Direct Entry MSN Programs 2013

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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Anyone on here applying to direct entry MSN programs that begin in summer or fall of 2013? I think I have finalized my list of programs to apply to, and I am beginning to get everything together to start applying this summer/early fall (I know this is rather early, but I'm a bit anxious and I was wondering if there was anyone else on this board who is just as excited as me!). I am pretty certain that I will be applying to UPenn, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, University of Massachusetts, Boston College, Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Marquette. I am also applying to a few accelerated BSN programs in my state (Florida) - UCF and UF, for sure. I have all of my prerequisite courses completed, and currently have a 3.76, but my BS is still in progress and I have to retake the GRE this summer. I look forward to hearing from other people!

Sarah - yes, I hope we hear from more applicants, and also from ! At my info session, I was told my specialty might hold interviews but might not - I don't know if I'd rather get news in January or just wait until March!

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Hey sarahdukie and bbcc,

I'm applying to Vanderbilt as well. I actually just got back from Nashville yesterday because I visited the school on Tuesday. It was a pretty short information session- about 45 minutes. I've been to info sessions at Rush, UIC, and DePaul, and this one was probably the most lackluster. The nice part was that there were only two other people in the session. However, the admissions person basically just went over the application process, and having already applied some of the information was a little too late for me. The main thing I took away was that any interviews not for PMHNP are for applicants that the admissions board looks at and have more questions about. In other words, it’s not that they decide when they are going through applications that they will schedule interviews for ALL FNP students; some have interviews and get accepted, some don’t and get accepted. We also got a tour of the facilities which seemed nice. The nursing facilities are in the heart of the campus, and Nashville is awesome so that's a plus. Unfortunately, I got rejected to Yale on Friday, so that has been making me doubt my competitiveness for any program.

As for GRE scores, mine aren't the best either. 65% for qualitative, 48% for quantitative and 96% for writing. When I took the GRE, I was planning on only applying to DePaul, Rush, UIC, and Yale (I'm from Chicago and was planning on staying here, Yale was just for kicks.) DePaul and Rush don’t require the GRE if you have over a 3.25 GPA, and UIC just announced they are waiving for a 3.25 GPA as well. At this point I’m beginning to think that I’ll be staying in Chicago because I’m not competitive enough for and BC. I’m doing my undergrad at DePaul so it’s probably my best shot, but I would just be finishing with my RN, not NP. The only thing in my favor at Vanderbilt is that I applied as a distance student for the second year at Vandy, which seems like it can increase your chances but I’m not positive on that. I'm really hoping they are true when they say they look at the whole package. I'm confident in my GPA, personal statement, and letters of rec, but I'm lacking in the GRE and healthcare experience.

Good luck to you!

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hi616 - we might be the same person ;) I'm also in Chicago now and am applying/applied to Yale (no interview), , and UIC. Rush and DePaul don't offer CNM, which is why I'm not applying there.

And doing distance definitely seems to increase your chances, from what I understand at my info session. She said for many of the specialties, twice as many can be admitted for distance than in Nashville, so if you have flexibility, indicate that! CNM doesn't have the distance option (I would have taken it since I want to move near Lexington, KY) unfortunately.

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Thanks for the info, Hi!

Sorry to hear about Yale, but I wouldn't be discouraged about --from what admissions told me your scores are average for those admitted to the pre-specialty program. What is your focus? I believe FNP is the most competative--did they say anything at the info session about how may apply/are accepted for PMHNP? What impression did they give you on the weight of GRE scores?

You could also always get an RN or BSN and then apply to Vandy for MSN--you'd save a ton! Accelerated RN programs are insanely competative in the Seattle area (1/13 accepted, 4.0 GPAs, 96% TEAS) or I have might considered that route.

Good luck!

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morganw, are you from North Carolina? I'm just being nosy since you said you were applying to UNC. Thomas Jefferson, a school located in Philadelphia, also has a March 1 deadline. They are limited in the specialties they offer, though. They have an awesome hospital affiliated with the school, too (Thomas Jefferson Hospital). Johns Hopkins also has a January 15th deadline, so you could still apply if you were very quick at writing the essays!

