Where on earth are CA students with a low GPA(3.3) applying!?!?!

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I can't stop breaking into tears. Depression is obviously sinking in. This is insane. Like it wasn't hard enough competing with 1500 applicants for a few dozen spots and now all the state schools are not accepting any Spring applicants if you don't already go to the school. That means next fall there will be 2x as many applicants.

It is getting to the point that if you don't have a 4.0 you are not going to be a nurse in CA. And even some of the 4.0 students are turned away (I know 2). I could shell out 50,000 to 75,000 for a private school BSN or try year after year after year to do an ADN at a community college but again it is the lottery and you could be applying for the next decade.

So what are people doing? I just calculated my "points" (points for GPA, for TEAS, for speaking a foreign language, having a CNA, etc) for a couple different schools and I din't come close to what the advisor said was competitive enough.

I am really at a road block. I have spent too much time working towards this but I really feel like I have hit a wall.

Please, please what are people doing?

If I am going to move out of state it will definitely be for a BSN or MSN and not an ADN. I looked up state schools in TX and for out of state they all appear to be over 15,000 a semester. So 30,000 a year times 2 is 60,000. Way out of my price range.

I'll do a 12 month ABSN at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland for 50,000 or an 18 month MSN at University of San Francisco for 67,000 before I'll move to TX for the same thing.

If I move it has to be for cheaper tuition. I won't have trouble getting into an accelerated program at a private school in CA but I can't afford it.

Any other cheaper suggestions welcome? I know they are out there I just don't know how to find them.

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If I am going to move out of state it will definitely be for a BSN or MSN and not an ADN. I looked up state schools in TX and for out of state they all appear to be over 15,000 a semester. So 30,000 a year times 2 is 60,000. Way out of my price range.

I'll do a 12 month ABSN at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland for 50,000 or an 18 month MSN at University of San Francisco for 67,000 before I'll move to TX for the same thing.

If I move it has to be for cheaper tuition. I won't have trouble getting into an accelerated program at a private school in CA but I can't afford it.

Any other cheaper suggestions welcome? I know they are out there I just don't know how to find them.

You could try TAMUCC in Corpus Christi, it's a community college that offers a BSN. That should make the tuition manageable.

According to the College Board, it's about 14K a year for out of state.

If you're a resident in texas for 1 year (aka go to school in Texas for 1 year), then you'll be paying in state tuition. So it'd be 14K the first year and about 6K subsequent years.

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According to the College Board, it's about 14K a year for out of state.

What is the College Board? Is that an easy way to find out the cost of tuition? I swear some schools make it next to impossible to find out the tuition. For some Colorado schools I tried to figure it out on my own and I was way off. It was twice what I had tried to calculate. I don't know why some Universites make it near impossible to find out the cost.

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What is the College Board? Is that an easy way to find out the cost of tuition? I swear some schools make it next to impossible to find out the tuition. For some Colorado schools I tried to figure it out on my own and I was way off. It was twice what I had tried to calculate. I don't know why some Universites make it near impossible to find out the cost.

o.o CollegeBoard.com They are the ones who make the SAT test. They also have an incredible amount of statistical data on school as well as other goodies if you look into it.

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I'm in the Atlanta Metro and none of the BSN schools here - Emory, Georgia State, Univ. of West Georgia, Clayton State, Kennesaw State, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing (Mercer Univ.) have waiting lists. Neither do any of the ASN programs.

Though if you're serious about moving anywhere, I suggest trying to establish residency so your tuition would be cheaper or at least try to get a waiver, if the out of state tuition is too high. Good luck!

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Plus the cost of living here is WAY cheaper than Cali :up:

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Plus the cost of living here is WAY cheaper than Cali :up:

Aside from Manhattan every place in the country is cheaper than San Francisco. Even Los Angeles and San Diego are substantially cheaper than San Francisco. Things are coming down a tiny, tiny bit but you still cannot buy a small 400 or 500 square foot studio in an OK area for less than 400,000 USD. It is insane.

Thanks. I'll have to check out Atlanta.

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Specializes in Oncology/Hematology.

I'm in the same position as you, essentially. I also live here in CA (SF East Bay) and am having a difficult time-even with my volunteer and CNA experience-finding a school where my chances are good. The CSU spring thing has really got me down. I was planning on applying to atleast 5 or 6 of them and it's like, well, now what?

