What are my chances at getting into an Rn program?

[Mommyfuturenurse]

Hello everyone I am a pre nursing student in california. Monterey county to be exact.. I was taking college courses in high school which I did average(b's) in except for history which I failed. Once I got into college I went back and got an A on it. I started off pretty good also getting an A in English and psychology.. And a B in math.. I got to confident and thought I could handle taking a cna program, chemistry and math(I struggle so much with math). I ended up getting my cna license with flying colors but I got a C in chemistry and a D in math?. I went back an got an A in math and an A in biology(which I love). I'm actually planning on tutoring biology and/or English. So my question is how badly will this hurt my chances of getting into an rn program? Also if I keep working as a cna, begin to tutor for my college and continue getting A's will that help me get in? I have also volunteered for a hospital. my gpa will me around 3.4-3.5 ? any advice on what else I can do to get into a nursing program. I actually want my bsn but I don't know if it would be harder to get in?

[caliotter3]

Suggest you schedule appointments with the local nursing programs to find out what their current requirements are and how you fit in. As you may know San Jose State is impacted, very competitive at this point. Hartnell and MPC have historically never been easy to get in. For that matter, any public school nursing program in CA is no walk in the park as far as the admissions process is concerned. Across the board, you need to do your best to get the best grades that you can, in order to be competitive, but it does not hurt to talk to an advisor to get one on one assurance that you are on the right path. Good luck.

[WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

What is your reported GPA right now? I think at minimum, not many people get into CA nursing programs with less than a 3.8 anymore, so you'll need to maintain a GPA of that or higher to remain a competitive applicant.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Your chances of getting into nursing school depends directly upon each individual school's requirements, if you meet those requirements, and if you apply. You might not be qualified to attend a BSN program, but you might be qualified to attend and ADN program or three. Or the reverse may be true. You might not be qualified to attend some ADN programs but easily qualified to attend your local BSN program. In order to find out, do your research into what each program requires. The more programs you apply to, the more likely you'll be selected to attend one of them. Design your course of study so that you meet all the requirements of all programs, but as you become qualified to attend a given program, apply there and keep going until you get selected.

[RunBabyRN]

You have a 73% chance of being accepted.

Honestly, there is no way any of us can make this determination. All you can do is apply. The best way to increase your odds is to cast a wide net- apply everywhere you'd consider.

I have not seen a program in CA that cares about how you did in high school, except for whether or not you graduated.

I would check out ADN programs, and plan to bridge to BSN later, but apply to both types of programs now. You never know what might happen. Consider some of the BSN programs in the Central Valley if you can, as the coastal ones are more impacted than the ones in less desirable locales.

Have you taken the TEAS yet? Passing with flying colors (ideally >95%) will help counterbalance your GPA.

For the classes you have remaining, consider slowing down to ensure you earn As, if necessary. GPA is SO important. Is there any way to improve upon that C in chemistry? That may hold you back. I know Sonoma State, for example, requires a B or better in all prerequisites. Some schools also have a time limit on how old prereqs can be- often 5-7 years.

Tutoring may not help with admission, but it will help you in other ways. Volunteer experience is often factored into apps (check out the different programs and what they want to see), but you will likely need at least a year somewhere for it to count.

[Mommyfuturenurse]

My college (Hartnell college) does not allow for a class to be retaken if passed . And if you don't pass it it keeps both grades. My overall GPA should end up around 3.4 my pre-nursing gpa however should end up being 3.69 or 3.72 if I add up the Spanish classes.(which my college gives extra points for). I received a teas review book as a gift past year but I have a semester left to take it but i been reviewing during every chance I've gotten! Thank you all for you're helpful answers by the way. I want to be optomistic but I also want to be realistic no matter what my dream is to be an RN!

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Even though your school doesn't allow courses to be repeated if you have technically passed the course, that's not to say that another school won't let you take a course that your school (or any other school for that matter) wouldn't consider as equivalent to the one you just took. You might just want to consider attending multiple schools if necessary to improve your GPA... but just know that sometimes nursing programs can deduct points if you retake too many courses though.

Something to consider. Higher TEAS scores can help balance out a lower GPA...