UPenn accelerated BSN 2011...anyone?

Msull7288 · Feb 14, 2011

Also, anyone who is debating UPENN or not especially if youu are not from the area,....I say go go go go go for it!....Being from

Philadelphia, and now living in Denver. I will always be biased to the healthcare education available in Philadelphia. The resources that city has at their fingertips, in my opinion, are really incredible, and Upenn is just a great place to be. I haven't really found a school that seems as comprehensively awesome as upenn..

DLC-CNA-MA · Feb 14, 2011

Also, anyone who is debating UPENN or not especially if youu are not from the area,....I say go go go go go for it!....Being from
Philadelphia, and now living in Denver. I will always be biased to the healthcare education available in Philadelphia. The resources that city has at their fingertips, in my opinion, are really incredible, and Upenn is just a great place to be. I haven't really found a school that seems as comprehensively awesome as upenn..

Hey msull7288...thanx for the info, I actually live in Philadelphia right now and I will be getting my bachelors in health science from Drexel university...when I'm done I plan on trying to get into penns bsn/msn program...I didnt know I can work as an anesthesia tech without cert..if I can that's awesome...I really would like to work for hup (#1 choice)...or jefferson hospital while completing my bsn. Anyway I'll definitely check it out..hopefully I find a position as a tech....

Dancer44 · Mar 1, 2011

Did anyone get an email from Filomena about our transfer credit?

ktwags · Mar 9, 2011

Hi All,

I am new to this forum but definitely found it helpful while lurking during the application process! I am heading out to Philadelphia in the summer and am wondering if there are any new students from the Bay Area that would like to meet up?

Platinum_One · Mar 13, 2011

Hey iridium54...I'm posting my response to your private message here because I do not have permission to send private messages. I don't have the required number of posts yet. I have been a lurker for a few years now, and have just recently started posting.

So why did I decide to reapply after being denied admission?

Well, I must say that my being placed on the wait list the first time around was a factor. Instead of being out right denied, I figured that there must be some things that they liked about my application and credentials in order to at least be wait-listed. So I thought, why not try again. I may stand a better chance the second time around. This is why I used the time leading up to my second application, to strengthen my application and show my persistence.

Also, UPenn was the only school I applied to that year. I applied for the September start date, and not the June start date. I had less pre-requisites completed. I also would not have had enough time to complete all of the pre-requisites that were needed for the other schools I had been considering.

So the second time around, I also applied to Drexel ACE (accepted), and was set to apply to Jefferson, GWU, and Georgetown. I had more classes completed, and also wanted to make sure I had other options in case I didn't get into Penn again. I found out that I was admitted to PENN prior to the due dates for these, so I never ended up submitting the applications....and saved myself some money too!

I think that in my heart, I really wanted to go to UPENN over the other schools. I was sold on Penn's program. It just seemed like the best fit. I was very attracted to the learning and research opportunities, and I hope to be able to obtain my masters from Penn later on down the road.

Now I will say that had I not gotten in, I think that I still would have excelled and benefited from any of the other programs. I would have been just as happy. But I also had to consider the financial aid aspect. I have reached my max on Stafford loans (via my first undergrad degree and for some of my pre-reqs). I have also been out of school a few years and have been hit pretty hard by the economy (as I'm sure is the case for many on here). I have had to pay for 6 of the pre-req classes out of pocket. So it has been a long, and sometimes stressful road to get into Nursing school. Had I gone to any of the other schools, I would have had to worry more about how I was going to be able to afford the tuition, living costs, etc, as their financial aid is not as generous. I would have applied for scholarships, grants, etc, but of course, there are no guarantees. So Penn's financial aid was also a major factor as well.

It all ultimately worked out the way I wanted. I am originally from Philly, so it is also a good thing to be going back "home" and getting reacquainted with a city that I haven't lived in since I was 18 years old.

As far as what I think may be in your best interest...I would just wait to see about your acceptances, and also to take a look at the financial aid, if that is of a major concern to you. I don't think there are any wrong choices.

Now if my situation were different, and I had applied to, and gotten into another school with a financial aid package that met my need, I probably would not have applied again. I would have sucked up the disappointment and made the most out of where I would have ended up. And I'm sure I would have been happy with my choice. But, based on my situation the first time around, I didn't have any other schools to choose from. So the timing worked in my favor. I could apply a second time with more confidence, and without worrying about passing over other opportunities.

But your situation is somewhat different. If you do want to try for Penn again, can you comfortably wait a year? I'm not sure what your situation is with work and finances. It may give you time to consider applying for the MSN as well (if you know you have a strong interest in a specific field), which could also help you the second time around. Even if you get into the other programs, you can always apply to them again as well....and I'm assuming that you would probably be easily accepted again. But again, this is an assumption, maybe someone else knows more about this than I do...if you are accepted the first time, but cannot attend (assuming you cannot defer), are you basically a shoe in the second time?

