Chaotic94

I am still working on my pre-reqs, but I don't think I will work while in nursing school. My plan is to save, save, save to then take out the least amount possible in loans. I will also be living with my mom so that will offset costs tremendously.

Labor and Delivery to then work my way up to NICU - that's my dream, but I will take whatever I can get as soon as I graduate!

Congrats to you and to everyone else that's finished!

Thanks everyone! The labs are online, too. You get instructions and have to send in pictures. Very strange. Now that I've had time to process everything, I've decided to just wait to take chem. It will take longer, but it would be far too overwhelming to do it all at once. I'm just going to take math and bio in the Fall and focus on getting As in those classes which is what I'm used to getting. I didn't pass bio bc I didn't study for the first 2 exams, the only one I studied for was the last one which I did well on, and then tried to read all 18 chapters that were on the final in 2 days which clearly wasn't a good idea. I only have myself to blame so time to face the consequences. At least I have some hope knowing that the test I did study for I passed. Now I just need to study for each test in the Fall. Expensive lesson learned.

This could also be due to how people like to pretend they have awesome lives on facebook, lol. I think it definitely comes from a point of insecurity and jealousy. I've been guilty of putting my friends down in the past, definitely ashamed of it, but you learn how to deal with your issues instead of lashing out. However, it does require being called out on it. I was a total jerk and called my friend's community college "super high school" when we were 18, now at 24, guess who is at a community college? This jerk. Thankfully, she's much more gracious than I was at that age and she doesn't rub it in my face, but it did take her having a serious conversation with me to realize how dumb I was being. At the time, I was afraid she would go on and have a career and forget about me all while I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It didn't mean I didn't love my friend, it was just insecurity and I hope it's the same case for you. Just talk to her and try to work it out.

Thanks for the suggestion! Hopefully I can find good reviews, otherwise I guess it will be best to wait until next Summer to take chem :/ I don't know why I hadn't considered that, guess I was too busy freaking out bc I planned on being done with pre-reqs this December. It would only put me behind an additional 2 months if I do that so it won't be too bad. Thanks again!

I posted a couple of weeks ago about how I was struggling in my Bio class that I needed before I could take A&P. I spoke to my professor and he told me to stick it out which I did. I studied and got a B on the last exam, but didn't do too well on the final today. I ended up with a 67.52%, anything above a 69% would've been a C. I am devastated. And now, I am in damage control mode. I was previously registered to take Chemistry in the Fall on Saturdays to allow me to take math and A&P during the week. Now I've had to drop Chem in order to re-take Bio on Saturdays instead. All of the Chem classes are closed now, and even if they weren't there aren't any that would work with my class schedule. I am set on taking math with a certain professor bc I've had him twice now and he's the first math professor I've actually been able to understand since high school. I am desperately searching for other campuses to take Chem at, but it seems my only option will be an online course. I have never taken a Chemistry class in my life. I'm not GREAT at math, but not horrible. The class starts Monday which sucks bc I sooooo need a break especially after spending the last 8 weeks in this Bio class that I didn't even pass. But I want to start it as soon as possbile that way it doesn't overlap with my Fall classes too much (they would only overlap for 3 weeks if I start this class on Monday bc the class is an 8 week course). I just don't know if I am setting myself up for failure by taking a Chem class online when a huge reason why I didn't pass this Bio class is bc I did not understand the chem in it. And also taking it in 8 weeks instead of 16. I bought the Chemistry for Dummies book, but I am still lost on some aspects of it. I just don't want to have to end up taking Chem in the Spring with A&P bc I want A&P to be the only science course I have that semester so I can give it my all. Any suggestions?

I would also pretend it didn't happen. No use in bringing it up. Talk about unprofessional, though. I don't I've ever had a professor yell at me, ever. Sounds like perhaps he should be rethinking his career choice.

Congrats! How exciting!

Elle, did you go? What did you think? Unfortunately I sat by some very obnoxious people, but overall I feel it was very informative! I'm not sure I'm going to apply, though. A completion date of May 2016 is ridiculous! It seems like wherever you go fo nursing, it takes way longer than any other degree. I don't want to wait 4 years to not even have my BSN at the end!

