Associates nursing competitiveness?

[torshi]

I have a question regarding nursing programs. I know they tend to be competitive now and days, but I have a question pertaining to an Associates in nursing degree.

My bro did horrible his first semester and made a 1.00 cGPA. But he didn't take things seriously, but now his GPA has had an upward trend throughout the semesters and his final cGPA is 3.3.

My question is, would he have a chance for any nursing programs, specifically to Associate programs, how competitive are they compared to BSN? He attends a community college and plans on applying to a Associates nursing program at his school.

He has good EC's and has shown leadership skills/work part time through school, did good in his pre-reqs etc.. And assuming he does average on the pre-admissions test?

He's also a non-trad.

I know acceptances revolve around the overall application but is there cut-offs for a 3.3 cGPA. He wold most likely need to apply smart and broadly right?

Thanks, some info would help, I don't know the whole process for nursing..I'm pre-med.

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[pamac]

admissions are all based on the criteria each school has set. i just got into an ADN program at a local college. there are 30 spots, and well over 300 people applied. the economy is the lowest since the depression, and EVERYONE wants to get into health care, and most folks are aiming at nursing and PA school. i combed through the scoring rubric that they use, and made an easy determination of how many points i would have. it was clear from the looks of things that even with all the coursework i posess from two other bachelors degrees, i was going to be neck and neck with most other applicants and reapplicants. im sure the TEAS test put me ahead of the pack because i scored in the 98th percentile, and my gpa on my latest transcript was 3.72. however, i still didnt expect to get in. i also had all the prerequisited completed, as well as every co-requisite except for two classes. when i was an undergrad, i had a very poor semester as well, but i retook all the courses i had to get w's in. but that was 2 degrees ago. i would say a 3.3 is an ok place to be, but so much depends on what your school looks at. in the point system my college uses, there were like 39 points. TEAS percentile divided by 10 was worth potentially 9.9 points. then there was gpa on transcript worth potentially 4.0 points, gpa on prereqs worth 4.0 points, then 3 positive references worth up to 3 points total, 2 points for every coreqesite completed, 1 point for every co-requisite, 1 point for health care experience, residency got you some points.... etc.

i saw folks with great background and grades not get in.

 

[pamac]

another thing was that i found i was up against people who were laid off from careers such as engineering and teaching who went back to school. almost every local paramedic, emt, cna, lpn, er tech, and unit secretary i know that is worth thier salt think that RN or PA school is the next logical step for them and prepares accordingly, as though its a birthright. for the most part, it is, because its a clear ticket out of a dead end job. for these reasons, an ADN though a CC can be more competetive in many ways that a BSN program, because potentially more people could have an easier time fitting into the applicant profile for an associates degree program. one kid i know found out that i was applying with him, and he said "guys like me with no degree hate guys like you because 29 out of the 30 people that got in last year had bachelors degrees". but looking at the rubric for the points system, it was clear that he had just as much opportunity as i did, because there wasnt any points afforded for having a degree. he even had all of his prereqs done, wheras i had 2 outstanding. i was also at a disadvantage because my sciences and chemistry's were upper division, and the prereqs and sciences required for applicants were beginning courses. that aspect was actually the reason i didnt pursue nursing years ago when it was easier than now because i knew i'd be head to head with folks that were taking less difficult coursework than i was taking while pursuing a biology degree.

so yes, your brother needs to apply very broadly because of the significant strengthening of the applicant pool. the BSN is longer, but therefore something that can be counted on. the ASN is shorter, generally much cheaper, and usually they have prereqs that are easier to obtain, so it appeals to folks in so many different demographics. so many people also want into a CC because they are local, and are also locked into a job and a location.

its rough.

 

[torshi]

Thank you for all the info

So basically he has a chance but just apply very broadly? I can understand the competitiveness for nursing, everyone is tending to go into it which I don't blame them.

 

[pamac]

i dont know if he has a chance at all because i dont know what program he wants to go to. what is true for my program could be completely different than other programs. my program doesnt have a waiting list, other programs do. each year you apply, you do so with the rest of the applicants. all im saying is it is incredibly tough these days.

 

[torshi]

i dont know if he has a chance at all because i dont know what program he wants to go to. what is true for my program could be completely different than other programs. my program doesnt have a waiting list, other programs do. each year you apply, you do so with the rest of the applicants. all im saying is it is incredibly tough these days.

If there is a waiting list is that good?

He's pursuing ADN and applying to a few CC's and the schools have a waiting list? Is a waiting list in any way beneficial? All i know is that it just delays matriculation to the program.

