Yale GEPN Fall 2010

U.S.A. Connecticut

Published

Okay, I know it's early, but Yale is my first choice, and I'm already terrified that I'm going to screw it up. My goal is New England (although I'm also applying to Pace because they have this Science Summer thing for those of us who haven't taken anatomy yet), and I want to be a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner.

I eventually want to either have a mobile clinic for poorer older folks who can't afford more traditional options or who are home-bound, or make home-calls in some other way.

I think Yale will help me get there, but I don't think I'll get in. I have a lower GPA (but still above a 3.0) from UC Santa Cruz, and I spent the last two years teaching in Taiwan, only to find out I don't like teaching very much. I'm taking my GREs in three weeks and I'm starting some prereqs this summer.

I'm also applying to Simmons, Pace, Northeastern, MGH and Boston College.

Before I ramble on any longer, anyone else applying?

Actually, for some reason, I thought it would be more.

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Any word on whether they are generous with scholarships like Columbia?

Also, anyone looking into outside scholarships and like to share where to look/ find them?

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No idea. I'll ask about that at the next chat. They did mention that most people take out loans.

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Hey guys,

I am currently a first-year GEPN student at Yale, and vividly remember being in your shoes around this time last year! I just wanted to jump in and offer my two cents regarding financial aid at Yale. In my experience, (and based on what I've heard from fellow students) while Yale is not quite as "generous" as Columbia in their financial aid offering, remember that Columbia's program is actually slightly more expensive than Yale's. Also, remember that you are still considered an "undergraduate" during the first year at Columbia (since you will be getting your BSN), while at Yale you are considered a "graduate student" from day 1. This means that you'll be eligible for more (around twice as much, I believe?) in subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans.

In response to the questions about addressing research experience in your essay, the previous poster who said to discuss ANY experience you've had with research is absolutely right (even if it's completely unrelated to healthcare!) And yes - they're strict about having it be one continuous flowing essay, not broken down by questions.

If anyone else has any other questions, I'd be happy to try and help! Good luck to you all.

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Hi wannabepnp, thanks for all of your help and congrats on getting into Yale! I had a quick question regarding the essay. Do you know how strict they are with their limits. I keep trying to cut it down but it seems every sentence has a purpose haha. I'm like 3 sentences over right now and i find it impossible to cut more. Thanks again for all of your help!

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If you only need to cut a few sentences and cannot cut content I found it best to pull out individual words. That way you keep your message. Also try using shorter words. It worked for my UCSF essay. I remember they said ability to follow instructions was very important.

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That's pretty much the point I'm at in my essay - pulling words to keep the content.

Is anyone else at the panic point? My essay needs some polishing, I need to rewrite my resume and I'm waiting on one transcript. Then I'm sending this sucker in. I told myself I'd be mailing it no later than October 15th. Less than a month!

I don't know if anyone else did this, but I put my essay on Facebook for all of my English major friends to rip apart. It's really worked well.

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Hi wannabepnp, thanks for all of your help and congrats on getting into Yale! I had a quick question regarding the essay. Do you know how strict they are with their limits. I keep trying to cut it down but it seems every sentence has a purpose haha. I'm like 3 sentences over right now and i find it impossible to cut more. Thanks again for all of your help!

Hi maziemoo -- I would agree with what apalmer said about cutting individual words. When you really read back through your essay, you'll be surprised about how many non-essential words you'll find hidden in there. Before you know it, you'll have cut 10 or 20 and you'll be well on your way to making the limit. In the end, it may very well not even matter if you are over by a few words--but you don't want the fact that you failed to follow instructions to be the reason you didn't get an interview. Good luck!

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Thanks for the advice.

I am having a bit of a problem and I was wondering if anyone else was having this problem. Now I finally got my PS down to 2 pages! I'm not done, but I went to copy and paste it into the box on the online application. When I did this, it changed the font. I re-copied the PS and pasted it into a word document and it changed the font to 12, monaco. This made it 5 pages long :0 Now it said on the application you could use 11 point font, so that's what I did (I used Times New Roman too). Does this mean that i have to do some major copying and pasting or will they change it? Has anyone else encountered this problem? I'm so nervous that I'm going to have to do this whole thing over again.

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Good lord, I hope not! The next Yale chat is on October 9 from 2 to 3 pm EST. I'll ask that.

Speaking of chats, I just got out of today's (only three people!). I have the complete text if anyone is interested. Just send me a message.

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Hi I know I am late in joining this discussion, but I am applying to the GEPN program as well (I think). My gpa is really low though, so I am really worried I shouldn't even try for Yale anymore. Do they have a gpa minimum? I did not see one on the website. I have some really bad marks on my transcripts, mostly from my junior year (of college/undergrad) when I had my late rebellion period and didn't really care about school. I know a lot of schools forgive bad grades from freshman year if your grades the following years are better, but sadly I had a phase where partied hard and was a bum my junior year. I know I can simply explain that on my essay, but I'm afraid there is no recovering from it. Should I just look for some "easier" schools (schools which may have less competitive admissions?) Does anyone know of less competitive schools on the east coast (or anywhere)? Thanks

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Hey,

I would love a copy of the online chat!

thanks

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