RIC-so confused

RhodyGirl, RN · May 24, 2009

Hello

I'm a junior nursing student at RIC (taking Psych and Maternity in the fall) and was a transfer also (in 2007). I was accepted on my second try with just over a 3.3 GPA. I would suggest that you try as hard as possible to get A's in your courses, because RIC's nursing program is extremely competitive to get admitted to.

Just the nursing portion of the program is 3 years long, not including prereqs. I transferred to RIC in Jan of 2007 and will be graduating in May 2011 (I had no idea it would take this long)! You can only take 2 nursing courses per semester, and there are a total of 6 semesters worth of nursing classes to fulfill. So, it doesn't matter if you take 15 credits per semester, what matters ultimately is your acceptance to the program.

Transfer students are the last students chosen for admission to the program, which is why I had to wait an extra semester to be admitted (I actually know someone who was also a transfer and is on her fifth application right now :crying2: ). My prerequisite grades were all A's and B's. The program takes about 90 students for the Fall semesters, and 60 for Spring. My advisor told me there were 600 applicants for this coming Fall.

As for when to apply: you need to complete both of your chem courses, along with psych, bio 108 and anatomy before you can fill out an application. Your GPA has to be a minimum of a 2.7, but should be well above that!!!

You will need to have physiology and micro done in your first year of actualy nursing courses, but many students (including myself) get these done well before starting the nursing program.

You should also make sure to get some gen-eds completed before applying, such as Core 1 and 2, etc... (The more courses you have completed at RIC, the better)

There is no waiting list at RIC.....you either get in or you don't. Students who started at RIC in their freshman year of college are given priority into the program, while transfers and second degree students are last pick.

I hope I've answered some of your questions, and please feel free to ask if you have more. Try to get high grades in the science classes, and keep your overall GPA high to give yourself the best chance. Also, a healthy dose of patience is required with this program.....it's been a long haul for me but I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Good luck and work hard!!

tamaraglennon · May 24, 2009

Thank you so much! I am more nervous than ever now though! SO I am taking the first Chem this summer and have already taken the pysch pre-req (my original degree was psych) Are there any classes that I can take that are an "easy A" to help boost my GPA? Chem is going to be really tough on me! How much math is involved in Chem...should I take a refresher math class? I am awful at math...my hubby graduated from the Naval Acedemy with a degree in Quanitative Mathematics! :eek: So he can help as much as he can! I got nothing but A's in high school in Alegebra but that was all I took in HS since I graduated a year early with honors! But then I attempted College Algebra and had to drop it every stinkin time! :sniff:

Also let's throw another wrench into the issue...DH is scheduled to transfer to Hawaii in August 2010...should i stay here and finish Nursing here at RIC or transfer to U of H! I do know that none of the nursing classes will transfer!

Also what classes are in the core 1 & 2? Western Lit and West History?

THis will be the first time in my college career to be able to devote 100% of my time and efforts to school! Although I have a 6yr old and an 18 month old I have a very supportive hubby!

Thanks in advance!

Oh one more thing, do they take into consider "life experiences" I have a significant medical background from my previous jobs!

RhodyGirl, RN · May 24, 2009

Thank you so much! I am more nervous than ever now though! SO I am taking the first Chem this summer and have already taken the pysch pre-req (my original degree was psych) Are there any classes that I can take that are an "easy A" to help boost my GPA? Chem is going to be really tough on me! How much math is involved in Chem...should I take a refresher math class? I am awful at math...my hubby graduated from the Naval Acedemy with a degree in Quanitative Mathematics! So he can help as much as he can! I got nothing but A's in high school in Alegebra but that was all I took in HS since I graduated a year early with honors! But then I attempted College Algebra and had to drop it every stinkin time!
Also let's throw another wrench into the issue...DH is scheduled to transfer to Hawaii in August 2010...should i stay here and finish Nursing here at RIC or transfer to U of H! I do know that none of the nursing classes will transfer!
Also what classes are in the core 1 & 2? Western Lit and West History?
THis will be the first time in my college career to be able to devote 100% of my time and efforts to school! Although I have a 6yr old and an 18 month old I have a very supportive hubby!
Thanks in advance!
Oh one more thing, do they take into consider "life experiences" I have a significant medical background from my previous jobs!

If your hubby is supposed to transfer to Hawaii, it is ultimately up to you whether you want to switch schools or not. I would recommend that if you get accepted into RIC's nursing program, that you stay in it! But, if you haven't been accepted by that time, I would transfer, since prerequisites for nursing programs are similar anywhere you go (ie: Anatomy, Physio, Chem, etc).

