What are my options?

Hello everyone!

Today I finished the Last prerequisite I need to apply to my top choice schools (cc's). I ended up with a 3.9 prerequisite GPA but unfortunately a 3.0 cumulative. Prior to me deciding to go into nursing I got my A.S in dental assisting & worked in oral and maxillofacial surgery at a teaching hospital which is where I realized that I Really wanted to go into nursing. I was straight out of high school, working a lot & just so naive & therefore I have a lot of credits, my fair share of C's on my transcript, & my cumulative GPA is set in stone at this point :'(

Im in a suburb in Southern California luckily not in any super impacted area (less impacted than the major cities). The local community colleges in my area have all said the maximum amount of applicants they have per semester is 100 for 40-50 spots depending on the school. However I'm not feeling too confident because of my cumulative GPA being on the lower side.

My school goes by a lottery system, & the other school Im mainly interested in goes by a point system which based on lurking on threads here seems like the cutoff is usually 75 points & I'd have to score 80% on the HESI to be at 74 points or a 90% to be at 79.

Im going to apply anyways but as I previously mentioned I don't feel confident at all. What would you guys recommend I do to boost my chances? I really want to be a nurse.

I've even began to consider West Coast University & San Joaquin Valley college but the cost is outrageous.

Any advice is is greatly appreciated.

You should really ask representatives of the programs you're interested in how to boost your chances. Every school is different, so what helps one person get into one program might be a colossal waste of time and money for another.

Well, you point out one thing you can do in your post. You need to study and study and ace the entrance HESI.

Yes of course thank you! That's going to consume almost all of my summer. I'll be going to all the school I'm interested in to submit transcripts & ask all my questions.

Lol yes Very true! I've started studying for the Teas for my school but I'll be ordering the Hesi study book soon! Thank you!

Definitely attend information sessions and study for the entrance exams. I'm not sure where you are in SoCal exactly, but there are programs out there that will only look at certain courses when you apply and some that do that with the added bonus that you can submit your highest grade regardless of the number of attempts. The downside is that some of the programs are extemely competitive and will only accept the first score for the entrance exams required. Awesome job applying multiple places and best of luck!

Definitely attend information sessions and study for the entrance exams. I'm not sure where you are in SoCal exactly, but there are programs out there that will only look at certain courses when you apply and some that do that with the added bonus that you can submit your highest grade regardless of the number of attempts. The downside is that some of the programs are extemely competitive and will only accept the first score for the entrance exams required. Awesome job applying multiple places and best of luck!

Hi! I see you've posted on RCC I'm from Chaffey! So I'll be applying at Chaffey, Sbvc, RCC, Mount Sac, & a few in LA County.

Yes at this point it seems that my entrance exam scores can dictate an acceptance or denial.

I will really be focusing on studying for the Hesi & teas. Thank you!

The HESI is not that bad. I took it practically cold 12 years after I graduated college (the first time) and a good 16+ years since I had taken a math course. I also had only taken A&PI. With only a quick 1 hr review... I got an 89.8. I was also like you, a low cumulative GPA due to my first degree but a 4.0 pre-req GPA. I was accepted into my first choice program.

Focus on the HESI and anything you can control. You can't control a lottery. You have this.

The HESI is not that bad. I took it practically cold 12 years after I graduated college (the first time) and a good 16+ years since I had taken a math course. I also had only taken A&PI. With only a quick 1 hr review... I got an 89.8. I was also like you, a low cumulative GPA due to my first degree but a 4.0 pre-req GPA. I was accepted into my first choice program.

Focus on the HESI and anything you can control. You can't control a lottery. You have this.

Wow! Congratulations! You give me hope!

My school is "lottery" although I've heard they give priority to students who've taken all GE's with them & have previous degrees. They are my first choice so I'm cautiously optimistic.

However I will be studying my butt off for the Hesi to hopefully get accepted at a merit based school.