Advice for less than 3.0 GPA

manusko · Mar 7, 2011

i think this question has been asked many times in the past but i would appreciate any additional input. i've been a rn now for 19 years and have always considered becoming a crna, just seems like other aspects of life and raising family have always gotten in the way. at this point i really feel like it's time to seriously pursuit this long time goal.
in the past years i've served in the us army nurse corps, completed their icu coorifice with strong grades, worked in a busy sicu unit in a large army medical center. upon completing time in army worked in busy ccu's and cvicu the past thirteen years. i have tons of experience with open hearts, hemodynamics, pa lines, vents, iabp,crrt ect..have taught iabp and ekg classes and have been acls,ccrn certified for years.
problem is i started college right out of high school, wasn't that serious at the time, graduated with my bsn in 1991 and grades really weren't that outstanding...think i had a 2.8 gpa.
my questions are will schools that list minimum gpa of 3.0 consider any applicants with lower gpa's? i'm kind of limited to area's i could move to with crna programs since it's mostly dependant on my wife's ability to transfer with her dod job. seems like all the sites that would be possible, state that they have a minimum 3.0 requirement. if i do well on a gre would they take that into consideration? what are the classes at a minimum that i should retake before applying to a program. i'm not getting any younger and don't want to spend another 3-4 years retaking everything just to get to the point where i might apply. if i took advanced a & p, pharmacology and biochem classes and score well on gre would that help? someone on this forum had recommended graduate level pharmacology and chem classes...are we talking 400+level coorifice's and is that really necessary or could i just retake classes similar to what is required for a bsn. seems like most junior colleges and universities around here won't even allow taking the advanced/graduate level coorifice's until the mid level ones are completed. are there any online options for some of the classes that i should consider retaking?
i would really like to start a program within the next few years and appreciate any input folks may have.
aloha
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retake all c's before taking gard level classes. grad classes probrably will not help your gpa as much as averaging those c's into b's by earning a's. there are a couple of schools that take a gpa of 2.75. there are tons of online classes available. i took chem online and finished it three months before aplications were due. i had a c and earned an a, most schools require at least a b.

Class2011 · Mar 8, 2011

If you are truly limit to a certain location, the best bet is to get advice specific to the schools in your area. Contact the schools, get an official response and ask to speak to alumni

More generally, even if you had a 4.0 from 1991, AdCom's would be asking "what have you done recently?"

oahufish · Mar 11, 2011

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to start retaking some science classes online bring my GPA up and go from there. I'll also contact the schools closest to area's I might be able to relocate, and see what they might recommend to improve my chances of being accepted someday. I see there's others on here in their late forties, who are just starting programs...so I shouldn't be too discouraged if it takes me several years to get into one and be finished by the time I'm that age.

Spartan679 · Mar 11, 2011

I see there's others on here in their late forties, who are just starting programs...so I shouldn't be too discouraged if it takes me several years to get into one and be finished by the time I'm that age.

There's no age limit on your happiness in life. Do whatever it takes to get what you want out of life. It seems like you should have a decent start by contacting the schools that you're interested in, and retaking the courses that are holding you back is probably the way to go.

ignacia1 · Apr 3, 2011

I think the best thing is to contact the schools that you are interested and speak with the program director. They will give you the best advise. whatever advice they give you, follow it word by word.

My GPA in nursing school is also low (2.8) and my sciences are C. The positive are that a have a dual master degree with 3.5GPA and BS in psychology with 3.5GPA. 2years of MICU experience, poor GREs. I thought my chances were low but I was invited to two interviews. Just applied and see what happens.

good luck

manusko · Apr 4, 2011

I think the best thing is to contact the schools that you are interested and speak with the program director. They will give you the best advise. whatever advice they give you, follow it word by word.
My GPA in nursing school is also low (2.8) and my sciences are C. The positive are that a have a dual master degree with 3.5GPA and BS in psychology with 3.5GPA. 2years of MICU experience, poor GREs. I thought my chances were low but I was invited to two interviews. Just applied and see what happens.
good luck

Invited but did you get accepted? Not to discount your masters degrees but C's in all your sciences would probably not look good. Not sure what your masters degree consisted of but if it was not science then I do not see the benefit of a high GPA in these areas other than to pad your overall GPA. Most everybody on this site has agreed that the GPAs rank: science GPA > nursing GPA > overall GPA, but again it would depend on the program. Also, many applicants you are going against probably have a overall GPA of 3.5 or higher with mostly A's in their sciences.

ignacia1 · Apr 4, 2011

Cs in all my chemistry courses. Stat C. All the others As. Dual masters in counseling. Licensed mental health counselor. Completed the bachelors degree in nursing in 1 year with GPA 2.8. My interviews are in May/June. My point was even if your record is not the best one, it does not hurt to apply. If I don't get accept, I will take graduate courses this coming semester . As God indicated, "Many are invited to the table, but not all are choosen."

manusko · Apr 5, 2011

Cs in all my chemistry courses. Stat C. All the others As. Dual masters in counseling. Licensed mental health counselor. Completed the bachelors degree in nursing in 1 year with GPA 2.8. My interviews are in May/June. My point was even if your record is not the best one, it does not hurt to apply. If I don't get accept, I will take graduate courses this coming semester . As God indicated, "Many are invited to the table, but not all are choosen."

No it does not but the OP still needs to meet the overall 3.0 GPA if it is a minimum requirement at their choice school.

Seems like you would be well suited for Psych NP, did you have a change of heart?

nikkimarthe · Jan 23, 2013

did you get in?

bagola22 · Jan 28, 2013

remember its the whole package they look at, gpa, gre scores, knowledge at your interview, etc. I got in with a 3.39(made B's and C's in nursing school didn't retake any classes, got my CCRN and WOWd them with my awesome personality :) don't give up on your dream. You can do this.

nikkimarthe · Mar 12, 2013

I'm in:)