suzilks1

I agree and i have made face to face visits as well as contacted the Dean of Nursing, Registrar, Dean of Adult Learners, etc. Just waiting on replies.

The closest ones are quite a distance away other than my local community college. I still have a son who doesn't drive yet and at this stage, it's not feasible the ones that are farther away. I have decided to retake the SAT and ACT and hope for the best. I actually have my old ACT but they refused to accept it. In a few years when all my kids are grown and gone I will have more options as far as distance I can go for school but I really, really don't want to wait any longer. My time clock is ticking. The older you get, the faster it goes. ;P

You have to apply online. I guess I could send a brief letter separately.

They decided to use the hope gpa to rank us in other words to say who gets in or not. Dalton State nursing program.

The Hope scholarship GPA never removes any grade. I have had my courses transfer in with no bad credits so that is why I have a 3.81 Regents GPA. Unfortunately this year my school decided for some reason to not use the Regents GPA but use the Hope GPA as ranking criteria. So my 3.81 in the required pre-reqs means nothing. The only thing they will see on my application is 2.83. There is no interview to explain the situation, no letters of recommendation. I am only a name with a number. Looking into different schools in the area but most are too far away to be feasible. I have learned that many students are having the same issues. It just seems that if your ACT does not reflect your academic capabilities if it is less than five years old why would these grades from 30 years ago reflect my current academic capabilities. Believing that there is a reason for everything and praying God would show me what to do next.

I know this post will cause a lot of controversy but I am writing it for those of us who are older adults struggling to earn a spot in a program. The program I am applying for has changed its policies to be an unbelievable contradiction to itself. I was a first time college student 30 years ago when I was 18. I was immature and irresponsible and did poorly in school for three semesters which obviously and deservedly lowered my GPA. In 1992, I went back and over the years took a class here and there as I could between children and jobs. I earned A's in every one with the goal being to earn my nursing degree when my children were grown. This past year when my youngest turned 16 I decided it was time for me to finish up and apply to the program. I was encouraged and pursued by the local community college. I was initially denied admission once because my math skills were thirty years old and my compass score stunk and they had just raised the score needed to be accepted. (since then they have lowered it back to it's original number) Yes that was frustrating but I stunk at math and that's an important skill and my own fault so I relearned some of it on my own then retook the compass. I was admitted and then took an intermediate and college level algebra with and A and a B. I retook the science courses I had already taken previously with A's because they were too old to be counted being six years old instead of five. I raised my Regents GPA to a 3.81. I took the PAX and earned a 97. As of this semester, I am finished with all of my pre-reqs and ready to apply. However, this week I was told by my advisor that my ranking score will be based not upon my Regents GPA by on my Hope GPA which is cumulative of all college courses taken in my life. This will include the courses from 30 years ago that have been retaken and in which I earned A's. Let me get this straight, my ACT which was excellent and my A's in science courses taken six years ago are too old to be counted but my bad grades in theater and history which have been retaken are fair game?? Before anyone here blasts me for whining, hear me out. I am a parent. I tell my kids there are repercussions in life for everything you do. That is true. But when you pick and choose what is too old and what is not and when straight A's for the past years are not enough and your efforts at jumping through all the academic hoops are never enough that is not right. None of my multiple letters of recommendation from my professors will be considered nor my prior health care employment. At this point, going to take both the ACT and SAT again and hope I do as well as I did before. I cannot do anything about my GPA unless I continue to pay for classes that I do not need. Funny thing I am being ranked by the Hope scholarship GPA but will never be eligible because I am from out of state. I still don't know how my ACT is too old to be a judge of my academic performance as I was told but my grades when I was 18 are not. As for my GPA, my Regents GPA of 3.81 will be tossed aside in favor of my Hope GPA of 2.83. Having said all of this, I have two words of advice. When they say it is on your permanent record IT WILL BE so don't screw up when you are young. If you are my age, make sure you read all the fine print and find a school that will take into account your circumstances as an older student and work with you, not against you. If this makes you mad, please don't give me a lecture. I'm writing it for those of us who are struggling against the systems that are contradictory and who are frustrated with our best efforts not being enough.

I might be the old lady here. :) I'm going to be 49 in November and will be applying December 2013 to start the program Fall 14. I have 3 classes left and I'm done with prerequisites and have taken and passed the PAX. woohoo! The awesome thing is my 22 year old daughter and I will be applying at the same time and hopefully going into the program together. Our goal is to pin each other at our pinning ceremony. My other daughter is at the same college in the rad tech program. It's a blast! I have found that being an older student has actually been to my advantage. I know how to study and I am not as distracted as I was when I was younger. It is NEVER too late to do what you dream. I love this thread and SO look forward to hearing all our success stories in the future! :)

