Anyone apply to the accelerated Michigan State University or U of M program for '10?

UpNorthTC · Feb 25, 2010

I can't believe neither of you guys got in either! :confused: That sucks! I'm also wondering, "who did get in?"

gumby, that's awesome you got into UofM!! Their program is really good... it's rated higher than MSU's!

ejcl68, I really hope you get into one of the other programs you applied to!! Good luck with everything!

I did finish my application for UDM today, so we'll see what happens with that. It's encouraging to here that UofM accepted people that MSU rejected. My only worry about the UofM one now is I didn't finish my app until near the end of January. Since they have rolling admission and it seems like a lot of people already know they got in, I hope there are some spots left!

Thank you so much for the encouragement everyone! :redbeathe

gumby1411 · Feb 25, 2010

TC - UM deadline wasn't until Feb. 1. So, yes, your app was in later than others, but you were still in before the deadline. My application was dated August 13th, so since I applied FOREVER ago, I found out a little earlier than others. Hopefully you hear from UDM soon. My friend that started their program in January said she got her acceptance in 2 weeks! I girl in my Organic Chem class applied there and said the same thing - she got her acceptance in 2 weeks. Not to get your hopes up, but hopefully you find out soon and then can start making plans for your future.

ejcl68 - I think you have a point with the med school thing. Nursing really is not easy to get into right now. With the economy in the toilet, esp here in Michigan, there is such a huge influx of nursing students that the schools can't meet the demand. While at one of the many informational sessions I attended, I asked why there were so few spaces available and I was told that they can only have x students per 1 teacher. So, they don't have enough instructors to cover all the students. Plus, they don't have enough spots to place students for clinicals. At UM's info session, they told us they had over 350 people applying for under 60 spots (I think they have 56 or 58 spaces). Where else did you apply?

I'm really excited about going to UM. It's only a 20 minute drive whereas MSU would've taken me 1+ hour...on a good day. That really made me nervous. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to pay for it!

ejcl68 · Feb 25, 2010

Hi Gumby and TC,

I know things changed big time since about years 3 ago. I know Wayne State took 78 people out of only about 120 who applied not that long ago. Now they take about 48 out of 200 + qualified applicants. They basically rank the top 48 based on science and overall pre-req nursing and that's who gets in period. I have a close friend of mine who is also applying to UDM PA school and nursing at other schools. Based on what he is telling me, it appears nursing is just as hard to get in as PA school. I have also heard that the difficulty of getting in is based largely on the limited number of teachers and clinical spots. My opinion -hire more staff!!! Maybe this is too simplistic but I can't believe a large university like MSU or others cannot take more than 50 students at a time- but that seems to be the magic number at many schools.

Anyhow, I am also applying to Wayne State, Oakland, and a school outside the state. I am also strongly considering UDM but they have a strict policy on how old your classes can be. Several of my science courses(chemistry and micro) are more than 7 years old. I decided since I have 4.0's, I really don't want to spend $2000 on retaking classes at this point. That's the main reason I suspended my application for U of M. I had a 3.6 going in but conveniently tucked away on their application - they too state that all science classes must be less than 7 year old. They never told us that at the info meeting and when people asked, they said only A & P had to be recent. Oh well. I am finding that all schools have their own sets of rules.

After getting a good night of sleep I thought to myself that MSU may not been the best fit because of the distance. Now I have some time to get CNA experience before I start a program. I would have loved to have gone there, but it wasn't meant to be. I just wish I knew what their reasoning was since I had a great goal statement, outstanding references, and a competitive GPA. I might agree with TC that maybe my undergrad GPA factored in. I don't know. Maybe they look at everything since many people have great GPA's. They have to find a way to take the best of the best. But I wonder if they really even consider the other things or is GPA king. I am thinking Oakland just may be the best fit for me location wise and their program is only 12 months. I have friends going there in May 2010 so I should be able to get some tips and advice if I get accepted.

