Should I just cut my loses and choose another career path?

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2012

You said you wanted honesty....here goes

Nope, no shot in hell with a 1.375 GPA. Most schools have their requirements listed in order to apply to their nursing program. Most are in the 3's (there are some in the mid to higher 2's but I've never seen one below that) BUT, keep getting those high grades on the classes your taking, continue to take classes and get good grades and you have a shot. Get that GPA up to the minimum the school program requires and take it from there :)

There are plenty of people here on AN who've told their story of having terrible grades/GPA who turned themselves around and got in. Keep your head up, keep those grades up and continue on if nursing is really what you want.

Best of luck to you.

nella197 · Dec 11, 2012

Thank you! This is what I needed. I totally understand that if I went to apply now they would laugh and slam the door at my face. I am definitely planning on getting a high gpa on all my prereqs.

Thanks for your help!!

-Daniella

mdain06 · Dec 11, 2012

I have to agree with CT. I have moved around in the last 2 years of my schooling and I have never seen a GPA for RN entrance being any lower than 2.75 which is where I am sitting at right now.

gelibean · Dec 11, 2012

As the other people have mentioned, you will definitely NOT get into a program now... but if you continue pushing through your classes with mostly A's and retake the course that you did not do so well/failed then you should be able to bring your GPA to the minimum and go from there. How many more classes do you have to take to even start applying?

I have had many friends and myself where we had to really pull up our grades to even start applying to Nursing programs and it is possible.. Keep your head up

meeep, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2012

What is your school's policy on retaking classes? If you are lucky, you can retake the courses you failed and have the grades replaced. If you cannot, work your hardest to make A's from now on, and your GPA will slowly recover. Even if it takes you an extra year, if you want it bad enough, you can do it! Luckily you are young enough for it not to be too much of an issue if you need to retake a semester or two worth of classes. As long as you learn something from your failures, it's not a complete waste! You can do it! Good luck!

azcna · Dec 11, 2012

I have to disagree with the above posters.

Nursing schools look at your science classes, and other classes like algebra that they require as pre-reqs. The schools I applied to couldn't care less that I failed technical writing, took psych and algebra twice due to failing, and failed macroeconomics. All they care about is that when you apply you have good grades in the pre-reqs.

When I first attended college it wasn't really by choice, so I didn't care and did poorly in the classes I took because I was disinterested. I pretty much didn't have anything above a C before taking A&P. I got an A in that class because I loved it and it was interesting.

The moral of the story is not to be discouraged, just do well on those pre-reqs!

FDW630 · Dec 11, 2012

I have to disagree with the above posters.
Nursing schools look at your science classes, and other classes like algebra that they require as pre-reqs. The schools I applied to couldn't care less that I failed technical writing, took psych and algebra twice due to failing, and failed macroeconomics. All they care about is that when you apply you have good grades in the pre-reqs.

My school looks at overall GPA. My advice would be to meet with an advisor at your school, or the school you plan to apply to for nursing, and see what they look for. That's what they're there for. I would imagine that if you work hard, you could bring that GPA up to acceptable. Good luck! Where there is a will, there is a way. :)

meeep, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2012

It depends on the school. There are a lot of schools that still look at overall GPA, so that is misleading. It all will come down to which schools you plan to apply to and what their requirements are.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2012

My school also looked at over all GPA. They put more weight on your GPA for pre-reqs but they still looked at other classes grades and those classes grades did carry some weight in the acceptance process. Oh and my school didn't look kindly upon people taking a class again just to go from a B to an A (so that they now had an A and a highter GPA). They were more accepting of someone repeating a class b/c the grade they originally got was less than what the program requires. But repeats of classes to go from a B to an A didn't help get that person a leg up on other applicants.

Best advice to the OP. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go! Keep those grades up, take classes toward the program requirements and maintain those good grades. It's not impossible to make comeback from a poor GPA and be able to gain acceptance into a nursing program.

ADN2B · Dec 11, 2012

Ask your counselor if you are eligible for academic forgiveness. It is a one time deal that wipes the slate clean.

Wrench Party · Dec 12, 2012

With a 1.375 GPA, many places won't even let you graduate, because you didn't pass the courses. How can you be awarded a

degree in a field if you cannot demonstrate proficiency with the material?

Aside from that, it depends on where you apply for nursing school. Here in my state, my GPA was wiped clean when I transferred my

pre-req credits to my current school. When computing the GPA for my nursing school application, they only looked at the most recent

required classes (sciences, fundamental classes, etc.).

I would think if where you want to go is similar to my school, you could re-take the classes you previously failed to boost

your GPA, and to get the knowledge that you failed to learn the first time.