Hi, I absolutely love your blog. I am a Pre-Nursing student at CSULB. I don't know if they tell us this just to scare us, but my advisor and many other students say that we are on of the most highly impacted of the Nursing programs. Do you have any advice for me as a first-year Pre-Nursing student? What classes to take after Chemistry? Should I take Anatomy and Physiology together? Thank you so much. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hello anonymous,
Actually, I can give you the best advice especially when it comes to CSULB because that is where I attended for my pre-nursing classes. I do understand your fear of being a nursing major at that cal state in particularly because of it’s high impaction rate. So here is my best guidelines of advice for you that I picked up through personal experience and from other nursing students.
1. If nursing is really what you want, then set in your mind and heart to do it whole heartedly. When I say that, your emotional dedication and time should be ready to seek this major to the complete end. I’m on the 7 year graduation track. Trust me when I say that the longevity of pursing this major will take an emotional toll on you. You will have periods of ‘burn out’ where you have to self discipline yourself to keep going no matter what. Keep your eyes on the prize. Make sure you self evaluate your emotions and really determine if this is what you want.
2. I would take most of your pre-requisites at CSULB if you can. I don’t know how the impaction of the classes are now since I’ve left but I had to really jump around to different community colleges to get the classes that I needed. Keep your options open. Enroll in different community colleges to increase your likelihood to get into a science class somewhere. I know there is a course equivalence website that you can use double check that the class you may take at a community is transferable to CSULB. Just be prepared for managing your time well if you ever get split between two campuses like I was before. I suggest Compton city college for availability of science classes. But that is for you to decide if you feel comfortable going there or not.
3. When you’re taking your sciences classes together, take chemistry and microbiology alone. Mix them up with your GE classes. Anatomy and physiology are ‘okay’ to take together in my book because their information co inside with one another. Be the evaluator though of your limitations and capabilities as a student. Keep in mind you need to do well in these courses to competitive when it comes time to application for nursing programs.
4. Make a printed table of all your nursing pre-requisites that you need and keep record of your grades somewhere that you can see it at all times. It serves as a constant reminder to do well in your classes.
5. Start volunteering as soon as you can in a hospital if you haven’t already. It will expose you to the hospital early, look great on your résumé, and even possibly land you a hospital job early in the game. This can serve as your stepping stone to your first nursing job once you finish nursing school. Plus, it helps to you social network which is what 90% the job market is now in today’s economy.
That’s all I can think of right now for pre-nursing advice. If you have any more questions though, feel free to ask! Good luck in your nursing journey and remember, stay focused!! Give this dream all that you got!
-Ashley-
