What to do??? :-/

dragonfly414 · Mar 21, 2012

I completely understand what you are going through. I started as a student at a community college. At the time, my husband was deployed to Afghanistan and I began to struggle with everything including school. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say our marriage fell apart and it did NOT end well. My gpa went down somewhere around a 2.5 and I had a really hard time sticking with school.

I finally dug myself out of the hole a little bit, finished up a liberal arts associates, and transferred to a state university. My gpa from community college still wasn't quite high enough to apply to Nursing, so I declared a Health Sciences major with a minor in Holistic Health in order to sign up for more College of Nursing courses at my school. I insanely attended classes on both campuses sometimes taking as many as 21 credits so I could raise my gpa at CC and still progress toward my bachelor's. I decided since I was meeting grad requirements to finish up this May I would apply to a Master's Options program for students with prior non-nursing Bachelors degrees. 110 applicants later for 24 slots and my 3.429 gpa was not good enough to compete. Since school is not my favorite pass time, a 3.4 is about as good as it is going to get for me and it felt quite discouraging for it not to be good enough!

Soo, I applied to an accelerated BSN and to the regular BSN at my current school. After having a breif convo with an advisor who is not a very warm person, I felt sick about my application and panicked. I began applying to every community college nursing program whose deadline I had not missed and who did not have a wait list. I took the NLN-PAX exam and scored 88,76,87 percentile on Verbal/Math/Science. Sure enough I did not get into the accelerated BSN I applied to, and I will not find out about the regular BSN until April. On the positive, I was accepted at one of the Community Colleges I applied to!

I've decided I don't need to collect Bachelor's degrees or double the student loan debt to be a good R.N! I'm not sure where you are at as far as your education, or what programs you have applied to, but if you have not applied to an ASN program I say go for it! It can be a long frustrating process to take classes, go through the app process, and not get in, but if you really want to be a nurse, you probably will not be happy until you get there so don't give up! I know many good students who also have struggled to get accepted to Nursing programs. I live in Maine and the schools here usually have a C or better policy for sciences, but a solid B or better in all sciences helps to get in. Do not despair if you have to retake a course to get a higher grade, I've done it several times. It is not how I would have preferred it, but it is what I had to do to get where I wanted to be. Retaking a course is not ideal, but it does show determination and persistence.

My education, much like this post has dragged on further than I intended. I'm rapidly approaching my 25th Birthday and I always thought I would be completely done having kids before I turned 30.... change of plans! I'm still renting, I have no kids, I'm divorced, and I'm graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences that I never really wanted in the first place! Hang in there! Sometimes things work out when we least expect them to. If I were you, I would allot myself a brief period of mourning and then furiously get right back to it applying or maybe reapplying to every program I could. The more places you apply the better your chances of getting in somewhere. Also check around for programs that start in the spring or summer. If you're not accepted for the fall, move on to the very next possible place with the closest start. Many community colleges have rolling admissions as well, so if you applied even after the program filled it is possible for someone to drop out for this fall. Best of luck, keep your chin up, keep at it, and before you know it you'll be taking the NCLEX!

