Any Owen's students here?

I'm working on pre-reqs at Owen's. Are you planning on just doing pre-reqs there or are you going to try and take your nursing classes there a well? Did they tell you about the massive wait list when you signed up? Because I already had a lot of pre-reqs done from my first AA degree at Terra (like the English, Psych, and Chem stuff) it was actually going to be quicker for me to get my BSN from BG before I finished my ASN from Owen's because BG awards spots based on GPA and Owen's awards spots based on when you got on the wait list.

After all that though I'm going to end up going to Mercy because they offer an ADN program that meets on nights/weekends and my circumstances changed so that I cannot attend classes during the day.

What are you taking now? I've done A&P I & II and a Math class. I HIGHLY recommend taking Douglas Cook for any math class you need if you can. He was an awesome teacher.

I had Thomas Bowman for A&P I & II lecture. Most people I know that took him didn't like the class. He's a little off, in the way that some people who are so super smart are very socially inept, kwim? He rushes through the material and reads most everything straight off of the power points he gives you. He generally talks above you using words you cant even pronounce. So if you are someone that depends on the lectures to understand the material, skip his classes. I am a very independent learner and 99% of what I learn comes from what I read vs what I hear so lecture time usually isn't what makes or breaks a class for me. The book and particularly the online material (pratice tests and so on) were very helpful and I basically just looked at the class as more of an independent study class.

For A&PI lab I had Jeffery Cypher who I also recommend. He comes off as a bit of an arrogant ass but in the end I learned more from his 20 minute lectures than I did from the the two hour lectures on the same material from my lecture prof.

For A&P II lab I had Laura Bryant and am going to take her again for general Bio (Not a pre-req for Owen's nursing but it is a requirement for the RN-BSN program at BG which I plan on attending at some point so i'm going to knock it out of the way now). She does come off as a bit disinterested in what she's teaching and gets slightly frustraited when people can't grasp a topic, BUT she was very easy to understand and made an effort to make the material easier for us. She also works in the Natural Resource Center a few days a week so you can get her there to ask her questions about class.

Are you taking nutrition this summer? I'm taking it on M&W nights the 2nd session so it starts on June 29th.

We don't do any disecting until A&P II labs and we start off the first few weeks w/ the cat. These cats are already skinned so that's nice. The ones we had in highschool came out of the bag looking just like Fluffy and you had to skin them! You pretty much do the cat from top to bottom. By the time you get past the last cat section it's kind of missing all of it's insides. We also did cow eyes, sheep brain, sheep testicles, and pig ovaries.

Def check out the learning center if you need any help. There is one guy there whose name I cannot think of but he's kind of on the thin side w/ dark hair and glasses and he is an A&P genius.

I have Renee Wolford for my session, although i'm still hoping someone drops out of the online section so I can get in there!

I just finished my first semester of the RN program this spring. I actually applied for the LPN program at Owens at the same time as the RN because of the wait list for the RN. I had a high GPA for my pre-reqs, but still I'd heard at that time that I'd have at least a year to wait. I thought, why not work as a LPN while doing my RN, ha!...Earn money AND, more importantly these days, earn experience.

So, I thought the LPN would be a breeze, but amazingly VERY difficult. Quite an accomplishment in the end, though, and so happy I did it. Like I said, applied to RN too, and did get accepted to Fall 08 class, but after deciding on LPN first, asked to defer to Spring of 09 so able to complete the year of LPN. Again, so glad. So, started the RN program before I even took my NCLEX-PN. Now, working as a LPN, passing meds, doing assessments, etc....gaining valuable experience as about to begin 2nd semester of RN. Didn't do the bridge for LPNs since a wait list into 2011 last heard.

Okay, so partial to LPN first, but just my experience. My RN first semester was totally a breeze, but great refresher for me. Next semester should be more difficult with patho, but looking forward to it since I like the science side of nursing.

As for professors, the gossip is so crazy. For ex., my LPN pharm teacher (same pharm as RN) had our class going to our LPN dept head in a rage, and if you were to speak to 75% of those students, they'd tell you to avoid her at all costs. The students in my RN class who had the very same teacher (I didn't have to take the class, as already did), and especially a student in my clinical who thought she was the absolute best and wanted to make sure and schedule her for other nursing courses, thought she was great. So weird. I'm about to take an online patho class that is taught by a teacher that I was warned against (hoping and praying their wrong!!), but really, the same students who do well in any class will have the qualities to do well with a more demanding teacher....as for fairness, I do know of some clinical instructors who will remind you why they say nurses eat their young...just be quiet, do your work, and don't try to take on those people. Trust me, I'm in my first job as a nurse, and the Owens instructors are nothing compared to what you'll see in practice. Just take it as great experience for dealing with people you wouldn't choose to have anything to do with (and helpful to realize most people wouldn't either) if you had the choice when it comes to the unfair ones...

One thing, get your micro and any other science out of the way before you start NS. I've seen some ugly experiences for people who don't (save first semester nursing for pure nursing, trust me).

good luck guys

I just glanced at some of the responses, and have to add, Owens DOES consider GPA just as BG/UTMC does...of course timing is important, just as with BG, if you've got a 4.0 and there's a wait list (there is), you'll still be waiting for the next opening, but it's the person with the higher GPA, etc. who will get the seat. SO, give it your ALL with your pre-req grades.

I graduated from Owens in Fall of 08 as an LPN started in Jan. I actually didn't wait at all. i Applied in October and got in Jan. I did have my prereq done however. And I had heard for the fall they still had opening a few weeks before. you shouldn't really have many problems. I loved the Owens program. I admit tat some of the teachers were very tough. But you have that in any program.