Suffolk Community College - do you need pre-reqs?

Pull up a seat, feel free to eat a light snack, and read in a well-lit room. I'm just copying what I sent to my friends. From my understanding this is how Suffolk determines the rubric score.

Reading the A.S. Degree Admissions Rubric:

If you go on the site (SCCC School of Nursing, click the link on the left where it says "A.S. Degree Admissions Rubric" near the middle)

Ok, so in the past the program required you to take prerequisite classes. This became a problem because grading at Suffolk (and many other institutions) is very subjective. Some professors may emphasize a specific topic more than another professor. Some professors may give extra credit for a test after it's been graded, some tests are a mix of multiple choice and short answer... there's no standardization and becomes unfair for people who get the difficult professor.

Suffolk nursing programs no longer require prereqs, HOWEVER taking prereqs can help with your status being admitted. Now they follow an admissions rubric and the max amount of points you can get is 100. Obviously more points is a better chance at getting accepted.

Your TEAS result counts for **75%** of your score for admissions. The other 25% are optional classes prior to the program that can boost your score and give you those points (However, if you decide not to take them before being admitted, you WILL eventually have to take A&P 1 and 2 and English 1 and 2, etc while you're taking your nursing classes. This is why the PTE program can be 3 years. So taking these classes beforehand will lessen your load and crying sessions).

* You can only take the TEAS twice in a year. If you take it twice they only count that second grade. If you take it once, in a year, you get 2 points added to your admissions score*

So look at your TEAS score. If you got an "Advanced" (78.0- 90.0) or "Exemplary" (90.7-100) then you get points added to your admissions rubric score. Advanced gets 20 points while Exemplary get 25 points. And the director of admissions said **Exemplary is guaranteed to get into the program.**

If you get a proficient score (58.7-77.3), you can still get into the program, but she said they only admitted like 5 people with proficient scores. And I think they were high proficient scores in the mid 70s and already took classes like A&P and English, which boosted the points they get.

Next, look at the specific grade you got on the TEAS for each category (Reading, math, science, english). Convert these according to the admissions rubric (second box) "sub-scale adjusted individual score". As an example, if you got a reading score of 70, then you get 8 points. A math score of 79 get you 8 points. A science score of 89.9 gets you 10 points. An English score of 69.2 gets use 7 points. Now add the points. In this case you get 33 points.

Now if you got a proficient, then at this point you only have 33 points. But if you got an Advanced on the TEAS, you have 53 points (33+20 for advanced), and Exemplary 58 points (33+25). If you only took the TEAS once, the Advanced score is actually (+2 points) 55 while Exemplary is 60. The max score for box 1 is 25 while box two is 48-50 depending on if you took TEAS once or twice.

Now, if you haven't taken any classes that fulfill the "Relevant Coursework box" (the fourth box with the A&P etc), then your score is only the TEAS score you came up with (first two boxes).

Relevant Coursework (4th box) adds more points.

So getting an A in A&P means you get to add a 4 to your score. C in Microbio gets you a 2. Convert and add any classes you took to your score. Max points here is 24.

Remember, these classes include any AP classes you took in HS that are 3 or better, any classes you CLEP out of, and other classes that transferred from other colleges. Just make sure it's on your record and they have the result. Two points will be deducted if you retake A&P 1 and/or A&P 2. This includes needing to withdraw for medical issues or failing the class. Also, A&P 1 & 2 AND Microbio expire in 10 years.

For the last box, if you take any of these classes and got a C or better, you add 0.25 points to your score with a max of 1 point.

Updates:

(5/18) In the case of a tie between 2 rubrics with the same score, "the total adjusted TEAS test individual score will determine final decision." That includes Box 1 "Academic Preparedness" and Box 2 "For each sub-scale adjusted individual score."

(9/8) Bio 244 and 272 are both different Microbiology classes. Nursing requires 244, but if you tool 272 (like me) then you can waive 244. You need to chair of nursing or bio to sign the substitution waiver form. Then bring that to the Dean. Reason I said bio or nursing is because the nursing department will say it's a bio class so the chair of biology needs to fill it, but the Dean of the college kept saying the chair of nursing needs to do it for the program. Either way, get one of them to fill it out and schedule an appointment to speak to the dean.

(10/15) looks like I need a trip back to the dean because she didn't approve the substitution despite saying she would. She wrote that I can't change a grade when I already graduated. Nothing on the paper indicated that I wanted my grade changed.

Thanks for reading my novel. I will be available tomorrow at 3 PM to sign them if you so wish.