FCCJ Summer 2010 hopefuls...

gorgeousitstru · Aug 15, 2009

Is it too early to start a thread like this? LOL
I'll be finishing up my pre-requisites this fall, and then applying in the spring for the Summer 2010 session. I still need to study for the NAT and actually take the exam and take a CPR course. I'm considering getting my CNA and trying to find work in healthcare to get my foot in the door.
I am so nervous about the whole process, nervous about whether I should try to work and go to school, and especially nervous if this is something I can handle. I am afraid of all the responsibility.
Anyone else planning for next Summer? What is your process looking like, what are your thoughts/feelings?

No worries my dear. Just stay hopeful atleast your almost done with your pre reqs im no where near! :cry: my opinion on working and going to school is ... its probably something I would struggle with. my whole life I was told if you go to school and work one or the other will suffer. So Ive never attempted. Although so many people do it. My friend had 2 kids, worked full time, and went to college full time student. At that she made all A's. How the hell did she do it? I use to think of her as Erin Brockovich but the truth is there are MANY Erin Brockovichs! All I can say is there is some HARD working women out there and of course we're always takin for granted. What i would do is work part time and go to school. See how that schedule works out for you. I think you will be just fine :) Good luck on your application

-Susan :redbeathe

parks71 · Aug 17, 2009

I will be going next summer as well. I just took my NAT test and did pretty good on it. You said you were going to study for it but there is not much you can study for. I would brush up on your basic math like % and fractions but other than that I dont think there is anything you can study for.

I have micro, A&PII and human growth this semester and I am done. I guess I will take a few classes in the spring just to keep me busy while I await the summer. I am looking forward to it though!

Phread01 · Aug 19, 2009

I'm also applying for admission for Summer 2010. I finish my last prereqs this fall (A&P II, Sociology and Human Growth & Development) although I'm tempted to drop HG&D for now and take it in the spring while I wait for the summer session to start. A lot of that will depend on how I do on the NAT.

Which brings me to another question. I'm not actually certain how to calculate the points I have toward admission. I recall that each course counts for a certain number of points based on credit hours and your grades, then you add your NAT score. But I don't know which courses actually go into the NAT calculation. I don't have any professional medical experience to top off my score, so that isn't an issue for consideration.

If I do well enough on my NAT that I can top 190 points (assuming I can pull As in A&P II and Sociology) I may defer the HG&D until spring. If my point total looks iffy, I'll probably go ahead and take all three this fall so I can apply all of those points toward admission.

I really need as high of a score as possible because I am only able to attend beginning in Summer if I am offered nights & weekends. If I'm accepted for admission but only for the days program, I'll have to decline because I can't shift my work hours.

Anyway, thanks for starting this thread. It will be nice to have fellow prospective students with whom to discuss common challenges over the next few months.

FLmomof5 · Aug 19, 2009

FYI....on the Eve/WE application for summer..... This summer there were only 24 E/W slots available. It took around 195 pts to be accepted.

Understand that with the changing economy there are more career changers going to school so many of us older folks are taking slots. We had more than 3 times as many applicants as there were slots avail (for summer term), so do everything you can to max out your points.

Good luck!

SaraFL · Aug 20, 2009

parks, who are you taking for Micro? I'm taking Davis this semester.

Phread, I would go ahead and take the HG&D class. If you can, take Prof. T.G. for that class, she's super nice, and the assignments are easy and you work at your own pace as long as you get done by end of session. The classes that are counted are the 9 or so pre-reqs. I think only part of the NAT test is counted, right? I'm fuzzy about that one.

FLmom, thanks for the info. You are definitely right about maxing out the points as much as possible. I've decided to go ahead and take Stats this semester in hopes I'll get better than a C, which is what I got in College Algebra, just in case I need that little extra advantage. Luckily, I actually want Days so I don't have to stress about getting Nights/Weekends.

