[dreambig11]

Hello All-
I'm new to allnurses but have been searching around the site for a little while now. I currently attend a 4 year university in Minnesota but am extremely interested in the BSN program at UIC. I have been in contact with the CON this summer and plan on applying for early admission in October. I would just love to hear from those of you who have been accepted to UIC for the BSN program. I just want to know what my chances are of getting in. I have a 3.55 gpa. It would be great to get any stories or advice. THANKS

[babybumbleebee]

Hi. im not sure what gpa is good for acceptance to the program but i think they do place a pretty large weight on it or so it seems. i heard from someone who had all As and Bs and she was placed on the waiting list. There only take about 100 or so applicants for each class. i would recommend applying early and also make sure u have all paperwork on time including letters of recommendation and etc.

[sallyinchicago]

Hi!

I am starting at UIC for their BSN program this August! I really cannot tell you if a 3.5 would get you in, the average gpa of this year's starting class was a 3.7. This year, 800 people applied and only 90 got in. I would say make your application as strong as possible, and hopefully you received A's in most or all of your prereqs for the program. Good luck!

[pm80]

I'm also starting the BSN program this fall . Your GPA is good but you should keep in mind that the majority of applicants will have comparable GPAs. What I think you should focus on at this point is writing a really strong essay for yourself. This will be a much more effective way to distinguish yourself from the pack. Paint them a picture not just of why you think you should be in a nursing program, but why you think you should be in their nursing program. Keep in mind that they are a large research focused university program. I don't think they are really interested in just cranking out floor nurses. Rather they are more interested in individuals who want to pursue advanced degrees and who will function not just as clinicians , but as researchers, leaders, and educators as well. I don't think you neccessarily have to make that a focus of your essay to get in, just be aware that those are the types of individuals that they likely prefer. Just my

Good luck!

[crazylilkelly]

You might want to consider applying to UIC nursing program in champaign-urbana. i just graduated there. There are a lot less applicants b/c cu isn't as big as chi. Down here, the UIC program is at the university of illinois. most of the SN, including myself, did our first 2 yrs @ uofi. uic & uofi are sister colleges so they work together a lot. also, our med school is UIC down here.
Pros of CU:
-way cheaper living
--WWWWAAAAAYYYYY less traffic & commute time. you can literally walk to the 2 major hospitals here from campus. most clinicals are within 10 minutes of campus. you may have at least one clinical that is out of town 30-40 min.
--very intimate college. there are only 45 students per class. we were all very tight.
-you can live on campus, or live 5 min away & live in a non-collegey atmosphere. this is a big 10 school...so there's always tons of events going on.
--super cute downtown area.
--AMAZING instructors.
--in general, i just think it would be less stressful going to school down here the in chi.
CONs
--its not chicago!!! i love my city! if you know for certain that you want the city life then you might just stick w/ chi. cu only has about 100,000 people (but there are tons to down here....which is why my husband & decided to stay & raise a fam here)
-nursing programs facilites not as nice as chi campus

you can only apply to one campus site. i remember i was seriously considering chicago b/c i love the city so much. but when cost of living & my odds of getting accepted came into play I decided on cu...& don't regret it. i love the intimacy of the program.
good luck!

[destined2bCRNA]

Originally Posted by pm80

I'm also starting the BSN program this fall . Your GPA is good but you should keep in mind that the majority of applicants will have comparable GPAs. What I think you should focus on at this point is writing a really strong essay for yourself. This will be a much more effective way to distinguish yourself from the pack. Paint them a picture not just of why you think you should be in a nursing program, but why you think you should be in their nursing program. Keep in mind that they are a large research focused university program. I don't think they are really interested in just cranking out floor nurses. Rather they are more interested in individuals who want to pursue advanced degrees and who will function not just as clinicians , but as researchers, leaders, and educators as well. I don't think you neccessarily have to make that a focus of your essay to get in, just be aware that those are the types of individuals that they likely prefer. Just my

Good luck!

I'm starting my senior year at UIC in a couple of weeks. Pm is correct! They really pay attention to the essay portion of the application. Make your essay as intimate as possible, so they can visualize the reasons you desire to become a nurse. If you have plans on continuing your education at a later time, mention that as well. Yes, UIC has absolutely no interest in pumping out floor nurses. Also, make sure you apply for early admit. I did that and received an email of acceptance on December 14th! I was encouraged to apply for early decision by an advisor. She told me that it was better to do so because there's less applicants for early decision and even if you're not chosen, you automatically go back into the applicant pool for regular decison so the odds are better. I got in with a 3.6, mostly A's in my science prereqs.

[HAnurse2b]

Do you need all your pre-reqs to apply??

[prinsessa]

Originally Posted by HAnurse2b

Do you need all your pre-reqs to apply??

No....I know quite a few people who got in with a few pre-reqs left to take.

[HAnurse2b]

does uic have a waiting list?