Was not accepted 4 times, now what???

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I am in the state of Texas and I have been in school for 5 years now working on pre-reqs to get my BSN. I have applied to the local accredited programs here 4 times and have been rejected 4 times ( applied every semester for 4 semesters). I am an A/B student and volunteer at one of the major hospitals. All of my professors and RNs I volunteer for tell me I would make a great nurse because I have the compassion needed and very knowledgeable. I want to be a nurse so bad I can taste it! Each time I get a rejection letter it is devastating! I feel at a cross road right now. I have invested 5 years of my life, and extremely hard work to attain my dream. I am not a young woman (mid 30s) and don't know what to do. Am I under an illusion that I am chasing a pipe dream that is not in the cards for me? Or do I take my rejections as "oh yeah, I'll show you" and work that much harder? How much more time of my life should I devote to this? I have one more school I haven't heard from yet...so there is a slight chance I still might make it. I wanted to put this out there. Am I the only one that has had this many rejections and still work towards it? Do I give up and say well obviously the universe don't want me to do this? Do I hang in there and convince myself one more time this will happen? Help???

Specializes in Cardiac and Emergency Department.

Rachel,

What are the reasons you have not been accepted into the program? Have you made an appointment with the nursing program counselor? If you haven't, find out what qualifications they are looking for and what would make your application-and you stand out to the selection board. I met with the nursing school counselor while I was taking pre-requisite classes. We had a very frank conversation about what would make my application stick out and what they were looking for in applicants. Acceptance into the program, like most throughout the country, was extremely competitive. They were looking for all A's, no repeated classes due to low grades, community service, and attention to detail. Any misspellings, poor grammar, food stains or incomplete applications were automatically refused and rejection letters sent. Triple check your application and have a friend or two look over it prior to submitting. I got a rejection letter from the school. After crying for a while, I called the school to ask about the reasons why my application was rejected. They stated they didn't receive my HIGH SCHOOL transcript. I was 38 years old, and I had requested it be sent to them. My high school guidance counselors office verified they had sent it and told me the date, address and time it had been sent. Another call to the nursing school led to the discovery of the transcript in a "dead file." It had been put in the dead file due to having my maiden name on it-the secretary didn't catch it when filing. The person I spoke to on the phone told me that it was "too late" for my application to be reconsidered because the classes had already been chosen. It took a certified letter to the Director of the program and a face-to-face meeting with the Director to be selected for the class for which I had applied. I was 39 years old at graduation in December of 2011 and 40 when I sat for and passed the NCLEX in February of 2012. Find out why you are being passed over for admission to the program. If possible, do something about the reasons and reapply. Best wishes to you.

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You need to look at specific program requirements. They completely vary. You could be at the top of the list as a candidate for one program and not even elligible to apply at another.

RESEARCH.

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What did you make on your act/sat? My school added up points based on gpa and act score to pick students.

I would recommend you do an lpn program first, then you can do a bridge or go online.

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Specializes in Critical Care/Vascular Access.

First of all, let me share a little secret........friends and associates telling you that you'd make a great nurse doesn't really mean anything. I don't mean that as an insult whatsoever, but just take it with a grain of salt.

As far as being rejected, you really need to find out why you're being rejected. Is it GPA? You have something on your record that's weighing you down?

Find the source of the rejections then start taking the steps to fix it. Then reapply.

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I'm doing an ADN program at the community college. My ADN program offers a "dual enrollment" program with several of the universities in the area, meaning that I can complete BSN classes with the university while I work on my ADN. When I'm finished with the ADN program, I will only have 6 months of online courses left to finish my BSN. It's a cheaper, time efficient route and easier to get into than going straight into the BSN program at the University.

My ADN program accepts students on a scale, you receive points based on GPA, HESI score (these are the main two), and also extra "brownie points" if you have volunteered/worked as a CNA, etc. My ADN program is actually very well respected in the area and competitive, but the route I'm taking isn't nearly as difficult to get into as going straight into the BSN program.

Just another idea to consider. As others have mentioned, it's worth looking at all of your options.

pssst....I'm 35. I'm old, too. :D

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Get out of Texas.

