Hello all. I am a pre-nursing student in a community college right now and have less than a year until I'm finished here. I really want my BSN. I have a couple of nursing schools in mind, one of them being a very competitive school that requires you to finish ALL pre-reqs by the end of the Spring semester before the fall term in which you start the program (if anyone knows of it, it is Florida International university). So pretty much, I need to finish all my pre-reqs by the end of NEXT SEMESTER.
I am supposed to finish MOST of my pre-reqs next semester but the very last one was to be taken during the summer (human development). I can't apply to the nursing school if I have that one outstanding class. So my question is: should I stress myself out next semester and take 5 science classes that are all nursing school pre-reqs? Has anyone done this before??
My GPA is at 3.8 and would really like to either maintain or raise it. I am very studious and am very proud of grades/GPA. I have spoken to my advisor and told me that it would risk my GPA but that the decision is up to me. Should I go for it or no?
This nursing school has the cheapest BSN program that I know-- one of the main reasons I want to attend it. It's a competitive program because it is a very good one and is one of the main universities in the area in which I live. There are other BSN programs but they are from private universities (more expensive). I do have the option of the doing the ASN to BSN route at my community college BUT, I would rather obtain my bachelor's degree earlier than later. Financially I am able to just go straight to my BSN, but that does not mean I can afford to go to an expensive private university without a scholarship.
Sorry if this is a crazy mess of words and such, it's just stressing me out. Should I take those 5 classes next semester? Or should I just face the fact that I am not destined for this university? If there are any questions or confusions, ask me lol.
The school only has admission once a year for the fall. So technically I'd have to wait a whole year if I don't get in. And I'm taking a&p 1 this semester (fall 2017)and I will be taking a&p 2 next semester (spring 2017)
In the spring I'm taking a&p2 (lab and lecture), microbiology (lab and lecture) and possibly the human growth class which would make it 5 classes in total.
Like others have said, lab and lecture constitute 1 class, ergo it only equates to 3 classes. If you cannot handle 3 lectures and 2 labs, how are you going to handle nursing school? In our first semester, there are four lectures each 4 hours long, a 4.5 hour lab, and an 8 hour clinical (also considered a lab.
Most Bachelor's students (in other programs) take 3 science lectures, 3 labs, and 2 additional lecture classes in one semester. It's actually the typical load for a science undergrad. I think Junior year I had 1 non science a semester, and Senior year I had none.
Only you know what's right for you, but just some perspective. I am highly concerned that you think lecture and lab are 2 separate courses.
PS (Last fall I did A&P II, A&P II Lab, Micro, Micro Lab, Lifespan Development, Intro to Soc, and Intro to Nursing) sooooo.... it's doable.
You can do it but prepare to have no life. A&P II and Mirco are very study-intensive classes since you have to study for both the lecture exams AND the lab exams. The info generally goes together but it is two different types of studying.
And as a lifelong Florida resident, don't set your heart on one school. Apply to some local community colleges with an ASN program. You get your RN, get working as a nurse, and then worry about the BSN later. It's really competitive around here so please keep multiple options open.
Was there a lot of memorization involved? Lots of tests?
You are correct .Many classes are rote memorization. Micro and A & P for sure. I earned my degree because I have a photographic memory. Don't take both at the same time, unless you have one.
Each one had about 4 tests, except the labs which usually just had lab work, although A&P II lab had a couple of exams regarding structure identification like A&P I. it depends on what you need to memorize and how strong you are in science, I can recall a lot of other science information from other courses so that helped. I do not as a general rule "memorize" I rather work to "understand" how concepts interrelate and it makes me much stronger in my knowledge base than most people around me. I can take a concept and work it backwards and forwards to loop things through... But I have a previous science degree, and I cannot really tell at what point I started doing this. My family says I was always like that even as a young child. Everyone is different.
I don't think anyone mentioned this already, but between your Fall and Spring semesters can you take human growth and development then? I did not find this course difficult, but it was a lot of busy work for me personally. I did have the added benefit of taking this course online.
You are ultimately the best person to determine whether or not you can handle this classes together. Most people I know had a drop in their GPA taking A&P II and Micro together, but I do know some who were able to get A's. I would err on the side of caution and try not to add any additional work on top of those two courses. Look around and see if you can find that human growth and development course so you do not have to worry about it.
It's really up to you, but it is very do-able. At the very most I took 3 science courses at once for all my pre-reqs and felt fine doing it. The only hesitation I would say is to be prepared to study ALOT. But I got very lucky that's all 3 courses I took (genetics, A&p II and Micro) went over similar topic at the same time. This meant I learned the same thing over several times and made it easier to take tests. Also make sure you can take A&P I/II together because at my school you can not take them simultaneously (one is a pre req for the other).Good Luck!
The school only has admission once a year for the fall. So technically I'd have to wait a whole year if I don't get in. And I'm taking a&p 1 this semester (fall 2017)and I will be taking a&p 2 next semester (spring 2017)
In the spring I'm taking a&p2 (lab and lecture), microbiology (lab and lecture) and possibly the human growth class which would make it 5 classes in total.
Don't sweat it. It sounds about normal to me, as I did the same thing. Just don't burn yourself out, and develop good time management skills now, because time management gets worse in nursing school. Study hard and good luck to you!
I had a habit of approaching one task/hurdle at a time, day by day, no matter how many difficult courses I took at one time. The only real crunches came at finals time, if two were scheduled on the same day. A good, always referenced, daily/weekly planner will be your friend.
That's only 3 classes. It s very doable. I am taking micro with lab, a&p2 with lab, intro to psychology, nurse aide class( to much reading in this one), and I am a single father of 3 kids under the age of 6. I study every night for 3-4 hours after the kids sleep including weekends and I am getting As so far.
SunshineNRainbows, BSN, RN
499 Posts
Like others have said, lab and lecture constitute 1 class, ergo it only equates to 3 classes. If you cannot handle 3 lectures and 2 labs, how are you going to handle nursing school? In our first semester, there are four lectures each 4 hours long, a 4.5 hour lab, and an 8 hour clinical (also considered a lab.
Most Bachelor's students (in other programs) take 3 science lectures, 3 labs, and 2 additional lecture classes in one semester. It's actually the typical load for a science undergrad. I think Junior year I had 1 non science a semester, and Senior year I had none.
Only you know what's right for you, but just some perspective. I am highly concerned that you think lecture and lab are 2 separate courses.
PS (Last fall I did A&P II, A&P II Lab, Micro, Micro Lab, Lifespan Development, Intro to Soc, and Intro to Nursing) sooooo.... it's doable.