I ended up having to pass on my first choice for undergrad due to financial reasons, even though I was accepted, and going to another school that was lower on my list. (I got accepted to U of Miami for undergrad BTW, but they weren't too generous with their financial aid either...so I passed on them lol) But I had a great experience and would not go back and change a thing! So I think life has a weird way of steering you in certain directions, even if it's not what you want or expect. It's what you make of the experience and opportunities while you are there that counts.

I know this is a tough decision, especially with a school that you know you really want to attend. I say go with what makes sense. If you go with another school, then make the best of it. If you decide to wait and apply for Penn again, it doesn't make you elitist, it just says that you think that their program is a better fit for you than the others, and you are determined to put out 100% to see if it is meant to be. If you decide not to reapply to Penn and go somewhere else, keep in mind that you can always apply again later for your MSN and attend for graduate school, if that is something you have planned in the future. You are the one that has to do the work and pay for the education, so I wouldn't worry so much about what others think about your motives. Wait to see if these other schools fit your situation first, and then decide if it is worth it to wait and reapply to Penn.

...If you don't get accepted off the wait list first, of course. You never know!

Good Luck. :)

Msull7288 · Mar 13, 2011

Hey Guys!

Is anyone in an NP/MD debate? I am, and am having the toughest time with the decision.....and, the Penn deposit is due tomorrow....

I feel like I'd love medical school, but I am struggling with the commitment and residency and overall long hours. I'm 22, but I know I want a family, and want to be there for my family and just have a great outside life, which is why the flexibility of NP is so attractive...

My current position at the Children's Hospital of Denver allows me to talk to a lot of people about this, but of course, with every person comes a new, strong, and often opposing opinion....Honestly, all of the nursing fluff and theory is kind of discouraging,...and the wrongly stated yet unavoidable "just a nurse" mentality also discourages me.... and I find myself pretty attracted to the medical model....

I do think NP would be a great fit though, I just don't want to regret not going to medical school

Oye!....Any one else in this debate? - How did you reach your decision?!

CP1919 · Mar 15, 2011

What did you end up deciding??

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Mar 15, 2011

Best wishes to those applying to PENN's program....great school.

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iridium54 · Mar 20, 2011

Hey Guys!
Is anyone in an NP/MD debate? I am, and am having the toughest time with the decision.....and, the Penn deposit is due tomorrow....
I feel like I'd love medical school, but I am struggling with the commitment and residency and overall long hours. I'm 22, but I know I want a family, and want to be there for my family and just have a great outside life, which is why the flexibility of NP is so attractive...
My current position at the Children's Hospital of Denver allows me to talk to a lot of people about this, but of course, with every person comes a new, strong, and often opposing opinion....Honestly, all of the nursing fluff and theory is kind of discouraging,...and the wrongly stated yet unavoidable "just a nurse" mentality also discourages me.... and I find myself pretty attracted to the medical model....
I do think NP would be a great fit though, I just don't want to regret not going to medical school
Oye!....Any one else in this debate? - How did you reach your decision?!

I'd be curious to hear what you decided, too, MSull. Either way you cannot go wrong, in my opinion.

I have to admit, I have struggled with the "just a nurse" mentality also. It's totally BS, but still, that "MD" is on a golden pedestal in our society.

I considered medical school, and also PA school. For several reasons I ultimately went with nursing, but I have to say that my age (26) and the time commitment is part of what has deterred me from medical school. It seems a little sad to me that I would let those factors hold me back, but at the same time, I don't think I want it badly enough if that is what is holding me back. I know myself and I know if I REALLY wanted it, I would go for it. And I think that medical school is something that you have to really want! For me, I don't want to go too deep into specializing in anything, which is also why medical school seems unnecessary to me. Anyway, good luck!

iridium54 · Mar 20, 2011

For those of us wait-listed, purgatory will be ending soon, hopefully! I was told by Filomena that "If we are able to move applicants from the waiting list, you will receive notification sometime between 3/21-04/8; after May 15th, you will receive notification, if we were unable to pull you form the waiting list." So there is that weird little window between April 8 and May 15th that they kind of leave open. Best of luck to everyone and **here's hoping** . . . .

acceleratedbsn · Mar 21, 2011

Guys

Would like to know the best uni with regards to tuition fees and duration of course. I already completed my 5 years alternative medicine program which includes whole medicine curriculum with internship and masters in clinical nutrition as well. Thanks in advance.:)

zoowiggle · Apr 2, 2011

Anyone on the waitlist heard back yet?