Phread01 · Aug 20, 2009

I will be going next summer as well. I just took my NAT test and did pretty good on it. You said you were going to study for it but there is not much you can study for. I would brush up on your basic math like % and fractions but other than that I dont think there is anything you can study for.
I have micro, A&PII and human growth this semester and I am done. I guess I will take a few classes in the spring just to keep me busy while I await the summer. I am looking forward to it though!

How did you figure out your NAT score? I have the Raw and Percentile scores for each section but I have no idea how to convert that to the point total. I read on another thread that you add your raw scores for Academic Aptitude, Reading Comprehension and Natural Sciences and then multiply that number by .64 to get your NAT point total. But when I do that I get more than 120 points, which shouldn't be possible if the highest point total for the NAT is 120.

Can anyone help?

Phread01 · Aug 20, 2009

parks, who are you taking for Micro? I'm taking Davis this semester.
Phread, I would go ahead and take the HG&D class. If you can, take Prof. T.G. for that class, she's super nice, and the assignments are easy and you work at your own pace as long as you get done by end of session. The classes that are counted are the 9 or so pre-reqs. I think only part of the NAT test is counted, right? I'm fuzzy about that one.
FLmom, thanks for the info. You are definitely right about maxing out the points as much as possible. I've decided to go ahead and take Stats this semester in hopes I'll get better than a C, which is what I got in College Algebra, just in case I need that little extra advantage. Luckily, I actually want Days so I don't have to stress about getting Nights/Weekends.

Thanks for the advice. I decided to at least start all three courses and see how the workload feels. I'll probably keep all three since I think if I can just pull a B in each class I'll meet my personal point goal for application for admission and that would still be a higher point total than if I take 2 and get As in them.

PSYCHEE · Aug 20, 2009

I'm not going to be applying for the program until Fall '10 unfortunately, [actually *applying* in the summer but hoping to start in fall of course!] but I wish you luck. :)

I've also noticed what I thought would be the opposite.. people applying for nights/weekends when I thought everyone would want days. This sucks for me, not because I have a job or kids or anything [kudos to those of you who do, I have NO CLUE how you do it] but because North Campus is over 45+ minutes away from me and I am far from a morning person.. I'm usually pretty nocturnal to say the least. So hopefully I'll get nights/weekends. Does anyone know if the program has been moved to Deerwood campus yet, or is it still at North?

rc904 · Aug 21, 2009

I will be applying for Summer 2010 as well. For fall I am finishing up my prereqs by taking A&P II, Microbiology, and Hum Growth & Dev. I have been a MA for 2 years now, and currently work at a hospital in the L&D. I need to take the NAT now just in case I don't do as well as expected. I also am a mother to 5 kids ages 4-15, and husband makes the 6th. I would like to get nights so I can continue to work, but DH works then and it wouldn't fit our schedule.

PSYCHEE thanks for making this thread :wink2:. I've enjoyed reading the prior semester hopefuls, but will enjoy being able to fully participate in one.

Phread01 · Aug 25, 2009

FYI....on the Eve/WE application for summer..... This summer there were only 24 E/W slots available. It took around 195 pts to be accepted.
Understand that with the changing economy there are more career changers going to school so many of us older folks are taking slots. We had more than 3 times as many applicants as there were slots avail (for summer term), so do everything you can to max out your points.
Good luck!

I think there are always only 24 slots available for evenings & weekends. I went to an introduction thingy today with a Q&A session run by Ms. ***** and she said the number for evenings & weekends doesn't change. She also said that evenings & weekends are handed out based on point totals and that it's not offered during Spring semesters, if that information is helpful to anyone.

FLmom, where did you hear that cutoff number for E&W? 195 seems a lot lower than I expected. With over 600 applicants and the initial cutoff running just under 191 points for acceptance to the program, I would have thought the 24 highest point totals would have been a lot higher than 195.

I'm not doubting your information. I'm actually delighted by it. I'm just curious about how you found that number because I've been trying to find it for a while now with no luck at all.

Thanks.

FLmomof5 · Aug 25, 2009

I just finished 1st term summer N/W. I got the information from my classmates. We didn't have 600 apps for summer.