Very Discouraged About Chances of Getting In

ChiaLing · May 19, 2005

Hey all,
I just was reading on the board here and in a book on nursing about all the waitlisting and students who had exemplary academic records not being able to get into nursing school because of the shortage of nurse educators.
I'm scared because of my first few years of college. I went to a small liberal arts college who only cared about getting their $$ and afterwards, I found out it was mostly for women who were seeking the M.R.S. degree (geez, I didn't get that until last January, 20 years later so I wasn't looking for that!). Anyhow, they really didn't care that my grades were low and they had no counseling services for those who had low grades. Because of that, my GPA's from my early years aren't so hot.
Later on, I did graduate with a 3.4 GPA and a 3.8 in my major, but it had nothing to do with nursing.
I applied for nursing school last year and did not get in. Now that I've done a little more reading, I'm concerned about not getting in at all!
Can someone give me some advice? I KNOW that I want to be a nurse. Getting there is going to be interesting.

I know this is sometimes hard to do, but hang in there! Keep on trying. I think that your 3.4 and 3.8 GPAs are a great sign that you can be a motivated and dedicated student, so don't let your lower GPA from earlier discourage you.

What kind of programs are you applying to?

BensMom · May 19, 2005

Twenty years ago I actually failed a college class and eventually dropped out all together. Three years ago I started taking the pre reqs for nursing school. I finished them all with a 4.0 gpa. I was afraid that the "F" would keep me out but I was accepted to start nursing school this summer. Maybe you could address your change in attitude in your admissions essay. Good Luck and don't give up.

LeiaT · May 19, 2005

I agree with everything above....Try again. Some schools go on many different things factored in with your GPA.

SusanJean · May 19, 2005

Please don't be discouraged. A 4.0 is not the only thing schools look for - attitude, maturity, life experience are taken into account.

Are you applying to more than one school?

SJ

hikernurse · May 20, 2005

What about a school with a waiting list? Alot of CC's will let you in as long as you meet the prereqs with a certain GPA in them. And all of my credits transferred over. I'd contact all the schools within driving range and see what they have to say. Good luck--you'll get in, it's just hard to wait! (I know :))

Nemhain · May 21, 2005

I agree with Hikernurse. Get on a waiting list at a Community College. Usually, in my area anyway, the requirements are a minimum 2.5 G.P.A. and high school Biology and Chemistry with grades of "C". Now, brace yourself for the reported waiting list; expect them to tell you 2 - 3 years. Get on the wait list anyway! Don't forget that A LOT of people place themselves on wait lists at more than one school...this is what happened at my school. I was told there was a 2-3 year wait, but so many people declined to accept placement at my school because they were already accepted elsewhere that I only waited 9 mos.!!!

Good luck!

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 23, 2005

Hey all,
I just was reading on the board here and in a book on nursing about all the waitlisting and students who had exemplary academic records not being able to get into nursing school because of the shortage of nurse educators.
I'm scared because of my first few years of college. I went to a small liberal arts college who only cared about getting their $$ and afterwards, I found out it was mostly for women who were seeking the M.R.S. degree (geez, I didn't get that until last January, 20 years later so I wasn't looking for that!). Anyhow, they really didn't care that my grades were low and they had no counseling services for those who had low grades. Because of that, my GPA's from my early years aren't so hot.
Later on, I did graduate with a 3.4 GPA and a 3.8 in my major, but it had nothing to do with nursing.
I applied for nursing school last year and did not get in. Now that I've done a little more reading, I'm concerned about not getting in at all!
Can someone give me some advice? I KNOW that I want to be a nurse. Getting there is going to be interesting.

:nono: PLEASE DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED MY FRIEND. YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT GPA AND EVEN THOUGH THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT LOOKS BEST TO GET IN, YOU CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU ARE AN GREAT CANDIDATE IN OTHER WAYS AS WELL. GOOD LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION, PERSONAL ESSAY, INTERVIEW, VOLUNTEERING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY ETC......

ANOTHER THING IS TO BE OPTIMISTIC. TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO THINK THAT YOU MAY BE IN SCHOOL IN VAIN ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS THAT GET TURNED AWAY :angryfire

YOU WILL GET IN! GET YOUR MIND TO IT AND SETTLE FOR NOTHING ELSE. FAITH AND OPTIMISM IS THAT LAST THING YOU LOSE.

GOD BLESS,

JESSICA

student4ever · May 23, 2005

Hey all,
I just was reading on the board here and in a book on nursing about all the waitlisting and students who had exemplary academic records not being able to get into nursing school because of the shortage of nurse educators.
I'm scared because of my first few years of college. I went to a small liberal arts college who only cared about getting their $$ and afterwards, I found out it was mostly for women who were seeking the M.R.S. degree (geez, I didn't get that until last January, 20 years later so I wasn't looking for that!). Anyhow, they really didn't care that my grades were low and they had no counseling services for those who had low grades. Because of that, my GPA's from my early years aren't so hot.
Later on, I did graduate with a 3.4 GPA and a 3.8 in my major, but it had nothing to do with nursing.
I applied for nursing school last year and did not get in. Now that I've done a little more reading, I'm concerned about not getting in at all!
Can someone give me some advice? I KNOW that I want to be a nurse. Getting there is going to be interesting.

