Stony Brook Accelerated Nursing Class of 2015

U.S.A. New York

Published

It's almost september, which means people are starting to get their applications for nursing together real soon. I'm currently in the 1-yr nursing program here at Stony Brook. A previous alum started the 2014 thread for us, so I figured I do the same. Feel free to ask questions or message me with them. Good luck to everyone applying! :)

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

One of the nursing schools I applied to alongside Stony Brook was the Univ of North Florida, a school that conducts admission interviews as well. Not saying this is how Stony Brook will do it, but this was my experience. You apply to the school and those who pass the criteria for Round One were invited to interview in Round Two. To pass Round One means you met specific criteria, so I suppose if you apply without any prereqs done yet or missing a reference letter, you are eliminated (because from what I recall you need some completed by the time you apply, correct? Perhaps a personal essay with blatant typos will get you eliminated too --- remember, a school like Stony Brook gets 600+ applications annually for now 80 seats in the class, they are NOT going to waste their time interviewing applicants that don't follow directions or expected standards such as grammar). On interview day, you were assigned an interview time and to a certain random block of 4 students who interview together with a panel around a table for about 20-30 min with 3 panelists, which could be nursing school professors, alumni nurses, admission committee members, or clinical instructors -- all of whom should be familiar with the kind of student that would be a good fit for success in the program. I recall there being 4 panels labeled A through D, in different conference rooms, and you were assigned to one (I.e., 1030am, panel C). The panelists asked the same questions (about 4-5 of them) to everyone and each student takes turn answering them in front of each other. The panelists meanwhile make notes on their sheets and then after the interviewees leave they discuss and rank them. Yes, for people who are not that used to this kind of interviewing it can be nerve-racking and downright embarrassing. I hated it but I got though it. The top interviewees ranked get the admission offers. What were the questions? I honestly don't recall them exactly, we are going back almost 3 years with this. But what I do recall is that they were basic ones that help panelists understand how you ended up choosing nursing and choosing Stony Brook. Also, what makes you stand out among the rest. I would have to assume they will never ask you 'what would you do' questions like they do in RN interviews, as you are not expected to know that. However, I could see them asking academic integrity questions, such as cheating or plagiarism, how would you handle these if you noticed them among your classmates.

My simple advice: be yourself, and don't be afraid to say something lighthearted in your response that can break the tension (without overdoing it). As an alumnus, I can tell you that Stony Brook enjoys having students that are serious about their studies but know how to see the lighter side. That is simply the existing culture.

I ended up getting wait-listed at that Florida school with the interview. This however happened after I got into Stony Brook and another Florida school more competitive than UNF, so I just laughed and replied to their email: "I reject your wait list, I'm going back to New York." The rest is history :)

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if you're really passionate about nursing and pursuing it, dont let grades, people, or whatever discourage you from going after it! the only limits there are are the ones you put on yourself, so go for it!! :)

as for the interviews, look at it as a chance to shine. it does seem like an intimidating, nerve-racking (or is it nerve-wrecking??) process, but the interview is a great opportunity to show them your passion that can't always be seen in ur essay or on your transcript. they always emphasized to us that the ones with 4.0 GPAs dont always make the best nurses and vice versa. in the 3 1/2 months we've been in the program, all the professors have shown their passion for nursing, whether it was thru their lectures, their stories or personalities. im sure SBU definitely wants to continue that with their students. just be yourself. show them your passion for nursing. show them you're ready and capable of not just completing the program, but also being a great nurse! and most importantly, believe in yourself!! if you dont, how can you expect SBU to? :D

best of luck to everyone and yes, please update us on how things go! ill be rooting for you guys, woot woot!

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Hi, all!

JUST submitted my application. I think my OCD/fear of commitment is kicking in, because even though I checked and rechecked my application...what if I didn't check it enough?? lol

(#nobutseriouslywhatifImissedsomething)

Anyway, now the old adage "patience is a virtue" will definitely be put to the test. Fearless applicants, how long after submitting your application did you hear back from Stony Brook about coming in for an interview? Hours? Days? Weeks?

And can someone PLEASE help a homegirl out and shed some light on the possible math portion of the interview? I know my multiplication table as well as the next public school kid, but dear Lord...if you start asking me questions about trains leaving the station at 4:15 pm traveling west at 113 mph...I'm toast!

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Hi all! JUST submitted my application. I think my OCD/fear of commitment is kicking in, because even though I checked and rechecked my application...what if I didn't check it enough?? lol (#nobutseriouslywhatifImissedsomething) Anyway, now the old adage "patience is a virtue" will definitely be put to the test. Fearless applicants, how long after submitting your application did you hear back from Stony Brook about coming in for an interview? Hours? Days? Weeks? And can someone PLEASE help a homegirl out and shed some light on the possible math portion of the interview? I know my multiplication table as well as the next public school kid, but dear Lord...if you start asking me questions about trains leaving the station at 4:15 pm traveling west at 113 mph...I'm toast![/quote']

There will most likely be no trains! Lol. One if the first classes we take is med math and we have to take a math test as our first assignment (you have to score an 85% to continue I. The course; everyone in out class did so that tells you how easy it is). It's all addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. There are fractions, decimals and percents and you need to know how to convert between them. But it's all basic arithmetic. If you've forgotten your math, definitely review long division, multiplying/dividing fractions and how to change fractions to decimals to percents but that's it!

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I spoke to the woman who schedules interviews on the phone this morning. I asked her what type of math it was.. she said addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, percents and algebra i think. No calculators.

NeuroLK- I heard back to schedule an interview about 5 days after i submitted my application.

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LAGD0208-- did they call for an interview once your application was fully completed including your recommendation letter and transcripts, or did they call for an interview prior to submitting these items? Now i'm nervous about these interviews!

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I am so nervous about interview too. Does anyone know what it means "brief writing sample"?

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Hi all! I just had my interview. Some tips:

know your fractions and decimals!! ALSO: long division. The math wasn't exactly easy but I would def brush up if it's been a while. As far as the writing sample, you're given two options and you have to pick one to write a brief 300-500 word essay on. Everyone was SUPER friendly and although my nerves are almost impossible to calm, they made the interview process very comfortable. Any further questions let me know!

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Thanks so much everyone! One quick question- I thought official transcripts weren't necessary unless you were admitted. Do we need to submit them now as part of the application process?

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Hi kris10marie,

Thank you for your information. Would you tell me a little bit about interview questions? How was it? What does it mean group interview?

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evc17- well when i submitted my application, all of my references were already submitted and you actually don't have to submit official transcripts unless you are admitted into the program, so i am not sure if they will call you to schedule an interview before your references are in, but my guess is that they will wait until everything is submitted.

kris10marie- what type of interview questions were you asked? and were all of you in the group asked the same questions or were they different from each others? also, about how many questions were you expected to answer?

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The interview questions were pretty standard. Why SBU, what qualities do you possess to make you a candidate for the program, etc. The group I was in consisted of 5 applicants. You get to ask questions at the end of the group interview...and they were very informative! From what I gather they are interviewing around 200ish applicants from the OVER 600 applications that were submitted. Just take your time and breathe. Think about the question before you answer it. If I could change anything I would have taken longer pauses to answer the question because I almost felt like I was rushing my answers. Again, everyone was really great and they understand that we're all under a ton of stress and so nervous.

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