Sorry to ramble but it's nice to talk to people in my situation. I hope we get in somewhere TC!! Congrats Gumby on U of M. I think you will love it there. I have heard so many good things. I know I was very impressed with them when I went up there.

cassie87 · Feb 28, 2010

Hi everyone

So probably like most of you I have come to this forum due to a general lack of an idea of what is going on with this whole admissions process. I just found out a few days ago I got accepted to MSU, which is awesome but also frustrating because I have not heard from any other schools, and so the idea of moving to east lansing in 2 months with no other word is a little scary.

But anyway, since it's looking that may actually be what happens, I was wondering if anyone else who got in the program/will be attending had any advice about finding apartments, where to live, that sort of thing. I'm from the chicago area, and went to school in Wisconsin, so I am not super familiar with MSU or the East Lansing area.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, and congrats to everyone who got in! I'm very excited about potentially beginning school soon!

UpNorthTC · Mar 2, 2010

I can't believe I still haven't heard anything from UofM. I'm sure they filled most of the spots because of the rolling admission, but I just want to know so I stop compulsively checking the Wolverine Access site...seriously, someone needs to take my computer away from me so I stop checking that site! it's out of control! lol.

Cassie87: Congrats on Getting into MSU!! Don't feel nervous about moving to MSU. It's a great program and a great place to live. I love living in East Lansing!! Here are some website to use while looking for an apartment.

http://www.dtnmgt.com/ -this is DTN, they own most of the student apartments around East Lansing. I have my apartment through them and I have not had any problems. The website has lots of info and pics.

http://www.msurent.com/ -this is an office in one of the bookstore in EL and they help you find apartments...they are owned by DTN though (the 1st website I gave you). I would look at the DTN website to get an idea of what has and then call the number on this web page, they'll let you know what apartments are still available for rent.

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/classified/apts_for_rent -this is a link to the State News which is the MSU newspaper. The classifieds here will let you know what deals are out there and give you phone #'s for apartments not owned by DTN.

I don't know a lot about apartments in the Lansing area but I have heard they are cheaper.

I hope this helps! Good luck! :)

ejcl68 · Mar 2, 2010

Hi TC, hopefully you will hear soon and I hope it's good news. Maybe give them a call?? Don't give up!! I don't think the spots are all taken so keep the faith. Plus, people sometimes decide not to attend for whatever reason so spots may open up later on. I just interviewed today with Oakland and it went very well. I really like their program and hope I am accepted. I have to wait about 2 more weeks until I hear back. It's so nerve racking so I hear you. The good news is they will email decisions so I don't have to keep frantically checking. I wish U of M was more prompt with their decisions. I know people who applied last year and waited 5-6 months on decisions. Good luck to you!!

cassie87 · Mar 3, 2010

TC: thank you so much! I really appreciate your help. I actually went up to MSU today, and really like the look of the campus, but found a lot the university employees, including the college of nursing to be not so helpful, so I was very excited to see your reply! (Also the college is crazy far from everything else on campus, so i suppose I will be heavily utilizing the bus system, especially if there is no parking for students.)

Also, I agree with you about UofM. I also applied there, and was really really hoping to get in, but I haven't heard anything yet either. It's not looking very good, although I suppose candidates like you and I might be offered spots later if people decide not to go. The hilarious part is that by then I might be already living in East Lansing.

Thank you again so much for your help, and good luck - this process hasn't been a picnic for anybody.

ejcl68 · Mar 4, 2010

Hi Cassie, Congrats on getting into MSU. I am applying to three other schools but was denied for MSU. I was just curious what it took to get in. I had a 3.7 nursing pre-req since going back to school + CNA and hospital experience. I read a few others who had even higher GPAs not get in. I know it's water under the bridge but to me, I have no idea what MSU was looking for. It's almost like they drew numbers out of a hat. No sour grapes here just wondering. I actually am hoping to get into one of my other programs since they are more local to where I live. MSU is a good hike for me.

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Mar 4, 2010

TC: thank you so much! I really appreciate your help. I actually went up to MSU today, and really like the look of the campus, but found a lot the university employees, including the college of nursing to be not so helpful, so I was very excited to see your reply! (Also the college is crazy far from everything else on campus, so i suppose I will be heavily utilizing the bus system, especially if there is no parking for students.)
Also, I agree with you about UofM. I also applied there, and was really really hoping to get in, but I haven't heard anything yet either. It's not looking very good, although I suppose candidates like you and I might be offered spots later if people decide not to go. The hilarious part is that by then I might be already living in East Lansing.
Thank you again so much for your help, and good luck - this process hasn't been a picnic for anybody.

