Totally discouraged...

SaraFL · Sep 17, 2009

I think it will depend on what each individual school looks at. My community college pretty much just looks at your grades in the main nursing pre-req's (it's a points based application process). I think the university here does something similar, but I think you also have to have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA.

I would not get discouraged.

What I did was I started going to all of the local schools' websites (it is not an option for me to move out of town right now) and printed off what their requirements are. It should tell you right on the websites. If not, call each of their offices and find out.

I don't think it's fair for him to say that your grades are not good enough for "ANY" school. I think it will depend on your individual circumstances and what the schools require. Do some investigation on your own.

mlclove · Sep 17, 2009

Don't lose hope hun. I know how ya feel. I failed a couple of my pre reqs so i have to take them all over again so my gpa is horrendous right now. I'm actually going for lpn right now then after I hopefully get work I'll go for rn. Don't ever lose hope if its something you want. If postponing will help get you financial aid then think about it. School is quite expensive as we all know. The less loans you have the better. Maybe talk to the person who runs the nursing program and see what you would need for them to accept you, talk to the person running the accelerated program. Just try to get as much info as you can. Good luck hun and I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you.

Sharawnda · Sep 17, 2009

I am just utterly depressed right now. I just got back from my advising appointment with the nursing school at my college, and he basically told me everything I did NOT want to hear. I am supposed to be graduating this Spring with a degree in Communications, and I had mapped out my plan to finish my pre-reqs by the end of June (before he told me I needed a second biology course as a pre-req for microbiology), and then be able to apply to a concurrent program my college offers with a community college here, where I would be able to finish my BSN at my current school in about 2 years. That program would start next January ('11). Well, he basically told me my GPA is not competitive enough for ANY nursing school, let alone THIS school, and that it would be in my best interest to postpone my graduation until next Spring, so that my financial aid will continue to pay for my pre-reqs, and then apply for the Accelerated program which would start next Summer ('11). He also told me that I won't be allowed to apply to the concurrent program until I apply to the Accelerated program first. My current GPA is a 3.2, and I already calculated it out and I should be able to reach a 3.4, which according to him is still not good enough for any nursing program. So he suggested that I take a bunch of other easy courses along with the pre-reqs during the next year to boost my GPA. I still need to take Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Human Nutrition and Dev. Psych. It's not like I make really bad grades, I have all A's and B's, except for my stupid first semester of Freshman year, hence the low gpa. I plan to make straight A's, but I'm still just really nervous to do all this work and then have the HUGE possibility of not even getting into the Accelerated program at my school. Then I will have wasted a whole year, spending my parents money that they don't have, when I could be working. I guess I just want some advice, or someone to tell me that I'm not a complete idiot if I follow this plan of postponing the graduation I've been looking forward to for 4 years. My parents are pretty unsupportive of my dream of nursing- they always thought I'd be on TV and don't understand why I'd "hide my face behind a mask".
Thanks for listening.

You CANNOT let anyone, whether it be your parents, your advisor, whomever discourage from something you really wanna do. There are always going to be hurdles in life to get what you want. You might as well learn that now. I don't believe that you GPA is too low to get into any nursing school! If you don't think that it is possible for you to be accepted to the NS you've had in mind, maybe you should look for other schools in your area. Maybe you can start off with ADN and then get your BSN...if you really want this, you will find a way! Most importantly, graduate! Don't postpone it if it's not necessary...you're going to have to pay for any extra classes you take eventually whenever you start paying back your student loans...which will occur sooner than you think if you don't continue school. And there's nothing wrong with be smart and beautiful, doing a job that is highly respected...I would know :wink2:

Coriander, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2009

What a &^^%@ and a @*^^%@. He should NOT be telling you these things. A 3.4 is pretty darned good, and you haven't even done the other courses yet!

When I reentered college three years ago, I had a 1.32 GPA. I'm still fighting back, and now I have a little over a 3.1 (I think).

Don't let anyone hold you back. You know what you can accomplish.

allnurses Guide · Sep 18, 2009

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Look at other schools in the area and talk to their advisors too. A 3.2 is far from a hopeless GPA and as mentioned above, many nursing schools consider only the courses that apply to the nursing degree - which means your GPA may be even higher.

As far as your parents go, there comes a time in every child's life they have to accept their independence and at times go against the wishes of their parents. It is hard on the child and the parents both, as it is usually indicative of adulthood. I can think of no more positive way to do that than to assert your will for your life over theirs through becoming a nurse.