Do graduate nursing programs only look at BSN grades?

Question

Hello, I am an Anthropology major pursuing a second bachelor's (BSN). After completion of the BSN, I would really like to go into a graduate program, most likely to be either an NP or a CRNA.

My question is, will the graduate nursing schools look at your grades only from your BSN degree or will they look at all of your transcripts?

Thanks!

Also, if they do look at all of your transcripts, is it only the BSN that they really care about? For example, if my GPA is kind of low in Anthropology (2.8) but I have a very high GPA from the BSN (3.9), will I still have a good chance at getting in? Thanks.

Answer 1

They will look at your overall transcript, but if you went back to get a second major (BSN) it would have a greater bearing. Your grades in the natural sciences would have a bearing as would your grade in statistics.

In general, you are being compared to the other applicants in the same pool. If you have 2 years of upper division classes at 3.9, it should appear favorably. However, it would probably be in your best interest to make a comment in you application letter, so the screener doesn't just look at the overall GPA and shuffle it into a mid level group.

When I applied I had tried to be a business major, to please my family, only to find I hated it and had no aptitude for business. As a result, my GPA was low, when I switched to the BSN. When I applied for the MSN, I explained this, and they looked at my nursing program grades as a guide as well as my GRE and MAT.

You should be fine.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

It is all a matter of finances, and your ability to pay or get financial assistance. For a New Jersey resident a BSN program at a college like Rutgers would be about $11,000 a year. Since a BSN would take 4 years instead of 2, it will cost twice as much or $11,000 more per year for 2 year to get a BSN. Using Trenton as an example, a BSN RN will make a salary roughly 34,000 a year higher than an LPN. So the cost of the extra two years is more than covered in the first year working as a BSN RN. Also, it you follow the advice provided by some, you will incur some level of obligation to work for the facility that pays for your education to advance from LPN to RN and then possibly to BSN if necessary. This then leaves you unable to move if you are unhappy in a situation or want to try a new area. If you can afford to get the BSN, go for it, it will take longer and be more work part time later.