mc0306 · Mar 21, 2012

I completely understand what you are going through. I started as a student at a community college. At the time, my husband was deployed to Afghanistan and I began to struggle with everything including school. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say our marriage fell apart and it did NOT end well. My gpa went down somewhere around a 2.5 and I had a really hard time sticking with school.
I finally dug myself out of the hole a little bit, finished up a liberal arts associates, and transferred to a state university. My gpa from community college still wasn't quite high enough to apply to Nursing, so I declared a Health Sciences major with a minor in Holistic Health in order to sign up for more College of Nursing courses at my school. I insanely attended classes on both campuses sometimes taking as many as 21 credits so I could raise my gpa at CC and still progress toward my bachelor's. I decided since I was meeting grad requirements to finish up this May I would apply to a Master's Options program for students with prior non-nursing Bachelors degrees. 110 applicants later for 24 slots and my 3.429 gpa was not good enough to compete. Since school is not my favorite pass time, a 3.4 is about as good as it is going to get for me and it felt quite discouraging for it not to be good enough!
Soo, I applied to an accelerated BSN and to the regular BSN at my current school. After having a breif convo with an advisor who is not a very warm person, I felt sick about my application and panicked. I began applying to every community college nursing program whose deadline I had not missed and who did not have a wait list. I took the NLN-PAX exam and scored 88,76,87 percentile on Verbal/Math/Science. Sure enough I did not get into the accelerated BSN I applied to, and I will not find out about the regular BSN until April. On the positive, I was accepted at one of the Community Colleges I applied to!
I've decided I don't need to collect Bachelor's degrees or double the student loan debt to be a good R.N! I'm not sure where you are at as far as your education, or what programs you have applied to, but if you have not applied to an ASN program I say go for it! It can be a long frustrating process to take classes, go through the app process, and not get in, but if you really want to be a nurse, you probably will not be happy until you get there so don't give up! I know many good students who also have struggled to get accepted to Nursing programs. I live in Maine and the schools here usually have a C or better policy for sciences, but a solid B or better in all sciences helps to get in. Do not despair if you have to retake a course to get a higher grade, I've done it several times. It is not how I would have preferred it, but it is what I had to do to get where I wanted to be. Retaking a course is not ideal, but it does show determination and persistence.
My education, much like this post has dragged on further than I intended. I'm rapidly approaching my 25th Birthday and I always thought I would be completely done having kids before I turned 30.... change of plans! I'm still renting, I have no kids, I'm divorced, and I'm graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences that I never really wanted in the first place! Hang in there! Sometimes things work out when we least expect them to. If I were you, I would allot myself a brief period of mourning and then furiously get right back to it applying or maybe reapplying to every program I could. The more places you apply the better your chances of getting in somewhere. Also check around for programs that start in the spring or summer. If you're not accepted for the fall, move on to the very next possible place with the closest start. Many community colleges have rolling admissions as well, so if you applied even after the program filled it is possible for someone to drop out for this fall. Best of luck, keep your chin up, keep at it, and before you know it you'll be taking the NCLEX!

Truly inspirational! Dont give up! I am 23 and have 2 kids of my own and 3 step kids. I am in my prereqs right now and I am worried about facing these same issues. It makes it alot easier when I know I am not the only one who feels this way.

Either way you are getting your education. The good thing is you are not wasting your time. Any kind of degree, especially in Health is a good investment in my opinion.

lizbee, dont give up either! It will happen as long as you keep at it! I heard from one of the girls in my class (who is from Vegas), she said UNLV is easier to get into than colleges in Washington (where I live). I am definately a mover, I will go wherever I can get in. If you are willing to move for school and have the ability to do so, go for it! Start looking into schools outside of your area. It will pay off in the end. Thats my :twocents:

SailorVee93, ASN, RN · Mar 21, 2012

Thank you dragonfly414 and mc0306!! I recently turned 24 and have been trying to get into nursing schools since I graduated with my BA 2 years ago. Sometimes I really do feel like giving up, but then I remember that this is something that I want and I wouldn't cry over it if I didn't care. Your words are so encouraging and uplifting. I considered retaking a bunch of classes, but I've heard that some schools frown on that (dragonfly I agree, to me retaking a class shows how dedicated you are not how bad you failed). I'm definitely taking everything you've said into consideration. Alternative methods/routes are never a bad thing.

Thank you again :)

pixiestudent2 · Mar 21, 2012

Look into schoold in pa, I think they are easier to get into here, good luck!

Stuart.knight · Mar 21, 2012

I understand and I am struggling on what to do! I trying to decide to either get an asn or bsn! I am currently in pre-nursing and I have barely started. I am debating to try to get in the bsn program which is extremely hard at my school. I need some advice because I am running out of money and I need to decide soon before the deadline to apply to an asn program. The asn program would take only two years and the bsn would take three if I get into the program. What do you recommend?

dragonfly414 · Mar 21, 2012

Thank you everyone, I'm glad I could give some encouragement. I think everyone can get lost in the pressure and forget that most of us are all struggling with much of the same stuff! My theory on schools who frown upon retaking classes is this: if a school frowns upon me retaking a course then I'm pretty sure I don't want to be a student of theirs! This kind of establishment will probably make your life a living hell if you were accepted with them anyways because clearly they are unaware that LIFE happens! Not everyone is 18 living in dorms with Mom and Dad paying their way!