Do you have a Bachelor's degree in Psych? If so, you wouldn't need to take any of the Core classes (Western lit, history, etc).

RIC unfortunately does not take any life experience into account. All that they see on your application is your name, DOB, gender and your grades. There is no essay to fill out, and no interview.

As for easy GPA-boosting classes, I would recommend Social Psych (if you havent taken it already), SOC 202 (The Family), and Aesthetics (sort of an art history class, but very easy).

There is a lot of math in Chem 105, but barely any in 106. Get yourself a good quality calculator! I was never good at Chem either, but I worked really hard and ended up with a low B in 105 and an A- in 106. (I took 106 during a summer session)

A math refresher course might not be a bad idea. You could try Math 139 or 181.

I'm glad to hear that you have a supportive husband. You will need a lot of support to get through this, and I know I couldn't do it without my DH.

tamaraglennon · May 24, 2009

I took Statistics at TTU and was told by the advisor at RIC that it was sufficient to cover my math that is needed to graduate! My first class is Chem 105 this summer and I am SOOOOO nervous!

How does getting a minor in another language look? I would love to learn Spanish. I took it all through HS and was pretty good at it. I know in the long run it will help my job search to be fluent in another language! I wish I could think of who I have for chem...any thoughts on good/bad professors? Is chem during the summer going to be tougher than any other time?

Also thank you so much for all your help and time!

RhodyGirl, RN · May 24, 2009

I took Statistics at TTU and was told by the advisor at RIC that it was sufficient to cover my math that is needed to graduate! My first class is Chem 105 this summer and I am SOOOOO nervous!
How does getting a minor in another language look? I would love to learn Spanish. I took it all through HS and was pretty good at it. I know in the long run it will help my job search to be fluent in another language! I wish I could think of who I have for chem...any thoughts on good/bad professors? Is chem during the summer going to be tougher than any other time?
Also thank you so much for all your help and time!

Any science course over the summer is going to be difficult and time consuming. I took 106 over a summer session and had to devote my entire life to it for 6 weeks!

For 105, I had Dr. Knowlton and she was excellent. If you go onto RIConnect, you can see who your teacher is by looking at your summer schedule.

I also took Statistics to cover my math requirement....it's not mandatory, but I took it in case I want to go to grad school later on.

Don't be too nervous, the prereq classes are not easy but they are very doable if you are determined to get through them. The nursing classes are much more work, in my opinion, but I've learned a lot and am enjoying the program. Let me know if you have other questions along the way.

cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP · May 25, 2009

Hey Tamara,

I'm Chris and I'm a junior at RIC (going into Pediatrics and Med. Surg I in the fall) and I'm also one of Lauren's classmates. I'm glad to hear your looking at RIC, its a really good school. I've been reading your posts and Lauren's responses and here are a few of my suggestions.

While its fine to apply to different programs keep in mind that the more classes you take at a particular college the more likely you are to get into their program. I know that if you apply to RIC after only having taken one class there then you will not get in, they need to see at least two of your pre-reqs coming from RIC (including at least one science.) Many other colleges make selections in a similar fashion so you should try to find one college and focus on getting into that school's program (although you can certainly apply to other programs as well.)
It's great that your ready to go full steam ahead but keep in mind that taking that extra semester and getting higher grades could end up helping you get into a program faster then if you try to rush it too much. Make sure that the course load you take on is something you can handle.
If your going to get your Bachelor's degree then you need to know that once you get into a program you will still have 3 years of work left to complete. And if you decide to go for an Associate's degree you need to know that once you get into a program you will still have 2 years of work left to complete.
You need to discuss this with your husband because if you are accepted into a school's nursing program its not advised to try and transfer one you have started clinicals. This may require sacrifices or changes with your family and living situation so you will need to discuss the scenarios ahead of time.
If you have another Bachelors degree it won't help you (unfortunately) because out of the pool of applicants only a few (as in 3 or 4) second degree candidates are chosen each semester which is even less then the number of transfer students they take (I'm not sure why but that is the case.) So if you already have another Bachelors degree you need this to keep in mind.