My top tips would be using the study site for the book if it has one online. Do the practice tests, quizzes, etc. I found excellent videos on youtube for lab practical models as well as concepts I needed a little more explanation on. Organize a study group and stick together. Studying before tests was invaluable. Also, I bought a phone that enabled me to take pictures in lab and label them at the same time. I tried to always read the chapter review before class so I had some idea of what the lecture would be about ahead of time. A&P gets a bad rap I think. It's like anything. What you put into it is what you get out of it. Yes it is challenging but it is also very interesting. I would also suggest using the same teacher for I and II if possible. Then you don't have to spend extra time figuring out what the tests willl be like, etc. Best of luck to you! :)

I just finished A&P I and II with As. I'm an older student so I was very intimidated by the class before it started. It IS hard but it is very interesting and absolutely doable. My top tips would be...make use of the study site from the book if it has one. do the practice tests, etc. Organize a good study group and meet weekly if you can. I got a phone that enabled me to take and label pictures in lab. About seven of us used those photos every time for every practical and did great. There are also videos on youtube that you can access for most lab practicals and for concepts you don't quite get in lecture. I made it a point to rewrite my notes that I took in class into a main "study" notebook for each chapter and that really helped as well. I have to say I'm sad A&P is over now. And I NEVER thought I would say that. lol Best of luck to you!!

I agree on taking pictures in lab. I bought a galaxy note 2 specifically so i could take a pix and then label the backside right there in lab. Also going on youtube helped. For example if you are doing the urinary system, go to youtube and pull up urinary system lab practical models. They were extremely helpful to me. Just make sure you view the ones that are reputable and accurate. (usually the top viewed/liked ones) Best of luck. You can do it! :)

I actually found A&P 2 easier. I took the same professor which definitely helped. I found that looking up videos on youtube for practicals and for topics in lecture that I didn't quite understand was extremely helpful to me too. Just make sure you stick with the reputable ones not the ones with 2 views. Best of luck to you!

How exciting! You won't be the only older student in your classes! I am 48 and just finishing up my pre-reqs so i can apply Fall of 2013. Today I took the PAX and passed with a 97! It's never too late! In fact, what encouraged me to go ahead and make my dream a reality is the number of new middle aged nurses that I got to know during my mom's illness and hospital stay. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make the grade since it's been so long since I attended college but I have found that it is actually easier since i know how to study and I WANT to make this happen versus doing it because it was expected of me. Go for it!!

I am in A&P now and I love it. My teacher is referred to as "Dr. Death" on my campus because of the sheer number of people that drop out. We started out with a class of 50 and now there are probably 18 of us left. Yes, it is hard but the material is fascinating. It's unlike any class you have probably had before just because of the sheer amount of information covered. I saw above people saying don't highlight and don't use flash cards but these have worked for me. I have a 94 average in lab and lecture now. I do several things to understand and yes, memorize information. I pay close attention and take notes. I never miss a class. I utilize the mastering a&p website associated with my textbook nonstop. I rewrite my class notes and watch videos online to gain further understanding about whatever we are studying. My flashcards are not just word and definition. I make cards for specific questions on functions and processes. My classmates and I study together outside of class. When we had to memorize the bones, muscles and brain structures we took pictures in class of our models, printed them and labeled them. I made flip note cards on the bones and muscles and carried them with me wherever I went. We spent time in lab outside of regular class time working with the models. In other words i do everything and anything I can that works for me to understand and retain the information. I think the secret is finding what works for you. The people that have dropped out in my class are not necessarily the flashcard and highlighters but rather the people that came in thinking they could study for two hours a week and breeze by. If you get behind, it's almost impossible to catch up so stay on top of it and you will do fine!

I took Micro years ago with an A. My best study tool was the flashcards that I made and studied every single day. Since it has been more than 4 years since i took it i have to take again in the Spring but I'm not afraid of it now. You just have to study, study and study some more. It helps that it is a fascinating subject. After my micro class I really wanted to take virology!

After a LOT of hurdles and discouragement I finally got accepted into my community college and registered for classes today. I will begin finishing up my pre-reqs starting in two weeks. I got a little discouraged because I found out there is no way I will be able to apply for the clinical sequence until next Fall 2013 and if I am accepted it will be 2014 before I can start clinicals. At 47 I want to do this NOW but I know all good things are worth waiting for. :) I'm so excited to begin this new chapter in my life! On a different note, when I went in today I discovered that someone else's SAT score had been entered onto my record! They were acting so odd and telling me I couldn't take the classes I wanted and finally they said it had to do with my terribly low SAT score. I have never taken the SAT in my life! They had a score of 200 on my file! I couldn't believe it! They argued that I had taken it this year!! After a lot of back and forth, they finally agreed that I have never taken the SAT and my ACT was taken in 1980 and I had an excellent score (not that it matters they won't accept an ACT that old) Anyway, I just wanted to tell everyone to make sure and check what is on their record!! If this hadn't come to light I could have been denied admission completely to even to the prenursing program all because of faulty data entry! So returning students beware!