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Thank you for all the input. To overall address you all. My GPA is 3.85 and I have applied to 5 different schools under the ADN program each semester I applied (4 semesters). In addition I applied to 3 local universities for the BSN program the last semester. I have called met and cried to many directors. The last two times the reason...just not enough room. I am feeling discouraged and confused all at the same time. I have A's in all of my science classes with the exception of one, chemistry (B). I scored a low A on my HESI. From what I understand all of you are telling me to hang in there and use the rejection as a positive. I have 2 kids and I want to make sure I send the right message, that hard work and perseverance will pay off. I'm just really hoping it pays off soon! I want to apologize for all the mid 30's out there I called old. Sometimes I feel old when I'm sitting in class and this teenager whips out correct answers faster than I heard the question. Kinda starts the make you feel old HA!

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Are you from Dallas? There are several ADN programs from the DCCCD, and it is hard for me to believe you didn't get in with those stats, since I have friends who have gotten in and their stats were lower than yours. Which specific schools have you applied to? Have you thought about re-taking the HESI? You need to ask for more information regarding the schools rejecting you.

Don't give up, instead, try to look for new options (I know it's hard to do this :( trust me i'm in a not-great situation as well). Even though I think a B in chemistry is good, maybe re-take that class and aim for an A, and that will pump up your GPA too.

Also, you could try taking the TEAS, since some school require that test instead of the HESI.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I started applying to nursing schools when I was 33 years old. I wasn't accepted until I was 37. I applied to schools 8 consecutive semesters and was ultimately accepted to the programs I applied to at the same time. While I would have liked to have gotten in to school at 33, I never gave up and kept going. If you stop applying now, you will never know if you would have been accepted the next time around. You have several options: ADN, BSN, ABSN (if you already have a Bachelors), LPN to RN Bridge (if you go the LPN route first), and moving out of your local area (even possibly out of Texas) and going after all those potential options where you would reside next.

Compassion is a great thing to have and some of us don't have it, but it's not a quality that defines what a "great nurse" is. I'm a new nurse that's learning, and while I'm compassionate toward my patients, when I leave work, I leave them behind and go off to the rest of my life. I do what I can for my patients and being "nice" doesn't cost me anything, but I will be "not nice" if necessary. I'm never mean, but I will become very firm and very "business" oriented if that is what is needed. Few people have ever needed to see that because usually the "nice" gets compliance.

The reason I posted the above is simply to show that "compassion" doesn't a great nurse make. It's but a tool in our orificenal, as much as anything else is. Solid knowledge foundation, good experience, and good judgement are the things that make a "great nurse" in my opinion.

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I think you should look into an ADN program, and go from there! The universities in my state accept about 40 students and the community colleges can accept up to 160! Good luck!!!

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Rachel,

What are the reasons you have not been accepted into the program? Have you made an appointment with the nursing program counselor? If you haven't, find out what qualifications they are looking for and what would make your application-and you stand out to the selection board. I met with the nursing school counselor while I was taking pre-requisite classes. We had a very frank conversation about what would make my application stick out and what they were looking for in applicants. Acceptance into the program, like most throughout the country, was extremely competitive. They were looking for all A's, no repeated classes due to low grades, community service, and attention to detail. Any misspellings, poor grammar, food stains or incomplete applications were automatically refused and rejection letters sent. Triple check your application and have a friend or two look over it prior to submitting. I got a rejection letter from the school. After crying for a while, I called the school to ask about the reasons why my application was rejected. They stated they didn't receive my HIGH SCHOOL transcript. I was 38 years old, and I had requested it be sent to them. My high school guidance counselors office verified they had sent it and told me the date, address and time it had been sent. Another call to the nursing school led to the discovery of the transcript in a "dead file." It had been put in the dead file due to having my maiden name on it-the secretary didn't catch it when filing. The person I spoke to on the phone told me that it was "too late" for my application to be reconsidered because the classes had already been chosen. It took a certified letter to the Director of the program and a face-to-face meeting with the Director to be selected for the class for which I had applied. I was 39 years old at graduation in December of 2011 and 40 when I sat for and passed the NCLEX in February of 2012. Find out why you are being passed over for admission to the program. If possible, do something about the reasons and reapply. Best wishes to you.

This. Do not accept the rejection letter at face value. Start making your presence known. Only one meeting to find out the problem could put you into that "noticed" group which ultimately leads to your selection.

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