bunkyb

god-is-love, Any nursing school is going to be tough to get in, and nursininga is correct to advise applying to different schools and hoping for the best. If your sister goes to Clayton, she will be taking Pathophysiology before entering nursing--it's a prereq there, where as most schools incorporate it into their nursing curriculum. Don't let that scare her away--the course is invaluable for nursing! I'm glad that I had a whole sememster of Patho before clinicals etc... Some schools don't even offer it. If she can pass patho, get a good NET score and keep a GPA over 2.80, she has a good chance of getting in. The school will tell her that they it's rare to accept anyone under a 3.00 GPA, but I believe that is a scare tactic. The truth is most schools use scare tactics when it comes to GPAs, but they really do have the ability to be picky when making choices of who gets in. I have found that the advisors at CSU were very helpful even before I was accepted into nursing, unlike they were at GPC when I attended. Another good school is Gordon College in Barnesville. It may be a long drive, but I know 2 friends that graduated there, and are very happy they did. They use TEAS as their testing--much easier than the NET. Both friends have jobs in the areas they like. One more thing about GPC--when I went to their nursing seminar, they told us that they couldn't guarantee which campus we would be sent to. Even if we started at the Clarkston campus, we may be asked to drive to the Lawrenceville campus for class, vice versa. They were having a shortage of professors at the time--1 year ago. I know it sounds like I'm dumping on GPC, but I have heard too many negatives and experienced being turned down twice with high GPAs etc.. My best friend was turned down twice (with no explanation) then he went on to graduate from Clayton, Magna Cum Laude! GPC didn't give him a chance. He was so discouraged, he almost changed majors--I'm glad he decided to go somewhere else.

nursininga, congrats for passing in a school that quite honesly has the worst fail rate of any nursing school in Ga. You are probably way smarter than anyone I go to nursing school with at Clayton. We don't know what it is like to work our behinds off!

Oh, I forgot to mention. Yes they do penalize students for retaking classes to get better grades. The school looks at how many times a student has taken the same class and how many withdrawals are in their records. And again, they will not give a reason why you're turned down for nursing. A form letter is all that you will get. I got the sam one twice.

I tried to get into GPC with a 4.00 in science and an overall gpa of 3.76 and was turned down twice! I was also student of the semester in two of my science classes. I passed the NET on the first try--but only had a 76 comp. score. The school would not even take my calls when it came to discuss what I needed to do to get in the nursing program. I got a form letter both times. I feel like I wasted my time at GPC. I got accepted at Clayton first try--and I'm getting a BSN instead of an ADN. Here's a litle info that most people don't know: GPC has a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX. Really? How is that possible--is the school that good at eductaing their students? I doubt it. I'm not saying that it's not a good school--rather, that they weed out the ones that they think aren't going to be able to pass the NCLEX on the first try. It's all political. I was told from someone that has insight into the sitution, that GPC does this for funding and accreditation purposes. I did some research myself and saw that one year GPC only graduated a handful of students! No wonder they had a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX! I would recommend that your sister try to go somewhere else for nursing school.

Interactive Comm. is one of those classes that does take time away from the harder nursing courses. I'm finishing IC tomorrow thank God. It's not a hard class, but time consuming. I'm taking 2 electives this summer so that I don't have to take them during the fall or spring--I would recommend the same for anyone. You will find out that the nursing classes give you so much reading, you will not have a life outside of school. Also, most of the teachers will help you anytime you ask--just ask, if you're struggling go to them for help. Don't wait until you've failed to get help. Nursing school will be like nothing you've ever experienced as far as work load--it's grueling--but rewarding at the same time. You will learn so much in a short period of time.. As far as Patho goes, it is one of the most important classes you'll ever take, learn it! You'll see it again and again. Lastly, find a study group to get in. I haven't done that yet, but next semester I am definetely getting in a group. Most of us were to naive to think that we needed one, boy were we wrong!

I see your point on the expenses. That is one of the reasons I chose the school I'm at now.

You are never too old! I'm 43 with 5 children and grandchildren. Go to any school that you feel will suite you. The pay afterwards will be the same regardless of where you went to school. I go to a school that offeres a BSN and is convenient to my location. But if I didn't get accepted there, I would have taken just about any nursing school that wanted to give me a spot in there class.

I'm finishing up my 1st semester at CSU. Here is a little tid bit for you to know. Get the Dosage Calculation book "Clinical Calculations Made Easy" 4th Edition. ISBN 13: 978-0-7817-6385-1. Study all of it before the semester starts. Two weeks into classes you'll be tested--a 90 or above is passing. If you don't pass the first time they give you another chance. If you can't pass it then, you will not continue with the nursing program. Welcome to nursing, see you there!

I'm finishing first semester at Clayton. I believe that it's all in what you put into it. Clinicals is where you really become a good nurse. I saw some students that didn't prepare, and didn't get as much out of it as others that prepared the night before. I also ran into a new nurse from Mercer that was a new hire. This person seemed competent, but in no way would I say more prepared than any other new grads that I've met along the way. As far as nursing schools, personally, I want to get out asap to start working-however, I'm happy to be working on a BSN instead of an ASN. So either Clayton or Mercer would work in that regard. One more thought: I have friends that graduated from Clayton and Gordon--neither had a problem getting a job at Atlanta Medical Center, (ICU and Telemetry). Both have same pay as well.