After reading my first post again I can see how that may have come off a little standoffish. I don’t think I’m better or smarter than anyone for having another degree or for making good grades. I started taking college classes around 8 years ago, and I’ve been the highlighter girl. I’ve been the crammer. I’ve been the didn’t study at all girl. I’ve been the one frantically discussing questions with classmates before exams. I failed a class with my previous degree twice. I haven’t made As in every single nursing class nor do I think anyone should really strive for that unless they’re wanting to continue their education. I only made a comment about my grades to drive home my point that what I’ve been doing works for me, and perhaps if you’re someone who over studies or spends a lot of time doing extra work and it’s draining you, then maybe you could try something similar. That was just my experience with what I’ve been through and what’s worked the best for me in nursing school, and since nursing tests are pretty standardized, I figured others might find it useful too.
I think you can understand that to ask someone what they made on a test, and upon finding out that they made a higher grade than you say “grades don’t mean you’re going to be a good nurse”, is rude. It’s like saying “oh they’re book smart so they must have no common sense” or “oh they’re smart but I bet they can’t talk to people”. I don’t think people should make assumptions about what kind of nurse a person is going to be based on their grades. It’s fine to say that to someone to uplift them about a not so hot grade, but to take away from someone who did well, is kind of shitty because they worked hard for it just like everyone else. I know I said I don’t study excessively, but I still put in the work. I hold my own in clinical and can do the skills just fine, just like everyone else I know, but none of us will really know how we’re going to be as a nurse until we start working.
In regards to the gpa thing, I also was under the impression that gpa wasn’t looked at until I spoke with a girl who works on a floor that I also hope to work at in the future. She said she was asked about her gpa during an interview. Again, not saying it’s the case everywhere or even most of the time, but it can be important in some circumstances.
Like I said, my only intention was to inform people who have already been in school for a while and who know what works for them that they don’t really need to do anything excessive when it comes to studying in nursing school. Nursing school isn’t some big scary experience where everyone is out to get you and the questions are impossible. It hard work, but it’s entirely doable and you can 100% still have a life outside of school and no one’s mental health should ever suffer from it. Some people get more stressed than others, and it’s just my experience that making yourself excessively stressed out about school often has a negative impact. And the people who stress the most can be very vocal and spread their stress around like a virus, so I’m just pointing out that we shouldn’t let those people get in our heads.
I’m just out here shouting out my fellow type B-Zers to let them know that you don’t have to try and transform yourself into a type A and cause unnecessary stress if that’s not how you do things. I hope you understand I meant no harm to anyone and only had good intentions with my comment even if it did sound snarky. I’m just a big advocate for putting yourself first when it comes to school, and if school is putting you through the ringer it might be a good idea to reevaluate and try something different.
Anyway, I do appreciate your replies and your insight. I’m sure you’re an awesome nurse, and I hope I will be too one day.