UCF 2013 Accelerated BSN

U.S.A. Florida

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Hello everyone. I'm new to allnurses.com and I just wanted to say congrats to those who got into the 2012 UCF nursing program this summer.

I am a prenursing student at UCF as I am still working on a few prerequisites before I apply to CON.

Seeing you all on here, all going through the things I'll be going through next spring makes me feel better about this whole process.

Good luck to everyone!!! Strap in! It's going to be one kind of a ride from what I've heard.

Is there anyone out there who is planning on applying to accelerated program (ABSN) that starts in summer 2013? I'm starting this thread in hopes of finding many of you who wouldn't mind going through this somewhat stressful process together! :)

I am very excited and hopeful that I'll be accepted next year. I already have a bachelor's degree in finance and investments so my #1 choice is the accelerated route, however I will also apply to the basic program as a back up option, which will start in the fall of 2013.

Anyone has taken TEAS yet? I took it in spring semester and scored 82. My overall GPA is 3.90 and prerequisite GPA 4.0 so far. I still have 4 prerequisites to complete. Should I retake the TEAS? I heard that scoring 90 or above makes you really competitive.

Thanks for all of your responses.

Best of luck!!!

:nurse:

The UCF program is ridiculously and needlessly difficult. If you get accepted to another RN program, I recommend you choose that one instead. I think our class was quoted something like 30% drop out or are kicked out of the program in the first semester. I was one of the 30 percent. You are probably thinking something like, oh, she's a weak student. I have a cumulative gpa of 3.7 and prereq gpa 4.0 and my TEAS was above 90. Plus I had a background in the health field which many of you do not. UCF Nursing says they will give you all kinds of support in the orientation but they do not. They tell you there is tutoring. Even if you can find someone to tutor you (forget the campus tutoring center - no help there), you have no time for tutoring because classes are 8 am to 5 pm every day except one and the building closes at 5:00 pm. They literally kick you out of the building and the skills labs are locked up except during class time. I had to use that one free morning for doctor appointments and school appointments for my kids, etc. so no time. And there are secret signups for extra skills lab time. If you miss it and the skills lab slots fill up, too bad for you. There is also no IT support. They are supposed to have a dedicated IT guy to help with IT issues and believe me there are ALOT of computer issues but if you manage to get 5 minutes to call or see him, he is not in EVER and then he calls you back while you are in class. The campus IT guys just don't respond period. The administration seems to be clueless as to why there is such a high drop rate in the first semester. OK. So this sounds like sour grapes, and it is. I wasted like $7,000 on this program in books and tuition and other costs for one semester. I'm in a program in MO now, and it is wonderful. I learned more useful nursing information in one week than I learned all semester at UCF and at half the cost. Two pieces of advice for those who are locked into doing the UCF program: 1) Make some smart buddies before you even start the semester because everything is team this and group that. It's supposed to make you a better team player but if you get stuck with the dumb students it will either bring your grade down or you will spend a lot of extra time doing all the work on the project. 2) Just get the eBooks and forget the texts. That will save you some cash. The ebooks have quizzes that the teachers use to make up their exams. They strongly encourage you at orientation to get both and tell you what a "great deal" it is to get both, but I never used most of my texts, only the ebooks. Some of our books didn't even arrive until halfway through the semester. Also some good news, if you do make it through this hellish nightmare experience, you are almost certainly guaranteed to pass the NCLEX. UCF has like a 99% pass rate. Good luck and hope you have a positive nursing student experience wherever you decide to attend.

Specializes in Mother Baby / NICU.
The UCF program is ridiculously and needlessly difficult. If you get accepted to another RN program I recommend you choose that one instead. I think our class was quoted something like 30% drop out or are kicked out of the program in the first semester. I was one of the 30 percent. You are probably thinking something like, oh, she's a weak student. I have a cumulative gpa of 3.7 and prereq gpa 4.0 and my TEAS was above 90. Plus I had a background in the health field which many of you do not. UCF Nursing says they will give you all kinds of support in the orientation but they do not. They tell you there is tutoring. Even if you can find someone to tutor you (forget the campus tutoring center - no help there), you have no time for tutoring because classes are 8 am to 5 pm every day except one and the building closes at 5:00 pm. They literally kick you out of the building and the skills labs are locked up except during class time. I had to use that one free morning for doctor appointments and school appointments for my kids, etc. so no time. And there are secret signups for extra skills lab time. If you miss it and the skills lab slots fill up, too bad for you. There is also no IT support. They are supposed to have a dedicated IT guy to help with IT issues and believe me there are ALOT of computer issues but if you manage to get 5 minutes to call or see him, he is not in EVER and then he calls you back while you are in class. The campus IT guys just don't respond period. The administration seems to be clueless as to why there is such a high drop rate in the first semester. OK. So this sounds like sour grapes, and it is. I wasted like $7,000 on this program in books and tuition and other costs for one semester. I'm in a program in MO now, and it is wonderful. I learned more useful nursing information in one week than I learned all semester at UCF and at half the cost. Two pieces of advice for those who are locked into doing the UCF program: 1) Make some smart buddies before you even start the semester because everything is team this and group that. It's supposed to make you a better team player but if you get stuck with the dumb students it will either bring your grade down or you will spend a lot of extra time doing all the work on the project. 2) Just get the eBooks and forget the texts. That will save you some cash. The ebooks have quizzes that the teachers use to make up their exams. They strongly encourage you at orientation to get both and tell you what a "great deal" it is to get both, but I never used most of my texts, only the ebooks. Some of our books didn't even arrive until halfway through the semester. Also some good news, if you do make it through this hellish nightmare experience, you are almost certainly guaranteed to pass the NCLEX. UCF has like a 99% pass rate. Good luck and hope you have a positive nursing student experience wherever you decide to attend.[/quote']

