TCC Applicants - Encouragement

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Yes, this is long, but you may appreciate it.........

This is a message for all of those who applied to TCC and did not get in this time and for those of you who are planning to apply in the future - you CAN do it! Please don't be discouraged by some of the messages you read on this site. I applied to the spring 2008 program. I completed all of my pre-requisites, took the TEAS and felt pretty good about my scores. I decided that I WOULD be starting nursing school in January. My friends and family even started saying "when" you start school instead of "if" you start school (I made them say "when", not "if"). We all convinced ourselves that I would be starting school in January.

Then I found this website. I cannot tell you how discouraged I became after reading message after message about people who knew people who had a perfect GPA and great TEAS scores and didn't get in to TCC. Then I read about how "impossible" it is to get in to TCC without a 4.0. It's hard to be positive when you're reading all of this and you're not even close to a 4.0 GPA and you didn't do great on the one part of the TEAS that it sounds like really counts, the science section. I did great on the other three sections, but suddenly that section is the only one that mattered to me. After a couple of weeks of obsessively reading comments and changing my positive attitude to deciding there was no way I would ever get into nursing school, I received my letter in the mail - yes, not a packet (like you've probably read about), just a letter. I had been placed on the alternate list. Thankfully, after reading so many messages about how hard it would be to get in to the TCC nursing school, I took it pretty well. I sat down and figured out everything I could take again and everything I could work on to improve my chances next time. Last week, I got the call - I got in!!!! Yeah, I almost started crying.

What I want to say is this - it CAN be done without being perfect in everything. Of course, you need to have good grades overall. Yes, you need to do well in your sciences. Yes, you need to do well on the TEAS. Please don't assume you're not going to get in if your grades aren't perfect and you don't score 99% on every section of the TEAS like some people would lead you to believe. Do well in your pre-requisites, study for the TEAS and, by all means, keep a positive attitude.

I swore after finding this site, if I got accepted, I was definitely going to post a message of encouragement to others. I was just so discouraged after reading the messages I read (with the exception of a couple of people, thank you "Heloisea3", whoever you are) that I wanted to let current/future applicants know that it CAN be done. It can. I think that's all I have to say, that was enough!

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good for you!! I talked to a counselor at Northlake and it was a bit discouraging...The guy told me 124 people with 4.0 gpa's applied last semester. They had to turn away 24 with 4.0's and if you got anything below 4.0, you didnt even stand a chance. Im doing all my prereqs in January... I hope I do well.

Tim

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Congrats Wannabrn!

That's a great attitude and it's wonderful that you have shared the encouragement with others! I'll see you in class, or next week at orientation!

Rachelle:welcome:

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Congrats & THANK YOU for posting this!!!!!!!

I too have done the same thing..... I have read post after post after post on how discouraging it is & how "impossible" the program is to get into & it really can make one being to wonder!!!

I've told myself to keep my chin up & not worry.... in time it will be my turn to apply. I have to complete A&P II and Micro in the spring but then that is IT. All my pre-req's will be done & I've been making good grades & I will have everything set for Fall 2008.

Thank You again for this post. I don't know why the rumors get around but they do & you hear all the time that you MUST make all A's and so-and-so had ONE B and didn't get in, etc. etc. We all just have to keep our chin up & keep moving forward.

Congrats again & I'll be looking for your posts in the Nursing Student section in the spring to see how it's going!!!!! :balloons:

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Congratulations!!!! I'm really happy for you. Good luck! I know you are excited. You will be amazed how fast time goes by once school starts in the spring. Things can seem overwhelming the first few weeks of school, so I am glad that you have a positive outlook. Just pat yourself on the back for all of your hard work and perseverence. I hope all of you who start in the spring have a wonderful experience. This first semester of school has been very time consuming and more difficult than I thought it would be, but it is wonderful to know that there are 99 people who are in the same boat with you and if you all paddle hard enough, you'll survive. Your postive attitude and a sense of humor will get you through a lot of days at school. I have shared a lot of laughs with my peers, and we do our best to encourage each other. Your class will do the same. Good luck to you!!!! If you have any questions, let me know. I may not know the answer, but I will try to help you if I can. Also, :welcome: to the nursing program. :lol2: :monkeydance:

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She speaks the truth... I would go as far as to say 90% of the rumors you hear are B/S. I do not doubt that folks with 4.0 GPA's get denied acceptance letters, it probably happens all the time, but those people probably didn't turn in all the required documentation for application. I think it is quite funny that most of the rumors start out like: "I know someone who...." This is a flag that usually means the person doesn't know the whole story.