Hey Cassie, I currently live in E. Lansing. The apartments in EL are extremely expensive because of all the students but if you are looking for something more affordable you should look into apartments in the Lansing area. Im not sure how old you are, but if youre in your early 20's another option may be Chandler Crossings. The apartments are fully furnished and they have separate bedrooms with private baths for each occupant with a communal kitchen and living area. Its kind of hard to explain so here's the site: http://www.chandlercrossings.com. And yes, the bus system is going to work wonders for you, thats how we get from class to class on campus. But the bus service doesnt run on campus during the summer (if I remember correctly) so that may be a problem for you. But then again, during the summer there isnt a restriction on where you can park (I think!) because the campus is pretty much dead. But Good luck and congrats on being accepted!

cassie87 · Mar 8, 2010

Hi Cassie, Congrats on getting into MSU. I am applying to three other schools but was denied for MSU. I was just curious what it took to get in. I had a 3.7 nursing pre-req since going back to school + CNA and hospital experience. I read a few others who had even higher GPAs not get in. I know it's water under the bridge but to me, I have no idea what MSU was looking for. It's almost like they drew numbers out of a hat. No sour grapes here just wondering. I actually am hoping to get into one of my other programs since they are more local to where I live. MSU is a good hike for me.

As far as what MSU was looking for, I couldn't have less of a clue. Actually that's sort of a broad statement towards these programs in general - it left me almost wishing there was a pseduo-nursing-mCAT. I just graduated from undergrad and my overall GPA is pretty much the same as yours - as far as prereq GPA, I'm not exactly sure. I took a lot of science classes, so they all kinda get tossed together. I had hospital experience too, but I would bet I'm on the younger end of the spectrum for this program, so probably not any more experience than others. Again, I'm honestly not sure what they were looking for, sorry to say.

To all others, thanks again for the tips - the potential (and very soon) move to east lansing doesn't seem quite as daunting. Also if anyone is in that program for this May, let me know!

Guest399960 · Mar 16, 2010

Ok, so I didn't apply to U of M at all, but I was one of what seems like the very few that managed to get in to MSU for May 2010. But before I go any further, and this may seem strange, but I want to tell you guys a story. Trust me, you'll see my point in the end. Also, if anyone can suggest another place to post the same where more people who might know about this could respond, I would greatly appreciate it. I sincerely apologize for length, but it's time I got it off my chest.

May 2005: Graduated from Schoolcraft College with honors and first associate degree, and straight A's in all science prereqs for nursing.

Winter 2006: Entered Wayne County Community College's nursing program.

April 2007: Left WCCCD's nursing program, along with MANY others after finding them to be illiterate, racist, unorganized, and unaccredited (at the time).

May-August 2007: Left state to attend NYU for the summer and to clear my head. While doing so, made many phone calls to Michigan community colleges and universities to see about their nursing programs. I looked into Madonna, OU, Wayne, U of M, MSU, UDM, EMU, Monroe CC, Jackson CC, and a few more that I can't remember. All the CC's had waiting lists, and that was not an option for me after having come so far. Madonna and a couple of others wouldn't consider me because I had already been in and left a nursing program. Also, their traditional programs are too long.

August 2007: Began hearing about these 2nd bachelors degree programs. Enrolled at Eastern Michigan University to get first bachelors degree, as I had 90+ crs from Schoolcraft and 50+ from WCCCD, so I didnt' have that far to go.

October 2007: Showed up at EMU's nursing office for a scheduled nursing information session along with several other people, only to be greeted by a semi-dark office containing one individual, whom I approached only to be told without concern that the meeting was this morning. The woman was rude, unintelligent, and had no people skills. She gave me a bad impression of the nursing program, and it stuck. I chose to never look back on EMU's nursing program, and used them solely for the purpose of earning my first degree (though I could have done better by pulling my certificate out of a cracker jack box).

