beth13413

I'm just finishing A&P I this week - one semester crammed into 6 weeks - good lord it's been a lot of work, but I'm doing very well. I think the best advice I can give for anyone taking it in the Fall is keep up with the reading, get your textbook early if you can and at least skim through it. DO NOT try to memorize individual facts, try to have them make sense to you and understand how it all fits together. You will have a hard time passing a test if you're trying to pull facts out of thin air - tryi to really think about the "whys". It really is a fascinating thing, the human body! Beth

Hopefull - I haven't even started my RN yet, and have already met with the folks from the BSN/Masters program - to find out what I need to take t be prepared (for example, I'm taking an online Anthropology course this summer to fulfill one of their gen. ed. requirements. I didn't take that during my undergrad.) I think it can never be a bad thing to find out what you need to do. I was very surprised at some of the things I could "get out of the way" before the nursing coursework began - like this online thing.

I think another point that can be made is that a GPA doesn't tell the whole story about a prospective student - maybe that 3.29 is comprised of a whole lot of basket weaving and some poor science grades - or maybe she lacks maturity - or maybe she picked her nose during the interview! (Or maybe she brought her Dad along!) I don't think trend is unlike what is being seen in colleges across the nation - a high GPA/SAT isn't always a guaranteed ticket to the school of your choice.

I have a similar path planned - I already have a BA, which has gotten me past some general electives, so, I'll be starting my RN in September - finish in 2 years. Then, I enter an accelerated BSN/Masters program, which I'll finish in 3 years. I begin "Master's Status" after the second Fall semester. So, five years, altogether. Good luck to you!