I've never failed a science course before, but I've definitely retaken courses. I took Microbiology 3 times! The fastest way to get my GPA up and increase my chances of getting into nursing school was to retake courses and it sucked but I did it. If a school looks down on me and discourages me from achieving my goals then I'm probably not a good fit for that school and they probably are not a good fit for me. I agree that any health degree is a good way to go, but my B.S. in Health Sciences is not quite specific enough for me to feel like it will give me job security in this economy. With no professional licensure to fall back on, I fear I will end up in an entry level medical position making $30K/year, which will not be enough to support children, a mortgage, car payment, student loans, and all the rest of the expensive crap life requires. I refuse to come out of college and be barely scraping by!

Something you might consider is taking pharmacology and pathophysiology if you have not already. Many ASN programs do not require either of these, but it will give you a one up on other applicants if you take it anyways. Plus in my opinion everyone should have to take those courses to be a nurse! Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR course "for the professional rescuer" if you have not already. You'll have to take it anyways, and again it is one more thing you'll already have done for a one up.

Put a little more stalk in yourself, your ability to be a good nurse, and the belief that you have something to offer the field of nursing. If you want to be a nurse and you believe those three things, you will undoubtedly get there. When I had that sickening conversation with one of the nursing advisors, my frame of mind changed from "the nursing department holds my life in their hands" to "I have something to offer, I WILL become a great nurse, and I hold my fate in MY hands, not anyone else. Especially not some cranky, cold advisor who probably should have retired 10 years ago!". Don't let the process get you, you go out and get it! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

dragonfly414 · Mar 21, 2012

I would apply to both! even if it is tough to get into, it could be a missed opportunity if you don't apply!

mc0306 · Mar 23, 2012

I understand and I am struggling on what to do! I trying to decide to either get an asn or bsn! I am currently in pre-nursing and I have barely started. I am debating to try to get in the bsn program which is extremely hard at my school. I need some advice because I am running out of money and I need to decide soon before the deadline to apply to an asn program. The asn program would take only two years and the bsn would take three if I get into the program. What do you recommend?

If you are worried about money, I would go the ASN route in order to get into a job faster and cheaper schooling. And then if you are still up to it you can go for a BSN.

rngraduate2014 · Mar 23, 2012

Don't give up, take it however you can get to it. Be it directly or on a curve.

I started school in 2002 community college, have had two MORE children during this process. An unsupportive "what about me" husband. And I am finaly really ready to apply with a real good chance of being accepted by at least one of my choices.

crittytn · Mar 23, 2012

I was hit with some crazy circumstances that I originally wasn't expecting and managed to pull together an application for an accelerated BSN program. I knew that it was a stretch, as I was taking 4 prereqs this semester and planned to take the other 2 in the summer before start of the program if I was accepted. My mom is a dean at a CC and we both just knew that in such a competitive program, me with that many prereqs to complete and not any other recent schooling than my other degrees from years ago would not be that competitive against others who already had all their prereqs successfully completed. So, of course, as we predicted, I was not accepted to the program.

It has made it hard for me to find the motivation to keep pushing through my 4 courses, but I am. I know that if I keep going and keep my 4.0 in these classes, along with some other things I'll now have the time to do like volunteering at hospitals and some other volunteer work I want to do and getting certified in CPR and such, will hopefully help me be very competitive next year. The good news is that I get the summer off to get my ducks in a row before I take the rest of the classes and to set up all my plans!

But...to hedge my bets, I am also going to apply to a traditional BSN program and an ADN program in addition to the accelerated. If I get into all three, I can choose which one seems best at that time. If I only get in to one or two, the path is laid out before me. I am not going to give up and am going to enjoy the extra time I've been given. The details will work themselves out!

So, hang in there!

P.S. Dragonfly, great post. Very motivating for me to read this morning as I head into the last month of insanity with my classes. Your attitude is fabulous!!!

WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2012

I don't know what area you're in and how many CC are near by. If you have a low GPA, apply to a school that places more emphasis on tests instead. I was fortunate enough to be able to apply to a school that emphasized the HESI test score over GPA, my GPA for that school was a 3.08 and I had 2 C's! When I spoke to the financial aid officer, she said she was surprised I even got in and had never seen a student be admitted to the program with a single C, much less 2.

I was so unsure of myself that I had resigned to a back up plan of getting my Bachelors in anything (anything being Criminology) and becoming a Special Education teacher afterward by taking state tests. Before I had a back up plan, I literally had a panic attack every single day, because I just knew that I could never get into a nursing program and my life was over. Have a back up plan and keep faith! I truly believe my admission was through the will of God alone (not trying to get religious on you, but it really was a miracle that I got accepted!). Pray on it, if you're religious, but always have a back up plan, just in case!