With a 3.3 GPA, what are my BSN program options

[nursesydney123]

Hi everyone, this is my first post, although I've been using the website for some time. Posting here feels like a sort of last hope for me. I'm a community college student in California with a 3.3/3.4 Overall GPA, 3.0 in my Sciences, TEAS 79, HESI 84. I've been working 2 jobs while in school, both my GPA and work ethic is a reflection of this.

Let me start by saying I HAVE RESEARCHED MORE THAN 35 BSN PROGRAMS, IN DEPTH. (I have contacted admissions representatives and counselors from each school and asked specific questions about their programs). All California CSU's, as well as out of state's such as Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Maryland, etc. have left me ineligible to apply either because of my low GPA or lack of transferrable courses.

Only 2 months ago I had a list of 12 schools I was going to apply to. This list has come down to three programs, one in Nevada and two in Texas. I'm at my witts end and I'm starting to make plans for the very real possibility that I won't get into any programs.

Do you know a program I should be applying to? If I do have to wait a semester, should I take a break to prevent burnout (which I've been experiencing for at least a year already)? Should I look for other ways to improve my score before I apply next time? Like what (Hospital volunteer opportunities are non-existant in the Bay Area)? Who else has gone through this before?

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

3 hours ago, nursesydney123 said:

Like what (Hospital volunteer opportunities are non-existant in the Bay Area)? Who else has gone through this before?

Uh, no. Volunteer opportunities exist everywhere in the Bay Area. Just apply. The only thing is, it might take a little while before you are placed (3-6 months), but they are everywhere. Now, if you mean by "hospital" volunteer that somewhere they are going to let you inject or prep patients, then you are correct in assuming there are no such, or rarely are, positions like those. Liability issues. You really do need to do more research on opportunities.

The Bay Area is competitive as hell and so is SoCal. Your GPA isn't that bad. I would recommend if you can retake your core science prereqs to get an "A" you can try that. The 3.0 in the prereqs is probably not as high as it should be.

Most out of state colleges will accept other state courses, however you really have to do a lot of legwork on your own and provide them with course/catalog descriptions of your classes and have them approved. This takes time. California BON requirements are some of the strictest in the USA so if you are following requirements within CA, most if not all of these prereq science classes should transfer.

The good thing is you have looked out of state. You really do need to cast a wider net. If you look on this site, you'll see lots of entries such as yours of people trying to go to states which are less competitive. These are going to be your less populous states or those where the weather might be a bit harsh in the winter. You need to look @ South and North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana. Texas is a huge state. Did you only look at the major cities such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio? Why not try West Texas where nobody goes? If it is West Texas, you may just have to consider getting a 2 year AS Degree and then bridging over to BSN.

There are options. You just need to keep looking.