Thanks

 

[pamac]

waiting lists could be good in that you eventually get into the program vs applying every year. the guy i mentioned that complained to me about my degree has applied two years in a row and not gotten in both times. he had to re-compete each time he applied, starting as square one. i dont know if that helps. the way i look at it is, he knows he wants in to nursing, then apply to a bunch of places and let the chips fall where they may. what other option does he have? just go for it and see how it goes, then adapt.

 

[jwk]

Thanks, some info would help, I don't know the whole process for nursing..I'm pre-med.

Unrelated response - think about changing your profile pic before you get too far along the pre-med path. It's hard to take you seriously when you have a pic of someone with snot flying out their nose.

 

[Salamandrina]

admissions are all based on the criteria each school has set. i just got into an ADN program at a local college. there are 30 spots, and well over 300 people applied. the economy is the lowest since the depression, and EVERYONE wants to get into health care, and most folks are aiming at nursing and PA school. i combed through the scoring rubric that they use, and made an easy determination of how many points i would have. it was clear from the looks of things that even with all the coursework i posess from two other bachelors degrees, i was going to be neck and neck with most other applicants and reapplicants. im sure the TEAS test put me ahead of the pack because i scored in the 98th percentile, and my gpa on my latest transcript was 3.72. however, i still didnt expect to get in. i also had all the prerequisited completed, as well as every co-requisite except for two classes. when i was an undergrad, i had a very poor semester as well, but i retook all the courses i had to get w's in. but that was 2 degrees ago. i would say a 3.3 is an ok place to be, but so much depends on what your school looks at. in the point system my college uses, there were like 39 points. TEAS percentile divided by 10 was worth potentially 9.9 points. then there was gpa on transcript worth potentially 4.0 points, gpa on prereqs worth 4.0 points, then 3 positive references worth up to 3 points total, 2 points for every coreqesite completed, 1 point for every co-requisite, 1 point for health care experience, residency got you some points.... etc.

i saw folks with great background and grades not get in.

I think you're a pessimist. With your background you should have expected to get in. Unless your school does a lottery which the community college local to me did, there was no reason for you to assume rejection. People always think you have a have a 4.0, have volunteered with the Peace Corps, work with the homeless, and be a co-author on a research article to get accepted. It is just not that hard. You are probably a perfectionist and hard on yourself. I have a bit of that, too. But I think that if you think everyone has to do as well as you did to get into the program, you are probably wrong.

Also, I can say that I sent a letter explaining why I had one bad semester. I don't know if it helped me get accepted, but it couldn't hurt.

 

[Salamandrina]

Unrelated response - think about changing your profile pic before you get too far along the pre-med path. It's hard to take you seriously when you have a pic of someone with snot flying out their nose.

This isn't an employment website, I honestly don't think it matters.

 

[torshi]

Unrelated response - think about changing your profile pic before you get too far along the pre-med path. It's hard to take you seriously when you have a pic of someone with snot flying out their nose.

Just quit at life

 

[pamac]

torshi, your pic is gross. i almost considered not responding to you because i didnt take you seriously. telling someone to quit at life is lame as well, but you are 17, so maybe you have some growing up to do, huh?

salamandria, maybe i was being a bit hard on myself as a perfectionist, but the fact is that ive seen the people turned away from nursing programs, and they are fantastic candidates. the points dont lie. the difference between me and someone who didnt get in was very close, so i had no business assuming anything. the schools close to me have a points system, and no matter what you say in any letters about bad semesters, there isnt anything they will do about that to improve your standing. if someone gets in on the lottery system, they cant really guage how they would fare in a merit based system.

 

[Salamandrina]

salamandria, maybe i was being a bit hard on myself as a perfectionist, but the fact is that ive seen the people turned away from nursing programs, and they are fantastic candidates. the points dont lie. the difference between me and someone who didnt get in was very close, so i had no business assuming anything. the schools close to me have a points system, and no matter what you say in any letters about bad semesters, there isnt anything they will do about that to improve your standing. if someone gets in on the lottery system, they cant really guage how they would fare in a merit based system.

Is it just me, or does that last sentence sound a little snotty?

I didn't go to a lottery system school. I just said that there was a lottery based system at a school in Oakland, CA, where I was living at the time. I was admitted based on merit (and so were clear, if you don't have the merits required you won't be admitted even to a lottery system).

 

[chimichanga]

torshi, your pic is gross. i almost considered not responding to you because i didnt take you seriously. telling someone to quit at life is lame as well, but you are 17, so maybe you have some growing up to do, huh...

It is gross, but very funny...
It's only the internet people...

And he's a lot further along than most 17 y/o, including myself at that age...

keep the avatar dude...it gets people talking!!

nice job!

this board could use a lot more people who take life (and themselves) a little less seriously once in a while...