I'm hoping to go to Phoenix College, but either one is fine with me. I'm currently at MCC and when I went to one of their nursing info sessions, I was told that South Mountain is for people that don't have many pre-reqs done and are essentially starting from the very beginning. However, a girl I work with has her bachelor's and she's been on the waiting list for the program at SMCC, she's just waiting for the actual nursing blocks to start to join since she has the rest of the classes done. To me that seems like pretty much the same thing as being on the traditional waiting list so maybe that's why they don't advise to do that. The nursing advisor said that once I'm on the waiting list, then I can apply to the Phoenix College bilingual program since I have too many classes completed to go through SMCC. Hopefully we can get clarification on this tomorrow! See you there :)

I'm also finishing my pre-reqs in December and will be applying to the bilingual program. I am so glad you posted this! I've been checking the Phoenix College website, not the South Mountain one, so I didn't even know about the information session. I looked it after reading this and will be going on Tuesday as well :) Thanks for posting this!

My dog, who is like my baby, has an Indian vet. She has an accent, but she is the best vet I've ever met. I take my dog to a clinic that has a couple of vets, most of them American, but I always make my appointments with the same vet. Her ethnicity means nothing to me. She's a great vet, she's wonderful with my dog, she's intelligent, and I am confident in her skills. I would prefer my dog be seen by a good doctor with an accent, than a doctor that speaks perfect English but isn't as compassionate or experienced. I realize that not everyone will see it this way, especially when they're trusting you with their child/parent/loved one, but I think all anyone wants is excellent care. As long as you're providing that, I don't think you should worry. Plus, your English will probably improve as you speak it more! Just don't be embarassed to use it since that's the best way to improve it. You didn't mention whether you can understand English well. I'm Hispanic, but my Spanish is horrible. I get embarassed to speak it and it just sucks, lol, but I understand it perfectly and am working on improving my speaking. Obviously it will be important for you to understand English well enough to survive nursing school and clinicals. As long as you understand it, I think it will be ok!

I went on the website for one of the hospitals in my area and am excited to volunteer! They have a Paws for Patients program to bring pets to patients in an effort to help make them feel better. I LOVE pets so I am hoping I get placed in this program. They are currently looking for volunteers for it. Hope you get placed in maternity, LaceElaine. So glad you posted this :)

I've had a few friends graduate from GCU - they all liked the program and were hired quickly after graduation. For me, it's too expensive. I just can't imagine paying that much when as CinDRnyc said, it's much cheaper through CEP. But if you feel this is the right path for you, then go for it. Like I said, everyone I know that's gone through GCU has had a positive experience. If you decide to go there, I hope you do, too.

Oh, you will be fine! I took Medical Terminology online as well. It's mostly a lot of memorization. Just make flashcards and have someone quiz you :) For me, the tests were on campus but they were still fairly easy. Obviously your experience will vastly depend on your professor, but don't stress yourself out over it. In my opinion, that's a good class to take online. As far as the interruptions go, maybe try going to the library or a book store. No one can interrupt you if they don't know where you are

Personally, I love online classes. I did a lot of my general ed classes that way. It all depends on your strengths. I aced all of my online classes as well as my campus classes. I didn't feel I was shortchanged whatsoever. The learning is what you make it. For my online Communications class, for example, I don't think I learned much but that's bc I didn't care to. All the tests were easy and the main project was a group presentation on campus - piece of cake. Psychology was much different. My professor had a lot of weekly assignments and quizzes and a huge reseach paper. I really applied myself and I felt I learned a lot. I was only able to take one semester of math online. When it came time for the harder subjects, I had to take it on campus bc I knew I wouldn't be successful in an online math course. Just know your limits - you will know what you classes you can get away with taking online and which ones you can't. Good luck :)

Thanks for the advice! I didn't realize I was making excuses. I completely own my grade, I know it's my fault for not studying. I read over my post and can see how blaming it on the mutiple chapters seems like an excuse and I guess it is, but trust me, I know I have no one to blame but myself. Also, this class isn't Anatomy and Physiology - it's Bio 181 (General Biology for Majors). It's the pre-req for A&P. That's why I need to pass this class now bc I am trying to take A&P in the Fall and I can then apply to the nursing program. I've taken Intro to A&P before, but for nursing it has to be the actual A&P class, not the intro course. I spoke to my professor about whether I should drop the class or not. It was embarassing having to admit that I haven't been trying my hardest, but obviously he knew that already. He was super understanding about it. He says he thinks I should stick it out and I can probably get a C as long as I do well on the next test and the final. I missed 3 quizzes and he's letting me make those up. He said he's not inclined to give me any extra credit bc it would have to be for the whole class, but he's willing to come in 30 minutes early every day to help me and answer questions I have over the material which is beyond kind of him to do. My school has tutoring, but unfortunately during the Summer their hours overlap with the class and lab. So I'm just so grateful that he's willing to help me out. The next test is primarily on genetics which I'm a lot more comfortable with since I remember a lot of it from when I took Into to Anatomy and Physiology. I am starting to study NOW so I will be prepared. I asked a couple of weeks ago to cut back my hours at work and that was finally approved yesterday. Starting next week I won't be working until midnight so that will help tremendously. I KNOW I can do well on the next test, but the final has me worried. A lot of my insecurity came from never having taken Chemistry. I didn't even take it in high school so when he would talk about bonds and so on, I felt like he was speaking a foreign language. I've read other posts that recommended Chemistry for Dummies so I am going to get that this weekend. Are there any other books or websites that could be of help with Chem? I will also look for stuff on YouTube, I didn't even think to do that - thanks so much to the person that suggested that.