March 2008: Made personal visit to UDM. Was greeted by the same type of personality as EMU. Began to wonder why I wanted to be a nurse to help people when people are so rude. Then I remembered the money and job security.

June 2008: Was in video store and ran into a girl I took a nurse assistant class with a few years ago. She told me she had basically been going through the same thing until she and her friend came across the University of Toledo. They had an associate, bachelors, and direct entry masters program. I thanked her, and shortly after applied to the bachelors program. I was told that I needed several more prereqs than the average program, and that some I did have wouldn't transfer and that I would have to retake them. I said no way am I retaking anything. I applied for the masters program, didn't get in which was fine with me because that was way more work and effort than I wanted to put in. I applied to the associates with my best friend. The advisor was/is a complete idiot, made us wait 35 minutes past our appointment time with her because in the two weeks since we had made the appointment, she failed to be bothered with looking at our information and had to familiarize herself with us and our transcripts really quickly. Upon looking at mine, she decided due to my grades that I was a great candidate, and that I just needed to take some stupid HESI test (of course because NET, NLN, TEAS, and whatever else I wasted time and money on wasn't sufficient), and a Chemistry class, which I'd never had before. For my friend, she said she had to look into things a bit more because she had so many transcripts. One of them was from her very first school that she attended for one year at 18 years old. She failed out of the school. This was 20 years ago. She got a call from the brainless advisor two weeks later that said because the courses she failed 20 YEARS AGO included A+P, she could not apply to the program because that already added up to two transferred failures in their nursing program!! But you know what? I knew that she wouldn't get in after that meeting because this advisor took a racist attitude against my Indian BF. She asked me all the questions and barely looked at her in the meeting. And she had the nerve to ask me if we "came as a package deal?" How do respond to something like that. *** do YOU care, it's none of your business??!!! Oh...right, back to the point. So after that fiasco, I was heartbroken that I may have to do that crappy program, and now w/o my BF. On Feb 13, 2009 (yes, all of this took that long -- about a year), I took the HESI, and got a 95% overall. That same day, I went to this woman's office and gave her the results, with her verifying that all I needed now was Chemistry. She signed me up in her office (without me signing anything) for a Chemistry Class AT U. of Toledo, that did not match either Organic Chem or Gen Chem, and therefore was not transferrable if I ever needed it to be. I was hesitant, but having wasted a few years already and because this was my only option, I let her. She said I HAD to take it there, driving there M-F all the way from Romulus, and that CLEP wasn't accepted at UT. The class began in May. A week before the class started, I called this woman wondering why I hadn't gotton an acceptance letter to the program yet. She stated that I had to finish the class first then I would get it. I became livid. She wanted me to go through this non-transferrable class and play a guessing game as to whether I would be admitted or not??? No way. Not after she lied to me about taking the class on campus (most schools operate on the same semester system, meaning I could take it here at Schoolcraft or Washtenaw and still transfer it in on time.), and CLEP, which it states very boldly on UT's website that they DO accept). I called the registrar and had them remove me from the class, and I told that b%^&* off but good.

So...

April 2009: My friend talks me into trying UDM again. Why I listened, I don't know. But at that point we were both at desperate measures. I checked their website, and noticed that for the accelerated nursing program, they now accepted two times a year, in January and May. When we first looked, it was just May. Now, I forgot to mention that when I went there the first time, I had applied before the visit, and even put them on my FAFSA, for which they sent me papers showing a full financial aid package which paid for everything. That's an important detail for later. So my friend and I decided not to judge the school because of one b&^%&. So we applied online, sent everything off, and waited. Immediately thereafter, I began trying to find out about financial aid. The first time I got my FA letter, it was there within a week of acceptance. In June, I decided to go there again. I went to admissions and asked for the woman who was listed as being in charge of the second degree program. She came out, and guess what?? Yep, you're right. Even though it wasn't the same woman as the first time I went there, she was still, in fact, a snippity you know what. She said, and I quote, "We do not discuss financial aid with students until they've been admitted". This coming from a "Catholic" institution that costs $50,000 a year. So I went home and waited it out another few weeks, and I called back. I intended to tell them where to stick my application. Surprise though, I talked to a very nice young girl who informed me that the woman I'd spoken to was no longer with the university (I hope she got fired), and that she would be taking her place. I talked to her about financial aid. She gave me the names and numbers of various individuals, which at that point it became a phone-calling contest. On July 14, I got my admission letter. It stated that they wanted a non-refundable $500 deposit. Naturally, my first instinct was to be wary of sending this in before I even knew if I could afford the school. Without supplying every little detail, I foolishly sent in the money so I wouldn't lose my spot (first come, first serve. So in other words, they accept anyone with a 3.0 and a few prereqs done, then whoever pays them off first wins). Then I spent all the way up until TWO WEEKS before the program started to find out the fate of my financial aid (yes, that was almost 6 months), and only to find out that they wanted me to take out around $20k in private loans. I laughed out loud, then got furious. I DEMANDED my deposit back, and they gave it easily, knowing full well what scam artists they are.

