UPenn 18 month Accelerated Nursing Program

Grig_CA · Feb 6, 2010

The information on the financial aid site for me can't be right. It may be because I recently sent in revised supplemental information, but I'm still really worried they want me to come up with that much (the cost of tuition & living in its entirety)! Amojo, did you get grants and loans? Did they offer to finance a substantial portion of the cost?

amojo99 · Feb 6, 2010

I got about $37K for the penn grant, and the rest in grants, loans, and work study (for real though? won't it be hard to work during the program?). i am an independent student, and i quit my old job to go back to school, knocking me into a lower income bracket.

go explain your situation. plead your case. from what i hear, penn offers the best financial aid.

Grig_CA · Feb 6, 2010

Thanks for the info, Amojo. I know that Penn's one of the most expensive programs, but they offer a lot of help too. I'll contact the school next week. Hopefully, I get considered as an independent and qualify for some aid.

ESH427 · Feb 6, 2010

Hey Grig,

I wouldnt worry about the financial aid package yet. Mine hasnt been updated yet and still shows me responsible for everything and I KNOW thats not right, b/c i made very little money the last couple of years. I think they are still making their way through our financial aid plans, they gave themselves a couple weeks to do it.

Amojo,

I read this transcript of a chat for newly accepted BSN students that they had last year. It had a lot of good info in it. work study came up a few times. http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/students/OSI/Documents/AcceptedAcceleratedBSNChatlog02-2009.pdf

There is a chat scheduled for this Tues night too...

Wall-E · Feb 8, 2010

What type of questions do they ask you during the interview? How long did it take? Did any of you stammer on your interview but still got into UPenn?

PhillyNurse75 · Feb 8, 2010

Hi Everyone!

I was wondering if anyone is planning to go to the Penn Accepted Students Day on Friday 02/26, and if any of you are planning to drive from or through Boston. I would love to car-pool with you (I'll pitch in for gas, of course), and I thought it might be nice to split the cost of a hotel room the night before (Thursday night). Please let me know.

Thanks!

amojo99 · Feb 8, 2010

i'm coming in, but from pittsburgh. i'd have loved an I95 buddy, marinara. i think i'm staying with a friend in philly the night before.

as for the interview, it was very informal. i think i stammered, and i got in. i got the normal questions, why nursing, and why penn. she asked if i had ever shadowed an FNP, which i hadn't, and recommended that i did. she talked about penn, the opportunities that were available, and was very interested in when i would finish the BSN. there seemed to be a gap between finishing the bsn and starting the msn, which seems to start clinicals in may. i told her i was interested in working for a couple of years and gaining good nursing skills before continuing the FNP portion of the program. she asked if i had a car, and told me that a car was necessary for the MSN portion of the program, but the BSN portion needed no car, and if so, penn used phillycarshare for its students. mostly though, it was open for me asking questions, and though i had a few, i definitely could have had more. i was so excited to be there, and so certain that i wanted to go to penn during the interview that there weren't too many questions.

anything else ya wanna know, just ask.

carrietc · Feb 8, 2010

Hi everyone! I'm glad I found this thread with fellow potential classmates =)

I'm still debating whether or not I can shell out $500+ for the flight out from California for Visit Day, but I want to be able to meet people and get a better feel for the area.

Has anyone thought about housing yet? How are you all planning on finding a place to live from June 2010 to December 2011?

I look forward to meeting you guys!

ESH427 · Feb 8, 2010

I want to go to the accepted students day if you all are! But its so far away from North Carolina and I will probably need to come up in a couple months to look for apts....

Oh well, have fun and fill me in when you get back. Thanks!

Wildschmidt · Feb 9, 2010

Whew! I have my pennplan posted with financial aid info and I'm very excited. They have an even smaller contribution than I was expecting - although they also want me to do work study. That sounds like a lot for the first year so perhaps I'll take out a little more in loans or something. Thanks for the link to that admitted students chat from last year. I'm hoping to go to the one tomorrow night as well, although I might still be at work.

In terms of the admitted students day - I won't be able to go since I live in Utah (and 4 hours from a big airport!) I was already very impressed by the school this fall and I'll probably just arrive in the city earlier in June or visit sometime this spring to get more settled.

Still waiting to hear about prerequs transferring but I've got a good feeling so far...

Good luck to everyone else including the waitlist folks! I remember her saying that they admit about 70-80 students and about 60 start each fall, so there seems like a good chance they'll pull some from the waitlist.

amojo99 · Feb 9, 2010

i made my decision.

my check is in the mail to penn. i'll probably be in on the chat tonight and i'll definitely be there in a 2 1/2 weeks.

for a broke *ss person like me that $400 was hard. but i had the biggest smile on my face as i dropped it off.

PhillyNurse75 · Feb 9, 2010

Good for you - I bet that felt amazing.

I'm still waiting for financial aid from Hopkins . . . I'll probably be waiting until the last minute!

My other dilemma with Penn is that, because I am married, they are not counting living expenses as part of my overall budget. It is assumed that my spouse will take care of it. I've already informed them that my husband was recently laid off, and in this economy that could mean his being unemployed for a LONG time, so I don't know how he will be able to pay for his own living expenses much less mine! And that also doesn't take into account his mountain of student loans. Ugh - I am hoping to find an opportunity to raise this with Financial Aid, and I hope they will be sympathetic.

i made my decision.
my check is in the mail to penn. i'll probably be in on the chat tonight and i'll definitely be there in a 2 1/2 weeks.
for a broke *ss person like me that $400 was hard. but i had the biggest smile on my face as i dropped it off.