Steps to Geting Into a California Nursing Program
There are many more steps required to major in nursing versus other major programs. With other major programs, all a student needs to do is to fill out a change of major form and then submit it to the registrar. That is not possible for virtually all California nursing programs. They all require decent to outstanding grades as well as the satisfactory completion of all nursing school prerequisites.
1. Begin taking general education courses that are required to graduate. Although they don't have anything to do with nursing, these courses will prevent you from graduating if you haven't completed them yet. For students who have been away for a while, it's best to start with these courses since they are almost always a lot easier to get a good grade in.
2. Begin taking nursing school prerequisite courses. Although there may be some minor differences in the courses required, most of them are the same. For example, virtually every college will require candidates to take anatomy and chemistry. It is best to take all prerequisite courses that will allow you to apply to as many universities as possible. So if a course is required by five of the schools, it may be worth taking.
3. Study for the TEAS exam and take it. The score you need depends on the school and your GPA. If your GPA isn't as high as you'd like, you'll want to score as high as possible. Most schools use a combination of your TEAS score and your GPA to figure out how prepared you are academically. Keep in mind that GPA still counts the most. However, the TEAS score counts enough that you should study hard. There are TEAS study guides available to help you study.
4. Apply to as many nursing programs as possible. Definitely apply to every single nursing program within a one hour's drive of your home. It may be worth applying to nursing programs in another part of the state or even in another part of the country. Getting into nursing school is so hard with many more applicants than spots. Many of these applicants are willing to move far away from home in order to earn that RN license. This is the reason why you should take as many prerequisite courses as possible that allow you to apply broadly. It is a mistake to only apply to just one or two schools. Twenty schools is not too much. Also, don't limit yourself to just BSN options. The RN is the same whether you get it at a local community college or the UCLA School of Nursing. It is still the exact same RN license. The licensing exam is the same as well. As long as your nursing program has decent pass rates for the NCLEX exam, you should be fine at any school.
The bottom line is that you shouldn't be picky with regards to getting into nursing school. It doesn't matter if the nursing program is an ASN, BSN, or a $30,000+ private nursing program. Just get into somewhere because the competition is incredibly fierce right now. If you are too picky, you may end up sitting on the bench with retail jobs for years while your friends make $75k-$125k in nursing because they took whatever they could get.
1. Begin taking general education courses that are required to graduate. Although they don't have anything to do with nursing, these courses will prevent you from graduating if you haven't completed them yet. For students who have been away for a while, it's best to start with these courses since they are almost always a lot easier to get a good grade in.
2. Begin taking nursing school prerequisite courses. Although there may be some minor differences in the courses required, most of them are the same. For example, virtually every college will require candidates to take anatomy and chemistry. It is best to take all prerequisite courses that will allow you to apply to as many universities as possible. So if a course is required by five of the schools, it may be worth taking.
3. Study for the TEAS exam and take it. The score you need depends on the school and your GPA. If your GPA isn't as high as you'd like, you'll want to score as high as possible. Most schools use a combination of your TEAS score and your GPA to figure out how prepared you are academically. Keep in mind that GPA still counts the most. However, the TEAS score counts enough that you should study hard. There are TEAS study guides available to help you study.
4. Apply to as many nursing programs as possible. Definitely apply to every single nursing program within a one hour's drive of your home. It may be worth applying to nursing programs in another part of the state or even in another part of the country. Getting into nursing school is so hard with many more applicants than spots. Many of these applicants are willing to move far away from home in order to earn that RN license. This is the reason why you should take as many prerequisite courses as possible that allow you to apply broadly. It is a mistake to only apply to just one or two schools. Twenty schools is not too much. Also, don't limit yourself to just BSN options. The RN is the same whether you get it at a local community college or the UCLA School of Nursing. It is still the exact same RN license. The licensing exam is the same as well. As long as your nursing program has decent pass rates for the NCLEX exam, you should be fine at any school.
The bottom line is that you shouldn't be picky with regards to getting into nursing school. It doesn't matter if the nursing program is an ASN, BSN, or a $30,000+ private nursing program. Just get into somewhere because the competition is incredibly fierce right now. If you are too picky, you may end up sitting on the bench with retail jobs for years while your friends make $75k-$125k in nursing because they took whatever they could get.