Present: So now I just got accepted for May at MSU. I will know about my acceptance to NYU in April, and ITT in August (too late for MSU). So right now I'm leaning on MSU. But so far, here's whats happened. 1) I was accepted to the Nursing program before I was even accepted to the University. While I have no worries about getting in, I'm wondering what's taking so long. 2) They made me send in a prereq evaluation or something like that for one of my courses that they didn't initially accept as transfer credit. If they decide they don't like it, they'll want me to retake it and reapply for next year, which I absolutely won't do. 3) I haven't gotton a darn thing about how much the program costs. 4) The financial aid thing, which is the number one factor. I WILL NOT take out private loans. I don't even want to take out regular loans, and I sure as heck am not going to take out thousands of dollars when in them. That is laziness on the school's part because they don't have to do any searching for you that way. So I called twice over the past few months to see about financial aid, and they kept saying that I would get a list of scholarships. We got our acceptances around the end of February, and come to find out TODAY, the scholarship deadline was March 1st. So as I'm writing this, I'm waiting on a call from the director of Nursing, and if they give me any BS, I'm telling them to stick it in their ear. I'm not going through this again. NYU is one of the best schools in the country, and more expensive than any of these schools I've talked about. But I know their character, and their financial aid office. If I had their acceptance letter in my hand right now, I'd give Michigan the finger and never look back.

But that's enough ranting. After reading this, if anyone had any suggestions about what I am doing wrong, or whatever, I would greatly appreciate it. I am also wondering if anyone has any experience with MSU already. Should I be expecting the same crap, is it a waste of my time, how much does it cost in comparison with, say, UDM? The tuition and fee schedule is very confusing to figure out on any college website, as they want it to be that way. I had always heard that MSU has lots of financial aid available, but I'd like to know for sure. Any input from students who are in the program already and have finished a semester or two would be greatly appreciated.:bowingpur

Thanks for listening, and have a great day.

:oornt::igtsyt::flmngmd: :banghead:

roma4204, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2010

Doswald 1 -

You can look on MSU's website to find the price...right now it is $525/credit hour and if you look on the nursing site you can see how many credits it takes...right now it's between 45-47 depending on if you've taken pharm. I think it's one of the most affordable accelerated programs in Michigan. There are no hidden costs, I would calculate living expenses on their own...not what the site gives you.

As far as the financial aid office goes, a huge state funded university like MSU relies mostly on the standard federal loan system (UDM and other privates have more grants...because they cost more). In my experience with them you need to get off the phone and go into the office. Most likely if you've taken out loans already that reach the federal limit, any school you attend will ask you to take out private loans. This is just reality...I would suggest working through the program, I've paid all of it in cash because I have loans out from undergrad and I don't want anymore. Some classmates are paying for their food with loans...if I had kids or something I would do this but so far I have had no problem working. Unless you struggle academically, of course.

I really have liked MSU's program (I'll be graduating this summer). In my experience it's the people who want excuses and really shouldn't be a nurse that have griped about anything (including on this board regarding other schools). If you really want to be a nurse, MSU is a great place to start. The reason they don't offer more spots is not bc of faculty, but because of clinical placements. They want to keep the clinicals small and try to get the best floors in hospitals....they can't simply "hire more faculty" - there is also a faculty shortage.

If you have any questions about MSU please let me know.