Should I take these classes over?

[Ellis02136]

I tooked APII and Microbiology two years ago and received a B- in both lectures and B+ in the labs. I had awful teachers in both and really don't see how I could have done better. Now that I am applying to nursing schools I notice the competion is steep and though I have all co reqs and prereqs done my cumulative GPA is only a 3.15. I must decide if I should take these two courses along with English I which I received a C in back in college. If I were to take all these over and received an A it would increase to at least a 3.4 or 3.5 but the issue is how do I know if I won't get awful teachers again. I worked hard the first time and spent alot of money so this is tough for me to do all over again. I only applied to two schools so far and I have not heard anything but I am nervous due to my grades. I am a B average student A's don't come by easy for me especially while working 40 hrs a week and going to school it is hard. I just don't know if I should take the classes over or not. Also I did ok on my teas scoring 85.3% now I'm wondering if I should take that over. I guess I did not realize it was going to be so competitive. My B average butt seems to have no chance:(

[turquoisefire]

To be honest I would speak to the nursing departments about their specific programs and what they recommend. Each program is different. For example, the one I'm applying to gives 40 points for As (first time), 30 points for Bs (first time), and then the second time around gives 20 points for As and 10 points for Bs. So based on my program you'd be safer to stay with your Bs. However, other programs I know you NEED an A to even be competitive and it would be worth it to take the class over again. Like I said, talk to the specific nursing departments for what they recommend for their programs.

As for finding a teacher that wouldn't be terrible, ask around if you have the chance. It's easy if you know people that went to the school or program. If you don't know, perhaps ask an advisor for the program if they could perhaps put you in touch with a current or former student that might be willing to answer questions. Also, if it's a local school see if any of your neighbors, coworkers, relatives etc. are familiar with the program. I also check the ratemyprofessors site, but I do have to say: take those reviews with a grain of salt. You don't know what type of student the reviewer was. They might have been a poor student and gave a bad review because they received a poor grade. You never know. I use it as kind of a guideline. But best bet is to try and talk to somebody.

I noticed you said that you work 40 hours a week. Are you also taking a full load of courses or only one or two at a time? I'd recommend either that you cut back on a few hours at work (if you're able to) or take one or two courses at a time so you can focus more energy on the classes. That may help with grades.

Best of luck to you in this process. It's a lot of work and energy, but remember: where there's a will, there's a way.

[chicagoing, ADN, RN]

If you do choose to take any of the classes over, I'd retake English (since you received a C the first time around).

I just wanted to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a B student, just as long as you are trying your best. Good luck to you.

[Ellis02136]

Thank you for the advice. I just called one of the schools and admissions told me taking a class over would not matter they still go by the first grade. They go by a point system. I guess I will stick to what I have, I assume most community colleges do the point system. I've decided to go the Lpn route if I get rejected, it is my only chance.

[mangopeach]

No don't assume that most community colleges do the point system. You really ought to contact the specific programs you want to apply to. Different programs do different things. I'm in an ADN program and they do not use a point system as the one mentioned above.