Texas Pre-Nursing Student, very worried about grades

[hopeful4thefuture]

Hi!

I am currently taking my pre reqs for a traditional BSN nursing program at Wharton County Junior College. I know that nursing school is competitive and I am trying my hardest to keep up with the competition. So far I have taken some classes and right now I am considered a sophomore. I graduated high school in 2013, so I still have a long time to get me GPA up but I can already feel the pressure when I look at nursing schools like UTA, UTMB, any of the UT health science centers, Sam Houston State, TWU. I have a family that is full of RN nurses and two of my cousins are both in BSN nursing programs, one is at UTMB for the honors program, and one is at Radford, so I feel bad that I'm not as smart as them. I know there's a lot of people that don't get into nursing school with 3.8s and there are some that can get in with just a low 3.0 if they get lucky.

Right now the classes I have taken and my grades are

A&P 1- C

General Bio- D

College Algebra- A

TX GOVT- B

US GOVT- B

ENGL 1- B

ENGL 2- B

Gen Psych- C

Computer Apps 1- B

Computer Apps 2- A

So far right now my GPA is a 2.89

I just need some hope and I would like hear about your experience applying to nursing school and how your GPAs were!

[RunBabyRN]

Time to assess the situation. Why are your grades as they are? What can you do to improve them moving forward? Can you take fewer classes or cut down on work hours to focus more on getting your grades up? Are you able to retake anything for grade improvement? Be sure to research repeat policies at the schools to which you're applying if you choose to do this. In general, a D is not acceptable as a passing grade, and you will have to repeat that course.

Take some time for introspection to figure out what you can do next semester to earn higher grades. You will absolutely need to improve your GPA and your science grades if you want to get into a BSN program. I know that here in CA, you need at least a 3.0 to be eligible to apply, but really about a 3.7 in order to be competitive. Are there any schools in the area that run off of a lottery system? That may be an option. Those are generally ADN programs, but if you want to pursue your BSN, you can bridge later.

Another reason to really assess what you can do to earn better grades is that you will need those skills in nursing school. Now is the time to try different things and see what really works for you. In nursing school, late papers are rarely accepted, and one bombed exam may mean failing a class. You need to figure out how YOU study best, and how to manage your time to ensure that you can do your best.

Good luck!!

[chernandez3841]

I am also planning on applying to the UTHSC in San Antonio ( I'm from SA) the main thing I do is I limit the number of classes I take in a semester so I don't overwhelmed myself. I am 29 with a 3 yr old and so far this has worked for me. Granted it is taking longer to complete all I need but so far I've gotten all A's. How many courses are you taking per semester? Also yes a D is not acceptable you will need to take that class over again.