Wow, thanks for your insight, RN4Kelly, I had no idea about the drop-out rate, that's scary. It seems like being in these accelerated programs means you can't have much of a life outside of them, which would be incredibly hard if you have small children or needed to work. Do you think that students who had jobs/kids was also factor in the drop-out rate? I'm glad you found a program that works much better for you! :)

I understand that RN4kelly had a harsh experience at UCF and she does make extremely valid points in regards to skills labs being limited and group work in the first semester to be the focus (this diminishes greatly after the first semester) and the pass rate for NcLEx being 99%. However, I understand there are a lot of parents who are vying to attend UCF and I must point out that some of the people with the highest grade point averages in our class are parents. Most know how to juggle time between family, studying, class and clinicals bc there is no other option. I just wanted to put some of the mamas at ease that it is extremely possible to do this program with children, even though the school would like to tell you differently...in fact, more than 35% of our current class as kiddos... And more than 50% are married or in serious committed relationships... Just throwing it out there bc if I read the prior post I would think I am instantly doomed if I have kids and a hubby. I mean no disrespect to the previous poster bc she does make extremely valid points but there are wonderful things about the program too... Every program has kinks and headaches... Your job will be to deal with it.

Ohhh and working will be near impossible during your first two semesters. 2nd semester is said to be the hardest. Some people are currently working in the third semester bc we have more free time but only on a part- time or PRN (per diem) status.

Thank you zeus&lincoln for your response.

I am preparing myself for extremely hard work but hearing it in such harsh words makes you wonder if you can really do it.

I believe I can. I know it won't be easy but ill get to the finish line if I'm given a chance !!!

Stay positive everyone. We GOT THIS!!!

...There is also no IT support. They are supposed to have a dedicated IT guy to help with IT issues and believe me there are ALOT of computer issues but if you manage to get 5 minutes to call or see him, he is not in EVER and then he calls you back while you are in class. The campus IT guys just don't respond period...

If this worries anyone... not a problem. I can help with this. It's the background I'm coming from.

Thank you, Zeus&Lincoln, for sharing your perspective; it is very reassuring. And Gradius, I love your spirit of teamwork and your drive to persevere. Just like Nursowiczka2b said, we need to stay positive! This profession comes with many challenges, and this program will be foundational in preparing us for what's ahead. I'm sure there will be many obstacles along the way, but in the end, they will probably make us stronger and more proficient at what we do.

Thank you zeus&lincoln for offering your help. My husband just volunteered to help out as well if any of the IT problems surface. He's is an engineer and loves that stuff. Lol

Well, looks like all we have left for now is to wait those longs weeks they want us to and find out if we're given a shot at this!

I am optimistic! You should be too!! We will succeed!

:)

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the wonderful help! I was wondering how I should study for the TEAS exam? How long did you study? Should I buy the ATI book and online exams? :)

Personally, I didn't spend a lot of time studying for it, but my background is in education and I recently took all of my science prerequisite courses. I bought McGraw-Hill's book of 5 TEAS practice tests at Barnes & Noble for about $12, and I worked through all of the problems so I would be familiar with the format. I timed myself at first, but after a while, I just took my time going through it, reading the explanations for any that I missed. All said and done, I spent no more than 3 days studying for it. The book was very helpful to me, though, and I would recommend it. Good luck to you! :)

I have a question about the background check. It's showing that my background check is complete (except for the last part under fingerprinting that the school has to fill in). When I look at the actual background check document, it shows that an attempt was made to contact my previous employer. Do you know if this gets updated when contact has been made with the employer?

So glad to have my application in :)

On my document, it looks like it took them three tries to verify my employment. Under "contact history", it shows that there was "no answer" the first two attempts, but next to the third attempt, it states, "entered results". Beneath the "contact history" is a section called "additional questions" where it shows that they asked if I was eligible for rehire, and my employer's response was that I am "current". Inititally, I was concerned that they were unable to make contact, but the day I was going to follow up with a call, I saw that it had been updated. If you're worried about it, you might want to call CP just to make sure it's as it should be. I hope this helps!

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