Hello Jojo, Appreciate you connecting with me. I am Ola. I want to give my background and get feedback from you
Educational
– My Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) was from Western Governor University, which uses a competent H-based model in which grades are given as pass or fail instead of the traditional letter-grade system. The passing grade is 3.00 grade point on a 4.00. So I get three on 4.
I have my master’s in Nursing with a traditional letter grade system and a GPA of 3.45. I graduated with work in advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment, with two Bs and one A. What can i do to boost my GPA. I started MICU this January(2025), and I am hoping next year i will start applying, I want advice on improving my science GPA and my GPA in general since most schools require at least 3.4 upward on the GPA. Thank you

Hey @olafayodele24 !

I would start by narrowing down the list of schools you want to apply to, and really hone in on what each school considers for their applicants (in terms of GPA, what is included in the science GPA, etc). I think that will make planning a bit easier for you.

Generally speaking, I think it’s definitely possible to boost your overall GPA and overall science GPA, but, again, depending on how many classes you’re taking and the weighted points it puts towards your GPA, don’t be shocked when your GPA doesn’t skyrocket — it’s very difficult to envision the GPA you WANT when taking one class at a time per semester doesn’t really move it up all that much! BUT, I do think it’s totally doable and definitely helps, AND, that it shows CRNA school admin that you’re serious about pursuing their grad program.

I would think about what is your goal for your GPA? if you’re trying to bump it up a few points, I think choosing to re-do a science course might help, if you’re confident you can get an A in it. There’s pros/cons to this though — you can choose to re-do an undergrad science course to get a better grade (cheaper than a grad school course, probably easier than a grad school course too…), OR, you could choose to do a graduate level science course (probably more expensive, and probably harder than an undergrad course, but will look better to the CRNA admin team). I think you’d have to pool your resources wisely and see what is doable for you.

Some courses that I can think of off of the top of my head that might help: organic chemistry, A&P, biochemistry, advanced physiology, biostats. Keep in mind, though, you might want to ask the schools about which courses count towards your science GPA, because some may not (i know that sometimes pharmacology isn’t considered a core science course, depending on the level of pharmacology). You also might want to look into what the schools require as pre-requisites (especially if they’re science courses, like physics).

Again, the application process can be expensive, seemingly long, and stressful. Definitely see what is doable for you! Hope this helps!

Thank you, Jojo. I have narrowed it to three schools that accept masters and bachelors. Like you said retaking science courses does help but may not give one the GPA one is envisioning. I will add your advice to my plan and will keep believing.