Boston College Pre-Req - Life Sci Chem?

Hey Rooneyfan! Congrats to you too! I'm choosing BC over Columbia for a bunch of reasons. BC's program is a little faster, we will graduate in exactly 2 years (Spring 2011) which is a plus and it doesn't have that quick summer start (which kind of stresses me out for Columbia). From what I've heard from students at BC, it is very organized and the class size is pretty small (30-40 students) which I prefer over Columbias large class size (160-180 students). I feel like with such an intense program, I would personally like a smaller class size. BC also seems a little more competive than Columbia (for BC like hundres of people apply for 30-40 spots and for columbia there are hundreds of people for 160-180 spots) Also, I'm from around Boston and I've heard that it is extremely difficult to get a job in the Boston hospitals, and I LOVE the Boston hospitals. Talking to family and family friends who are nurses and doctors, Boston College has one of the best reputations out of all the Boston nursing schools and they all think very very highly of it, and its supposed to gave great job opportunities. We don't have to commit to our specialty which gives me time to decide, and they have a dual psychiatric/primary care specialty that I am really really interested in that Columbia does not have. Also, I absolutely LOVE BC's campus and the basketball and football games are really really fun. Also, its ALOT cheaper than Columbia. Columbia is a fine institution and you cannot go wrong with either deicision, but I've also heard ALOT of negative things about columbia on this site (its class size is too large, the administration is VERY disorganized, its too expensive, etc.) Did you apply anywhere else? Did you already send in your deposit (I did, even though I'm waiting on other schools as well). But BC is definately one of my top 2 choices and I will probably end up going there - hope this helps even though i'm a little BC biased haha. Good luck with your decision!

oh and thisAdventure..

the website it www.ccconline.org

the course description for intro to chem is:

Welcome to Introduction to Chemistry I
at CCCOnline

CHE 101, Introduction to Chemistry I, is an exciting course that explores the concepts, principles, and procedures of introductory chemistry. You will study atomic structure, chemical bonding and reactions, stoichiometry, and energy relationships. You will learn about organic chemistry, the chemistry of carbon, polymers, and the laws that govern the behavior of gases. Most importantly you will learn how chemistry is important in many aspects of our everyday lives! The laboratory portion of this course (completed through home assignments) will demonstrate some of the theories discussed in the lecture as well as the basic techniques used in a chemistry laboratory.
The course is designed for non-science majors, students in occupational and health programs, or students with no chemistry background. A recommended prerequisite or corequisite is college math, MAT 090. This course carries 5 semester credits. You can normally expect to put in 8-10 hours per week on this course.



for Intro to Chem 2:


Focuses on introductory organic and biochemistry (sequel to Introduction to Chemistry I). This course includes the study of hybridization of atomic orbitals for carbon, nomenclature of both organic and biochemical compounds, physical and chemical properties of various functional groups of organic chemistry, and physical and chemical properties of biochemical compounds along with their biochemical pathways. Laboratory experiments are included.Focuses on introductory organic and biochemistry (sequel to Introduction to Chemistry I). This course includes the study of hybridization of atomic orbitals for carbon, nomenclature of both organic and biochemical compounds, physical and chemical properties of various functional groups of organic chemistry, and physical and chemical properties of biochemical compounds along with their biochemical pathways. Laboratory experiments are included.Prerequisites and Co-requisites will be determined by each individual institution.




What is the school for those course descriptions you posted earlier? I'm pretty sure BC acceptes ccconline courses, as i heard from this forum that someone took micro on ccconline for a prereq BC, but i would call to make sure. If your in the boston area we should do more research about this and maybe even take a course together?

Oh i see in previous posts you already found the website, haha sorry for that! But I would definitely call BC and tell them the details and ask whether or not its acceptable.

thanks for replying guys! its great to find people excited about BC's program, because recently I've been hearing a lot about Columbia. I guess the thing about BC that I'm worried about is that it might be TOO short. Do you guys know if its short because we will be missing any important classes or fewer clinical hours? Should I just ask Maureen about this? If its hard to get nursing positions in Boston, should we be worried then about getting jobs?

Sorry for all the questions, its just that you two seem really excited and I want to be excited with you guys! =)

I just want to be sure, because I'll be moving from CA. But I'm definitely going to visit the campus before I decide for sure.

Ahh I've always wanted to live in Cali. I'm actually planning on moving the the San Diego area after graduation, which is why graduating in 2 years is also a plus. I actually visited the campus today with my boyfriend and i LOOOOOVE it. We just wandered around the gym, the nursing building, the library, etc. Now I just got to finish up A&P2 and micro, find a orgo class, find a place to live and a roomie! As for getting a job, I've just heard that its really competitive in the Boston area. I'm sure its not like that everywhere. I just had a friend who went to a lesser known school in mass get a job in the PICU at John Hopkins. So I think you will be fine regardless where you go, but if you plan on living in Boston after graduation going to BC is def a plus because it would give you a competitve edge over graduates from other schools in the area.

I'm still waiting on Yale which may be a real possibility if I get in, but who knows if that will happen. BC is definitely amazing and I am so so happy that I very well may be there this fall!

Hi,

I'm in my last semester in the FNP program at BC. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but just wanted to give you some idea of what the program is like. It is very intense, and you really won't have a lot of free time to enjoy the campus and amenities of the college. I also think the program is in a time of transition, but for the better. Members of my class have put significant effort into developing improvements for future students, as we did not always get the info we needed. My class has had some issues re: clinical placements for the NP year, but we have a new dean and hopefully those issues are being addressed. The RN clinicals were great-it was wonderful to be learning at some of the best hospitals in the world. My advice would be to try and find at least some of your own NP clinical sites, if at all possible. You can start thinking about that at the end of your first year, particularly if you don't have a car and want to stay in Boston. I live south of Boston and have a clinical in Rhode Island, and it is so worth the drive! Some of my class mates are driving to Cape Cod and New hampshire. There's a lot of competition for clinical sites in Boston, as there are several schools with NP programs. If you can afford to have a car your 2nd year, you'll have many more opportunities. As far as taking pre-reqs, find the cheapest school possible. I took most of mine at Massasoit CC and Mass Bay CC. Massasoit has an on-line A&P course that only met 5 times for labs. I thought it was fabulous. You'll be spending enough money at BC, so try to save some on your pre-reqs. My classmates also tell me that living in BC grad housing is more expensive than finding your own place.

It's a tough and challenging program, but I think it's worth the "pain and suffering" for 2 years. Good luck with the pre-reqs, and feel free to ask anything you want about BC.