Ever since I can remember, all I ever wanted to be, or at least what I was expected to be, was a registered nurse. I entered college in 2015 with that goal in mind and nothing else.
On July 2, 2018, I received my letter of admission denial from the UTRGV School of Nursing. To say I was devastated is an understatement. I felt lost, hopeless. My heart was completely shattered.
The letter stated, “We hope this final decision will not deter you from any of your personal aspirations.” Funny enough, it did more than that.
For weeks, I lost sleep trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my life now. Should I wait a whole year and apply for the program again in 2019? Retake classes I got B’s in and pay out of pocket? I couldn’t afford that.
I desperately looked at other universities, vocational schools and certificate programs in the area and within my budget, but found I was too late. I gave up.
I felt as if there was nothing left for me. If I wasn’t cut out to be a nurse, what was I supposed to be? So many thoughts sprinted through my head. What would my family think? What would my friends think? I was supposed to be the “smart” one. I was supposed to be that one success story in my family. I was supposed to be the first to graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree and set the example for the generations after me.
That was the problem.
Not only was I afraid of failure, but I became too caught up with what others would think of me instead of what I actually wanted. I broke myself trying to please everyone else.
After careful consideration, I decided to change my major to rehabilitation services.
Those around me made it seem as if I made the wrong choice, but I did this for me and only me. I’ve taken a semester’s worth of classes and can honestly say it might be the best decision I’ve made in a while.
Without a doubt, one of my biggest fears through it all was not graduating in the standard four years.
I was told I’d be OK if I took 12 hours a semester and worked on some community service hours to put on my nursing application. I don’t recall being told to pick up a minor or even consider a backup plan until my third year in. Yes, I was naive, but I had no one to tell me otherwise.
If you’ve made it this far in reading this, here’s some advice from one confused college student to another: Get informed! Ask all the questions you can and clarify all the information that is given to you. Those community service hours I mentioned earlier, yeah, they weren’t taken into consideration in my application. In fact, I met with a nursing adviser for about five minutes instead of the usual half-hour and didn’t get to discuss everything I wanted to, because I wasn’t qualified. I tried to discuss my previous experience, certifications and service hours but none of that mattered.
Right off the bat, I was told to consider another option because my GPA was .3 points short of a 3.8. I was told retaking my B’s for A’s was risky and probably still wouldn’t cut it.
The field is extremely competitive. I knew that. I just wish someone would have given me the reality of it before I had to find out the hard way.
Do not, and I repeat, do not believe everything you’re told in advising. Find out for yourself.
Please don’t be like me. Don’t become content with the bare minimum of information because although it sounds nice at the moment, it might come back to bite you one day.
Luckily, I’ve realized this might have been the best thing to ever happen to me because I feel I found my true calling. I discovered that my true passion isn’t necessarily becoming a nurse; it is the idea of being able to help someone in need.
I’m a firm believer in the saying, “Everything happens for a reason.”
I’m here to run my own race. I’ll be graduating with my bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services after five years of school and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that it’s OK.
