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Hey USFEli I am a upper division student at USF College of Nursing. I was accepted back in Fall of 2011. I will be graduating this August. Yay!!! Some stats on me I was admitted with a 3.9 overall GPA and close to that for pre rec GPA. I had some volunteer experience in a hospital and worked in a law office. I had no healthcare experience. I think you have a good chance of being accepted into the program. Yes a lot of students have a 3.8 GPA or higher but they do not have the experience that you do. GPA is only part of the review process a personal statement is also looked at. So I would definitely include your extracurricular and healthcare experience in your personal statement. If you have an awesome personal statement, that can give you the edge over someone with a higher GPA with an average essay. I think horseback riding is a positive point about you. I know of a student that was a professional golfer and was accepted. There are many qualities of an athlete that translate into nursing. I would include it in your personal statement. As for financial Aid, USF has been very helpful in finding aid for me. The CON (College of Nursing) has their own scholarships that they give out every spring and sometimes summer. I do know that the second degree students have a harder time getting aid. Hope that helps

Actually upper division students entering this fall will be graduating in July of 2014. Second degree students will be graduating in December of 2013.

I am an upper division student, but I have heard from many second degree students that it has been extremely difficult because of the pace.

Are you thinking of applying for the upper division or second degree program?

i was accepted in the fall of 2011. my gpa at the time was 3.88. i had one b in the pre reqs. a 3.77 gpa is still competitive. remember acceptance is not only based off gpa overall, but also pre req gpa, personal statement, and resume. from what i remember anywhere between 400-600 students apply each semester. though an adviser told me that many who apply do not qualify because they are missing pre reqs. so, the number of students competing for admission may actually be a lot lower.

I rewrote parts of my personal statement. I knew I must have been close to being chosen the first time because I was on the alternate list.

No, they did not tell me why. They just sent me an email letting me know I was not accepted. I heard though they are accepting like 120 students this fall. I do not know if that is true. There is no classroom at the College of Nursing that can hold 120 students. We barely fit with 98 students.

oh, i guess i should have been clearer. i am currently in the nursing program at usf. i was accepted in the fall of 2011. my gpa i think at the time of applying was 3.88. keep optimistic i did not get in the first time i applied.

Sounds like you have a good chance. What semester are you applying for?

I did my prereqs at a community college in Florida. I received my AA degree and then transferred to USF. I commute to USF. I live about 45 min north of the school. I have never lived on campus.

i suppose you are talking about the upper division bsn program. there is a second degree program that has a different schedule, but takes the same classes. i am in the upper division program. the classes are taught by multiple instructors. the classes are usually scheduled two days a week. the longest day of classes i have had was from 8am to 5pm. some classes are only one day a week. later in the nursing program there are online classes.there are labs that help you learn skills. at nursing orientation they will assign you to a clinical team based on your preference. the clinical team you are assigned to is the location you will be doing your clinical. clinicals start the very first semester. clinical daily hours are set by the instructor and vary between teams. the total amount of clinical hours is set by the board of nursing.

stay hopeful everyone. last year i applied to usf and i am now enjoying the grueling experience of being a usf nursing student. it is worth the wait.

i am in usf's nursing program. i first applied back in the summer of 2011 and did not get in. i had a 3.8 overall gpa. i had only 1 b in my pre reqs other than that a's. i reapplied for the fall and was accepted. it is a very difficult program to get into. actually all nursing programs are hard to get into. your healthcare and volunteer experience is important. i agree with the others retake the classes you have c's in. @stephalina6 i would suggest asking rn sam she was in the second degree program at usf.

I am in the traditional bachelor’s degree program.

My best advice is that you make sure you answer all of the questions given in the instructions for personal statement. Take into consideration the sample curriculum and philosophy statement. Include a personal experience whether that is work, volunteer, or family. The admissions department reads hundreds of essays in a short period of time, so you want to make sure your essay stands out.