I'm going to try to keep this short, lol. I am really struggling with the first real science class for nursing. I previously took Intro to Anatomy and Physiology when I was going to school for Physical Therapy Assisting, but then decided against that a couple of years ago before I applied to the program. I did fine in that class, but I am now in Bio 181 and am failing. I graduated high school in 2005 and ever since then I wanted to go to nursing school. I took this same class I am in now when I was 17 and failed it, but I stopped going after 3 weeks and didn't really try. Anyway, all I ever hear is how hard nursing is so I decided it wasn't for me bc I didn't think I could do it. Fast forward to this year and I told myself I COULD do it. But now I am in this same class, even in the same exact classroom as when I first took it, and I am failing. I have to admit I haven't given it my best. I felt dumb from the beginning bc it seemed that everyone in my class knew so much more than me. The professor is INTENSE. He's nice and means well, but he's very strict and his tests are insanely hard. So I blamed my F (45%) on not studying bc I was already feeling like I couldn't pass this class. The second test was yesterday and I spent most of Monday studying and I still failed! I got a 50%, only 5% better than the test I didn't study for. Since it's Summer school, the tests are tons of chapters. Now there's only one test left and tomorrow is the last day to drop the class. I don't know whether I should give it a try or just drop the class. I wanted to be done with my pre-reqs by December, but in order for that to happen I need to pass this class now. I feel so ashamed that I let my anxiety get the best of me and prevent me from really trying in this class. I had a defeated mentality from the beginning bc I saw how much more everyone else knew and I just felt stupid. Instead of trying twice as hard, I didn't try at all. I don't know why this is so hard for me. I'm starting to doubt whether I can be a nurse after all. I know the schooling is intense and I thought I could handle it, but now I'm not so sure. Should my first science class be this hard or am I just not cut out for nursing?

Wow! This topic has definitely been informative. I'm in Arizona and I'm bilingual so I am hoping that will make it easier to find a job once I graduate since there's a lot of Spanish-speaking people in Arizona. I am applying to the bilingual program here which has a wait list of only a semester as opposed to the regular 2 years at the rest of the community colleges. The reason for that is that they say they desperately need bilingual nurses here, but now I'm wondering whether that's even true or not. My plan is to get my BSN right after my associates so maybe that and being bilingual will benefit me in this job market. It's definitely scary to think that once we graduate, we won't have offers lining up as advisors tell us!

Oops - I meant to put this in the Arizona Nursing Programs. Can a moderator move it to that section, please? Thanks!

Hello everyone. I've been reading posts on this forum for a while and finally decided to join since I have a long nursing journey ahead of me :) I will hopefully be done with all of my pre-reqs in December. I am taking one class over the Summer and plan on spending the time after that class (fist Summer session) and Fall semester studying for the HESI exam. I am little worried about it since the score needed to pass has increased from 75% to 85% (for the English portion only). Can anyone suggest a good study guide for the HESI? I've read (mostly on this forum) that as long as you're a native English speaker then you should be fine with the English portion - which I am. I'm just not sure what it consists of. If it's a lot of reading comprehension then I know I will be just fine. It's the vocab that scares me because how do you study for a vocab test without first knowing the words?! Math is actually my weaker subject, but I feel like that I can at least study for. Any tips/advice will be greatly appreciated!

Wow! There's a lot of people taking a lot of classes this Summer. Originally I planned on taking Chemisty over the Summer, but it turns out my high school biology does not count for my bio pre-req so now I am taking Bio 181 over the Summer to take A & P, Chem, and Math in the Fall. I will then be done with all of my pre-reqs and can apply in December!