stuck.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · May 10, 2015

:banghead: Are you saying they're second rate?

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..

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 10, 2015

Probably not adding anything that hasn't been said, but here is my two cents:
1. Be brutally honest with yourself about why your grades are the way they are
Were you just not applying yourself?
Were you not able to comprehend the material?
2. As others have stated, Nursing core classes make the pre-reqs look like a joke. If you do not have the aptitude for the pre-reqs, reconsider nursing. I'm not trying to be mean, just trying to save you some time and heartache.

True on both counts. It takes more than just the desire/passion/whatever to become a nurse. It's also takes a lot of hard work. Gone will be the days of sailing by in classes, not opening the textbook because you don't need to, waiting until right before a test to cram, and thinking that nursing school will be a breeze because nursing is your "calling."

And while a few of those pre-reqs may seem totally unrelated to nursing, most of them provide the foundation for developing nursing skills and your practice. You need to know A&P before you can understand pathology. Preventing infection? That's where Microbio comes in because then you understand the why. Making sense of research requires some knowledge of statistics. Being able to communicate with people? Public speaking helps with that. As dianah77 said, if you don't have the aptitude for these classes, you are going to make nursing school that much harder for yourself and you may want to rethink you career choice.

Sizzline · May 10, 2015

I am currently in my first semester of an ADN program in NY. It was very competitive to get in; I had a 3.8 GPA and still did not get in the first time I applied. I did get in after my 2nd application. I agree with others: until you can figure out what it is that is keeping you at the B or C level, you are not going to be able to pull your GPA up, and that is going to be a necessity. I also would ideally like to work in a neonatal unit, and none of the ones near me will hire ADN nurses or new graduates. I'm planning on getting my ADN, then getting a job in another field to gain some experience and going to school online for my BSN.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 10, 2015

Are you saying they're second rate?

The OP clarified in post #10 that she meant so slur against ADN programs.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · May 10, 2015

I post as I read. What is said is said. Op could have edited the "slur" out of the post. :)

The OP clarified in post #10 that she meant so slur against ADN programs.

emmjayy, BSN, RN · May 19, 2015

I am currently in my first semester of an ADN program in NY. It was very competitive to get in; I had a 3.8 GPA and still did not get in the first time I applied.

This makes me so nervous to hear. I had a 3.8 GPA coming out of college and now I'm applying for a nursing program in NY and oh dear! I hope I have a chance at acceptance!

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 19, 2015

I will just share my story with you. Maybe it will give you a little hope. I left school with a GPA lower than yours, and still got into nursing school. I ROCKED the entrance exam, got amazing letters of recommendation, and aced my interview. I swear, after I interviewed it was like they couldn't have written the acceptance letter fast enough.

In my interview I took responsibility for the actions that led me down the path of a lower GPA and had plans in motion to talk about that would help me overcome those obstacles and discussed them, at length, in my interview. I did not make ANY excuses, whatsoever, and I seriously think my acceptance head assured once I gave them concrete proof that I had plans in motion to prevent that from happening. Avoid the sob story--own it and move on.

I also looked for holistic programs that looked at the whole applicant, not just GPA.

AngelKissed857, BSN, RN · May 20, 2015

Do yourself a huge favor and go talk to academic advisors at a couple of the schools you might be interested in. It's the only way to get decent information that relates to your specific situation. Being a good nurse is so much more than grades, and some schools are recognizing that fact...again. In California, ADN programs at some community colleges have BSN arrangements with the nearest State University, allowing concurrent enrollment, so you graduate the ADN, pass your NCLEX, and have only another two semesters to graduate with your BSN. You're a smart cookie to recognize that BSNs, at least in some areas, are becoming necessary for new grads.

Where I live the ADN programs are INCREDIBLY competitive, 300+ applicants for every seat in a program is not unusual. So what they do is hold a lottery. Everybody who meets the minimum requirements goes into the lottery, the first batch that gets their names pulled are the ones who get in. Doesn't matter if you have a 4.0 or a 2.5, as long you meet the requirements of that program. This is very common practice in areas where competition is stiff.

So, my best advice is to get all the information first-hand and then go for it. Don't let a single person's opinion get in your way. at my school, the core biology instructors tell classes on the first day that most of the students will flunk out, the counselors discourage you because it's an "impacted program", which means way more applicants than spots. Ignore them. You will find a program that you can get into. If becoming a nurse is your passion, you will make it happen, I'm cheering for you!

GGirll22 · May 20, 2015

Talk to a counselor maybe they can guide you and help you focus on your grades. You wouldn't want don't want a nurse with the GPA 2.66 working on your newborn....do you..? I'm just saying.

Carieann8 · May 20, 2015

I would just like to say...I had a 2.7 in high school and have a 2.7 in college right now (because of the prerequisites classes, didn't do too great). I have problems in school, because I can't learn by someone just standing in front of the class just saying this is how it goes and that's that. I want to be a nurse, even though I have trouble in school. So, I went and got my CNA. I applied to nursing schools (looked for places with lower GPA requirements) and got accepted to a community college. However, I decided I don't think I will learn well just going straight for my RN. So, I changed my plan. I'm going to just climb up the ladder to get my RN. I have learned things as a CNA, and am now going to apply for LPN school and work as an LPN for a couple years...and go back for my RN. Good luck!

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · May 21, 2015

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

Assuming you mean that literally, it's pretty much the same reason so many new students are deadcertainsure they will work with babies, be midwives, or work ER. That's what they think they know about either from life exposure or television. They mostly have no informed background to know any better. I take all those eager pronouncements for what the psychologists call"truth for the moment" and let them go. Of course, anyone who looks around realizes that the places you do student clinicals (largely hospitals!!) aren.t the only places nurses work, and obviously those nurses got there somehow. Learning this is partly a matter of experience and maturity, both personal and in the profession. It will come to most of them sooner or later.

IHeartPeds87 · May 21, 2015

To the OP: do not randomly start retaking classes. At some programs they will eliminate you from consideration if you have repeated any courses, specific courses or a specific number of classes.

again, do your research and make a list of specific programs that will let u in even with repeated grades and know the specific admissions policy of that program.