College of DuPage ADN - Any current students?

U.S.A. Illinois

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I am looking at applying to COD for the Spring and was hoping to touch base with some current students to get a student's perspective on the program. I am currently at a 4-year university and am considering transferring over to COD's 3+1 program because financially it is smarter for me. I'm really interested in finding out how the COD program runs as far as class load, hours spent in class, clinical, and studying per week from your perspective. Also wondering how much "busy work" COD gives (clinical worksheets, papers, projects, etc.) compared to straight testing. I was told that only 2-3 courses are taken every 8 weeks, which leads me to believe that I may be able to swing more work hours as well. Thoughts?

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Hello! Not sure if this is true but I had heard that COD was having a hard time securing clinical spots and were having some students complete their 8 hour shift in the sim lab. I am a long time COD student and completed their CNA program which was pretty intense (something you also need for their nursing program) and had considered their program until I heard this (from a teacher btw, not a disgruntled student). The problem is that the program is growing by leaps and bounds and you take a risk anytime your in a program that is not hospital based.

I have also heard that because its a community college and they had struggled with being certified in the past- that their program was more intense then it needed to be.

Good luck : )

Renee

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Thanks for that info Renee. I just went to their advising session and learned that they are accredited, but the clinical you mention is a source of concern. I'm going to have to inquire about that. I know many of the hospitals were turning away ADN programs for clinicals because of the shift to BSN, but now that COD is partnering with Benedictine, Governor's State, and NIU for the 3+1, I wonder where that leaves them in the eyes of the hospitals for clinical. I'm surprised to hear their CNA program was so intense. I took my CNA at CMK in Westmont years ago and it was a joke, but I learned the basics. I'm not looking for an easy out, but my journey at this 4 year university has cost me tens of thousands of dollars, and I can't work anything more than 10 hours a week because it's so intense and a lot of busy work.

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Hi! I know this is a few months later but I figured I'd share just in case :))

I am going to be starting my 2nd year in the COD ADN program in the fall. Their curriculum is changing for new students, but here's what I can tell you about what they've shared with us and from my experience so far-

1. There have been no problems getting in to hospitals for clinicals, that I know of. The farthest you'll travel for clinical is probably 40-45 minutes away from campus (ie- Loyola, Westlake) so it's not bad :))

2. COD is certified and accredited. The only issue that new grads have [and this is for ALL nursing students everywhere] is finding jobs right away, which is greatly due to the lack of positions available (the Chicagoland area has no nursing shortage). Plus, since it's an ADN program and many 'prestige' hospitals are becoming magnet status, they require a BSN. However, the hospital I work at hires ADN's as well as Loyola, Alexian Brothers, Rush Copley, Good Sam, and many hospitals closer to the city. You can also consider working in an outpatient setting like a physician's office or an outpatient surgery center :)) Working as a CNA/PCT helps, too!

3. You can expect to devote a lot of time into studying and reading outside of class. The first semester isn't TOO bad. I am not a good test taker and a slow reader, and I probably spent around 20-30 hours/week on school-related things (NOT including clinical, lectures, lab, etc). Of course, some weeks it was much less and some was more...just depends on what's due that week/tests coming up.

4. I wouldn't say there's a LOT of busy work, but there's definitely a fair share of assignments that are due that take up some time, like care plans, teaching presentations, etc.

5. I don't know how the new curriculum is for incoming students, but for us our clinical schedule varied between 7-16 hours/week (clinical is 2X a week for second year. The most you could be seeing for your first year is 12 hours/week).

6. There are people who work full time, have kids, etc that do well in the program. However, there are others that barely scrape by or that fail a class because they have too much on their plate. COD recommends people work 20 hours/week or less. Just because a class is 8 weeks long doesn't mean it won't be challenging. It's a lot of material covered in a short amount of time, so don't bank on picking up extra shifts. However, depending on your study style and time management, it's definitely doable. I work 16 hours/week at the most during the school year at my hospital. I had to take a week "vacation" because I got too busy to work at all during part of the spring semester, so sometimes 16 hours is too hard.

7. COD's mega cheap and their partnership with Benedictine to get your BSN is only 10-12K for 1 year (if you're working at a hospital that can help reimburse you, that'll help also!)

COD wasn't initially my first choice b/c I wanted to go straight into a BSN program, but I honestly can say that it was a blessing in disguise that my 1st choice didn't work out. COD is very hands-on and you get a lot of opportunities to practice your skills and critical thinking in clinicals. Some BSN programs only have their students pass meds 1 time a semester---can you believe that?! We are given such great opportunities to work with wonderful hospitals in the area and the majority of the teachers that work at COD are amazing and want you to succeed. But it is very hard work! You will be challenged and you'll learn a lot. I wouldn't have picked any other school to get my initial RN degree from :))

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You will hear experienced nurses say the best trained new grads of any Chicagoland program come from College of DuPage. Arguably the best nursing school in Illinois and why hospitals that aren't supposedly hiring ADN's still hire COD grads.

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Hi!

I NEED HELP FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS RECENTLY TAKEN THE HESI A2 EXAM AT COLLEGE OF DUPAGE!!!

I will be taking the HESI A2 exam for the ADN program at College of Dupage. On their website, they describe the sections of the HESI that applicants will be tested on: "reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and general knowledge, A&P, learning style and personality traits. NO WHERE does it say anything about MATH. I am THRILLED because I HATE math and always do poorly on those sections!! Does anyone know what the "general knowledge" section is? I hope it is not math.... I called COD and the testing center has no idea. I also spoke with a counselor who said it is just general things learned along the way like health care terms, things seen in the newspaper...etc. Seriously?

PLEASE HELP!

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The general knowledge was just that, very basic knowledge, high-school level information. There is no math at all, but there is a section where you read possible patient scenarios or situations and resond with the best possible answer, but none of the answers are wrong, but some are more correct than others, you have to try to figure out the best possible answer. I don't think this section counts toward your total score, but it may help if they are trying to decide between two students to admit, so just use your best common sense with this section.

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Hi Blonde Ambition I applied to the program and was wondering if you did get in and how hard it was. I have two kids and I'm worried about making sure that i have enough time to study.

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I'm applying to cod for a spring 2015 start. I was just wondering if any current or future students would share their rank score or any info about how many people applied/were accepted for their semester etc.

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I can tell you guys a few things... I'm wrapping up my first semester in the ADN program and have a plenty to say.

My rank score was about 13.5. I have spoken to plenty of girls who took almost zero classes at COD, other girls who got C's, etc etc. Overall, I did not think I would get in, but I was not even waitlisted. In my semester, we apparently had over 200 applicants and accepted 80 students. I heard this fall had even less applicants. I highly recommend taking microbiology prior to your acceptance.

Overall, the program is okay. Like someone said, our curriculum was updated last Fall which has been a bit of a mess due to confusion and just hiccups while they figure it out. I like the program, personally I don't have any kids. However, I know a lot of girls (and guys!) do have children. I know they struggle at times, but we all do. If you make the time, you'll do great!

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Run for the hills

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