Should I even begin to pursue this?

[TiffanyBCbus]

Hello,

I have been considering going to Nursing School for some time and have begun to take the pre-req's. The more I read on this forum, the more concerned I get about my ability to even get into a program. My concern comes from the fact that everyone seems to have a 4.0, or close to it. I am hoping to get into an accelerated BSN program. I already have a B.A. degree in Psychology from a large state school. My undergrad gpa was a 3.7. This put me in the top 12% of my college which had about 25,000 kids in it. I thought I did pretty well until I started reading these message boards :) I am about to finish up my law degree ( I am specializing in Bioethics). I ultimately hope to be both a Research Nurse and a consultant to law firms in legal malpractice cases. I have only completed two pre-reqs- both of which were taken in undergrad. So far my pre-req gpa is a 3.5.

To make a long story short, I am concerned that because I do not have a 4.0 I will not get into any programs. I am trying to figure out how everyone could have gotten a 4.0 in College? My brother goes to OSU Medical School and he had a 3.5.... Anyways, I am really anxious to start a new chapter in my life. I am a childhood cancer survivor so I think I can pretty much do what I put my mind to. The question is whether or not these grades will be sufficient?

Thank you all for your help!

[gapeachRN2009, BSN, RN]

I did not have a 4.0 but I had very good science grades. I think you should pursue it.....good luck and do not compare yourself to everyone else b/c all situations are very different!!!!

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

Every nursing school is different as far as standards and GPA. I had a 3.7 on my pre-req's, but honestly, the school I got into didn't really care (and this was a private RN school), whereas the community college I had tried to get into, would have let me in eventually, but since I wasn't a 4.0 I would have had to wait longer. I think this idea that you all need a 4.0 to get into nursing school is a poor way of schools to pick what they think will be good students, since there is so much more to the package than that.

[sunray12]

I don't assume everyone who gets into nursing school has a 4.0. If you're going by what you see on boards such as this - people usually post if they got an A - or a 4.0 - or they post if they're upset because they failed. What about the people in between who didn't get A's but didn't fail either?? A: they just don't feel like talking about it. There's more than one way into nursing school - the stampede is usually at the state programs because tuition is lower but these programs only have so many seats. If you don't get a seat at a state program, and you're willing to pay more at a private school you can get in.

[bano.bsn]

I think it depends on the schools you are applying to. Places like John's Hopkins, Yale, etc., of course those probably need a pretty high GPA. It's just like after you graduate from high school and you know not to apply to Harvard because you don't have the grades. With nursing, you have to be realistic. That being said, a 3.7 is a pretty good GPA so work with it. Apply to schools you think you have a chance of getting into and then to your dream schools too. You never know until you try. It is sad that people give up on getting into nursing school because they hear and read posts that claim "I can't get in anywhere." Everyone's situation is unique, don't base your future on what others are saying. Go For It!! :)

[86toronado, BSN, RN]

I don't know how schools make their decisions, but they will probably take into consideration that you have already completed an undergraduate and a graduate degree, so they will see that you are someone who finishes what you start. Also, one school's 4.0 may equal another school's 3.7 (or 3.0), so I would think that they would take the difficulty of the school at which you earned that 3.7 into consideration as well. I got into a small, private nursing program with a prior bachelor's degree GPA of 3.5. So shop around, I'm sure you'll find something.

[tbell2]

Not all schools base admission on GPA. My CC doesn't even look at that. You could have failed A+P 3 times before passing and not waited any longer to get in than someone who got a 100%

My concern comes from the fact that everyone seems to have a 4.0, or close to it.

Off the record.... I think there are some folk here who exaggerate. Why you have to try to impress a bunch of people on a message baord is beyond me.

[Serlait]

If you don't try, you'll always wonder. If you want it, GO FOR IT!!

[CrazedStudent]

I didn't have a 4.0 and admission into my program was based on GPA and completed pre-req's.

You should go for it!!

[rwh998877]

I agree with Serlait: GO FOR IT!

Your GPA is stellar, IMO; and you'll get in SOMEWHERE --but you gotta apply all over the place, especially to private schools. (Due to their tuition $$$ they dont get as many applicants as the state schools do.)

And dont get fixated on the IvyLeague/Stanford/UCLA's --just get the RN from an accredited place that has a decent NCLEX passing rate (>90pct).

Lastly, I suggest that you get some volunteer experience somewhere 'cause you'll want good letters of recommendations.

-R

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

Not all programs base their acceptance on *just* GPA..research which programs let other things come into play such as previous experience, interviews, writing samples.

[NurseJeanB]

Hello, I didn't have a 4.0 GPA, and my admission to nursing school was based on GPA in the prerequisites and my test scores on the TEAS test. There were ADN programs locally as well that only required a minimum GPA of 3.0 and then selected based on lottery. I would definitely encourage you to go for it. You have a very good GPA, and you have already accomplished a lot. I have a professor who is a nurse and a lawyer and she loves her career.