stuck.

Brainy Nurse James · May 8, 2015

Hey! It depends on your location. And also if the school will accept the higher grade if you repeated some courses. Most schools want you to have at least a 3.0. You may have to take more classes to get your gpa up. I had to do the same thing, I finally have a 3.0 and can go to school. It's not going to be easy. Don't give up tho. It will all work out in the end.

PrincessZ · May 8, 2015

that means im going to have to go back to my old school to retake classes.. I was actually hoping to start by spring the latest(well there goes that) thanks for the advice though.

im located in NY btw

Seaofclouds, BSN, RN · May 8, 2015

You should speak an admissions counselor at the schools in your area to see what the requirements are. I am not familiar with schools in NY, so unfortunately I can't offer more help than that. Look at the schools requirements online and speak to an admissions counselor.

roser13, ASN, RN · May 8, 2015

There will likely be for-profit schools that will welcome you. They will be outrageously expensive and you will be pushed to apply for massive amounts of student loans. These schools also may have terrible NCLEX pass rates and their graduates may have bad reputations amongst the local hospitals. These schools also will likely inflate and/or fabricate the job placement rates of their grads.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Red Kryptonite · May 8, 2015

ill even consider ADN programs..

How generous of you....

AspiringNurseMW · May 8, 2015

Depending on where you live, ADN programs can be harder to get into than BSN, so I would rethink that line of thought.

So it's going to depend on where you live and how far you are willing to travel.

Honestly you are going to be hard pressed to find a school that will accept you with that GPA. You might find one or two you can apply to, but acceptance would be unlikely.

You need to look at WHY you are getting B and Cs in your Pre reqs, change/improve your study habits and either retake the classes that you can or take other general ed courses and get an A on them to bring up your GPA.

Most nursing schools will require anywhere from a consistent 70-80% to even stay in the programs anyway... So more food for thought there too.

Palliative Care, DNP · May 8, 2015

I always say the same things. Instead of asking here just apply to everywhere that you are interested. The worst they can say is no thanks. Many programs take life not just grades into account. Also, some schools will tell you why you weren't selected and then you have the real answer.

applewhitern, BSN, RN · May 8, 2015

I take exception to the comment, "I'll even consider ADN programs." I don't know where people get the idea that it is easier to get into an ADN program. My ADN program was in a 4-year university, and the requirements to get in were much higher than for their BSN program. One had to have a much higher ACT score, higher GPA, etc., to get into the ADN program. As a matter of fact, many people went into the BSN program simply because they couldn't get into the ADN program! Please remember schools all have different requirements, but you will take the same NCLEX in the end. I went on and rec'd the BSN a couple of years later, but it grinds my gears for people to think that just because it is an ADN program, it must somehow be easier with more lax requirements.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 8, 2015

hey all. I know it is very common for people to ask what nursing schools can they possibly get into with a low undergrad gpa. so yeah i'll just get straight to the point. Graduated with a cum gpa of 2.66 after changing majors a couple of times(smh) and now im only averaging mostly Bs and Cs for my pre reqs .. please help with possible nursing schools I can possibly get into.. ill even consider ADN programs.. my ultimate goal is to work with babies(neonatal) .. so yeah, please help!!
try not to be so harsh please..

Actually, ADN programs are rather competitive to get into. The average GPA of applicants when I applied several years ago was in the high 3s.

With your grades, you could consider a for-profit school, as they're more likely to accept less-than-stellar grades. However, keep in mind that tuition rates for for-profit schoos are very high...and given how uncertain this job market is for new nurses, the last thing you want to do is saddle yourself with 60, 80, even 100K of debt with no guarantee of a job after graduation. Plus the reputations of some for-profit schools isn't that great...if you do decide to go this route, thorougly investigate the school you are interested in BEFORE applying.

What I would recommend that you consider retaking a few of those prereqs, at least the ones you got Cs in. If you get a higher grade, that grade will be what is used in computing your GPA (though some programs will average the grade of the two attempts...even then, that's still some improvement).

Another alternative: attend a LVN/LPN program. I'm not sure about the requirements for getting into them--I'm not implying that it's easier or that your grades won't work against you--but you could see if they'll accept you. If they do and complete that, and you can start working as a nurse. Then while you're working, if you still want to become a RN you can do a bridge program.

Best of luck whatever you decide!

PrincessZ · May 8, 2015

Thank you ALL so much for the words of advice. I will take them all into consideration. No I was not trying to imply that ADN programs are less harder than BSN programs. It's just that I was told that ADN programs are sort of no longer useful as far as getting jobs in hospitals. I actually said it because I know it'll be a longer route for me; but I am willing to take it if it's my last option. That's all. My apologies if it came off offensive to anyone.

Red Kryptonite · May 8, 2015

Why do so many people seem to think that a hospital is the only place to be a nurse?