(VERY long!) In a dilemma...need advice! :(

coolpeach · Apr 16, 2008

At where I am applying, and from what I have read about other schools its going to be almost impossible to get with that GPA. Most require at least a 2.75, but because its so competitive a 3.5 or above depending on where you apply is a must.

I once asked a nursing professor why it was so hard to get in. As everyone knows there is a teacher shortage, but she also told me another reason. She said Nursing school was VERY hard, and required determination, dedication, and a lot of study time. People who were A students often times struggled to make C's and people who made C's dropped out.

I am not saying this to be mean, but if you can't do well on the pre reqs you will NOT make it through nursing school.

I think everyone is meant to do something, and everyone has a different kind of learning style. My middle son is sooo smart, but he is an awful student. He doesn't learn well in a classroom, and despite effort on everyone's part he doesn't have the drive to keep up with studying on his own.

When he graduates he is going to trade school to learn a trade. There he will not be taking all the book work classes like English, math etc. It will be very hands on, and he will do well.

There is no shame is not being a good student, but you are just going to have to reaccess what your doing. Maybe you could do something else in medical care where you could go to a hands on trade school.

WorkofHeart8 · Apr 16, 2008

Coolpeach, I am most definitely not going to try and apply for nursing school with a 2.3. I don't even think that's possible? That is why I said I would be applying next year. I also will NOT be changing my career choice. I've talked to my fiance about it and I think I will be just skipping the LPN school.

Thanks!

9livesRN, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2008

i would skip the lpn school and go for the RN degree at the university but keep in mind that your habits do have to change, this is tough is hard and will take time, if you procrastinate, you will fail, and at least at my school you have to mantein a 3.0 gpa once you are in, so if you get c you have to compensate with an A....

now. dont go for the RN if yoo know that you wont make, you have to use the ehip on your self girl... comon, if you dont smoke, don't drink, dont party, what do you do that keeps you from studying?

think of it as a goal and go for it, reach it be proud of your self!

Ehope · Apr 16, 2008

it is extremely depressing for me, especially because i know who i really am. i am an overachiever in the mind, but it's difficult for me to just do it.

that line really got my attention because i am the same way myself. i procrastinate and end up having to take time off from work or pull an allnighter just to finish what i should have started ages ago. of course then i feel disgusted with myself and get in an evil mood....

you are right in that it is very hard to change yourself. i don't procrastinate just academically, i do it with most anything. (cleaning, grocery shopping, laudry, exercise etc....) i finally came to the conclusion that i can't spend all my time doing only what i feel like doing. a huge part of life is doing all those day to day chores that have to be done. so if i'm tired or just don't feel like doing it is no longer an excuse for me.

when i get home from work i spend at least 30min exercising and about 2 hours making dinner, cleaning up my apartment, doing the dishes. i do as much as i can within those 2 hours and even if my place doesn't look spotless it still makes me feel good. then i go to class. when i get back home (usually around 9) i take a shower and do at least 1.5 hrs of schoolwork. then i do whatever i want until bedtime. on the nights i don't have school i do more. i don't always have that much to study so i use a lot of that time to start writing papers or working on projects that aren't due for a while. it definitely reduces my anxiety.

obviously, you don't have to be that structured, but alotting x amount of hours a day for studying or whatever else you need to get done and then not letting yourself make excuses to get out of it are crucial. my biggest excuse was that i was "tired." well, i would end up watching tv for like 4 hours and still be tired but with nothing accomplished.

you need to take it slow and not beat yourself up or decide that you already failed if you stray from your schedule once in a while. the point is to keep trying until it starts being easier for you. it will, because it definitely did for me.

as a side note, i read something that equated procrastination with fear of success. there may be more to our issue than just not feeling like doing something. in any case, you are halfway there because you recognize your flaws. all that's left for you to do is to slowly correct your behavior which will take work, but i know you can do it.

best of luck.

dtrmnd2sccd · Apr 16, 2008

Have you ever been tested to see if you have a learning disability? My background is higher ed--I tutored in the Learning Center of a local college for several years, and saw MANY students with your kind of issues who were ADHD. So many of them were incredibly smart, but lacked the ability to stay focused. A series of interventions helped, such as scheduling short study periods (and I mean SHORT) throughout the day in distraction-free environments, and organization strategies. I also encouraged them to sit at the front of the classroom so they were less apt to be distracted by classmates.

