Nursing school alternate?

Question

I just got a letter saying I'm an alternate in the RN program at my school. The school will not tell me my number on the alternate list but I know this:

The school takes the top 120 students out of about 500. The top 100 get into the program and the remaining 20 are alternates. So, I'm wondering, how many students do you think out of the 100 accepted into the program will choose (either by choice or circumstance) not to participate in the program? AKA....how many alternates do you think a school goes through on average?

Thanks for the info and your thoughts!

Answer 1

It will probably depend on how many of the people selected were already attending the school. Some students who do their prerequisites at a school without a nursing program apply to several schools. If they are an ideal candidate they may get accepted to more than one. They might not choose to attend the school to which you have been accepted.

I would think that no more than 5 would drop from the list in most cases.

My nursing program, several decades ago, accepted 225 students into the 300 level nursing classes. By the time we were in the 400 level classes we were down to 125 and graduated 106.

Good luck in nursing school! Study hard!!!

Answer 2

I was in a similar situation as you. The chances are slim that someone will drop out, but keep your hopes up at the same time start preparing for alternative solutions. What do you want to do if you do not get in this semester? Apply at different nursing programs? Switch majors? Since my undergraduate requirements were completed, there were really nothing else I could take that will qualified for my degree. I did not want to go to another university as I am already set. Instead, I took another semester trying to beef up my resume/GPA. Use your time wisely as time will fly by. Usually the second time around, the chances of getting in is a little better if you do not waste it.

But to answer your question, the number of alternate seemed high. I was in class of about 50 (UT Austin) with about 5-10 alternates per semester. I would say in your case about 5 people would probably not continue with the program. But keep in mind this varies semester to semester. Good luck!

Answer 3

This varies drastically by nursing school.

A friend of mine attends the nursing program here, and they take 52 students every Fall and have an alternate list of 30.

For the past 4 years, they have went through everyone on the alternate list.

Answer 4

I was in a class of 120, and they maintained a list of roughly 10-15 alternates. When my class went in, I know of a girl who was number 6 on the alternate list and got in. The year after me, I know a girl who was the second on the list, and she did not get in.