What should I do in my current situation?

[2bNurse Fruit]

At the moment, I'm finishing up my prerequisites for nursing at a community college in California, going for a BSN. I'll be done after this spring of 2018 with a gpa of ~3.7. A little about myself, I'm currently a waiter at a sushi place and it'll be my 3rd year working there. The hours are pretty good (4 hour shifts, with a take-home tip of $120 a night), but I'm pretty sure they might let me go soon because I've been giving up shifts to study for my science courses. Since the time is coming up for me to take the TEAS and apply for nursing programs, I want to move forward towards my goals.

I have no volunteer hours or anything. I've heard from others that it's better to work at a hospital than to volunteer. Is this true? I really don't mind the pay at all. If it's a minimum wage job, so be it. I'll be happy to do it as long as if I'm learning on the job and it will help my chances for nursing. What job position do you recommend me to take that will help me get into a nursing program? or is it that any hospital job will help improve my chances? I'm not sure if hospital jobs are flexible with hours but I prefer part time if possible. If you think volunteering would increase my chances better than a hospital job, then what should I volunteer in the hospital for? Anything else you can think of that will help my chances? I know the criteria for gaining points like being bilingual, low income, etc. but is there anything else that will sort of make me stand out from the rest? I know retaking courses is also another option, but I'd like to avoid that if possible lol. Thanks!

I don't know if age matters at all, but I'm 22. Also, I'm planning on applying to Sac State, Csulb, sdsu, sjsu, and a few lottery-style nursing programs at nearby community colleges.

[Neo Soldier, BSN, RN]

It's pretty amazing that you're going into nursing. Also a wise decision to make studying a priority instead of work. Nursing school is highly competitive and having good grades boosts your application. It's also a good idea that you are planning on applying to community colleges because some 4 year colleges give priority to their own students and some don't even consider transfers.

I would recommend some things: Go to a CNA school and get certified. It's worth it. You get experience in a field you're going into and also a chance to make money. This experience will help you a lot in clinical and you'll be a pro at patient care. Some programs only take 16 days to complete. The shorter the better because you truly learn on the job.

Some community colleges have a point system. They give you points for GPA, life experience (receiving financial aid, disadvantaged family); for having an AA degree, BS, MS, CNA, EMT, LVN; points for work experience, points for language proficiency (2 semesters of the same language or you take a test to prove proficiency)

Find out if the community college takes the TEAS or HESI. Take both if you have to.

Don't apply to just one school. Apply to several and find out what they want so that (check out their point system) so you can better your chances. Good luck and congrats on that GPA.

[TipsyTurtle]

The sjsu nursing program is super impacted. There is De Anza college that has an ADN program which is located in Cupertino. It does not a lottery style system instead it has a waitlist system, the average wait time to get in once your accepted is 3-4 quarters. Also since your worried about getting in, you don't have to worry about it for this program as long as you meet the requirements you can get in.

[Regina_Phalange, BSN]

Sac State is extremely difficult to get in to. When I looked at it last year, the reports from the previous year showed an average GPA of 3.9 I believe, with the lowest accepted student having a 3.8 if I remember correctly. SFSU actually accepted quite a few students in the 3.7 range though, so I would add them to your list to apply to. I agree with the pp too that getting your CNA would be a great introduction to nursing and point getter for your applications. Good luck!