Ruined my chances of a BSN? Have to be an ADN forever??

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  1. Am I screwed?

    • 1
      yeah, you're screwed. see ya!
    • 5
      no, there's still hope! and I'll tell you why...
    • 0
      maybe you should consider other career options b/c nursing's not looking good for you
    • 3
      pizza

9 members have participated

Long story - I experienced some bumps along the way during my undergrad years, but now those mistakes may haunt me forever!

So during my freshmen year of college, I took chem + lab at a UC and got a "D" in class and a "C" in lab. The following summer, I retook the lecture portion again and received a "C-". In retrospect, I had poor foresight in the road I would be taking after graduation and rushed to finish my classes instead. At the time, I did not think that I would be applying to nursing programs nor that they would be looking at my 1 chem class that I took. I only thought of major pre-reqs like anatomy, physio, and microbio and did not do deep enough research or else I would have not taken it that time or at least have taken it during the semester.

Now, after graduation, I'm planning take a couple more classes to apply for ADN, and then bridge ADN-BSN eventually because I do want more job opportunities in nursing. However, as I'm looking at BSN programs, they have a chem pre-req, and unfortunately, the chemistry class I took is widely transferable.....!

Even though I don't WANT to transfer it and instead retake chem again at a CC, I don't think I have an option since nursing programs will evaluate my transcript and see that I already (partially) repeated chem once before. I live in the Los Angeles area of CA and it seems like every BSN program that I look at requires chem, and that the minimum grade must be a "B" with only 1 repeat allowed.

The more I look at it, the more it seems like an ADN degree will be the highest step I can take on the degree ladder, and I feel so hopeless because I do want degree advancement, and also I've been hearing more and more that employers will hire BSNs before they even look at ADNs. Overall, I'm just worried about the job prospect in a highly competitive metropolitan area.

Anyways, I would love to hear your thoughts about this, especially from anyone that has been through this path before or can give more insight to my dilemma. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Look into csu san marcos absn program and maybe talk to your advisors to check if programs will take chem2a (combination course consisting of gen/organic/bio chem geared towards nursing programs that you can take at your local CC) instead of your other chem classes. I know a majority of the programs I looked at preferred a combination course.

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Hello! I am finishing my ADN in northern CA, graduating May!! I have done a lot of research on online ADN-BSN programs since I plan on applying before I graduate. I have never seen a school say that they require a 3.0 grade in each prereq separately. What I've mostly seen is you must have an average of 3.0 GPA in all prior coursework (or 2.5 for some schools). If all prior coursework is under a 3.0, some schools say they will just look at the last 60 credits for GPA calculation. Some schools even say they will admit you conditionally if you have a GPA under their requirement. I got a C in chemistry. Chemistry is the worst!!!!!!

Good luck!! You can do it!!!

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Specializes in DNP, NNP-BC, RNC-NIC, C-ELBW, DCSD.

Relax! You need to take one step at a time. I do the same thing! I get so excited, I tend to skip steps. First look into all possible programs that your gonna apply for. See what they require. See if you can retake the course. I took Chem twice, no biggie. Then apply to programs! When I applied, I LITERALLY applied to all programs in my area! I got accepted to two ADN programs. I completed my ADN, went right back (a semester later) and went to an online RN-BSN program. Ended up with a 4.0! Good luck!

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Best thing to do is ask the school you wish to apply at. Each school has different requirements. I couldn't have gotten in with a C minus in chem. I could have 1 C in my science courses and the rest had to be a B or above. The sciences were A and P I and II, micro, nutrition, and chemistry. My GPA had to be above a 2.5 but I was strongly encouraged to get it at a 3.5 or above since the schools around here are so competitive and it is based on points. A couple of the schools that I looked into attending said that if I took a higher level chem course and did well they would use that instead because I was very worried about taking Chem. I got my B so it all worked out but you should talk to an admissions nursing advisor and find out what they want.

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I know I'm a little late to the party here but just wanted to say there is absolutely no reason to feel stuck as with an ADN because of one prerequisite. I am applying to ABSN programs right now and had 2 D's in general chemistry on my transcript (two separate courses as part of a year-long series). However, later in my college career when I knew I wanted to pursue nursing and was a little more focused I got a B+ in upper division biochemistry. Each of the schools I have applied to so far have accepted my upper division biochemistry course for the chemistry requirement. I have heard back from two of the schools and been accepted to one.

You have a lot of options around this and a lot of great suggestions on this board. Email some of the schools you are interested in applying to and simply ask for more information on their policies and what you can do to improve your grade. I also want to say that many times (and I am sure this is especially true in Los Angeles) ADN programs are more competitive to get into than BSN programs due to the number of applicants and the points system most of the programs use. ADN programs simplify each applicant into his or her cumulative GPA, Prereq GPA, and test scores. With a BSN program, admissions committees tend to take a holistic view of the applicant, requiring a resume, essay, and letters of recommendation along with GPA's and test scores. The BSN applications will give you an opportunity to explain what went wrong in your chem course and what you have done to improve yourself since then (and many do not even require chem as a prereq). I would look into more of the BSN or ABSN programs in your area and check with them as well, your chem grade may not have as big of an effect on your application to these programs. You haven't ruined your chances to get a BSN, it just might take a little extra work to get there. Good luck.

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I screwed up my first round of university. Hasn't mattered in the slightest. I did an RN to BSN program, and am currently working on an MSN.

RN to BSN programs don't tend to be particularly selective. You've proven yourself capable of the work by making it through nursing school.

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Thank you all for these great suggestions! They are more than what I hoped for! Can you tell how worried I was by my angst-filled title and the increasing number of question marks, haha....

I've received some responses from nursing programs and some said they were willing to take the more recent chem course and another said that chem was a part of their GE but not a part of their admission requirement. Although, I did get a response from a nursing advisor saying that I would not qualify for their program since I repeated chem, but it was still good to know because it helped me narrow down my choices.

There're too many people to thank here, but I read every single one of your comments and your experiences and advice has been immensely helpful! I'll learn from my mistakes and work harder so someday I'll end up in the same field as you (I'll definitely pay it forward)!

Good luck to those of you working towards a higher degree and have a great day!

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If you don't mind me asking, which programs did you talk with and what was their answer? I have a feeling the school that you're not qualified for is CSULA's absn?

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@imtoonice -

Yes, unfortunately the reply did come from CSULA's absn, lol... I heard that they have a very good nursing program but they also have a stricter standard to make sure the applicants can keep up with the accelerated program.

Did you apply to CSUSM or CSULA? What was your experience like? If you are looking for other nursing programs, perhaps look into CSULB (Long Beach) - they require all science courses be completed within the last 5 years, I don't know if that would work in your favor... Or maybe MSMU, but it's a more expensive option since it's a private school.

If you did well in your science pre-reqs, CSUF does not have an expiration date on classes, and CSUN accepts pre-reqs done within the last 10 years.

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