igotaxed

I got my acceptance letter a couple weeks back as well! I'm super excited to meet my fellow nursemates. :) My TEAS score was 94 & GPA (science/prereqs) is 4.0. I'll say that I worked really, really hard for those numbers. I had to knock quite a bit of dust out of my brain. I got a Bachelor degree in music back in '04, and from there I pretty much got stuck. Now my new adventure is right around the corner. Woohoo!!

This is from the GPC website: http://depts.gpc.edu/~presoff/documents/SP%20FY15%20Final.pdf Check out #2 on the second page about beginning two new four-year programs in fall 2015. I know a BSN degree was already approved, but funding for the program was an issue. Maybe they've finally got everything ready to go? Anybody else heard any details about this? Would be some exciting news.... :)

It's hard when you're going back to school after many years because you feel like you want to make up for lost time and go at lightning speed. I battle with that feeling every single day because I've been out of school for over 10 years. Nursing schools are highly competitive, and the ones I'm familiar with (around the Atlanta area) are inundated with applicants every semester. So my recommendation is to ensure you have the best GPA possible when applying. That might mean taking your sciences over. Yes, that takes more time, and it's not exactly fun -- especially Chemistry. :) But... I will say that taking a semester or two to dust off the brain before nursing school isn't exactly a bad idea. Good luck to you! I'll be right here in Atlanta on a similar mission.

It's such a hard thing to really pinpoint because it's all a wash of so many different influences. Our biology dictates a lot of how we feel and act around each other and in society as a whole. Nobody can deny that hormones and neurotransmitters have a huge influence on how we behave or that men and women have different kinds and differing amounts of those very same chemicals. However, it's hard to deny that the nurture side of things really takes hold at a young age. Our families and friends show us what we're supposed to be like. Boys get put into a box with what they (as "normal" boys) should be like, and girls ("normal" girls) the same on their end. Then you grow up the best way you can with this idea of how we're supposed to be specifically different. Unfortunately, anything outside of that norm gets some people stirred up. Bring the psychology and environment together with biology and it gets a little crazy. I don't really know if I had a point to this that strictly applies. I can just say that as a 33-year-old straight male that's going into nursing, I love the idea of caring for people and being nurturing, and I'm fine with telling that to anyone. I'll act in a manner that makes me feel right with myself, not how other people think I should act.

I'm 33 with a previous degree. Going back to school isn't the easiest thing in the world, but I love it. Two more pre-reqs to go and then applying to nursing schools. I'm super stoked! :)

Agreed! ..and (not to be mean)... we don't need idiots becoming nurses. If the prereqs are too hard, you have no business being a nurse, right? Personally, I love the challenge of the sciences, and secretly, I wish they required a few more for prereqs. However, I'm just a glutton for punishment. :)

I sort of agree with you on wanting people to drop out, mainly for a different reason, though. There are a good many pre-nursing students in my classes that are just coasting through and talking about the money they'll make in nursing, but they aren't even really trying to learn the material in class. I overheard someone in particular say, "What does this chemistry stuff have to do with nursing?" .....are you kidding me?! Geez! Personally, I want to absorb as much of the sciences and prereq knowledge as I can, so I can become a well-rounded nurse. Money is definitely a thought, but being in total control of my new career and knowing exactly what I'm doing and why are way more important. :)

Love the post! I'm only in prereqs, but I'm mentally preparing for the wild ride that is nursing school!

I have a previous degree from a private college that ended up netting me about $49,500 in loan debt. I've been paying since '05 (with a few forbearances thrown in) and am now down to about $44,000. Luckily, I just landed a serving job that is paying me more than I've ever made before, so this time around I'll be able to pay for college straight up. Of course, it helps taking all my nursing prereqs at a local community college. It's tough, but I brought on all that debt myself. I'll pay it off eventually! -- in 45 years Good luck out there!

I totally understand that feeling. I'm gonna work harder than ever to get straight A's. ACE is sooo competitive!

Have you gotten all your pre-reqs done, yet?

Wow... Didn't realize you could do that. I'll just see where I stand when finishing a&p2. Thanks for the insight! :)

Thanks! So do you know if any GPC nursing courses would transfer over into the ACE program? Also, I should say that I already have a BA in music, so all my core classes (except pre-reqs) are covered.

I have to wait until summer '13 to start my first pre-req (chem 1151)... sigh... but I'm still pretty excited!

Yeah, I am hoping it goes through because I'm also on track to begin nursing school in Fall '14. Woohoo! :)

Anyone heard any updates on this? I saw the proposals on line and have seen a few people post about the prospects... Just wanna know if its likely.

I'm beginning a volunteer program at a local hospital soon, and I'm totally stoked. A nurse friend of mine strongly recommended it. Yeah, I'm not banking on it helping me get into nursing school (even though it might), but I know that it will open up my perspective a good bit and possibly help land a few connections for future employment. Good luck! :)

I wanted to see if anybody had done that before. I was just thinking about how much extra you'd have to take in the ACE program if you already had all of the GPC nursing courses (and the degree, of course) under your belt. Thoughts?

Thanks for the advice! Yeah, I'm probably gonna take my sciences one at a time because those are the foundation of it all, and i really want to absorb them thoroughly. ...and I definitely don't want a "race to the finish" kinda mentality. I just need to be as efficient as possible with my class schedules. Luckily, my previous degree takes care of all the core classes. Phew! I figure I'll aim to take the first few psych classes (at least intro, abnorm and growth/develop) and maybe first aid/cpr. I think it might be good to take the whole line of Spanish if there's time. Anyway, it's a lot to think about, but I'm ready for it! :)

Hey everybody, I'm 31 and have a Bachelor's degree in music, and I'm gonna start taking pre-reqs in summer '13 at GPC. Woohoo! :) I have to start with Chem first because I never had that in college (just Bio 1 and 2), and that is the starting point for all the sciences at GPC. I know I have to take A&P 1 & 2 and Micro before getting into the nursing program. So my questions are... First, do you have to take A&P and Micro sequentially? or can you take them at the same time? How would you recommend ordering everything so I get done as fast as possible? and.... are there any supplemental classes that aren't apart of the pre-reqs that you'd recommend me taking? I figured Psych and Abnorm Psych would be great.... Any help would be greatly appreciated! :)

I'm a 31-year-old that graduated 8 years ago with a BA in Music. Now I am making the move into nursing starting in summer '13 (starting pre-reqs). My age doesn't bother me (as it pertains to starting over in school), and I wouldn't think anything of somebody older than me doing the same. If you feel the drive to start something new in life, you do it. That's all that can be said about it! :)