Applying to Sacramento State for spring 2015 question

U.S.A. California

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I am applying to Sacramento State for Spring 2015. I still need to take Physio and a few misc. classes like food and nutrition, an arts course, and a english critical thinking course. What I am wondering is this: If I were to take Physio during the summer, got an A lets say, would Sac consider me over other applicants because I have completed all my pre-reqs and co-reqs? I have a 4.0 right now. I am debating whether I should take this Physio summer class at a JC an hour away because the professor is better than the one I would be taking in the fall at a closer JC. Let me know what you think!

...they sent out emails a few weeks before admissions decisions came out letting the applicants know how many points the student ranked 80 had...

So if your total points are above applicant #80, is it fair to say that you are pretty much in?

Specializes in School Nurse.

Yeah I think so :)

Well, there are definitely less applicants that apply in the Spring, but there are also less people who decline (less than 10 is the trend it looks like). I'm not sure which is easier, but I'm inclined to think Spring is actually easier.

Fall '14 462 applicants (80 enrolled, 34 declined, 107 ineligible, 241 qualified alternates)

That's 114 total offered admission offers. 114/355 total = 34.13% applicants offered admission.

Spring '14 267 applicants (80 enrolled, 8 declined, 27 ineligible, 152 qualified alternates)

That's 88 total offered admission offers. 88/240 total = 36.66% applicants offered admission.

It definitely appears that Spring has a slight edge, but it all comes down to points. If it was a lottery system then these statistics would actually have a meaning. I think with 77 points, you're probably more than fine. I HIGHLY DOUBT the point cut off will jump 6 points.

BTW, if anyone hasn't visited the CSUS Nursing building, I recommend taking a stroll through the building. It's fantastic. From flat screen TVs in nearly 1/2 of the study areas, to brand new furniture, I think it's obvious that the BSN program at CSUS is something extremely special. It's definitely not comparable to other programs on the CSUS campus (just take a walk through the ECE building).

Good luck to all, I know my GF & I have been biting our fingernails since we turned in her application.

Specializes in Medical-Cardiac ICU.

Glad we got a thread going for Spring 2015 applicants to Sac. It's all so nerve wracking! Hope we all get in!

Points: 73

GPA: 4.0

TEAS: 84.7% (2nd try, tests like these kill me!)

Optional points: Volunteer experience

Specializes in Neonatal, NICU level IV.

Just a quick note....

A lot of the previous semester cohorts have started a group on facebook to help get to know each other and as a support to one another as well. It is a great tool to help you know what is coming up, what is due, and where to be when. I highly recommend it due to the craziness that is nursing school! Let me know if you have any questions. :yes:

me - (previous SacState nursing alum, pre-nursing advisor, and peer mentor)

VintageSwagger,

I have a lot of free time currently, and would like to slowly prepare for nursing school. What would you recommend? I'm thinking to start reviewing my anatomy & physiology as I totally forgot most of it, despite just finishing it last fall. Can you recommend any specific areas of focus? Or simply try to get a good overview of everything.

Apart from A&P review, anything else I should start looking at and studying?

Specializes in Neonatal, NICU level IV.

Hello Flowingwater,

It is hard to really narrow it down since they cover so much material and because each student is so very different in what will be helpful. Since you are just getting started, you don't have your texts yet and you will cover so much each semester, it is hard to give advice on studying information that will help later (such as developmental stages for children which will help a lot for your peds class). The books you will get for nursing school are more helpful than studying your A&P books so I would probably wait to really dive in until I had the material. You can also review dosage calculations since you will have a math test each semester. I will give you a couple of ideas that may help during school however, I don't know what materials you have yet, nor do I know your particular knowledge base.

1. First understand that you are no longer studying the "parts" of the body as much as the "systems" of the body. Knowing where the lungs are is far less valuable than knowing what (disease, injury, genetic issue) affects them and how they in turn respond to these issues. Knowing that the lungs are essential to the body's acid/base balance, how gas exchange works, and common medications used to address issues is far more useful. Nearly the entirety of the lectures are about diseases and disease processes.

2. Study by body system. If you try to cover a lot of different topics, you can often get confused. Go through respiratory issues in your medsurg book focusing on things that stand out about a disease.

- Example when studying peds cardiac: Kawasaki's disease (viral) (usually affects kids

3. Don't read everything. Unless you can read very fast and retain information at a high rate, reading the whole med-surg book is overwhelming and unhelpful. You will get detailed power points and an outline for most classes. Use these to focus on studying. If they are spending time in class on it than it is going to be on the test most times.

4 Focus on "what is going to kill my patient". I heard this a thousand times during school. Focus on the the big things. When you look at side effects of a medication for example, rash is far less concerning than excessive bleeding or liver failure.

5. Every answer is right. Nursing school is very different than normal college courses. The answers to a test question can all be correct but one of them is more correct (such as priority, step process, etc...). You must think critically about the situation given facts, history, lab values, symptoms, and even age of the patient in order to get to the most correct answer. A NCLEX study guide that has rational for the answers is helpful to understand this concept.

I could go on for pages but that is the gist. Remember that you earned your spot in the program and that takes a lot. Just focus on what you need to and don't let yourself get behind. There is a reason SacState has the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state. It's because they cover the material well and prepare you for what you need to know. I wish you success as you get ready for this adventure. Hope this helps. :cheeky:

Letters of acceptance for Sac State dont go out until end of November huh? I received my accpetance letter for another school last week but have to tell them whether or not I am accepting the spot well before I will hear from Sac State. Ugh. Wish all schools would notify around the same time.

Mishabc,

I am in the same boat as you i wish Sac state would hurry up because knowing in late november doesn't even give you much time to figure out housing etc if chosen for sac state to start in spring :/ I to wish that they would all release them at the same time

Specializes in Neonatal, NICU level IV.

Aggie and Mishabc,

You need to accept the offers from the other schools in order to ensure that you get to go somewhere. The reason schools have wait lists is for situations like yours. When I did advising at SacState, I saw alternates called the week of orientation to fill a spot. It may seem unfair of you to accept and then decline however, schools build in contingencies for such things. Congrats on having offers already!

Wow! Thanks for the in-depth response VintageSwagger!

I really appreciate your advice coming from a Sac state nursing grad.

Specializes in School Nurse.

Only a few more weeks until we find out!! It sucks for those who already have an offer and are waiting for Sac State, but at the same time it must be comforting to have an offer :)

For me Sac State is the first program I'll hear back from, and it's also my top choice. Hoping for good news for us all!

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