Seeking the truth about Nursing School acceptance...

HappyPediRN · Aug 13, 2008

Truly, I believe my essay letter is what did it for me...that and my interview. I wrote a really heart-felt essay about what made me realize I wanted to be a nurse. I had okay grades (excellent grades from medical assisting course - 3.8 GPA but decent to average high school grades except my senior year which I got all As). I think admissions wants to see your human side, and that you have a real drive and motivation for wanting to enter the nursing field.

nurseman78, BSN, RN, NP · Aug 13, 2008

I haven't gotten into a nursing program yet, because I haven't applied yet. I plan on applying in Spring 2009.

The school's I'm going to apply to are Weber State University, Davis Applied Technology College (DATC) and Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College (ATC), all in Utah. I'm also thinking about applying at Nicolet Area Technical College in Rhinelander, WI (it's right near my dad's house, and is fully accredited to allow me to get my BSN).

I had an experience that helped dispel a lot of the "heresay" that goes around about nursing school acceptance. A good friend of mine, a married mother of three and non-traditional student like myself, got accepted to the DATC. She has the exact same qualifications as I do, and was accepted, even without having finished all the pre-requisite and support classes (A & P, Patho, Chem, etc.). She had a 3.55 at the time of acceptance.

So I feel very optimistic about my chances. This last semester went very well, and I've got some good letters of recommendation. Anyway, don't want to bore you with details, but needless to say, a lot of the talk of having to have a 4.0 to get in has been proven to not be the case. Seems like while GPA is very important, other factors apply too, such as work experience, interview, and especially completing as many pre-requisites / support classes as possible.

HappyPediRN · Aug 13, 2008

Sam I totally get what you were saying. Don't even bother trying to explain because you'll just start the great nurse vs. doctor debate war 2008 - allnurses.com style. What you meant is GPA is important but it doesn't necessarily make the nurse because nursing is so far beyond just textbook...it's the art and science of caring. Med school, on the other hand, is almost strictly brain food the first few years so a GPA of 4.0 would be more vital to a medical admissions department than a nursing school department (and rightfully so, since these could be the people that drill holes in your brain or stand elbow deep in your chest repairing your heart).

nurseman78, BSN, RN, NP · Aug 13, 2008

That's sort of what I meant...

I think high GPA is important no matter what. I'm not attempting to say that physicians are any more intelligent or qualified than nurses. I'm also not saying that nurses can slack on academic performance in favor of caring ability.

I was merely saying, if EVERY nurse HAD to have a 4.0 to get in, it seems a bit of a high requirement. I had heard stories of people who had so much trouble getting into competetive nursing programs that they just decided to go to medical school instead.

It was meant as more of a humorous example of all the heresay created by many jaded nursing school applicants who say, "I had a 4.0 and applied twice and didn't get in," and such. It was a play on the general notion that medical schools are fiercely competetive, even more so than nursing school. Of course, this is a generalization and is not necessarily true.

I think people need to relax on here a little bit and not take everything so personally. I come from a family of physicians (my dad and uncle), and they in no way look down on the nursing profession. In fact, they respect and appreciate nurses as an intergral part of the health care team. My dad was the one who suggested I go into nursing in the first place.

Anyway, this dead horse has been beated too much already.

nurseman78, BSN, RN, NP · Aug 13, 2008

Whoops, I mean beaten. Beated? Wow, should have caught that one.

Ctenney1 · Aug 14, 2008

Hey Sam. I just got accepted into the DATC nursing program. I am not sure how much research you been able to do in regards to Weber's and DATC's nursing program but here are a few tips I learned over the last couple years while trying to get in.

* You can apply to the DATC nursing program two times a year. One for Fall and one for Spring. The one for Fall usually has more applicants than spring. The Spring semester has what is called and IASIS preference. Meaning you talk to one of four hospitals (Davis, Jordan Valley, Salt Lake Regional, or Pioneer) representatives and either send them a resume or have an interview with them....they will then write you a letter of IASIS preference pretty much guaranteeing you into the program. HOWEVER- if you do this you have to sign a contract to work for these hospitals full time for 2 years after you graduate or pay $4,400 to get out of the contract. Personally I think it is worth it, but a lot of people don't do it so the odds are really on your favor. If you don't want to sign the contract you can still apply for spring but there aren't as many slots since the IASIS takes most of them for that semester.

* Finish everything before you start if possible. I just went to the orientation and the workload will be pretty high. I am so glad I don't have to take pathophysiology or other generals on top of it.

* The program is accelerated. It is Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall and you are finished with your RN! If you have the energy and desire you can go straight into the bachelors program the very next semester.

Sam I hope this helps. I applied twice, the first time I didn't have everything completed and the second I did. My GPA isn't very high but I have a lot of experience. Good luck!

Oh and if you become an alternate don't lose hope. They take 30 alternates and this semester that I got it they took 29 of the alternates.

birdgardner · Aug 14, 2008

My county community college puts you on one-year waiting list after you finish your pre-reqs. I had a classmate complaining because she had a 4.0 average and had to wait. An ADN took four years or more, you might as well go to a 4 year state college or university and get your BSN - or you could spend your waiting year doing CNA or EMT work.

The next CC over gives a test - highest scorers are in. You'll never get in there if you can't make the top 10%.

