University of Maryland Spring 2010

jumpforjune · Oct 21, 2009, 11:47 AM

I got into Towson too and that's where I'm going since I was able to corner some UMB nursing students and discovered that the age group for the UMB is MUCH older... Towson is in my age range 21-26 years old and not 26-30+ like it is for the BSN at UMB.... it was explained to me that Towson has a much closer group of BSN students since they are just doing college and not family, kids, other small jobs like they are at UMB.... so that's why I chose the more college student friendly environment...I don't have a husband at home and well I'm young so I wanted a camraderie (prob. spelled that wrong & other stuff)

jumpforjune · Oct 21, 2009, 11:52 AM

I'm coming from the loch raven area so I'm way closer to Towson if that helps.... commute and atmosphere and UMB is well just taking too long to make up their minds...

Grey Lady · Oct 21, 2009, 12:04 PM

Sounds like you made the best decision for you. Nursing students need all the support they can get from each other. Best of luck to you. But.......you don't really think 26 to 30+ is old, do you? ):

kfaith82 · Oct 21, 2009, 12:18 PM

Well, I'll be in the 'old' groups of students (as you put it

) come January at the ripe old age of 27 and this will be my second bachelor's, and I've been to grad school. (I guess I've been around the block!) So, that is a consideration for me. I mean, I'm not 'settled' with a husband and kids, but I will have a part-time job through nursing school and I'm kinda an old lady when it comes to going out during the week.

This could be something to consider between Towson and UMB. I just really want the best place for my career. I wonder if anyone knows about the clinical sites. I mean each school has sites everywhere but is selection competitiver? Or, if you decide to do ICU at Hopkins, can you get it?

jumpforjune · Oct 21, 2009, 01:32 PM

since I'm 19 getting ready for 20... yes I do think 26 is in an older group and well I get talked down a lot by nurses who have backgrounds in other areas... such as education, finance, art... like I have no idea what the real world is like. I work 60 hours a week have my own insurance; rent out my own apartment, but somehow having a family makes you more mature and sometimes I don't agree with that mentality on the nursing floor and I've grown tired of the 25+ range of adults who shove it in our faces that they have 'experience'...more like experience in 'stuff doesn't work out always'... well of course... well congratulations and they tend to have memory loss because they seem to repeat themselves over and over that they have other degrees and nursing is a 'quick fix' to their boring lives.... I doubt getting a nursing degree will fix that... only they can do that.

Sorry that is my experience with the older groups.

Grey Lady · Oct 21, 2009, 01:34 PM

I would imagine that Hopkins clinical sites are only available to Hopkins nursing students. UMB does a lot of clinicals at the University of Maryand Medical Center and we at Shady Grove send our students to Walter Reed and NIH among many others. And there is no selection, really, it is more of a lottery. UMB Clinical sites and schedules are posted on our website just before registration opens. All students register for clinicals on line on the same day starting at the same time. If you are lucky you get your first choice, if not.....maybe you can find someone to trade with. I admit to being totally biased about UMB and would not hesitate to recommend it over any other school. (and, yes, that includes Hopkin$!) But if you want some unbiased info - check out the NCLEX first time pass rates on the Maryland Board of Nursing and the school rankings in US News & World Report - we always make the top 10.

kfaith82 · Oct 21, 2009, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by Grey Lady

I would imagine that Hopkins clinical sites are only available to Hopkins nursing students. UMB does a lot of clinicals at the University of Maryand Medical Center and we at Shady Grove send our students to Walter Reed and NIH among many others. And there is no selection, really, it is more of a lottery. UMB Clinical sites and schedules are posted on our website just before registration opens. All students register for clinicals on line on the same day starting at the same time. If you are lucky you get your first choice, if not.....maybe you can find someone to trade with. I admit to being totally biased about UMB and would not hesitate to recommend it over any other school. (and, yes, that includes Hopkin$!) But if you want some unbiased info - check out the NCLEX first time pass rates on the Maryland Board of Nursing and the school rankings in US News & World Report - we always make the top 10.

Thank you for the good advice. I did see that Towson does have clinical sites at Hopkins, but I was wondering how available they are or do the majority of Towson students go to GBMC or St. joes?

I do know the quality of UMB and JHU's programs. I have looked over NCLEX pass rates, US News Rankings, spoken with MD's and RN's about their opinions. I hear I should go to UMB for their academics or that I should go to Towson for its proximity to home and smaller program. Shady Grove campus does sound nice but that would be like a 3 hour commute in traffic for me. Thanks though!

Grey Lady · Oct 21, 2009, 02:04 PM

I am sure you will end up with the best fit for you - you have done your homework. Best of luck to you!

Grey Lady · Oct 21, 2009, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by jumpforjune

since I'm 19 getting ready for 20... yes I do think 26 is in an older group and well I get talked down a lot by nurses who have backgrounds in other areas... such as education, finance, art... like I have no idea what the real world is like. I work 60 hours a week have my own insurance; rent out my own apartment, but somehow having a family makes you more mature and sometimes I don't agree with that mentality on the nursing floor and I've grown tired of the 25+ range of adults who shove it in our faces that they have 'experience'...more like experience in 'stuff doesn't work out always'... well of course... well congratulations and they tend to have memory loss because they seem to repeat themselves over and over that they have other degrees and nursing is a 'quick fix' to their boring lives.... I doubt getting a nursing degree will fix that... only they can do that.

Sorry that is my experience with the older groups.

Oh, I am sorry you had that kind of experience. Hopefully, you won't find the same in school as you will all be on the same playing field as students. Those of us who are older have to remember how we can come across to younger people - we were all there once upon a time.

mother_matters · Oct 21, 2009, 06:06 PM

JumpforJune's post gave me a chuckle. At the ripe old age of 38, I must seem like a fossil! I've definitely learned that age discrimination works both ways. When I made the decision to return to school to pursue a nursing degree (not because my life was boring as JumpforJune suggested but because interests and passions continue to evolve throughout our lives), I had to take many science prerequisites because my original career field was finance. I'll never forget my biology lab when we had to carefully inject plasmid DNA into the agarose gel to study the concept of electrophoresis. Our instructor assigned new groups for this lab assignment and I found myself at a table with students that I hadn't previously worked with during the semester. One of my new (very young) lab partners looked at me and said, "I guess I should go ahead and do this since your hands are probably shaky". What!?! Did she think that because of my "advanced age" that I had Parkinson's? Little did she know that I was a former military officer who was actually very steady with a trigger!!! I simply smiled and encouraged her to give it a try. I couldn't help but laugh because I remember all too well how "old" a thirty-something seems when you're in your late teens/early twenties. My hope for you, JumpforJune, is that you'll get to experience being old someday too---it beats the alternative!

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