I would like first to thank XXX for admitting me into their accelerated nursing program despite my undergraduate GPA being below 3.0. In this paper, I seek to discuss factors and circumstances that may have been the reason for my undergraduate GPA being below 3.0. I will also discuss my motivation and reasons for pursuing a career in nursing at this point in my life. Finally, I will discuss the method and ways I plan to manage my time and studies to earn better grades, thus successfully completing the program.
I arrived in the United States in the winter of 2002 after being in a West African nation, Liberia, for 20 years. I had come to live with my father who had moved to the Unites States few years earlier. I was very excited arriving in the Unites States due to the vast opportunities that this country provides. However, living with a single parent who was struggling financially was challenging initially. These challenges forced me to work for about 60 hours a week to help my father during my early undergraduate years. My mother and siblings were still in Liberia at that time, and they solely depended on us to support them. Being very occupied in work due to long working hours, lack of sufficient rest and more time spent on traveling had adverse affects on my studies. These reasons largely contributed to my results being below the average grades.
Moreover, my results may have been contributed by the challenges of adapting to the new environment in the United States. Often, I missed my mother and siblings. Consequently, I would experience loneliness that would affect my concentration. My father and I worked all the time and barely had time together. This fact would aggravate the feeling of loneliness, and I would also feel depressed in the initial years. These feelings affected my studies negatively. I also had to be acquitted to what most Americans perceived as basic electronic technology, the computer. I still remember how nervous I felt in my first computer class, Introduction to Computer. Almost all of my classmates had a fairly good understanding of the computer. I did see computers back in Liberia, but barely had the opportunity to use it. I struggled to complete online assignments and do research on my assignments. Such struggles affected the quality of my work resulting in poor grades.
However, I had great improvement after familiarizing myself with computers. Besides, my mother and siblings are now in the Unites States, and I have made friends over the years. Such factors have improved the conduciveness of my social environment eliminating the feeling of loneliness. This improvement is clearly evident in my grade in graduate school and my prerequisite classes. Although I currently work about 60 hours a week, this will not be the case when am admitted into the Accelerated Nursing program. I will be moving in with my parents in February, and this will significantly reduce my expenses. I have also been saving over the years. These saving will be sufficient to sustain me while I pursue my nursing program. Am also feel a whole lot better emotionally since my family is around and am conversant with using computers. The fact that I will also not be working and the aforementioned factors will be indispensable in allowing me to achieve better grades and in completing the program successfully.
I have been caring for others although not in the same capacity as a nurse for much of the last decade. The journey that led to my desire to become a nurse started in Liberia when I was growing up, but it wasn’t apparent to me until after I moved to the US and began working in social work. What initially began as helping autistic children soon developed into a master of social work degree which allowed me to conduct therapy sessions with patients at an esteemed institute in Philadelphia.
Working as a behavioral health associate, therapist and caseworker I understood that treatment is not a one size fits all solution for patients and that the need for personal care. More so, I realized that attention is imperative to the success of an effective health management plan. As a nurse, I would be able to help patients manage their physical health concerns while providing adequate emotional and psychological support that is often lacking in patient care. I would like to use the knowledge and skills I learn in your program to work in the US for a few years before returning to Liberia, a war-torn country with the healthcare system being in a state of neglect. The poorly managed Ebola crisis in Liberia clearly emphasizes the need for well trained, educated and experienced health care professionals. My experiences combined with the academic foundation your nursing program will provide will make it possible to offer exceptional nursing care.
I look forward to joining your program. Such admission will enable me to study under qualified nursing professionals, gain access to the technical, practical and theoretical practices in the field of nursing. Besides it will help me to collaborate with other students in the program. My experience in the US education system and experience in social work along with my passion for offering the best care possible to those in need, make me an ideal candidate for your nursing program. I do recognize that I will not be able to solve all the problems with the Liberian healthcare system. However, the knowledge and experience your program will provide will ensure that I have the skills to impact the lives of my patients and their families.
