Kwantlen (KPU) - BSN

dusty55555 · Apr 21, 2018

Hi CV_vancity21, I'm in the same boat as you. I haven't been able to find someone online who continued into the BSN after the Health Foundations.

CV_vancity21 · Apr 21, 2018

Hi! there's no one who has been able to reach out yet and most of the kpu posts are from 2010-2016, when you didn't have to do the certificate. i'm still so curious cause i just want to know what i should expect. have you completed the certificate already?

dusty55555 · Apr 22, 2018

Exactly, it feels like we're going in blind right now. I've e-mailed a KPU advisor and students in the program (pending response). I'll be starting in the Fall.

CV_vancity21 · Apr 22, 2018

that's a good idea! i've registered for the info session in langley and hopefully i'll get more answers (although i've heard the sessions don't really help). I'll be starting the certificate in fall too.

Frost87 · Apr 30, 2018

Hi there I am currently in the program and hope I can provide some input.

To be honest I don't recommend the program. It's pretty new and the faculty/advisers have still not figured it out. It's a mess. There are WAY too many students in the program and not enough classes and profs. Currently I am trying to get in the summer classes and am still on the waitlist for all my classes. All waitlists are full with 40 students. Demand is too high and the school is not organized to keep up. I am actually trying to do my courses elsewhere, but there are only a few I can do b/c KPU does not accept the transfer credits. So students are essentially left in limbo. They can't get in the crowded classes and can't take classes elsewhere. Each adviser has told me different requirements about moving into 2nd year which becomes confusing. There is no waitlist to get in 2nd year, but you apply and the best candidates get selected. It's very competitive with only 30 spots each intake too. This next intake should see a ton of applicants too. Sorry to be so negative but i'm just speaking about my personal experience so far. I'm considering moving to Langara or Douglas b/c i've been frustrated with this program here. I wish you all good luck on your journey. Feel free to ask any questions

CV_vancity21 · Apr 30, 2018

Thank you so much for your input :)

Most advisors I've talked to have done the same thing and given me different answers which is why i'm so confused. i've heard the langara program is kind of the same as KPU but langara has fewer courses you need to complete before going into nursing school. langara is closer to me than kpu langley but the reason why i didn't go for langara is because my friend was in their program and she said it's too competitive and they want an above 90% average to get into nursing school. also they have fewer seats as well BUT people who get in have said the program is the best! at this point i'm just not sure what to do because i don't want to waste money, time and moving to langley if in the end i'm left with more complications.

also, it's a real shame that the program isn't organized that well and classes are crowded. that would really stress me out and i can already feel how hectic and frustrating your experience is.

that being said, i'm almost contemplating to go to bcit and try there. but i've heard bcit, langara, douglas and vcc have very long wait lists which is why i thought kpu would be a little less competitive to get into 2nd year.

if nothing else works out, i guess i'll just have to go to kpu and hope for the best. although i'm really nervous because the pressure is on to do exceptionally well in the certificate to get into 2nd year.

thanks again for responding and giving me something to think about. best of luck!

RNgill, RN · May 10, 2018

Hey guys! I can completely understand your frustration, since I was in the same position last year. I went through the whole application process, entered health foundations and got accepted into the very first intake of the new BSN program. Back in the days (2016) majority of the classes barely had 15-20 students in them. However, that is not the case anymore. One thing I always suggest is that you have to stick to one school and follow it's requirements to get into the bsn program, rather than trying to get into various schools at the same time for diff programs. Although, from what I remember if you are completing the kpu health foundations then you should have majority (if not all) of the requirements to apply to BCIT at the same time too (Bonus). Now I heard the foundations program really sucks, since the wait lists are too long. Taking the combined A&P at a different institute would be a better bet and would take less time than kpu's A&P. Besides that the HEAL classes are very easy and those classes really represent how your future nursing classes would look like. Sociology, english, anthro and psych are easy to get into since they have more time slots and you can take them at any campus. They are not too hard, depending on the teacher, but try taking sociology, psych, and anthro ONLINEE (its easier that way and less time consuming)! Besides that when I got in, the acceptance GPA for the first intake was anywhere from the minimum 2.4 to 4.0, since very few students applied.

CV_vancity21 · May 10, 2018

Thanks for giving some insight :)

I really thought the kpu nursing program would be less competitive than other institutions but I'm sooo confused now!! I'm thinking of doing what you said like doing the health foundations certificate and then applying for the nursing program at kpu and bcit.

how challenging did you find both of the A&P courses? and also was there anything else besides GPA they look at?

Deej202 · May 11, 2018

I have been accepted into the Health Foundations program for Sept as well and was wondering the same thing about getting into second year.

I have also been accepted into the nursing program at UFV but its in Chilliwack and I live in Surrey so i would rather go to KPU. Glad I found this post.

I wish someone could tell me the % of people taking the Health Foundations that get into their second year for the nursing program at KPU.

CV_vancity21 · May 11, 2018

@Deej202 SAME!! The main thing I want to know is how competitive it is cause I really don't want to be on a wait list for the next 2 years. I'm sure all of us want to finish the certificate and get into 2nd year asap. I was told they only accept around 32 people in 2nd year for each intake. Where as at BCIT they accept around 90 each intake (but they get like 400 applications) and for langara they accept around 60 each intake. So since kpu only offers 32 seats for nursing school, I was assuming it would be less competitive...

Frost87 · May 11, 2018

Yes back then it was easier. Speaking now there are no waitlists to get in 2nd year like Douglas and its competitive intake. There are over 450 people in the whole HF program (not including the Fall intake). I did not get in any of my summer classes because the classes were all full with waitlists and I can't complete them elsewhere as well (they dont transfer over). To be honest I believe everywhere it's competitive and that is expected. However, I dont think KPU provides that support to its students to help them through this journey. They don't have enough classes opened in the program (waitlists are overflowing) for their students who can't finish. Their advisers are clueless and even admitted that their program is a mess. I would easily recommend a Langara, BCIT or UFV over them since their programs and support structure are better.