zackdesot

Okay, I was recently accepted to Shepherd University for nursing and have been very anxious ever since I first declared the major. I got a feel for the social side of nursing, and I'm not sure it really fits my personality. Also, I was examining the prerequisites for entrance to a physician assistant program, and there are many I won't complete as a nursing major. My main concern is--and I can't seem to find an answer to this particular question anywhere on the internet--if I obtain a BSN at this school, will it limit me in any way that a traditional BS wouldn't? Would I only be able to go into graduate school for nursing, or could I still do a physiology or chemistry masters if I wanted? Would a BSN allow me entrance to a physician's assistant program or pharmacy school (candidacy, not necessarily a place in such competitive programs. What I mean is, would it make me eligible)? The programs that I've looked at all say that they don't really care what you major in, provided that you complete all the prerequisites and have a bachelor's degree. But the examples of past majors/bachelor's degrees accepted included BS in biology, chemistry, psychology, engineering, or BA in English history, etc. I've seen no examples of a BSN doing anything besides pursuing MSN, DSN, or PhD in nursing. Don't get me wrong, I really want to be a nurse. I think they know a lot about disease, medical treatment, pharmacology--medical science in general; and I'd love to be a part of that, but I ultimately do not believe that I want to be a nurse for life, and I don't think I'd want to be a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist. I have a strong interest in the physician assistant and pharmacy programs, and possibly graduate work in physiology or chemistry--but not nursing, and while I think the experience would be incredibly beneficial, I want to make sure the credential has the value that I need it to have. So, is a BSN as valuable as a traditional BA or BS? Can I use it to apply to PA, pharmacy, and graduate school(for subjects other than nursing)?

Okay, I was recently accepted to Shepherd University for nursing and have been very anxious ever since I first declared the major. I got a feel for the social side of nursing, and I'm not sure it really fits my personality. Also, I was examining the prerequisites for entrance to a physician assistant program, and there are many I won't complete as a nursing major. My main concern is--and I can't seem to find an answer to this particular question anywhere on the internet--if I obtain a BSN at this school, will it limit me in any way that a traditional BS wouldn't? Would I only be able to go into graduate school for nursing, or could I still do a physiology or chemistry masters if I wanted? Would a BSN allow me entrance to a physician's assistant program or pharmacy school (candidacy, not necessarily a place in such competitive programs. What I mean is, would it make me eligible)? The programs that I've looked at all say that they don't really care what you major in, provided that you complete all the prerequisites and have a bachelor's degree. But the examples of past majors/bachelor's degrees accepted included BS in biology, chemistry, psychology, engineering, or BA in English history, etc. I've seen no examples of a BSN doing anything besides pursuing MSN, DSN, or PhD in nursing. Don't get me wrong, I really want to be a nurse. I think they know a lot about disease, medical treatment, pharmacology--medical science in general; and I'd love to be a part of that, but I ultimately do not believe that I want to be a nurse for life, and I don't think I'd want to be a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist. I have a strong interest in the physician assistant and pharmacy programs, and possibly graduate work in physiology or chemistry--but not nursing, and while I think the experience would be incredibly beneficial, I want to make sure the credential has the value that I need it to have. So, is a BSN as valuable as a traditional BA or BS? Can I use it to apply to PA, pharmacy, and graduate school(for subjects other than nursing)?

I took A&P in high school, and while I didn't receive college credit, it was easily at college level. My instructor had two PhD's, one in pharmacology, toxicology, and the other in neuroscience. She made it clear to all of us the course would be taught at college level, and I learned sooo much from that class! She was an amazing instructor who, despite some minor shortcomings, was really inspirational to me. It wasn't really all that complicated, just a lot of memorization. As long as you have a certain level of base-intelligence, you should do fine--just as long as you put in the amount of required effort. I would advise you to pay attention in class, complete all assignments given to you by your professor, and study at home. The method of studying should really be tailored to fit your individual style of learning. For me, simply paying attention in class and reading the chapter is enough to get me an A-B. There are tons of alternative resources you could use though. In my A&P text, there were amazing chapter summaries and tests that I would always glance over the night before a big exam. The test at the end of the chapter is great practice *after* you've put in some effort studying, and I find the various diagrams and information-box-thingies immensely helpful. I got a B- in the class, which awed the majority of my classmates given how difficult the course was, but I could've easily done better if I'd put in a bit more effort. Make sure you put effort into the course consistently throughout, otherwise you risk being left behind and not understanding later chapters.

Hi everyone! My name's Zack, and I recently applied and was accepted to Shepherd University starting in January, 2013. According to the school website, I will be designated as a pre-nursing major and will receive eligibility to apply for the nursing major in my sophomore year--after the completion of all the required prerequisites. While I consider myself to be well motivated, hard working, and intelligent, I'm still--like many people--worried about admissions to the program. I've heard talk that nursing programs are extremely competitive, but the definition of what constitutes "competitive" seems to remain ambiguous in most of these conversations, and I'd really like to seek some clarification. My cumulative high school GPA (before I dropped out) was a 3.2/4.0. I didn't really put much effort in during my high school career--although I learned a great deal, as is reflected in my SAT scores and relatively high GPA. I went to a rather difficult private, college prep school for 3.5/4 years. I dropped out due to problems at home. On my GED test, I scored in the 99th percentile for 4/5 subjects. The 5th subject, science, placed me in the 96th percentile. My SAT scores were, respectively: 690 (critical reading), 700 (writing), 620 (mathematics). Suspending any prejudices or pre-conceived notions regarding my somewhat atypical academic history, and given what my that academic history says about my intellectual and academic capacities, how competitive does "competitive" mean? Am I going to have difficulty with admission to the program with good grades for my prerequisites (A's and B's), or do I need to look like a Harvard applicant to even stand a chance (straight A's, tons of extra-curricular activities and not so much as a blemish on my academic record with community services hours to boot)? I'm very motivated and have good reasons for pursuing a career in nursing, and regardless of what your answers to my question may be, I intend to pursue this career without hesitation. I just want to know what to expect. Thank you for your time! Zack