was a straight A student and still continue to get A's and B's. only one problem though. i have no common sense. clinical has been difficult for me. if u want it bad enough it will be yours.