Want to improve GPA

[aswadalj]

Thanks for reading! I've been lurking this is my first post.

I recently graduated from LVN school and have passed my boards. I would like to apply to Indiana State University for their LVN-BSN program I'm in CA. I have an AS in Social Science and AS in LVN. My concern is that my GPA from two of my previous colleges are 2.61 and 2.58. Most of my grades are C's and few B's yes I was not really appying myself. These classes are Gen Ed and I want an actual grade to increase my GPA. ISU admission requirement is that you have a GPA of 2.5 but I want to increase my chances and retake these classes through Penn Foster. Do most university accept the higher grades if taken twice? Please comment! Thanks

Amani

[marianne202]

Hi and welcome! I'm sure you will find us a friendly helpful group! I would suggest that you consult the ISU catalog for their specific requirements. Each school handles previous credits and duplicate credits differently. You may want to look at taking CLEP / DSST exams. I know some schools do award letter grades for these exams while others will just award pass/fail. When I started at EC I was allowed to remove accepted courses from my degree path transcript. The grades remained on the official transcript but were not used in my degree transcript or my degree GPA. I would be allowed retake a previously taken course and replace it only if it was the same course ie: intro to psych for intro to psych. I couldn't sub abnormal psych for a low intro to psych grade. I would also encourage you to make sure ISU will accept Penn Foster courses. Some schools will only accept certain Penn Foster courses. If that is the case you may want use the CLEP / DSST options for those courses. The best bet is to talk to someone at the school directly or consult their catalog under transfer credit policy. Good luck!

[aswadalj]

Thanks I will review their catalog.

[cookderosa]

Well, yes and no. Had you taken a replacement class before you graduated, it would have replaced the credit on your transcript. As it is now, those grades/transcripts are sealed- you got what you got.

If it were me, I would apply to the BSN program anyway. BSN programs are competitve, so if you don't get in, then I would start working on "plan B" to up your GPA- but don't jump the gun. You may not need to do anything yet. If, you still have prereqs, then you should NOT use exams, use classes, bust your backside and earn solid A grades.

Good luck to you, I hope to earn a BSN too!

PS if you don't get in, lets have a GPA discussion in a new thread- the way to raise your GPA when you already have over 100 credits earned is very complected, time consuming, and costly. Your real options at that point will probably involve applying to a different program like Excelsior.

[aswadalj]

Thanks for replying. The grades are not on my transcripts with my degrees they are from other colleges then I transfered them to my local college. Unfortunately California BON does not recognize Excelsior. The LPN-BSN program at ISU is a distance learning program that CA BON recognize. Since I am an LPN its not competitive as a traditional BSN program. I will submit my transcript and go from there. Best regards in your studies.

Amani

[cookderosa]

Thanks for replying. The grades are not on my transcripts with my degrees they are from other colleges then I transfered them to my local college. Unfortunately California BON does not recognize Excelsior. The LPN-BSN program at ISU is a distance learning program that CA BON recognize. Since I am an LPN its not competitive as a traditional BSN program. I will submit my transcript and go from there. Best regards in your studies.

Amani

>>

Ok, I understand. Even still, once you earned the degrees (AS and second AS) they closed that door. Good luck to you too!

[malcs]

If you have some Ds then switch to excelsior. They will drop your D grades and your GPA will go up. I said bye-bye to my two D grades from 25 years ago when I enrolled at EC, and my average went over 3.0 as a result. My recent exams have pushed me up to a 3.2 at graduation.

[YokotaJo]

I second the motion to not jump to thinking that the GPA is in stone. Unfortunately, my 98 credits from a 4 year U were not all A's. I finished off my BA with all CLEPS at TESC so that lowly GPA is going to be stenciled on my forehead for the rest of my days. That said, I applied to my three top choices for my Masters. 1 school did not have a GPA issue at all, one was no no no, hell no don't even ask and the other one was "Due to our accreditation you need to have a 2.5 GPA". So far the last one has said OK after a nice professional letter and copy of my stellar resume, a great reference letter on why I would rock in their Masters program and a "why I want to be a teacher" statement from me. It all took a bit of work and a bit of packaging but I needed to do it for my own self-esteem anyway. Plus, I am not one to walk away from a good fight!

The last one "no, no, no hell no, we can not believe you are even asking", is currently on the final steps of reviewing my request and it is really looking like they will say OK too.

So in the end, give it a go and give it a good fight. I read months ago on THIS board from another wise poster a comment something like "these days grad schools can not be picky over something as minor as a low GPA from years and years ago" and I took that to heart and thought of it every day knowing that in the end I would have to work the system a bit to get to the grad school of my choice. Wow, that was one very long sentence but you get the point.:o

[perrik]

Regarding grad schools - of the programs I've been looking at, about half want a GPA of 3.0 or higher and the rest want a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 credits. That's ideal for those of us who slacked off in our first collegiate experience but are working hard to make up for it! A couple programs note that they'll consider a lower GPA - you would be on probationary status for the first semester or two, and then as long as your grades are good you're off the double secret probation.

If there's the option of a graduate certificate, or just taking grad classes as a non-enrolled student, stellar grades in those courses should convince the school that you're worthy of the master's program. This is also handy for scoring academic references!

[skyfall123]

One way to compensate for a low GPA when trying to get into a Graduate program is to take a couple of courses as a non-degree student to prove that you are up to the task.

Enroll in a couple of the online courses at Indiana State during the summer as a non-degree student, do well, then add them to your application. Interact with the instructors, and at the end of the semester ask the instructors if it is OK to use them as references on your application. Taking and passing courses from your target University is certainly one way to say "I can prove that I am up for it".