That being said if you decide to go to RIC here is my suggested course load for you based upon what you have told me so far. Keep the Chem 105 for the Summer II Session. Sign up for Chem. 106 and your Anatomy class for the Fall semester, if you want another class to help boost your GPA that will be useful then I would look at the nursing requirements and see if you can get a Gen. Ed or Core class out of the way otherwise look for a class that looks interesting to you (I took Sign Language and had a lot of fun with it.) Apply for the program for the Spring of 2010 but expect that you might be differed the first time. If your accepted into the program then you will start the Nursing classes along with Physiology and if your not accepted then you need to do your Physiology and another class to boost your GPA. If your really feel that your math skills are not sufficient then you could take a refresher course besides the class for your graduate requirements but in general the math for nursing is not difficult but requires you take your time, concentrate and always double check your math (and getting a good calculator definitely helps.) Good luck and let us know what your decision is after you talk with your family.

!Chris :specs:

tamaraglennon · May 25, 2009

:loveya: Thank you so much for all of your replies! This is a great thread and I am so glad that I found it! I agree with what everyone said!

Here is my POA...

Chem 105 Summer session 2

Chem 106 Fall 09

Anatomy fall 09

* social psych to boost GPA or maybe Sign Language!

Apply to Nursing program Spring 2010 :up: Keeping my fingers crossed!

When should I try to take My Cores? Western Lit and so on!

Does RIC take into account your GPA when transfering? I have a 2.1 :imbar :cry: :angryfire

cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP · May 25, 2009

:loveya: Thank you so much for all of your replies! This is a great thread and I am so glad that I found it! I agree with what everyone said!
Here is my POA...
Chem 105 Summer session 2
Chem 106 Fall 09
Anatomy fall 09
* social psych to boost GPA or maybe Sign Language!
Apply to Nursing program Spring 2010 Keeping my fingers crossed!
When should I try to take My Cores? Western Lit and so on!
Does RIC take into account your GPA when transferring? I have a 2.1 :imbar :angryfire

Sounds like a good plan to me! RIC does take into account your GPA when you transfer (it will use that as part of their decision to allow you to be accepted to the college) but the only GPA you have at RIC is the one you get from attending RIC classes. When you fill out your application for the RIC School of Nursing you should make sure that every class that is listed on the application has a grade of B or better, this will include your General and Developmental Psych, Chem 105 and Chem 106 along with your Bio 108 (if you need to take that class) and your Anatomy. So if any of those classes has less then a B then you need to retake it, I know it sounds tough but you will have at least 600 people competing with you and you need to make your application as strong as possible and unfortunately all that really counts is GPA.

!Chris :specs:

tamaraglennon · May 31, 2009

So while double checking my schedule I realized that i was enrolled in Chem 106...I haven't taken Chem 105 SO I dropped chem and added Anatomy! I have Kinsey....any thoughts on that?

In the fall I will do Chem 105 and maybe social psych/sign language!

Thanks again for all your help!

cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP · May 31, 2009

If your doing Anatomy during the summer just keep in mind that Anatomy is a very intense course, it requires a lot of study time but the summer actually isn't a bad time to take it. You really need to get a good grade in Anatomy (like think a B or better.) If you can get a good grade in Anatomy your off to a really good start.

+ In you're going to do part time in the Fall then do Chem 105 and Sign Language or Social Psych.

+ If you're going to do full time in the Fall then do Chem 105, Sigh Language or Social Psych. and Physiology.

In my opinion (which other people have agreed with me) is that Anatomy is usually the most difficult of the Biology courses followed by Microbiology and the easiest is Physiology. I personally did not find Chem 105 difficult but Chem 106 I did find a little difficult.

!Chris :specs:

tamaraglennon · May 31, 2009

Thanks Chris...I am SUPER Stoked to take anatomy. Out of all my classes this is the one I am most excited about. That excitement will hopefully boost my enthusiasm to study! LOL

I am most worried about the Chem classes... I attempted Chem at least 2-3 times at Texas Tech (10 yrs ago) and each time I had to withdraw mid semester. Maybe it will be a little different this time around! Also are there any study groups at RIC?

My POA is to have both of my kids in full time daycare. SO my classes/lab are from 8-11 then I will stay at the campus to study until at least 2-3 pm. Then head home to get my babies! I think that this will help me to study uninterrupted! If I am at home I will be to distracted!

Also where is the best place to get books? Campus book store? half.com? I was given the list of books for Anat. and thought I would pick them up this week (if they have them already) maybe I can get a jump start on the books.

Can you give me a brief overview of what anatomy entails? I am thinking bones, muscle structures....am I way off base?