Starting pre-nursing this fall! Need Advice!

Mesencephalon, MSN, RN · Jul 12, 2015

Hi! I'm a fellow Cal Bear (UC Berkeley c/o 2010). I completed the direct-entry RN program at USF.

How many nursing schools should I apply to? Nursing school admissions are very competitive. I would apply to every nursing school in the area. Do you plan on staying in the Bay? USF, SFSU, CSUEB, Dominican, and Samuel Merritt all have great BSN programs. Many community colleges offer ASN/ADN programs (also highly competitive) but keep in mind that many hospitals in the area will only hire BSN/MSN nurses into new grad programs. If you were to go ADN, you can always enroll in an ADN to BSN program.

How much is health care/volunteer/work experience weighted? I had about 500 hours of hospital volunteer experience before I applied. Some of my classmates worked as CNA's prior to nursing school (very good idea).

How much are outside activities weighted? I don't think nursing schools weigh extracurricular activities as heavily as the UC's. If the outside activity is related to nursing or community service, then it's definitely worth mentioning.

I will be working part time, any advice on this?I have several friends who did this. It's totally possible if you are great at managing your time.

Should I complete all my prerequisites before Fall 2016, so that I will have grades for all of them by time of application, or can I leave one or two classes to be done in the Fall? It depends on the program and their rules. For the USF program, all of the pre-reqs had to be completed by the time of application except for public speaking.

For any recent admits to a California school (and privates), what were your stats? I'm not really a recent admit (entered Spring 2013) but I had straight A's in all my nursing pre-reqs and a very high undergraduate GPA; so did many of my nursing school friends.

Any other advice? Definitely try to get a CNA job (especially in a hospital)! It will help you a lot in landing your first nursing job after you graduate.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

bayarea123 · Jul 12, 2015

Hi! I probably should have mentioned that I didn't not complete my undergrad at Berkeley. I was accepted as a transfer student in computer science (L&S) during my gap year off school when I was working.

After a year working, I decided that year the current path I was on was not making me happy. I had chosen my major for all the wrong reasons. I kind of felt like this through most of my undergrad, which is why I went to work to see if I actually enjoyed it.

I did my internship in cyber security with a major Silicon Valley company, and I didn't like it. I couldn't see myself sitting in a chair 8-10 hours a day without much people interaction and other factors. During my internship, I really thought about what values I have, what I really like (set family and peer pressure aside).

I felt like I was only chasing the money. As you know, this industry is flourishing with money and jobs.

Thank you for the tips Btw!

Before I rescinded my admission to Cal, I was looking into the masters entry program as an option. I ultimately decided to attend community college.

Getting my Berkeley degree and nursing prerequisites would have take 3-4 years. Even though I was accepted to Berkeley CS, most community colleges didn't have the prerequisites so I needed to take them there so it would have been 3 years for the CS degree, and then having to do the nursing prereqs.

The community college route although competitive, seems more viable. I only need to be there for one year (maybe two if schedule doesn't work out) to finish all nursing prereqs and GE's. From a financial standpoint, it's my best option too since I need to help my family.

Personally my goal is to join the ROTC program at the university I transfer to + complete nursing, since the military has always been on my mind since high school!

My top choice schools are CSUEB, SJSU, Sac State, SDSU and Fresno State.

USF as well because of their ROTC program.

Having that Berkeley name would have definitely been sweet though :)

Mesencephalon, MSN, RN · Jul 13, 2015

You and I were cut from the same cloth. I studied political science at Berkeley with the intention of going to law school (like you, because of family pressure). After shadowing/interning at a law firm, I decided that (again, like you) I didn't like sitting in a chair for 8-10 hours a day. I decided to pursue nursing because I wanted a career where I can have a direct positive impact on another person's life; as well as something that was more technical and hands-on. Plus, my mom had been a nurse and I grew up listening to her awesome nursing stories. I was close to finishing my BA so I decided to keep at it, graduated, and immediately began taking pre-reqs at a local community college (much cheaper than UC tuition).

Getting into Berkeley CS is very impressive. I have a few college friends who did CS at Cal; they're all super smart.

I'm sure you'll do wonderful things in nursing, especially now that you're doing what you want to do. I wish you luck on your journey.

bayarea123 · Jul 13, 2015

Thanks! Cheers to nursing ðŸ˜€

bayarea123 · Aug 10, 2015

Hi Mesencephalon, I had a few questions that you may be able to help me on!

(Don't now how to PM you, so I added as a friend/contact)

Keen Observer · Aug 11, 2015

How many nursing schools should I apply to? (I understand it's very competitive)

Apply to at least four nursing schools just to be safe. The CSU programs tend to be the most competitive because they are the least expensive.

How much is health care/volunteer/work experience weighted?

It depends on the program. For example, Chico State, and Sac State have a clear point structure, and they post it on their websites. SFSU, on the other hand, (apparently) has no point structure and gives more weight to health care experience than Chico and Sac.

How much are outside activities weighted? (for UC's, it's highly weighted with the personal statements)

Again, this depends on the program. I imagine at most, if not all CSU's, outside activities are moot. At private schools they carry some weight.

I will be working part time, any advice on this?

It can be done, but you'll absolutely have to manage your time well, and be willing to lose sleep, but given your accomplishments, I'm sure you know what you're in for. I recommend erring on the side of less hours at work, it's not worth sacrificing your gpa. I'm starting at Sac State SON in the fall. I worked about 24-35 hours a week through pre-reqs, and I know others who did the same and were accepted into BSN programs.

Should I complete all my prerequisites before Fall 2016, so that I will have grades for all of them by time of application, or can I leave one or two classes to be done in the Fall?

If you plan on applying for Fall 2017, leave one (science) class for the fall. (likely Physio, APII, or Micro). Some schools allow you to have one science prereq remaining the semester before the one you are applying for (i.e. one course in progress Spring '15, applying for Fall '15 admission), but you'll have more options if you have all prereqs completed by then.

For any recent admits to a California school (and privates), what were your stats?

Overall GPA: 3.72

Prereq GPA: 4.00

TEAS: 90+%

Volunteer care giver experience which may or may not have made a difference depending on the school.

Any other advice?

Identify schools you'd be interested in attending, and understand early what their application timelines are, and what classes you will need to have completed in order to apply. By doing so, you'll have an easier time charting your courses, and staying hungry.