alexisbj

Starting nursing school in January, OMG! I am so excited. I also want to go in as prepared as I possibly can. I am just wondering if anyone has any recommendations on your favorite planners/organizers or cheat sheets/mnemonic aids. I have seen several on Amazon and I am just wondering if any of these are actually helpful or worth it! I have heard a lot about the "UnCalendar". Also, is there anything I should be studying/learning before the first day? I do know that when we register they tell us what to read out of the textbook, but if there is anything else I should do, please tell me! I have all my notes from my A&P and Microbiology classes still. I am nervous because those pre-reqs were completed last year and the year before so I have not been exposed to an anatomy class or anything like that in 2 years.

I am starting nursing school in January, so I am sure my mind will change once I see the real deal but right now I am most interested in labor and delivery, NICU or I would like to work for a plastic surgeon!

Don't give up now, busybeeSN! That is only in about a month and it will fly by! I thought I would never receive my letter telling me if I was in or not. I hope you are also able to get in! You'll have to come back to the thread and tell me if you were accepted. Good luck and thank you for your encouragement!

crazydoglady89 I was seriously so close to giving up. I was not expecting entry for the spring term but God was really on my side! Thank you for your support!

Thank you so much! My school actually has a 100% passing rate on the NCLEX so hopefully I won't be the one to ruin the streak! Luckily I am fortunate enough to still live at home and my parents are assisting me (not 100%) on the financial end. Just trying to figure out what to do about my current job as I still will need to pay bills. I guess thats what the weekends are for!

One of my math classes prevented me from getting into my nursing program on time. I was less than one point away from having the grade I needed to count towards nursing points and the teacher would not move the grade at all despite me being an extremely hard working student. I reapplied for the nursing program and got in and I am currently retaking the class where I now have a 98% average. Do not give up. If this is what you really really want to do with your life then you will do everything you can to get there. If you're working hard and it still isn't good enough then you aren't working hard enough! I am not trying to be rude or harsh because I totally know how hard these classes are and how stressful it all is but you just have to keep asking yourself how bad you want it. Record lectures or record yourself reading notes and listen to it while driving if you can use bluetooth or aux cord in your car. Make note cards or use quizlet for everything you need to study. Find study groups or study with friends in your classes. Reach out to the instructor or find tutoring. You CAN do this!! You will only regret not doing more to save your grades in the end. I worked my butt off in the math class and it was not enough and I know that now. I could have done a little more each day to make sure I fully understood everything and I didn't. Even though I was constantly speaking with the teacher and studying super hard, it still wasn't good enough. If you have 100% tried your hardest and still can't get it, consider other career options so you can find something that works for you. Before I got my acceptance letter, I was considering surgical tech school instead because there is less competition and it is easier to gain entry to. I hope this helps! I wish someone would have told me these things because I am like you-I don't have a good support system. Good luck!! Don't give up!

So, I have been trying to get into a nursing program for what feels like forever now (which is an exaggeration). After transferring from a school with a year long waiting list, coming to the new school and having to unexpectedly take more pre requisites(new school required ones old school didn't), and applying to the fall semester and getting denied, I can finally say I am going to be a nursing student in January 2017! I am so excited, nervous, and already stressed out. There are so many things I have to get submitted by Nov. 10! I have to get so many shots and uniforms and equipment and it is all very overwhelming, not to mention expensive. I have emailed my advisor to talk about scholarships for nursing students as I do not receive financial aid at all. I cannot believe after waiting all this time, it is finally here! I am so grateful to have been accepted because I was expecting to get rejected again. I have this new found feeling of motivation and willpower. Hopefully it will stay with me for the next two years! I am so excited to put on my uniform and learn how to save a life. Graduating nursing school will be the biggest accomplishment of my life thus far. I'm sure those of you who are already in school or have already graduated are laughing at me because I have no idea what is to come! Please drop any study tips or any advice you wish you would have been told before starting school in the comments. I want to have a sense of preparedness even though I am sure there is no amount of preparation that will allow me to avoid the stress! Thanks for reading my ramble!!