I didn't get in the first time myself, and I found it difficult to find out exactly what I needed to improve in order to get in next time. The rumors had my head spinning. Was it my GPA? Was it my HESI scores? Was it that "B" I made in Chemistry? I had no idea.....

I decided one day to go talk with the Nursing Dept. secretary to get to the bottom of this just for my own peace of mind.

As it turned out, I was taking Micro at the time of application, and although I was kicking butt with an "A", the semester was not over with and the Nursing Dept. can not count a grade in progress. That was enough to keep me from being competative with the other applicants and I was denied. It was simply not my time...

I tried again for the Spring of '08 and that's all folks....

Moral of the story: Sometimes it's the little things that can get ya in a mess, but it can all be fixed.

Congrats to the Spring '08 Nursing students, your hard work has paid off... And for the the ones that are shooting for the Fall, keep doin' your thing and save up some $$$. You'll need it when you get in....

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congratulations!!!! i'm really happy for you. good luck! i know you are excited. you will be amazed how fast time goes by once school starts in the spring. things can seem overwhelming the first few weeks of school, so i am glad that you have a positive outlook. just pat yourself on the back for all of your hard work and perseverence. i hope all of you who start in the spring have a wonderful experience. this first semester of school has been very time consuming and more difficult than i thought it would be, but it is wonderful to know that there are 99 people who are in the same boat with you and if you all paddle hard enough, you'll survive. your postive attitude and a sense of humor will get you through a lot of days at school. i have shared a lot of laughs with my peers, and we do our best to encourage each other. your class will do the same. good luck to you!!!! if you have any questions, let me know. i may not know the answer, but i will try to help you if i can. also, :welcome: to the nursing program. :lol2: :monkeydance:

u are such an encourager to "we" the freshmen . thanks for assuring most of us when we felt so low because of things we had read on this site, only to find out that we got in. many of these stories are certainly made up to put ppl thru 3mths of waiting hell. i honestly share sentiments with wannabrn.

the only problem i have now is that, i am broke from buying all the stuff required, especially books :madface:. actually i have bought the uniform as well, as i wanted to try it on and make sure it fits before paying for it, i couldn't see how it will work with 99 students in a changing room all trying to find a good fit. besides, i thought it will be best to do this than dwell on a mere $5 dollar discount and go thru the trouble of waiting in line with 98 other students. :monkeydance:

so heloisea3, tell me, how on earth do you read and study "kozier & erb's fundamentals of nursing: concepts, process, and practice"? the book is difficult to understand and honestly i have no clue as to what i am reading in preparation for 1st day of class? share your learning secrets with us.

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I know! It is really overwhelming, and some of it is difficult to understand. I read all of those chapters before school started, and honestly, by the time I finished all of it, I couldn't remember hardly any of what I had read. It was just too much. Also, I read all of the chapters before my first test. After that, I didn't even try to read everything. I honestly didn't have the time. Now, I read the chapter summaries, study my professor's powerpoints, and do as many NCLEX type questions as I can put my hands on. This is essential!! I can't emphasize this enough. If there is just something that I don't really understand or need further clarification on, then I will read about it in the book. I know some people who read every word of every chapter, but I know even more people who just try to get the highlights. It just depends on your individual needs. Just try to have a general idea of what the chapter is about. Read the chapter highlights at the end of the chapter. Your professors will tell you what you need to know. They will also point out things you may need to look at further in the book. The exception to this would be chapters on things like Fluids and Electrolytes and a few other difficult topics that you will cover later in the semester. Again, this is just my humble opinion, and it's not worth much. I am doing alright so far, but everybody has different ways of studying according to their own needs. However, the one thing EVERYBODY needs to do is NCLEX questions. If not, the first test will be a real shock for you because the questions are very similar to those type of questions. All of you will do fine, though. Anyway, sorry to babble on and on!!! I tend to gab a lot! :trout:

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I know! It is really overwhelming, and some of it is difficult to understand. I read all of those chapters before school started, and honestly, by the time I finished all of it, I couldn't remember hardly any of what I had read. It was just too much. Also, I read all of the chapters before my first test. After that, I didn't even try to read everything. I honestly didn't have the time. Now, I read the chapter summaries, study my professor's powerpoints, and do as many NCLEX type questions as I can put my hands on. This is essential!! I can't emphasize this enough. If there is just something that I don't really understand or need further clarification on, then I will read about it in the book. I know some people who read every word of every chapter, but I know even more people who just try to get the highlights. It just depends on your individual needs. Just try to have a general idea of what the chapter is about. Read the chapter highlights at the end of the chapter. Your professors will tell you what you need to know. They will also point out things you may need to look at further in the book. The exception to this would be chapters on things like Fluids and Electrolytes and a few other difficult topics that you will cover later in the semester. Again, this is just my humble opinion, and it's not worth much. I am doing alright so far, but everybody has different ways of studying according to their own needs. However, the one thing EVERYBODY needs to do is NCLEX questions. If not, the first test will be a real shock for you because the questions are very similar to those type of questions. All of you will do fine, though. Anyway, sorry to babble on and on!!! I tend to gab a lot! :trout:

