Tucson PCC Students~

U.S.A. Arizona

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I heard the old director is out? Is this true?

Is there even anybody from PCC on these boards? Anybody from Tucson?????

Hi! I'm from Tucson!

I'm hoping to start at PCC here pretty soon. I still have to do my pre-reqs though!

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Oh Goodness! Where are you at in your pre-reqs??? The wait list for PCC in incredibly long! What do you have left to complete?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Hi, another newbie from Tucson here! I've been on the list for 2 years, and I'm finally getting ready to start the program at PCC next month!

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I was taking classes at PCC to get into the nursing program. I can't believe the wait list is so long there. I have a B.S. degree already and they didn't accept my Biology classes from my degree. I had taken them 3 yrs before moving to AZ. Needless to say this was quite annoying to me. I am now back in Texas and the school I am in now took most of my classes from my previous degree except one biology class that was "too old." I ended up taking a CLEP biology test and ended up getting credit for 8 hours of biology classes. Oh if anyone is taking Statistics at PCC take Goldberg - she is awesome!!! She teaches at the Northridge Campus (I think - it's close to LA Fitness). CLEP exams can save you time & money. Just an idea for whoever is reading this. Now all I need are three pre-req classes to complete before applying to the nursing program here in Texas which is really competitive too but it's not a two year wait list to get in. Good luck to all those waiting on the lists.

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Oh Goodness! Where are you at in your pre-reqs??? The wait list for PCC in incredibly long! What do you have left to complete?

I haven't taken any. So any pre req's that it requires! I'm prepaired to spend about 4 years just getting in nursing!

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Specializes in Cardiac.

You will easily wait that long. Figure 2 years for pre-reqs (if you're aggressive) and at least 2 years for waiting.

My advice-don't waste your time right now on classes that are co-reqs. Only focus on pre-reqs. Micro, for instance is a co-req as is nutrition. Take those classes while you are on the waiting list. Focus on Bio, Chem, A&P, writing, math, etc.

Also, if you are a motivated soul, I would recommend taking A&P self paced at the downtown campus. It's great! You learn a ton, and you can whiz through the easy sections of the class (like pure anatomy) and concentrate on harder subjects (like the phys of the renal system) on your own time without the fear of falling behind. I took a few BIO classes at the DT campus----highly recommend it. Plus, if you are pretty savvy, you can actually bust out a whole year of A&P in one semester, or over the summer.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Hi, another newbie from Tucson here! I've been on the list for 2 years, and I'm finally getting ready to start the program at PCC next month!

Congrats!!! Do you know where you will start your clinicals at?

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Also, if you are a motivated soul, I would recommend taking A&P self paced at the downtown campus. It's great! You learn a ton, and you can whiz through the easy sections of the class (like pure anatomy) and concentrate on harder subjects (like the phys of the renal system) on your own time without the fear of falling behind. I took a few BIO classes at the DT campus----highly recommend it. Plus, if you are pretty savvy, you can actually bust out a whole year of A&P in one semester, or over the summer.

I agree. I LOVE the downtown campus biology learning center. I wouldn't have thought about taking a bio class this way if Cardiac hadn't told me about it. Thank you Cardiac. ;) I took A&P I there. No busy work. Just targeted learning. I love that you can take more time on more complex units and less on the simpler ones. Sure, that can happen in class - but sometimes certain topics you fly thru and the class is stuck on - you know.

I discussed doing this with my first bio instructor. He verified my impression that students at the downtown bio center learn the material at a more complex level. A bit. In the class setting - when the instructor gets the deer-in-headlights look from many students, often times they just back off and simplify the subject matter. That doesn't happen at the bio center because all the lessons are fixed. You do it or you don't. You learn it or you don't. My advisor said the same thing my other bio instructor said, about the curriculum being a bit more complex at the bio learning center downtown. I wanted this. The tests are multiple choice and 2/4 of the answers for each question are just plain silly. So the tests are a bit easy. But you do need to know the material.

Anyway - it's a great idea if you are self-motivated. I felt like pinching myself while I was there because the whole set up seemed almost too good to be true.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Yeah, I got a lot of strange looks when I told people that I took it "self-paced". But I still remember all the important things about A&P, and I made a 4.0 in NS. It's just the way you learn it is so much better. Plus, you have to stand there and verbally go over the models in front of the teachers-it really helps with your confidence and long term memory. I recommend it to all!

I like what multicollinarity said about it being too good to be true, because the set up is really awesome. I took BIO 182 there as well, and it was also awesome. I did my own experiments when I wanted to and didn't have to pretend to like or get along with any lab partner (because you are on your own !!!!).

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Another way to do the pre-req's....you need A&P 201 and 202, and Micro...you can take them accelerated in one semester. For 5 weeks you go all day Saturday and Sunday for 201, the next 5 weeks all day Sat and Sunday for 202, and the last 5 weeks for Micro. Figure out the bare minimum you need to apply and get your name on the list, and while you are waiting take as many of the classes you need. By the time you get in, you will have only to take your core nursing classes. Something else that I highly reccommend, prepare like you are applying for U of A, they only require a few more classes, and when you apply you are applying for the following semester (unlike Pima where you are applying for 2 years down the road)...and when it gets close, if you can go to the U of A program go for it, they go 5 semesters and come out with their BSN, where as you will go 4 semesters and get you ASN. When I looked back, I only needed one more class to go to the UofA, and while I enjoyed the Pima program, now I need to go an additional 18 months, while I am working, to get my BSN.....

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Specializes in Cardiac.
When I looked back, I only needed one more class to go to the UofA, and while I enjoyed the Pima program, now I need to go an additional 18 months, while I am working, to get my BSN.....

How/where are you getting your BSN?

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Another way to do the pre-req's....you need A&P 201 and 202, and Micro...you can take them accelerated in one semester. For 5 weeks you go all day Saturday and Sunday for 201, the next 5 weeks all day Sat and Sunday for 202, and the last 5 weeks for Micro. Figure out the bare minimum you need to apply and get your name on the list, and while you are waiting take as many of the classes you need. By the time you get in, you will have only to take your core nursing classes. Something else that I highly reccommend, prepare like you are applying for U of A, they only require a few more classes, and when you apply you are applying for the following semester (unlike Pima where you are applying for 2 years down the road)...and when it gets close, if you can go to the U of A program go for it, they go 5 semesters and come out with their BSN, where as you will go 4 semesters and get you ASN. When I looked back, I only needed one more class to go to the UofA, and while I enjoyed the Pima program, now I need to go an additional 18 months, while I am working, to get my BSN.....

I've decided to go to UofA for my BSN because of Pima's wait. It'll be hard to be in the starving student mode for so long but I think it's for the best. It'll be so much easier to get the BSN done with all at once rather than doing an RN to BSN program while working.

Do you know what the average GPA is for UofA's nursing students? Even if you've heard anything, I would appreciate it. It is a smidgen unnerving to choose a path where I may not get accepted into UofA. With Pima, if I do the pre-reqs and waaaaaaaaaait I'll get in. But I think it'll be ok.

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