OMG I can totally relate to this! I started school in 2014, right after high school and I am still waiting to get in at my local community college. I transferred schools once because they told me at the previous school that the waiting list was a year long. At my current school, however, there are around 400 people who apply for 80 seats(they accept more than they can accommodate because many people will drop off). I am so frustrated because I have friends about to graduate(other majors), and I am still waiting for a spot. My school uses ACT score and letter grades from pre reqs to determine points. The ACT is my problem. I have also recently considered starting with the surgical tech program as it is easier to get into and you can continue nursing school after surgical tech school. You could work as an ST while in nursing school (hello, experience!), but this could be challenging. There are many other programs to start out with if you are feeling like you just won't get in right now. Be patient though, if I would not have transferred schools, I would currently be in the previous school's program right now. Do not jump the gun and move schools unless you are confident that it is the right choice for you! I wish I wouldn't have transferred because now I am set back more than I was originally. Good luck with your future endeavors!

For my speech class, I recorded my speeches into my phone and would listen to them any time I was in the car, until I could say the speech along with the recording and then say it without the recording. This was definitely helpful because like another comment said, its "forced" studying! And since you're driving, there isn't going to be a thousand noises or other distractions (other than the road of course) that may cause you to put your book down while reading. I wish I had thought of this for my anatomy class!

kristenc312, Thank you SO much for your comment! It is so helpful to hear from someone who has actually done what I am trying to do. I do believe the OR would be a good fit for me, however, you're correct, it is a very unfriendly environment and I need to remember that. I am already expecting to make some sort of a commute, so this is not a big issue for me. I just hope the big cities are looking for surgical techs too!! I am having such a hard time deciding what to do. I want to get in to a program and feel like I can finally start my life, but I guess the acceptance letters will be the judges of that.

brownbook, sorry for the confusion in my post. I mean that I would complete the surgical tech program and then go on to nursing after that. Thank you for telling me about your friend. It makes me feel like there are other people out there like myself who are running into roadblocks left and right. It is so frustrating to try so hard and continue to get left behind. I will not give up!! Yes, I am looking for "something" to do while waiting to get into nursing but I would complete that program before starting nursing school because I definitely could not do two programs at once! Hopefully I will be able to get going soon. Thank you for your comment! I hope to one day too have a BSN.

JVerne07, I believe it has come from having only a 20 on the ACT (which is embarrassing, because I am way smarter than that!) My points are based on everything you said, minus an entrance exam and prior medical experience and we use the ACT score as well. Since the score is so low, it is taking away a lot of points. Other students who have higher ACT scores have a bit of wiggle room when it comes to GPA, whereas I do not. I am hoping for an entry soon, though, because you can take extra courses to boost your points which I have done. I do believe I would like to work as an ST, but I really am hoping to get in to nursing. Thank you for your comment!

Rose_Queen, I have looked at job postings for the area in which I plan to live upon graduation. Every so often an opening will pop up. I live in a very small town and many people already commute to other cities to work, so I definitely plan on keeping my options open to the surrounding areas! I would like to be a surgical tech first, and then continue to get my RN if I decide I want better options in the medical field. I am interested in working in the OR, however, with nursing I would be able to move around as opposed to being confined to the OR as a surgical tech. Thank you for your honest and detailed response!

So, I am having a hard time trying to get into a nursing program. It is very competitive and I feel totally stupid because I missed the cut off for entry to the Fall program by 5 points (my school does a points system). I have applied for the Spring semester but I have not heard anything yet. I have been trying for a while now to get in and it is getting frustrating. Recently, I have discovered that my current school (and the school I transferred from) both offer a surgical tech program. I have applied for the surgical tech program in addition to nursing in hopes that one of them will accept me. I am super discouraged that I have had such a hard time, because my grades are good and I am even a member of a national honor society for community colleges. Anyways, I do understand that there is a pay gap between a surgical tech and a nurse and that they are quite different jobs. The question here is: Would it be good to try and start out as a surgical tech and then continue school to be a nurse? Would it be alright to graduate as a surgical tech and then stop there? What are the pros and cons of both careers? I have done research online, but I find that if I can actually hear advice from a real person who has experienced it on here, then I may learn something new! Thank you so much! Feel free to ask me any questions that will help you give me an answer! Sincerely, Sad and Confused

I failed mine too and am retaking it on the 30th of July! The math and anatomy were my 2 worst subjects. Good Luck!