I just can't imagine sitting around waiting for another year considering I have all my prerequisites done and have had them done since last spring. So what I'm doing is applying to USF & Samuel Merritt for this spring. I have approximately a 3.5 GPA (although depending on the school and their requirements, it ranges from about a 3.4-3.7) due to my C's in both Chemistry and Statistics. I got waitlisted at Samuel Merritt for fall and am technically still #1 and TECHNICALLY still have a chance at getting in for this fall (I have 11 days left to wait for a phone call...), but I'm hoping that they'll take that into consideration when I roll my application over to spring. I know someone who had a 3.3GPA that got waitlisted for SMU for fall (and was still like mid-wait list! I'm sure people with like 3.1's were on that waitlist..) Let's face it, being waitlisted is better than being flat out rejected! Plus, for spring they accept more students so I'm sure you have an excellent chance of getting in. I know the price is iffy, but if you get a job at the right hospital, most will pay off your student loans. :)

But I mean, I applied for CSUEB for fall 2009 and got rejected. Not even waitlisted. And I had atleast a 3.5 there and volunteer and paid hospital work. My friend had a 3.7 with hospital and volunteer experience and a second language, applied to Sac, ended up as # 187 on their waitlist, applied to CSUEB and got rejected, applied to Fresno and got rejected. It's getting ridiculous for CSUs and the competition will only continue to go up with this whole spring 2010 fiasco. That's my reasoning for choosing a private school and paying the expense. What are your TEAS scores like?

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I know the price is iffy, but if you get a job at the right hospital, most will pay off your student loans. :)

50,000 USD tuition for one year is insane. It is robbery. I have not heard of hospitals paying back tuition and I am sure it exists but I highly doubt it would exist here in CA where all the new grads can't find jobs. More and more new grads are not getting jobs and I know several that moved out of state to get there 2 years of experience. So if jobs are hard to come by, I can't imagine hospitals paying back student loans. In fact some hospitals are not even paying the new grads for the first few months and calling it an internship. Because there are so many new grads the hospitals can get away with murder.

It's getting ridiculous for CSUs and the competition will only continue to go up with this whole spring 2010 fiasco. That's my reasoning for choosing a private school and paying the expense.

This fall it is going to be a nightmare. It will be so competitive that probably every CSU will require a 4.0 or at least a 3.9. I am almost positive I will be heading out of state.

What are your TEAS scores like?

I have yet to take the TEAS. My first try will be exactly a week from today. And right now I am off to do some more studying for the TEAS. ;-)

bluechick112 I hope you get into SMU. Good luck!

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Specializes in Oncology/Hematology.

My suggestion is getting to know important people. Volunteer, get hospital jobs, do something to meet managers in the area so they'll know you when you need a job as an RN. For example, I know the V.A. is HUGE on students and education. In fact, I'm enrolled in one of their career experience programs right now and work one-on-one with RNs. Hospitals aren't hiring new grads, but the more experience you have for your resume, the more of a chance you have to get hired as a "new grad". The V.A. also has what's called the VALOR program which pays you 80% of an RNs pay to do RN work during the summer. Each campus hires VALOR students each summer. If you do this, you'll have an easy time getting hired at the V.A. after you're licensed, or at the very least it adds an excellent experience to your resume for applying to other hospitals. They also have an agreement to pay almost all of your student loans off if you work for them once you're licensed. You just have to look around---these kinds of things are definitely out there and are here in the bay area, too! I know the V.A. isn't the only hospital that does these kinds of things...but it's the one I chose! :)

I wish you and everyone else on here the absolute best of luck. If you have any questions or are interested about the VA thing you can PM me on here.

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Specializes in Oncology/Hematology.

OH! and good luck on the TEAS!!! If you have any questions about THAT you can PM me too! I took it twice--uugH!

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I feel screwed right now. My pre-req. GPA at my school is only 3.3, it is based on 9 pre-reqs:

Ana/phy I (I got an A-)

Ana/phy II (C+) I got this grade before I was very serious about doing nursing

Micro (A)

biochem (A)

general chem (A)

English (B-) recieved this grade freshman year (my don't care stage)

Speech (B-) (same reason)

critical thinking (A)

college algebra (B)

gpa: 3.347

I would love to take ana/phy II again, but I can't! the university won't let me. A new policy came out saying that if you recieved a grade of C or above you cannot retake it. I feel stuck. I don't know what to do.

info about me

I have a BA in Biology (doing my post-bac for nursing) my cumulative GPA sucks 2.6! I wish I did better, I know without a shadow of a doubt if I was a serious as I am know I would have gotten a 4.0, I just wasn't as motivating back then as I am now..I know I know making excuses, but it is what it is.

I haven't taken the teas yet (do you think there is still hope)

I am a pharmacy technician (was a pre-pharm student)

I volunteer at Loma linda university hospital in the emergency area

I volunteered at Kaiser for a couple of months in high school in the nursing and pharmacy area.

I really need advice, someone help me!!! the advisors at my schools aren't helpful, I need some guidance. I really want to be a nurse. I don't care what school (has to be accredited though lol), I just want to be a nurse.

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