When you’re applying to nursing school, you can’t control how many other applicants are applying for the same slot - and these days, that number will be HIGH. You will be facing some stiff competition if you are applying to a community college or traditional four-year degree program.
However, here are two things that you can do to make yourself more attractive to a nursing school.
1.) Get some health-care experience before you apply. One way to do this is to volunteer at a local nursing home or hospital. Make sure you do this for at LEAST a few months before you apply to nursing school. This shows that you are comfortable working in a healthcare environment and you have a genuine interest in caring for others. Or, you can get a job as a certified nurse’s aide. To do this, you need to take a short course - if you look online for a CNA course in your area you can usually find a course that takes just a couple of weekends to complete. Then, you will take a test on the CNA skills that you’ve learned, undergo a criminal background check - and voila, you can work as a CNA! The pay is not high, but there is very high demand. Again, this shows the nursing school admissions counselor that you are serious about a healthcare career.
2.) What is your GPA? If there are any pre-requisite courses that you’ve taken and did not do well in - it would be worth your while to retake those classes at a local community college and improve your GPA. Again, there is a lot of competition to get into nursing school these days. If you can retake a class and this time participate in study groups, ask your school for help with tutoring (often offered free to students), find study groups online…boosting your GPA will boost your chances of acceptance.