 

[pamac]

the avatar didnt bug me as much as the comment about quiting life. it didnt keep me from responding to him in a freindly way.

thats true that lotto systems often have a threshold to meet, and many can be high. but how can someone know how they would do under a different admit scheme? like i said, my school had a criteria based points system. they had no avenue for getting around that... not a lotto, and no extenuating circumstances essay. competition was high, and i dont think that i was that much farther ahead than anyone else. thats my point. all the schools around me have a criteria they admit under. i wasnt trying to be snotty. i acutally assumed that you didn't get in under a lottery, and wasnt trying to knock anyone that did. but i saw a lot of good candidates not get in.

 

[Salamandrina]

thats true that lotto systems often have a threshold to meet, and many can be high. but how can someone know how they would do under a different admit scheme? like i said, my school had a criteria based points system. they had no avenue for getting around that... not a lotto, and no extenuating circumstances essay. competition was high, and i dont think that i was that much farther ahead than anyone else. thats my point. all the schools around me have a criteria they admit under. i wasnt trying to be snotty. i acutally assumed that you didn't get in under a lottery, and wasnt trying to knock anyone that did. but i saw a lot of good candidates not get in.

I saw a lot of good candidates not get in, too. I also didn't get accepted to every program I applied for. They didn't call for a circumstances essay. The whole letter was maybe 5 sentences long. But even on a points system you could have two people with equal scores and a letter explaining some of your less than stellar performance could help.

One of the programs that rejected me told me, and I quote, "There is no reason you did not get in. You are a very strong candidate. If you get your BSN somewhere else, we hope you will still consider us for your master's." So it isn’t that I don’t understand that worthy people are turned away. But that doesn’t mean that they are turned away by EVERY program. I think worthy people can find a home somewhere and that being worthy doesn’t mean being the “perfect” candidate.

 

[pamac]

your statement that between two people with the same stats, the one with the note of explanation would fare better.... id have to disagree. both candidates would be looked over in favor of the folks who had the points in a points based process. its worth a try to explain yourself, but im just saying that its not always going to do much for you. it will do nothing for you if the school doesnt have a procedure for allowing for it.

im sure i could have gotten into other nursing schools than the one i got in. the issue was that i needed to get into that particular program. that was local to where my wife and i live and work, and had very low tuition. when you have one program you are shooting for, you dont have the numbers game on your side. candidates that approach it like i had to have to be as perfect as they can be. i was a week away from pushing the button to apply to PA school before i got my acceptance letter. if i didnt get into that nursing school, it wouldnt have been worth it for me to apply to other places because i would have had to relocate, or it wouldnt work with my work schedule.

thats nice that that school had good things to say about you, but ultimmately they said no, and thats what matters. the competition was such that you didnt make the cut. thats my point.... even good candidates are turned away. its not easy to get in, and its compounded in this bad economy. i dont think that the advice to apply broadly (which you agree with), and working hard would be incorrect. you dont have to be a superstar to apply, but if you want to improve your chances, you should try to be one.

 

[Mb1]

Just quit at life

exactly what i would have said............. UNRELATED RESPONSE???? why even mention it??....... why would you even judge a person over a computer over an avatar........lol.... get to know the person first and see how far this kid already is........ at such an early age!!!.

 

[Mb1]

torshi, your pic is gross. i almost considered not responding to you because i didnt take you seriously. telling someone to quit at life is lame as well, but you are 17, so maybe you have some growing up to do, huh?

some of these replies are just irrelevant........ doesnt matter so what..... 17? so what....... not all 17yr olds are typical teenagers doing stupid stuff that these middle age people are doing.....

oh wellllllll the kid has proof of him taking life and school seriously in order to pursue in a career that is beyond what TYPICAL people or "Kids" get themselves involved with..

 

[fab4fan]

I have a question regarding nursing programs. I know they tend to be competitive now and days, but I have a question pertaining to an Associates in nursing degree.

My bro did horrible his first semester and made a 1.00 cGPA. But he didn't take things seriously, but now his GPA has had an upward trend throughout the semesters and his final cGPA is 3.3.

My question is, would he have a chance for any nursing programs, specifically to Associate programs, how competitive are they compared to BSN? He attends a community college and plans on applying to a Associates nursing program at his school.

He has good EC's and has shown leadership skills/work part time through school, did good in his pre-reqs etc.. And assuming he does average on the pre-admissions test?

He's also a non-trad.

I know acceptances revolve around the overall application but is there cut-offs for a 3.3 cGPA. He wold most likely need to apply smart and broadly right?

Thanks, some info would help, I don't know the whole process for nursing..I'm pre-med.

Why isn't your brother being proactive and asking these questions for himself? It is his potential career.