What More Can Be Done To Get Into Nursing School

How do you get into nursing school?

I had a BS in Poli Sci. When I left the military, that degree became pretty worthless. Off to community college I went to get that “two year” degree in nursing. Four years later (two years of classes that did not transfer from my previous degree, two years in the AAS Nursing program), out I pop as an RN (once I passed the NCLEX)… only to do another 9 months worth of full-time online school to get a BSN (Not that I needed it to get hired, not that the 3% raise it got me at work will pay for the $15,000 that those 9 months of school cost).I had some fun in community college… I even met my wife in that very nursing program. Also, Community College was the cheaper course and I got through all five years of that adventure without any debt by working while going to school (full time for the first two years), cashing out some mutual funds, a scholarship or two, a state run career retraining fund (for two years after I stopped working), and my GI Bill funding (for the last three years, and that used up 95% of my MGIB). I could not have afforded to go to the 18–24 month, full time, in residence programs that could have made me an RN via the BS to BSN route… although taking out loans was an option, I’m glad that I am not paying them off now.Still, I would advise you as a few others already have: find a program that makes SOME use of your prior degree. This will mean an accelerated BS to BSN program, a BS to MSN program, or something similar.Nursing school (if not the pre-req courses) should be a challenge to everyone who goes through. Either the coursework is hard enough on its own, or you are striving to be the best nurse you can possibly be.An option to consider: get your CNA I (or even CNA II) license. The courses are pretty affordable, don’t take long to complete (as in a month or two), and will let you work in a hospital in some capacity associated with the hands on care that most new RNs will be providing. Bonus #1: The skills you learn as a CNA will always be useful should you become an RN. Bonus #2: Some nursing programs are very hard to get into… occasionally being a prior CNA is incentivized on applications. Bonus #3: If being an RN doesn’t look like the thing for you, but maybe being a Physicians Assistant is agreeable… Good news, many PA programs require prior clinical hours and CNA hours count.

Is 45 too old for nursing school?

At 45, you are at a really good age to star(t) a career in nursing. If I would have gone to school when I was 45 it would not have made any difference to my interest, passion and enthusiasm. Sure it will be a little late if you compare to your classmates who are in their 20s. If you would have compared yourself with your classmates, then they become your standards instead of you.I never stopped going to school after my BSN. In fact, I never stopped going to school at all. Until I finished my doctorate in nursing. There is just no more degree after that level. But what I did was to engage myself in continuing education programs, both as the student and as the resource person at different times. At 49 I am still pursuing both with the same vigor that I did when I first started nursing school about 15 years ago.I was 36 when I joined nursing school. We were 86 students in our class, 14 were full-fledged medical doctors, and a good percentage of retirable or retired teachers, office workers, policemen, soldiers, lawyers, accountants, dentists, engineers, and a few plain housekeepers. The average age bracket of that class was 48. That means to say, we had classmates whose ages ranged between 50–65.No, 45 is not too old for nursing school. No age is too old for nursing school. If you start school at 45 and you finish at 48 or 49, you have 15 years to start practicing and working, and a lifetime of honing your skills.But here is the thing: we don’t age in nursing. If we do, the process is graceful.

What should I do if I don't get accepted into any nursing school?

Keep trying until you do get in. It’s not easy by any means. Do not feel that you are defeated and will not be able to become a nurse. I’ve been in nursing for 10 years and sometimes on the beginning, I felt that I wasn’t going to get in, I wasn’t going to survive through it, and then I felt that I wasn’t going to pass my NCLEX but I did. If you do not get in this time, keep trying! All I am saying is that eventually when you chase your dream and you complete it , you will look back and see that maybe that time that you got did denied going to nursing school that it was a blessing because it gave you time to do other things and focus and strive harder for it!I am thinking of you! Many good vibes, I know your feeling dear! You can do this!

What will help me get into nursing school?

Congrats on starting your journey toward becoming a nurse ! I feel like quora is a breeding ground for anxiety when it comes to discussing admissions. Your best bet is to call the school you're applying to. My friends in my nursing cohort had varying GPAs. Having an 4.0 science GPA is certainly not needed for admission as sooo many people have indicated and evidence being my admission! I called many admission offices while applying for nursing school and consensus is that the dynamics of admissions is changing. To be a nurse you don't have to be book smart so they are putting less emphasis on culmulative GPA and the teas exam. They weigh the last 60 semester units (90 quarter  units) more heavily. I would also try to get A's in the prereqs but especially in physiology, anatomy, and microbiology. Retake these classes if you need to but again this isn't necessary. My friend was admitted with a C in microbiology. Nursing schools view the performance in these classes are indicators of how well student do in nursing school. Aside from academics What they are looking for is someone that is genuinely interested in healthcare and nursing. They call this the "hollistic" view of the applicant. Volunteering and having an extensive healthcare experience is a hidden prerequisite. Most schools won't require hours of clinical experience but they all have a point system on how they assess applicants and they allot points for clinical hours. If you are scheduled for an interview be sure to prep by googling the interview questions. I had exact questions as the ones I found online.

Have you ever been rejected by a nursing school? How did you cope with the rejection and did you later on get accepted?

Yes. It felt like a nightmare that I could not wake up from. I felt like nothing was going right for me at the time.I was rejected the first year by the only two schools I applied to and the second year I was rejected by one school. I was later waitlisted by the same school that rejected me and I later received a call that I was accepted to the program.When I was rejected from nursing school that first time around I cried. But the next day I decided to reevaluate what I needed to do to get into nursing school. I emailed the assistant director of admissions and asked her what was wrong with my application. I was told my lowest score for my application was my interview. I decided I would take one year off to work on myself. I worked as a PCT in a nursing home for a bit. I researched questions for interviews and rewrote responses for various questions. I added more skills onto my resume and was able to answer the interview questions with ease.Not only did I get accepted, after being rejected by the same school a year ago. I just graduated two days ago with my BSN from an accelerated program.