Something in between would be nice - get a 4.0 on your pre-reqs and no waiting. Get a 2.75 and you can still get in eventually.

BabyFly · Aug 14, 2008

The truth is not all schools use a lottery system. The school I teach for does not. I can't speak for all schools, of course, but we have a point system that we stick to (for the most part.....which I'll explain in a second) and take a total of 30 students per class. The 30# is determined by faculty available to teach in the clinical setting (each state has a ratio of faculty to student that they allow).
Like I said, our school has a point system. You get points for your ACT composite, grades in supporting science courses (the higher the grade, the more points), NET score, and GPA. CNA status will get you 0.5 points. It's very objective. However (here's where the "for the most part" explanation begins), when we see multiple repeats (more than 2) of science courses in order to achieve a passing grade......well, we sometimes will take a candidate with no repeats (but lower cumulative points) instead. If it sounds capricious, it really is not. We have members of the math and science faculty on our admission committee and consider their input......they have already had these students.
Our school (ADN program at a 4 year college) is not hard to get into (academically), space is limited, though. The college itself has an open admission policy. The nursing program only requires a composite ACT of 19, a GPA of 2.0 (yes, I really do mean 2.0). There is no particular NET score required. I think some of the requirements I've read on this thread are a bit steep (3.7 GPA). Somehow we graduate students that manage to pass NCLEX:nuke:.

Okay...and what college is this?????? I'd like to apply TODAY!

SunnyAndrsn · Aug 14, 2008

The truth is that different schools do this differently. I've "heard on the street" that my BSN completion program is very difficult to get into, yet I had no problem. I have a high GPA, but certainly have B's on my record. My ADN program was not difficult to get into, but there was a waiting list due to the fact that there were so many applicants. I completed my pre-reqs while I was on the waiting list.

I got on the waiting list by applying--period! My school has a very high pass rate on the NCLEX, 100% in the previous semester.

Listen to your acedemic advisor and ignore everyone else.

Hi everybody,
I'm seeking some honest feedback from LPN's or RN's about the requirements for getting into Nursing programs in universities. I'm a 30-year-old male, and I'm planning on applying for the first time to the Nursing program at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. I also plan on applying to a number of technology and community colleges that offer LPN and RN programs that are accredited and will allow me to transfer back to Weber State to pursue my BSN. Basically, I would like to get into any program that will get me on my way, but will also be accredited to allow me to go to graduate school.
My question is: I've heard a number of horror stories from other people trying to get into nursing school about how they had stellar grades (4.0's, 3.9's) but were rejected multiple times. This seems a little ridiculous to me, since the programs all state that their requirements are at least a 3.0. But not 4.0's!
When I spoke to an academic advisor at Weber State, she broke down the point system by which they qualify all of their candidates, and she showed that if I managed to do well in the classes I'm taking this summer and fall, I should have nearly 14 points, which gives me a good chance of getting in, according to her.
So what's the truth? Do you really need a 3.9 or a 4.0 to get into nursing school? If this is the truth, then why don't these people just apply to med school???
I have a decent GPA (3.55). I have just taken A & P and gotten A's in both. I have completed my CNA and am planning on getting a job in a few weeks to have experience for the application deadline of January 15th. By the year's end I'll have all of my sciences and generals done, save my Maths (which my counselor claims I can complete next year before the nursing program begins in the fall).
Another question I had was if it is recommended to retake classes in which I received C's or B minuses. Does this really help? Does it raise your GPA? Or is it frowned upon? I have a C in one Chemistry class that I thought about retaking.
I realize that the criteria is different all across the country. But I would like to hear from anyone who has been accepted to a nursing program recently about what grades they had and what they did that helped them get in. I love nursing and I'm going to do this if it takes me 5 years to get in! Any advice is appreciated.
- Sam

nurseman78, BSN, RN, NP · Aug 14, 2008

CTenney1,

First of all, congratulations on getting in! DATC is really a great place, I love the small campus and small class size. If you see a girl named Heather Buttars, let her know Sam Potter says "Hi".

Yes, I've heard about IASIS. My friend who I mentioned that got in attended that meeting and got in. Unfortunately, when I apply in January they won't be doing IASIS. But I feel like I'll be pretty competitive. If I don't get in, I'll definitely go to the IASIS meeting and sign up. I won't have a problem committing to 2 years, as I'll need the experience and really would like a foot in the door to work in critical care so I can eventually go to grad school for CRNA.

Anyway, I think things are going well. If I don't get in the first time, I'm not worried. It'll happen eventually.

Altra, BSN, RN · Aug 14, 2008

Sounds like the school you're most interested in has given you a clear explanation of the point system that they use as a basis for admissions decisions. The additional question you may need to ask is ... when they have a greater number of qualified applicants than available spots, how do they choose? Are all candidates at or above a certain point total put into a lottery? Is it the 20, 40, 80, 100, or whatever number highest point totals?

Despite the urban legends, these things really are pretty straightforward.

nurseman78, BSN, RN, NP · Mar 23, 2009

Just for the record, I applied at Weber State by the early deadline, raised my cumulative GPA to a 3.64, 3.9 prerequisite GPA, A's in Anatomy, Physiology, Patho, Chem 1110, Nutrition and Microbiology, 6 months CNA experience.... didn't get in.

But, I didn't have an associates degree, nor my CNA certificate or my Math done yet. So, anyway, maybe the next time around.