Back in school

Well, it's not really back to school time here yet.  We have another month before that hits, although enrollment for Monster Boy is this week.

But really, I'm talking about myself.  After much thinking, discussing, and even praying, we (meaning Daddy Mac and I - we are a partnership so we make major decisions together as a team) have decided that going back to school is the best option for me at this point.  I met with an adviser yesterday, established a plan, and now is the time.

I am going back to school to get my nursing degree.  I have decided to pursue a BSN - Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  There were many considerations that went in to choosing this route rather than getting an ASN, but this was ultimately the decision I made.  It will take me approximately three and a half years to complete this, as I need several science courses that I did not have to have for my prior Bachelors Degree.  I do have the option to double up on those science courses, but as they are all lab courses, and I have been out of school for ten years now, my adviser, Daddy Mac and I have all come to the conclusion that I am much more likely to successfully get admitted to the nursing program at the college of my choice if I spread them out.  The reason behind it is this:  because I have been out of school for so long, they will only look at my cumulative GPA starting with the classes I will begin this fall.  I need, at a minimum, a 3.0, and at least a B in ALL of the science classes, to have a good chance of being accepted to the nursing program.  Ideally, I would need to have higher grades - as the average GPA of applicants to this program is typically between 3.2 and 3.4.  Admission is based on a points scale, with roughly 90% of the points tied to GPA and the scores in the three specific science courses I need - for example, a student with a 4.0 and A's in all three classes would have a total of 70 points.  A student with a 3.5 and B's in all three classes would have 56 points.  There are only 60 open positions each semester in this nursing program, so it is VITALLY important that I do as well as possible in these classes.  To that end, my decision on how to schedule my courses is set up to give me the best opportunity to achieve the highest GPA possible.  Because I have been out of school for so long, I want to ease my way back in.  I know it will be culture shock and that it may take me a few weeks to get things straight - and I desperately want to succeed at this, so I am trying to give myself every opportunity there is to do it.  I have the faith in myself that I can pull off all A's, now I just need to prove to myself I can do it.  The first time around, my GPA was not nearly so stellar, mainly because I was a bit more concerned with my social life than my school life - I freely admit that.  This time, I am hoping that the different place I am at in my life will make a noticeable difference in my performance at college.

Fingers crossed, but I'm jumping in right off the high board here!