Georgetown Accelerated BSN Fall 2010 - Page 5

i'm trying to figure it out right now because i'm coming from texas and now I have to make travel plans. lol anyone else traveling far?

Congrats to everyone who got invites. I'll be traveling from Fl for mine. Really scratching my head as to which date to pick...

I'm coming all the way from Southern California for the interview! I picked Saturday, 3/20

I signed up for friday the 19th

Hello everyone. I am in the program currently. Happy to answer questions if you have any about the application process etc.

I got an interveiw too, I'm going to the March 31st one, traveling from california!

I also got an interview. I'll be there on the 20th. Here's my big concern. What are we supposed to wear?? I know you should dress up for an interview, but I read on the thread from last year that there was a lot of walking. Not sure what to do.

Hey Tammy G -

Thank you so much for offering to answer questions about the application process. I am very excited to learn more about the school and the program. When did you start the program? How intense was the interview day? Were there group interviews, one on one or a combination? What kinds of questions or topics do you think applicants should prepare for? Also if you wouldn't mind sharing what most applicants wore that day that would be fabulous! So sorry for all of the questions - I'm just trying to learn a little more about the big interview day. Georgetown is my first choice and I am just a little anxious about the whole process.

Also, if you wouldn't mind sharing your thoughts on the program so far that would be great too. I just have no idea what to expect if I were to be accepted and start the program. Are you happy with the choice you made?

Thanks so much!

Again - sorry for all of the questions

Sitch321, Everyone dresses up. You don't have to wear a suit, but wear something really nice, typical job interview clothes. There is a tour of Washington Hospital Center (optional) and a tour of the campus (optional) so you'll definitely want to wear comfortable shoes if you are going on all of them.

Natalie, I started the program last fall. The interview day is very laid back. You are with the group for all but about 10 minutes, during which you'll be interviewed by 3-4 faculty. It is very relaxed, basically they just want to know your story and they want to give you a chance to ask questions. I don't think any part of the application decision is based on the interview. If you go to the Washington Hospital Center tour, you will be there a total of 8 hours (what with lunch and everything) and only 10 minutes is devoted to the interview. It really is just a chance for you to get a feel for the school and program.

Be careful what they tell you -- the admissions people who run the interview show tell you lots of things that aren't really true because they aren't involved in the program. They told us (and still are telling new groups) that transportation to clinicals will be arranged -- not so, you are on your own to get to WHC or the far burbs of Virginia for clinicals. I heard that community health clinical especially will require you to be at several locations in one day. Those of us without cars have a lot of trouble figuring out how to get places. They tell you you can take your senior practicum anywhere you want, but most people didn't get their first choices. They tell you that you can select clinicals near your house, but the locations aren't even available during registration so it is just pot luck where you'll wind up.

I am ambivalent on the program and am not sure I would do it again. It is a whole lot of money and I could have gotten the same degree and education at a local state school for 1/10 the money. The facilities are really substandard -- the nursing school is old and crowded. You will be taking some classes with groups of 100 and sitting on chairs with no writing surface. There are never rooms available if you want to set up a meeting because every classroom is used for every minute by another department if the nursing school is not using it. There is nowhere to study in the nursing school, you have to walk 1/4 mile to the medical school. The "lab" is a joke -- poorly maintained, inoperative computer equipment, you never use GUS (we used it once and it was broken) which is really only for the anasthesia class. The faculty is great but massively overworked and often complaining about how busy they are. There is no integration with the medical school or the hospital, no extra-curricular guest speakers or programs. They give you so much busy work (care plans, reports, papers almost every night) that everyone is miserable by the end of the program. Plus, the non-Washington Hospital Center people are having trouble finding jobs since all the hospitals have closed up their residency programs. The school does not provide job assistance.

But from what I hear every second degree program is a massive amount of work, so perhaps everyone is miserable. I think that overall my education here has been good because the faculty is really top notch and the program is rigorous, but it is not what I expected. Sorry to be a downer -- perhaps some other current students will chime in and have a better feeling about it.