There are many incredibly bright, successful people who are ADHD, but were labeled as "slackers" or "procrastinators" in school b/c of their inability to focus.

Ask your academic advisor who the person is at your school who is in charge of LD services and schedule an appointment.

WorkofHeart8 · Apr 16, 2008

Yes! It is so good to hear about how others have the same issues as me. Actually, my fiance is the exact same way. He was diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, can't remember which. I often wonder if I have the same thing, but what would that accomplish if I found out I did? I could get on medication, but will that REALLY help? I'm thinking I just need to change my actions!

Ehope, you are just like me! My fiance is so much like me which is just a recipe for disaster. We spend so much time cleaning, cooking, and working out. We made a schedule to spend X amount of time doing each thing, starting from waking up, but have not followed it because something messes it up like we find out we need to run to Wal-Mart which messes up the rest of the day.

I'm not sure what to do besides just do it. It's just hard. It helps to have encouragement!

Ehope · Apr 16, 2008

Sage,

I'm glad you feel like you got some support. I know how silly this thing seems to people who don't have this issue and tell you to just stop procrastinating or being lazy. It reminds me of when people who need to lose weight are told to just stop eating so much, like that's all there is to it and it is so easy.

I'm not sure about the ADHD being the source of it. It is possible, and maybe it could help you to find out. I know for sure that's not what I have because the problem is not focusing once I start studying, it's the actual getting started. Once I get going I can literally spend hours studying especially if I find it interesting.

Anyhow, the main thing is for you to identify what is most important that has to get done. You cannot all of a sudden expect to have this structured routine and accomplish everything flawlessly. The thing is to not let little "emergencies" or bumps in the road throw off your whole day. Use whatever time you need to deal with them and then move on to the next activity posiible on your list. To let that throw off your day is equivalent to making an excuse that allows you to get away with not doing it.

Another idea is to split the things that need to get done between you and your husband. There is no need for both of you to go to the store or do laundry together, etc... That way even if your schedule got derailed you would accomplish twice as many things.

Your priority will have to be studying. You need to accept right now that the only thing more important is taking care of your daughter and let everything else go. Your house is not as tidy as you'd like, so what? You can't find the time to do laudry, well you'll just have to wear those ugly pants that are reserved for emergencies. As long as your daughter is fed and clothed and happy, well then you have no excuse to not study. If you want to make it in NS you have to break this behavior pattern in regards to studying. You can take your time with everything else, but definitely stick to your study schedule and have it become routine. Absolutely no excuses allowed.

One thing I found out is that you will use ANYTHING as an excuse to not have to do whatever it is you need to. Be conscious of the fact that if you decide the only thing that takes priority over studying is your daughter you will subconsciously start stretching out those activies dealing with her needs way longer than necessary. Like instead of making her a nice sandwich for lunch you'll spend time searching recipes online to cook her a fancy meal, which of course will necessitate you going to like twenty specialty stores to find all the ingredients, which in its turn will take all afternoon and then you won't have time to do anything else. Extreme example? Not really, cause I found myself doing similar stuff. :banghead:

Much love, and honestly, it really is mind over matter.

P.S. - I forgot to add that from my experience you cannot overschedule yourself or your body will rebel with every fiber of its being. Just alot a certain amount of time per day for chores (I think 3 is appropriate if you work during the day, and should include making dinner) and then stick to it. It doesn't seem like a lot of time, but if you use it fully it will save you from marthon cleaning/laudry sessions on the weekends. Make time for your family to spend together, and don't forget to make alone time for just you and your husband as well.

gemberly · Apr 16, 2008

My story was kind of similar to yours. Out of high school I tried to attend college. I just wasn't ready. I ended up with a low GPA. I score very high on standardized tests, so while I was smart, I just didn't want to put in the effort.

