raising a low GPA from a previous degree

[sweetstrwbrry1]

I am currently just finishing my first semester of taking pre-reqs. I have taken Human Anatomy and Nutrition. I have worked so hard in these and I will most likely get a B in both of them. I skipped bio and chem (some loophole I ended up finding) so these are my first science classes. I went to school for music which is completely different. I graduated with a 3.08 for my GPA under-grad. The school I would like to go to is UCF (University of Central Florida) and I just talked to an advisor. I am very discouraged now because he says my overall GPA is low and not competitive. I am trying so hard but I don't think it is possible for me to get all A's in my prereqs. I am worried that I will never be able to get in because of some classes I did bad in during my undergrad. I feel like I am being punished for grades and classes that have absolutely nothing to do with what I am doing now. (graduated in 2007). For those of us that already have a degree, the longer you are in school the lower your GPA tends to go. I find that unfair as opposed to someone who is just in school for 2 years because obviously they have taken a lot less. Anyone have some insight??

[buckeyepaige]

I understand how you feel. It is really difficult to raise your GPA when you already have 150+ credit hours from a previous degree. My suggestion is to take your time with your pre-reqs and try to get As in as many of them as possible.

[dbabklyn]

Take your time to try to get as many As as possible in your prerequisites. Look into other schools as well. Most schools take other factors into consideration (i.e. if you've volunteered at the hospital, clinical experience, etc). It's not impossible to get into nursing school with a low GPA. Just make sure you do well in your pre-reqs, get letters of recommendations from your science professors, volunteer at a hospital (especially in clinical areas where you are exposed to what the nurses do on a daily basis), get letters of recommendations from MDs and nurses that you work with, etc and all of that will go a long way into strengthening your application.

If nursing is what you want to do then don't give up. There are many routes to becoming a RN. Always remain positive and you will achieve your goals. :)