I've been taking nursing pre-req's for almost 5 years repeating so many classes to get A's and i feel like i'm going around in circles because i haven't even applied to nursing schools for a fear of being rejected.  My GPA is at about 2.75 right now and most schools at my state accept students who have higher GPA around 3.6.  For me to get accepted into nursing school, i would need to raise my cumulative GPA, and i don't know how long it will take me to raise my GPA up to 3.5 at least.   I know that nursing schools are highly competitive and this is quite a challenge.  I know my heart is in this 99% and i feel i am in a burden where i can't even repeat anymore courses since my school is only accepting 6 repeated credits, which means about two classes or one class and two labs worth.  I'm also afraid that it will take me forever to graduate from college since nursing school is a program, not a major.  This means that i will graduate with a BSN from the university in ten years.  I shouldn't have screwed around in the beginning because now i'm stuck.  Nursing schools in hawaii are highly competitive and i'm wondering if i'll ever have a chance at nursing school.  I feel like i keep re-taking classes to get higher grades and upper level courses are not helping either, just harder.  I wonder if i should move to another state to pursue my nursing school dream?  I feel stuck, and i don't even know what classes to take next semester...

I recommend that you take a 'break' at this point and consider an LPN school-usually takes 1 year to complete and you may get some credit for work that you have already done.

LPNs are in HIGH demand right now and this would give you a chance to decide if nursing is REALLY what you need to do.

Good luck in whatever route you take. Never second guess yourself and always shoot for the stars! The road may be long but the journey will be worth it.

Best wishes to you and I hope you get to become the nurse I know you want to be.  You can do whatever you set your mind to.

Odds are the OP is taking a course or two at a time, and not attending full time.  She didn't do well and goes back and repeats a course to try and improve her grade, which at some schools can have a negative impact on GPA.

Certainly if she has to repeat each and every single course, she should re-evaluate a number of things that may be a barrier.  One of those may be asking if nursing is really suited for her.  It might not be.

But the barriers may also be life barriers:  work, family, other obligations.  I've had students who were single parents on welfare who got no help from their families.  In spite of the odds, they succeeded.  Some students had to struggle with spouses/families who would not support their efforts to become nurses, even pressuring the students to quit.  Other students have the aptitude in clinic, but have learning disabilities that impact them in the class room.  Pride has kept many of my students from seeking help with disAbility Access Services, getting tested for learning disabilities that would qualify them for testing accomodations, or seeing their physicians for help with their anxiety.

Any way you look at it, every student is different, and the answers are seldom simple.

 I didn't have any problems with the pre-req, I have a  4.0 GPA,  academics came pretty easy for me, what my problem is life circumstances. Thank God, I did the CNA to LVN career ladder, if not, I think, I would be working at IHOP  flipping pancakes!!!! I started back in 1999. The RN is very hard to get, I wish I would of got it earlier!

Cuttie:

Never give up the hope for RN.  It's true that it isn't easy but you can do it!  When the time is right it will happen. We need more RN's!! Study study study is all I did and lots of prayers.

Another option that you could consider is looking into some trade/technical schools that might offer an ADN program for Nursing.  These normally take about 27 months to get through and they qualify you to take the NCLEX-RN. Once licensed, you could begin working (always a plus) and jump into an RN to BSN program that are commonly offered at many 4 year universities. These normally take about 1 school year (full time) to complete and can also be completed online since it's almost exclusively theory.

Many technical schools require that you take an entrance proficiency exam, but care very little about your GPA going into it... this differs somewhat from a lot of nursing schools which place a lot of emphasis on cumulative college GPA. 

Regardless of what you choose, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor to become a nurse. I know you'll get there. Keep the faith!

-Jason

 Hi there, thank you all for the advice and responses.  I feel i am only beginning this long journey because i admit i was not focusing the first few years of college.  I really took college lightly and didn't take school as my number one priority.   But as time approaches, i feel i need to be responsible as being a grown-up.  I have been taking several classes that i don't even need for nursing school because i wasn't sure if i really wanted to do nursing the first few years of my college life.  I wasted my years taking science courses that i don't even need.  With research within the past couple years, i have decided that my heart is in this no matter what it takes.  I started getting good grades beginning of 2009.  I've kept up with getting good grades until now and i feel i'm more focused and know what step to take now.  I wish our school had academic forgiveness policy or something like that, since i've been getting good grades and feel like the grades i've gotten in freshmen year are taking a toll on my GPA right now.  Money is also the issue here but i'm going to take out loans.  I just applied at my university for BSN program, where they only accept on average about 60 students per semester and maybe about 400 students apply every semester.  I'm utterly nervous about getting in because my overall GPA isn't that great right now but with pre-req GPA, i am looking at 3.3 right now but after completing this semester with straight A's, it will raise to 3.5 and then i can try and reapply.  My NLN score wasn't that great either, especially the verbal portion.  I did fine on the math and science portion however.  I will keep you guys updated on my long journey.  Thank you and i appreciate for all the help!