Actually you didn't gab at all, you gave me some good info. Is there a site or book where we can get to view some of these NCLEX questions? I have heard a lot of ppl talk abt these questions. Thanks.

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First of all, I wanna say that I love the quote, "it is wonderful to know that there are 99 people who are in the same boat with you and if you all paddle hard enough, you'll survive...". I agree with ladyk - Heloisea3, you are a great encourager for all of us newbies!

I really feel like I'm gonna be the only one with the "deer in the headlights" look on my face next week and pretty much every week thereafter. I'm sure I'm not though. Believe me, I'll still feel like it!

I want to wish all of you the best of luck as we start our journey together. Heloisea3, I wish you continued success and thank you SO much for the advice you are giving to all of us (and hopefully will continue to give us, sideways smiley face). And here's the deal, Arabmagic - 2008, you are in there like swimwear! (I'm pretty sure that's a common phrase) Seriously, you're doing everything you need to do and you will do it!

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Any bookstore will have a variety of NCLEX books. I bought Saunder's NCLEX at Barnes and Nobles because I heard that it was the only one so far that has made changes that reflect those made to the new NCLEX. However, that is just what I heard and can't swear by it. The study guide that goes with Kozier has been really helpful to me as well. It has NCLEX type questions in it. It is a paperback. I bought mine used at The College Store on Cooper St. in Arlington since the TCC bookstore was out, but the TCC store usually has a few. They sold out before our first test this semester, so I would go a little early to find one so they can order it if they are out. I don't regret buying it at all. My friends and I have used it for every single test. There are two other books that are helpful as well. I bought one, and my friend bought the other. We would get together to study and share the books. The first one is called Nursing Fundamentals: Reviews and Rationales by Mary Ann Hogan (ISBN 10:0-13-224078-5). The second one (my favorite) is called Fundamentals Success: A Course Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking by Nugent and Vitale (ISBN 10: 0-8036-1056-4). We both bought them at Barnes and Nobles. We had a really hard time finding these before the first test because all of the bookstores were sold out of them. Barnes and Nobles said that about 10 people had come in requesting the book the same day that we did. We finally found them in Cedar Hill. That is because we waited until the week before the test to buy them. I'm glad that we got them, though, because we have used them a lot. You will spend a small fortune on books your first semester, so you may want to do like we did and each person buy a different book so that when you get together to study, you will have more NCLEX type questions to look at. Anyway, I hope this helps.

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Any bookstore will have a variety of NCLEX books. I bought Saunder's NCLEX at Barnes and Nobles because I heard that it was the only one so far that has made changes that reflect those made to the new NCLEX. However, that is just what I heard and can't swear by it. The study guide that goes with Kozier has been really helpful to me as well. It has NCLEX type questions in it. It is a paperback. I bought mine used at The College Store on Cooper St. in Arlington since the TCC bookstore was out, but the TCC store usually has a few. They sold out before our first test this semester, so I would go a little early to find one so they can order it if they are out. I don't regret buying it at all. My friends and I have used it for every single test. There are two other books that are helpful as well. I bought one, and my friend bought the other. We would get together to study and share the books. The first one is called Nursing Fundamentals: Reviews and Rationales by Mary Ann Hogan (ISBN 10:0-13-224078-5). The second one (my favorite) is called Fundamentals Success: A Course Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking by Nugent and Vitale (ISBN 10: 0-8036-1056-4). We both bought them at Barnes and Nobles. We had a really hard time finding these before the first test because all of the bookstores were sold out of them. Barnes and Nobles said that about 10 people had come in requesting the book the same day that we did. We finally found them in Cedar Hill. That is because we waited until the week before the test to buy them. I'm glad that we got them, though, because we have used them a lot. You will spend a small fortune on books your first semester, so you may want to do like we did and each person buy a different book so that when you get together to study, you will have more NCLEX type questions to look at. Anyway, I hope this helps.

Did u say u hope it helps? Gal it helps a lot. Thanks, u are such a helper. :trout:

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