Many prospective nursing students have a common concern: nursing school waiting lists. The lack of nursing programs for the many qualified students is becoming a major concern in almost every state in the country. But with hard work, some luck, and these tips, you should be out of the list and into a program sooner than you think.
So you want to go to nursing school,
but you're worried about how competitive it is to get in, with dozens of qualified students competing for each open space. Well, we're going to give you two tips that will make you a much more attractive candidate when you go to apply to the nursing programs that you're interested in.
First of all, take a good honest look at your GPA. If your GPA is not that high, you should give very serious consideration to retaking any classes that you are allowed to retake, before you apply to nursing school.
Community colleges are good options for you to take a few classes in since they cost less - about a few hundred dollars a course. What's more, these schools can offer plenty of information resources and study guides to increase your chances of getting in a nursing school
We all know science and math subjects are never easy but think about the competition you will be facing with other applicants bringing their 4.0 GPA's, so do your best to up your game to that standard.
You can employ different strategies to pull up those grades - sign up for study groups, hire a tutor or find a student tutor who can help you out for free, transfer to a class with a more generous professor - just do it. If you spend a semester or two retaking classes where you did poorly, and your GPA improves a lot, you have just vastly improved your chances of getting into a good school.
Secondly, show the nursing school that you are serious about a health care career and that you have what it takes to be a nurse.
Here's how: either get employment as a Certified Nurses Assistant, a day or two per week will do; or do volunteer work at the local hospital or with any health care organization. These actions will put you way ahead of other candidates without health care experience. Doing some hospital work on the side can also help you identify whether you are really cut out for life as a nurse. A CNA training will only take about a week or two to complete, plus you will need to pass a CNA exam. This exam will test your knowledge on various skills - skills you will be using as a nurse too.
Many nursing schools have a point system for the students who are applying to their schools. They will give points to students for having previous health care experience.
Once you've heeded our advice and taken the steps outlined above, you can be assured that you've made yourself a more qualified nursing school candidate. Now, you need to get info on all of the schools that you are interested in, know their admission requirements and when the deadline for application submission is, and start applying.
Then find out what entrance exam they give, and study for it until you are comfortable with it. Take at least a few practice tests before you apply.
And one last piece of advice: apply to multiple schools. If you are really serious about a specific school, go ahead and apply even if it is a long shot - but have a backup plan. Otherwise, you might end up literally waiting for years to enter nursing school.
