Very Low Gpa...Is there still hope?

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Hello,

I graduated from HS in 2013, and from there I attended a local community college where my major was music (huge mistake) I ended up hating music and failing 2 classes that year. i also had low self esteem and no direction as to what I wanted to do in life. I left the local cc with a cumulative gpa of 1.474 at the end of 2014. With my gpa not rising I was put on academic suspension which meant sitting out for 1 year of college. So I ended up becoming an esthetician and laser technician. However, my true passion and dream is to become a nurse! My question is, is it too late for me to become a nurse with my gpa? I honestly feel as though I finally have direction in in my life and truly know what it is that I want to do. I didn't apply myself in college back then..I would skip classes and not turn in work. I've definitely matured since then, and I'm serious. Of course I haven't taken any pre-reqs for nursing so is that to my advantage? I also haven't taken a college level math class yet either. Any advice is welcomed

Yes there actually is hope for you DEPENDING on what nursing school you apply to. Each one is different in what they require, so its best to look online and see what schools by you require for their nursing program. From a previous degree, I had a low gpa of 2.7 but the nursing school i got accepted into (Miami- Dade College) required a 2.8 gpa and also took my highest math, highest science, and highest grade of whatever else they required which bumped my gpa up. I went to a community college nursing school that offered an associates in nursing and I would recommend the same for you. I finished that program and got my first job in the neonatal intensive care unit. One year later, I am now finishing my last semester in my BSN and hold a 3.75 gpa with plans on applying to CRNA school.

-Do your research, speak to advisors, and organize yourself. Focus on the positive aspects while you are doing this. At least you have a job and many other blessings to add on. Have a positive attitude on this journey because at times you will feel challenged.

- I agree with you, it's all about maturity. I have family who tells me "Wow, you shouldve gone to nursing from the very beginning!" I always tell them no because i wouldve failed nursing school lol. I wasnt mature enough, i didnt know what i wanted. Now you know more, hold yourself more accountable. You can do this

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I did it, and you can, too.

I graduated high school, took a year off, went to community college when I wasn't ready to be back in school. I failed out and got kicked out of the school for my poor grades. Switched to a different community college, did okay-ish there but didn't get a degree, just took random classes. Some I failed. Some I didn't. Moved back home and went to my public university which I also did okay-ish in, but switched majors so many times, failed a bunch of classes, lost my financial aid status at that school because of my poor grades. Went back to community college for a year after deciding I needed to get my **** together. Passed my classes my pre-reqs with good grades, found out the waiting list for the nursing program was ridiculous and then went to the school I graduated from this May. And now I'm a nurse.

You can dig yourself out of the hole. It may take some time, but you can do it. You just have to be ready to get to work.

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There's definitely hope. You just have to overcompensate with your prereqs, meaning you will need to really overachieve and get all A's. I got in with a 2.5. There's hope, especially since you haven't taken that many classes

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I had a 1.3 my first semester of college.

I'm going to begin my final semester of an ADN program this Fall. I currently hold a 3.5 after a lot of hard work. You can do it, it will just take time. You may have to pad your transcript in order to get the GPA high enough. Try getting some certificates and the like that may be useful if nursing doesn't pan out.

Good Luck.

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I see this question asked a lot and I'm always a bit confused. Does the nursing program where you are attempting to get into look at overall gpa or just the grades in the prerequisites. I've been to two community colleges (I had to move cities, but both still in CO) and the nursing program at both colleges based acceptance into the program on the prerequisite grades, not overall GPA. Look into the requirements and talk to an advisor. I doubt there were many overlapping classes for music and nursing. You'll probably have to start from scratch and take mostly all new classes

My program looked at both. You had to have certain grades in the pre-reqs and a certain GPA to be considered. It was a very competitive program so they looked at it all.

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I know my local community college's LPN program is strict. I went to a vocational school first. Unlike the CC, they don't look at past grades. We had to pass the TEAS test and schedule an interview, though. Your options may be different from what I experienced.

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Specializes in Varied.

My school only cared about classes/courses that applied to the ADN.

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Every program is a little different as far as what they look at; do your research and focus on programs that weigh nursing prereqs more than overall GPA. Then ease into your prereqs to ensure you can devote the time needed to get As and Bs. You'll do fine! Best of luck!

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Specializes in Orthopedics.

My GPA wasn't quite the same but I did live the "party lifestyle" for a while before I got serious & started nursing school. What I did: switched to community college because it's cheaper, took a year to get through pre-reqs & got As/Bs in them all. Good luck!

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Specializes in NICU.

Some students are late bloomers,I want to warn you though if you list your other college credits they will average them in to your new improved gpa,so figure it out from there.

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Specializes in Nephrology Home Therapies, Wound Care, Foot Care..

Ask for an "academic renewal" or a "fresh start". If you're school offers it, you get to start over, won't be able to use any of those classes of course, but doesn't sound like you'd want to anyway! Don't get discouraged. Worst case scenario is you take a ton of easy A classes, jump that GPA, and then move forward. Several of my pre-nursing mentees have done this, and entered nursing school with honors GPA s.

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Yes it's possible! 2 years ago I dropped out of college with a 1.8 gpa due to working every night till 4am as a bartender. A year later I decided to go back to school, but since I did not have the grades for nursing I switched my major to psyc. I had to work really hard to dig my self out of the "hole" and got a 4.0 for four semesters straight and was able to bring my gpa up to a 3.5 by graduation and now just got accepted to an Accelerated BSN program!

Getting a degree in another subject first is another option you have because it gives you time to raise your gpa. Then you can do an accelerated ADN or BSN program after which can be done in 12-18 months

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