I'm kinda in the same situation as you are... I had two years w/ associates degree at an out of state junior college, a semester abroad, and a (failed) semester at our local party university, and now I'm trying to get into the ADN program at my local CC. I'm taking my pre-req's through the CC though, (fortunately because of my Associate of Arts, all I have to take are A&P 1&2, Soc of the Family, Ethics, Dev. Psych, and stupid computer class) and the great thing about starting over at a new school is that classes you took before transfer over as a pass or fail, not a GPA. SO, then every class you take as pre-requisites, whatever GPA you get is what will show up for your nursing application. Of course they can see your previous GPA, but what will count most (at least from what I'm told) will be what you've done towards nursing.

I agree totally with the other posters - get involved in your community's health. You can volunteer at your local hospital (pushing wheelchair patients around, directing visitors, etc.), health clinic, etc. Most organizations need people to help with paperwork and other tasks, and if you get to know the people in clinical management and let them know you're working towards nursing, they will sometimes give you a job as a patient assistant, or orderly. THat's what I'm doing now. I worked in Registration, but the nurse manager of the ED where I work just hired me to be a nurse assistant - complete on the job training. Or if those aren't options, go through a CNA class while you're waiting so you can earn some $$$ to help you with school and gain experience. Because there are so few nursing educators, the reason for the waitlist and compettetive admissions is to make sure that the people they accept are actually going to finish and be good nurses. Volunteering or working on the bottom rung of the nursing ladder shows you have commitment to this tough but rewarding field. It will also help in the long run once we get into clinical studies (I'm hoping!) to know some of the skills and be familiar with a clinical setting.

Be assertive - talk to the instructors and ask tons of questions, show you're really interested, and get to know people in the clinical field who will write good recommendations for you. Unfortunately in this day and age, it's not necessarily just what you know that gets you into a program or the perfect job - it often has a lot to do with who you know. If you know people who can vouch for your abilities and drive, you've got it made.

Good luck, and don't ever let yourself think you won't make it. Study hard and throw your whole life (at this point anyways!) into this goal, and you'll get there. That's my personal mantra. I will be done with my pre-req's in summer '06, and I am believing in myself that I will start the clinical program in fall '06. We WILL become nurses, and we WILL succeed!!! :balloons: Here's a party to us - the new generation of nurses!

stressgal, RN · May 24, 2005

Don't get discouraged until you understand how the schools you are looking at select their students. My CC goes strictly by GPA and Compass test scores. That's it! We have had many students from another CC enter our program due to the two year wait list at the other school. If the wait seems too long, look into an LPN program. This gives you the opportunity to wait less time for admission, complete quicker, and work while (many times) an employer assists with the cost of an LPN/RN transition program. Check out all of the options available in your area. And don't just go by hearsay and rumour, make appointments with advising and ask the questions you want answered.

Good Luck!

sdgreen · May 24, 2005

I'm with you all on this matter too! I've been a nurse for about 8.5 years now, but getting INTO nursing school was certainly a whole other thing!! After applying to many schools in the area (D/FW, Texas), I found that I was certainly fighting an up-stream battle of sorts. My overall GPA was really pretty bad, especially after my horrible efforts (or lack there of) in my first two years of college where I amassed a total of 7 Fs. Now, can you think of how my GPA was after all that?!?! I had ended up leaving "Nursing" as a major, and decided on commercial art and eventually landed a job in that area. In a very short time, however, I felt the need to return to nursing and went back to school. There were 5 schools in the direct vicinity that had nursing programs, but only 3 that would be a "comfortable" drive for me. Anyhow, I took the list of prerequisites and got to work. I also had a counselor that used to work in the Nursing Office, and she gave me the "inside scoop" on how the school would select their students at the junior college where I had decided to apply. She said they would score students on their APPLIED GPA for the program (not looking at other classes that weren't required for the curriculum -- this was GREAT for me!!) She also told me to score all A's in the science classes (I ended up with a B in micro), and try for all A's in the rest. She said they also graded you on how close you were to finishing all the prerequisites for the program. After 3 tries, I finally got in. The first try -- I was WAY far away from getting all my sciences done. By the last try, I had completed them all except for one and got in.

The other local schools with programs (UTA and TCU) had different criteria for entrance. TCU (private school) didn't require as strict a GPA for entrance, but required 12 hours of courses before entering. Yeah, right. At the cost of private school tuition, that was settled abruptly. No way! Then, the other school (UTA) had a cumulative GPA requirement of 3.2 or better to get in. Egad, the cumulative GPA I had was terrible!! No dice.

So -- the junior college worked out, and here I am. I eventually went back (to UTA) and got my BSN. A few years later, I returned to UTA for my Master's as a Nurse Practitioner in Family Practice, and just completed the program in December of 2004.

Not bad for a guy who ditched class, messed around, and ended up with 7 F's in the first two years of college!

All I'm saying is -- STICK WITH IT!! Do the BEST you can in every class!! You'll eventually get there!!!

Best of luck to you all!!

~Sean :rotfl:

tinkCC · May 24, 2005

I go back and forth worring about if I will get in. I decided to up my chances by going first for CNA and working at a Nursing home. I have kept in contact with everyone involved with the LVN course by email. Letting them know just how bad I want this. I feel at this point the only way I will not get in is if I fail the NET at the end of June.. and I refuse to even consider that.. so never give up!!!!