Starting college, pre nursing intended.

Exhaustipated, ADN, BSN · Jul 19, 2012

Find out the entrance requirements of the schools you intend to apply for. If you have the time, you might even want to attend nursing program information sessions for those schools -- they're a great way to get more information that isn't posted on the website. For example, even though the school I'm applying to states you need a 3.0 GPA, at the info session I attended last year, I learned the average GPA of those accepted was a 3.6. Do you what you need to do (within reason, of course) to make yourself a more attractive applicant. Some schools favor applicants who work or volunteer in the healthcare industry. Some only look at your GPA in certain courses. Some schools want all your pre-requisites completed before you apply, others on require some courses be completed. Find out what your schools look for, and go on from there.

Beyond that, work hard and get the best grades you can.

Meganm28 · Jul 19, 2012

Thank you so much!

willowita, ADN, RN · Jul 19, 2012

My advice would be to get straight A's. Commit yourself to doing so. Those pre-req's are crucial.

Also, apply to as many schools in your area. So find out what their pre-reqs are (because some can differ even in the same school district) and make sure you get all those classes done.

Try to meet people in your classes and start a support/study group. I found other pre-nursing students and they helped me so much in mastering the pre-req material. And I'm a shy person so if I can reach out to people, I think most anybody can.

x_factor · Jul 19, 2012

Check the requirements of the colleges you are interested in. I am just starting (enrolled for Fall semester) pre-reqs for the RN program. It's going to take me 2 years to finish my pre-reqs.

I am taking my pre-req's at a local community college, that also offers an ADN program. Two local universities have a good BSN program, so I have talked to them and compared the pre-req requirements between them. The BSN programs require almost the same exact pre-reqs as the ADN program at the community college where I'm at, except the BSN programs also want Sociology and Chemistry, which the ADN program doesn't require.

So, my plan is to take all the required pre-reqs, plus the Chemistry and Sociology courses as well. One of the BSN programs look at not only GPA, but also volunteer and work experience in the health care field. So I just got hired at a large city hospital working as a CNA on their MedSurg floor, and I signed up to volunteer for 2-3 hours, twice a month, for a hospice program.

Basically, aim for A's, study hard, and do your best to have a well-rounded application to give you the best chances of acceptance.

zoe92 · Jul 27, 2012

All of the above AND try volunteering or getting health care experience. That can really boost your application. Some of the programs I applied for said students with health care experience will really stand out.