Pre-Requisites:

Is there a course at Berkeley that will fulfill the Communications and Psychology pre-requisite?
From our experience courses such as rhetoric at Cal does not fulfill the communication requirement. Nursing schools want to focus more on interpersonal communication rather than public speaking or theory. Some people have used Psychology 140 to fulfill the Lifespan requirement; however Psychology 140 only covers up to adolescents. You may want to contact the specific schools you are interested in.

Can I take other pre-requisites at community colleges?
Yes, you can.

GRE:

When should I take the GRE?
You should take the GRE when you have prepared for it. The GRE is an important part of the application to many schools because it is a method of judging applicants by the same standard.

Should I take a GRE prep course?
That depends entirely on you. Some people do not need a prep course and just study from a book. However if you think a course with institutions such as Kaplan or Princeton are helpful then you should take it. The price for these programs can be pretty steep though. The Princeton Review’s fee was a bit over $1000. Don’t forget that the GRE score is only valid for 5 years.

Letters of Recommendation:

How many letters of recommendation should I get?
On average, nursing schools require about 3-4 letters.

Who should I ask for letters?
It is wise to have at least 1 academic letter writer and other people who can attest to your potential as a nurse. Don’t forget to give the letter writers ample time to get everything done.

Can I use the Career Center’s letter service?
A few students have used the letter service (meaning that they used the letter form from the site as well), but many of the schools want their specific form filled out. Refer to individual schools to be sure.

If you have more questions, please feel free to contact us at pnsofficers@gmail.com