Prospective KSU Male Applicant

IslandRae · Oct 26, 2011

Well, I am on the standby list to start in Jan. I know of students that have lower GPA's compared to yours and TEAS scores in the 80s and they are in the program. It all depends on who your competition is at the time of your application. They "claim" to rank people based on where they fall in the 5 areas they look at, so whether your male or not should not hold any bearing because they "shouldn't" be looking at that. But who knows, I know 4.0 students with TEAS scores in the 90s that haven't even been invited to interview. Unfortunately they are not transparent with their interview and selection process. The five areas they look at are:

1..Overall GPA

2..Best 5/7 GPA for Math and Science classes

3..Best 7/12 GPA for all prerequisites

4..TEAS

5..Interview

Each area is worth 20%, how they score students........i don't know!!!!

brumble · Oct 29, 2011

see my problem is that i have so many classes that wont transfer over and are basically worthless. can i choose to not transfer over certain electives because i got a B in them and dont want them to negatively affect my gpa?

i got a B on my lifespan and dev class and i dont need it at all for ksu, so is there any way i can retake that class at ksu to get an A on it or do anything at all to wipe it from my transcript. i dont need it and that B is going to hurt me

IslandRae · Oct 31, 2011

Nope....everything transfers over if it is over a C. And, if your GPA is over 2.0 with them transferring everything up to C's, then they will also transfer D's. It makes no sense. The overall GPA is worth 20%. But like I said.......KSU is not transparent, no one knows how they score each area, and crazy things happen. I have a friend on the standby like myself. He is GPA in the three areas is over 3.7. Last semester he had a rough time and got a couple of C's (his wife had twins), which shouldn't matter based on the information they are supposed to be looking at up to the application deadline which was March 31st. Another example is of a girl that got accepted into the program, but still had Micro to take. She ended up getting a D in the class and was supposed to start nursing school the next semester so there would not be any time to re-take the class. To make a long story short, she started the program...either her grade got changed or they waived it. The thing with KSU is that they don't take any a personal look at the applicants....no personal statements, or essay which I think is unfair. It is completely different for them to compare a student that went to college 10 years ago to a 20 year old. 10 years ago, I wasn't thinking of being a nurse, and even if I did want to be a nurse it wouldn't have been this competitive. I have a couple of bad grades from 13 years ago that is being calculated into my GPA....but they will never know the reason for that semester that I did bad because they don't care to know. Just don't put your eggs into one basket. KSU has a great reputation in the ATL area medical community, but I've talked to students in the program that think other schools offer a better experience, and they hate KSU. I am currently on Standby, and if I don't get in, I am just going to suck it up and retake a couple classes, and apply everywhere else besides KSU.

karamarie91 · Oct 31, 2011

IslandRae, for those who do not like KSU, did they tell you why?

I just wanna know any cons, because I know every school has some.

IslandRae · Nov 10, 2011

@karamarie,

yes they told me reasons why, but I think the experience is different for everyone. Some say that the the tests are not fair, too much busy work, lots of cliques between the students, would like to focus more on hands on skills, instead of so much writing. Basically, it boils down to what you expect from the program, how you learn and if it will be a match for you. The tests are designed to get the students to think like a nurse, and some students hate that they can't just read and regurgitate info and get A's like they did with their prerequisites. The busy work....for example, the clinical instructor, makes the students type up their reports, even if the hand written version is legible. I think KSU is a great school, my problem with them is that every semester that I have been going there, I've met a student that did not fall into the criteria of what they claim to look at when selecting students, and I know students that should have been at the top of the list but didn't even get an invitation to interview. It just makes me believe that they are looking at other stuff besides what they say they are. There are plenty of students that should be in the program that haven't gotten in yet, and it is not fair, because some students in the program can't even boil water without someone giving them step by step instructions.

karamarie91 · Nov 10, 2011

@karamarie,
yes they told me reasons why, but I think the experience is different for everyone. Some say that the the tests are not fair, too much busy work, lots of cliques between the students, would like to focus more on hands on skills, instead of so much writing. Basically, it boils down to what you expect from the program, how you learn and if it will be a match for you. The tests are designed to get the students to think like a nurse, and some students hate that they can't just read and regurgitate info and get A's like they did with their prerequisites. The busy work....for example, the clinical instructor, makes the students type up their reports, even if the hand written version is legible. I think KSU is a great school, my problem with them is that every semester that I have been going there, I've met a student that did not fall into the criteria of what they claim to look at when selecting students, and I know students that should have been at the top of the list but didn't even get an invitation to interview. It just makes me believe that they are looking at other stuff besides what they say they are. There are plenty of students that should be in the program that haven't gotten in yet, and it is not fair, because some students in the program can't even boil water without someone giving them step by step instructions.

lawd, can't boil water? lol. I'm supposed to be applying for the Fall 2012 semester and I was told that I am an ideal candidate but KSU is a reach for me for all the reasons you stated. I applied to 4 other schools just to cover my bases. I hear nursing students complain about almost every program, even Emory. Perhaps, they do like a lottery system of the GPA's and TEAS scores because if they are not even inviting 4.0 students for an interview than must have a special way they cut off people. Perhaps, they only let in a certain number of applicants with certain GPA's. I did ask the advisors there about the strengths of the program and what made it different from other nursing programs. She noted that they have a high nclex score and their students leave with alot of clinical experience. I notice that alot of nursing schools in GA focus on theory than clinical skills. I guess they assume that you will learn all of the hands on stuff in the hospital. I think the most important things they are concerned about is your assessment skills and just thinking like a nurse in general.

IslandRae · Nov 11, 2011

@karamarie,

I wish I could say that they use a lottery system. According to F and S, they themselves have told me that they rank all the students and then select the top 140, or whatever number they decide on for that semester. However, if that was the case, then the individuals that have high GPA's and test scores, should have been invited.

And yes, a lot of schools are focusing on theory more than clinical skills, which I believe is the reason why a lot of new grads don't feel "ready" when they graduate. This is why I think it is up to the student to make the best of the situation. Also, friends that I have that are in nursing school all over the ATL area say that they notice a difference the age and maturity of the students. I understand this because if you have a student that has never worked and has been in school straight since high school, their perspective will be different than someone who has had to work and/or pay their way through school, and also for students with children. I think it just depends on the individual. Me personally, I have my CNA certification, and I just got hired at a LTC/assisted living facility. I am going to try my best to supplement my clinical experience as much as possible. I'm hoping to make the transition to an hospital job as a PCT after I get some experience.

karamarie91 · Nov 11, 2011

Oh, that's great you have your cna certification. I am working as a part-time CNA too. I am looking to get into one of these hospitals as a CNA or PCT(They basically do the same thing). I noticed you have a little Jamaican flag next to your screename. Are you Jamaican? I ask because my family is and it's nice to see West Indians on here,lol.

I wish you well on the LTC job it's hard work. I work evening shift because I can't deal with all the mess associated with morning shift. Sometimes, I work extra hours there but it gets really tiring. Kind of wished I didn't have to work this weekend because I have a micro project due soon. *sigh*

IslandRae · Nov 11, 2011

Yes I am Jamaican...LOL. I haven't started my job yet, but looking forward to it. Which school are you currently attending? Good luck on your project.

karamarie91 · Nov 11, 2011

I'm attending GA Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. Thank you!