BHSN-Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing Fall 2011

[BA_anthropology]

Started a new thread, since the other threads on this topic look like they are from last year.

Okay,

I just got my acceptance letter in the mail today!!

I was going totally mental with anxiety, checking this board several times a day to see when people were hearing back, compared to when they had applied and what their stats were. I was also very nervous about how I had done on the TEAS, so I wanted to post my info to help other people a little. Here are my stats:

I applied to the school January 4th, 2010. I took the TEAS January 23rd, 2010.

Previous BA degree in anthropology. I graduate in August of 2009 with a 3.46 cumulative GPA.

I took A&P I last fall, at Gateway: B

Developmental Psych: A

TEAS: 81.2% (mean national was 72.8% and the mean for the program 73.3%)

My adjusted individual scores were as follows:

Reading: 82.5%

Math: 82.2%

Science: 70%

English: 85.5%

In all my nervousness, I called two days ago and was told that I would likely hear back from the in school 4-6 weeks. Then I got my letter today, February 5th. For the record, my admissions essay was based on a CNA training course I took in the fall and I also think that having a previous BA really helped, especially in seeing past that nasty 70% in the science section of the TEAS.

Good luck and I hope this information was helpful, or at least of interest, to some of you!!

[Ladybug15]

Benedicth - Do you think they will accept my COMS 102-Process of Communication course for the public speaking requirement?

[benedicth2]

proabably....they are very lenient from my experience. My a+p classes r only worth 3 cr. cause southern is cool like that and is the only school in ct that does that and BHSN said that they would accept them. I did a credit transfer thing online for southern and used the housatonic community college public speaking class and looked to see what it would transfer to southern as and it goes as just com 100 so i think as long as you have a decent grade in any com class they will take it.

[benedicth2]

so this may sound silly but for all of you who got accepted did it come in a normal envelope? was it thick or was it just like one peice of paper?? im not gonna be home to get the mail for about a week and i told my mom to call me if anything came and i wanna be the one to open it so yea let me know lol

[Ladybug15]

That's good to know, thanks! Did you talk to admissions or the secretary when asking about the credits they would accept?

The letter came in a normal business sized envelope and it was 2 pages. The second page is double sided, so you can see the text through the back of envelope if you look closely.

[Ladybug15]

If your mom receives the letter when you are away, just ask her if she can see text through the envelope and if she thinks it is more than one page thick. That should give you a good indication that you've been accepted so you aren't going crazy waiting to open it. :)

[benedicth2]

lol thanks and about the credit transfer i went to one of the academic advisement/info sessions and i asked someone there and they sat down with me and looked at it and said they would use it

[Cardinal23]

Hi All,

I have been following this thread and have finally decided to speak up. I was accepted into BHSN program for this fall and checked off night program. I wont know until orientation or late spring if i got my choice, from what the letter said.

My question was I also applied to Gateway Community College. But i have yet to find anyone who knows about both programs in order to pro vs con them. Gateway is closer to my home, i assume the clinicals will be in New Haven from what i heard. But is it a good program? How do the hospitals who will hire us view Gateway vs Bridgeport? Also GWCC Associates Degree vs. BHSN Diploma. These are things i want to find out so i can make the best choice. Anyone have thoughts?

[Ladybug15]

Hi Cardinal! Glad to hear that you've been accepted! Congrats! :w00t:

I actually just responded to your post in the CC thread. From what I understand, Gateway isn't as competitive to get into as a few of the other CCs; NVCC and NCC are one of the best CC programs and are therefore the most widely sought after. So you have a good shot at getting in!

There really is no difference between diploma and ADN. From what I've heard throughout the community, diploma programs are sometimes more highly looked upon by some because of the extra clinical time that you get - you are comfortable hitting the ground running. However, a few people may also have negative ideas about hospital based programs since they seem to think you don't have the same general education experience that the ADN graduates would have. I doubt they would have the same mindset for diploma grads with prior degrees, so the diploma program is a terrific choice for current degree holders - you will be able to market yourself as having strong clinical experience plus the general ed experience . From what I've heard about BHSN specifically, it is viewed as an excellent nursing program in the state (it is one of the oldest in the country, established in 1884!). Another thing to think about is that the CC's have been known to have a lower retention rate. They can lose about 30 students or more easily in a given year, as opposed to BHSN who lost only 5 (provided by Th0R) this past year.

I had the same decision to make because I also applied to NVCC, which would be less than a 5 minute drive from me. BHSN is about 35 minutes. The thing that you have to consider, however, is that clinical at the CC's can be anywhere. I've heard a lot of students say that they were placed at the farthest location possible (45min+); they definitely don't take where you live into consideration. At least at BHSN, you know where you will be. I also decided that the extra clinical time would be invaluable, and I haven't heard one negative comment about the program yet. Everyone I talked to has said that BHSN has an excellent reputation, including my former boss who provides debt financing to all the hospitals. NCLEX pass rate is over 95% on average.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about GWCC specifically, so I can't speak to that. Another thing to think about is that Bridgeport has been known to offer jobs following graduation and will repay your tuition costs if you sign a 2 year contract with them. I know they were doing this up until a few years ago, but I haven't heard much about it since. Perhaps this has changed with the market but the possibility of getting this opportunity in the future is there, which is a nice plus. I'm hoping the market for new grads opens by the time we graduate.

Hope this helps in making your decision. If BHSN is extremely inconvenient location wise, I could see why you'd prefer to attend GWCC. What is the difference in driving time for you?

[SaraStrong]

Yup, mine was a normal envelope that seemed too thin to be good news, but this wasn't the case! So don't cry at the site of a little one.

Thanks for the thoughts about public speaking. It probably sounds silly, but all the advice in the world hasn't helped me yet as far as this goes. But, I guess you are right that it's the practice that really takes away the nervousness and phobia. Maybe I'll try for a course like your communications one this summer, Ladybug, and see if they won't take the credits.

Welcome, Cardinal. I don't know too much about Gateway, since I was set on BHSN from the start, but I have definitely seen threads on here specifically about that school, and even in comparison to others. I would just do a search of posts, you'll find a ton of stuff I'm sure. About the AS vs. Diploma, I have only been told so far that it really doesn't make a difference. Credits from either an associates program or a program like BHSN will transfer the same to a BSN program. I've even called a few Universities to ensure that this is true. Needless to say, a BSN is best to have, but as far as AS vs Diploma, I think they're pretty on par. So, now it's just what you know about each program's pros and cons, and of course the lesser commute is something I'd consider. I'm gonna be driving from Hartford to Bridgeport come Fall, which won't be fun!

[Ladybug15]

Come to think of it, I really can't think of too many pluses regarding the CC's over BHSN except for distance and tuition (less expensive for in-state residents). This is why I chose BHSN.

[EDIT] - I also forgot to mention that with BHSN you have the opportunity to apply for the accelerated option, so you will graduate a semester before the ADN programs in Dec of '11.

[wannabenurrssee]

hello everyone! i am new to this thresd. i applied for fall 10 and i havent heard back anything yet. i submitted my application about a week before the deadline though and they told me that it would be about 6 weeks to hear anything. it is driving me crazy!! i am confident in my gpa and teas test but not knowing is the worst!! its nice hearing that there are others on edge with me!

[Ladybug15]

Welcome wannabe! If they told you 6 weeks then you should hear by next week…yay! Are you stalking your mailman yet? :) Have you applied to other programs?