I started going to school again about 5 years ago. I did well. I started at the same school and was slowly trying to pull up my GPA out of the depths. LOL

Well, my daughter got sick, (really sick... with a brain tumor) and subsequently died. I have a few classes that would have to be repeated because I dropped out too late.

2 years ago, I decided I wanted to try another career path. I started at a new school. Didn't transfer any of my credits and even though I have 4 kids, I have found that I am much more focused and *ready* to achieve my goal. I have a 3.7 GPA right now, and after this term it should be (hopefully with all my work!) higher.

Maybe now isn't the right time for you to go to school. Perhaps you need a fresh start. You need to get to the place where you know that you are going whatever it takes to get what you want. Even half way through the term when you are feeling so overwhelmed and like you are neglecting the rest of your life. School isn't that long... and time goes by regardless of whether we decide to sit on our bottoms and watch TV or if we work towards a goal.

Figure out what you need.. and make a choice to do it.

WorkofHeart8 · Apr 16, 2008

Gemberly, you said you chose to not transfer your credits. Can I do this? Can I just attend a new school and start all over?

gemberly · Apr 16, 2008

That is what I did. I transfered to a completely different school. In the program I am in now, we get bonus points (to gain entry to the nursing track) if we do not transfer credits or repeat classes.

Honestly, part of why I started doing so much better was because I could see the results of my hard work so much faster. My 20 year old GPA didn't follow me to another school. I work really hard to make As. Since I moved to a new school, I have only two Bs, As in every other course I have taken.

Good luck!

MotivatedOne · Apr 16, 2008

Sage, I am on the same boat as you. I am definitely a procrastinator and what's sad is that this is my second go with school. I already have a degree and I'm trying to get into an accelerated program. For my first degree I finished my 1st semester with a 1.3 GPA...I did not apply myself. I honestly believe that I am a very intelligent young woman. I did not struggle in high school but I also didn't have to study.

Once I got to college and realize that I have to study it was hard for me to juggle studying along with everything else that was going on in my life at the time. I am currently enrolled part time taking 10 credit hours this semester. I work 3 twelve hour night shifts from 6:30 pm to 7 am and trust me, it is extremely hard to work all night, sleep for half the day then wake up the next morning and be in school from 10 am to 5 pm. But I'm doing it. I can't blame anyone but myself for making the grades I'm making because I don't study.

I keep putting things off and telling myself oh, I'll study later, I'll do my paper later blah blah blah...Either I end up studying the morning of an exam/pratical or not studying at all. Fortunately I may be able to finish up this semester with 2 B's and an A but it's going to take some serious studying for the finals. I've even missed a few ONLINE quizzes because according to me I have too much going on. But like someone else said before, I make time to watch TV. My excuse is I don't have a life and I don't want to spend what free time I do have studying...well maybe I shouldn't be in school.

I do believe that I may have ADD because my professor will be saying something and I'd hear her saying it but I don't pay attention...I'm constantly day dreaming about nothing. My friend suggested me getting checked for it if diagnosed I'd refuse to take the medication. So it really wouldn't do me any good.

The short studying periods do help some. Like studying for 15 minutes then taking a 5 minute break for a hour does some good. Maybe you could give it a try.

I was under the impression that you couldn't transfer to another school unless you're in good academic standing at your current school. As far as not transferring your credits, the classes that you've gotten at least a C in may transfer but your grades don't transfer, only the credits. So as far as your GPA goes you do start over but those F's will follow you on your transcript.

Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck. I'm somewhat glad you've decided not to do the whole LPN program. At the hospital I work LPN's get paid less than $13 which in my opinion is sad...