Second Degree BSN--afraid past will haunt me

MrChicagoRN, RN · Nov 12, 2011

It says under most requirements that a 3.0 undergrad GPA is required-- is that referring to the NURSING GPA or my first degree??
Will that matter as much? What if I get a 4.0 in my BSN nursing degree (I'm planning on applying to the accelerated program). Please offer your advice - harsh or not. Honesty is welcome.
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Don't know, but it may apply to all courses accepted towards the BSN. Only the school can answer that.

If you get a 4.0 on all future courses, what will your final GPA work out to?

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 12, 2011

I also have a first degree with a less-than-stellar GPA (2.7). When I applied to nursing school they only looked at the GPA for the pre-requisite classes, most of which I had NOT taken with the first degree so the grades were better.

For my RN-BSN program, they only considered the GPA of classes that would apply for the BSN degree, which did include a few of those lousy classes. But having a 3.9 in my ADN helped to offset the damage considerably. I'll never have a 4.0 in the BSN because of those lousy classes but that's OK--I could still graduate with honors if I worked for it.

I agree with the previous poster--ask the school how they weigh it.

finally a path · Nov 12, 2011

thanks for the comments! actually, luckily for me, the pre req. courses for the BSN program are basically general biology, chemistry, math and anatomy all of which I either got an A or B in. So my pre req. GPA is somewhere around a 3.5. Hopefully I can do well in my BSN and get experience which will help me get into a CRNA program.

Right now I'm just focusing on getting into a BSN program!

spore2008 · Nov 13, 2011

I think it is great you have an ultimate goal: CRNA.

But you have to move in baby steps. First, you need to get enrolled in a BSN program. I do not know which programs you are looking at, but I found most accelerated BSN programs require a 3.0 undergrad GPA.

I graduated undergrad with a degree in Neuroscience, GPA 2.8. I wanted to go to graduate school for science. There was no way I was going to get into a decent program as is. To be competitive, I was a research technician for 3 years and was published twice and earned a winning letter of recommendation. I was accepted to many great programs. (I also have a PhD in Molecular Genetics.)

You may need to compensate for a low undergrad GPA. It can be done.

I am sure when you apply for graduate nursing school, the program will likely place heavy emphasis on what you did as a nursing student. I imagine you will be required to submit all of your college-level and up transcripts and these grades will be looked at. What counts the most is what was done last and admissions committees love to see improvement.

Good luck getting accepted into a BSN program.

wetzoo · Nov 13, 2011

For the accelerated program I attended, you had to have at least a 2.8 overall undergrad GPA to be considered. I've seen 3.0 for other ABSN programs. Nursing courses would not be considered in this GPA, as presumably, you would not have taken any nursing courses. Prerequisites for the program (chem, micro, anatomy, phys, etc) would be considered separate from this GPA, but they wouldn't even look at this GPA unless you had an overall 2.8 in your previous degree.

I would contact the schools you are interested and in and clarify with them. I would almost suggest going through an ADN program, and then bridging to a RN-BSN program.