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Hi Hopeful!

Good to know about USA! I looked at their website though, and it said that for the BSN/MSN program, students must complete 2 years of clinical experience before they can begin to take specialty NP courses? Or students can go direct into MSN in nurse leadership or public health nursing...

I saw you applied to Duke--I got a Master of Divinity there in 2007 and LOVED my 3 years there--would be happy to answer any questions you might have about Duke/Durham in general!

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No, I'm not. I know they give preference to residents but I'm giving it a shot anyway. They accept a fair amount for the absn. They also had budget cuts and I figured being from out of state willing to pay out of state tuition wouldn't hurt my odds. I'll look in to Thomas Jefferson and I don't think I'm competitive enough for johns.

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Bbcc—That’s crazy! Hello neighbor! DePaul is at the bottom of my list. I’ve enjoyed my undergrad here, but really need a change of scenery. Also I would rather do UIC’s program out of all since DePaul and Rush are simply just RN programs. But I really liked Rush despite them not having an MSN/NP program anymore so I’d consider it. Since UIC doesn’t start until January 2014, I’m going to apply to all three for a January start so I can weigh all the three at once. I was really going back and forth between CNM/WHNP and FNP, but I ended up applying to FNP programs and I’m feeling very happy & excited about my choice.

Sarah—I’m doing FNP and I believe she said 40 spots for about 120, but I could have that completely wrong at the moment. After reading so many numbers in all of these posts and on school websites they all seem to blur together! The two other girls in my info session were interested in FNP, so we didn’t talk much about PMHNP. However, she did say that it has been becoming a more popular specialty in recent years, but not quite as competitive as FNP. I applaud you for choosing that specialty. I’ll be graduating with my B.S. in Psychology and for a while I thought I would like to go into psychiatry, but I don’t think I could handle it. By recent events, mental health practitioners are something our country desperately needs so I hope you get into your first choice school. The lady I talked to also stressed the “holistic review” so GRE scores wouldn’t make or break an application, but some of the posts here really made me wonder about that. She said the applications they’ve reviewed so far for this cycle have a 153 for both quant/qualitative. Well, it’s too late now so I’m just going to try and relax and hopefully my desire to be a nurse shines through in my goal statement!

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hi616... I don't think that the GRE necessarily has to make or break you, honestly. I got a 153 verbal, 143 quantitative, 4.5 writing... obviously my quantitative is low, so I doubted my competitiveness for Penn, but I still received an interview. Apparently only 50% of the BSN-MSN applicants did. Who knows if I'll get in, but it's pretty cool I was recognized at that stage of the process. I think that the GRE is just a very small portion of the admissions process... I think that it CAN make or break you, but I think that only if you have less experience on your resume, maybe, or if your GPA was maybe a little lower. If you had a GPA on the lower end of the scale, maybe the higher GRE scores, along with an upward trend in GPA, would show that you had made some improvements in studying, and it would help you out. But I don't think that lower GRE scores necessarily mean you're going to get rejected. I think Boston College and Vanderbilt may be exceptions, but I don't know for sure (they just seemed to place a high value on high GRE scores). I also know UF's nursing program won't even consider you without 153 v/144 q GRE scores. But the other schools, I really do think they are holistic (hence why a lot of them waive GRE scores when you have a certain GPA, or don't require them at all, like Johns Hopkins and NYU).

sarahdukie, I do think you have to take time off and work before beginning the NP portion at USA. And thank you so much! I do have a question... do you know of any good places to live in Durham that would be close to the SON, and not too expensive? Preferably with a washer and dryer!

morganw, you never know! You could still give it a shot! I'd try for JHU. And I also would look into Thomas Jefferson, it seems like a good program.

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Thanks for the encouragement hopeful! I'm just still reeling a bit after the Yale rejection I guess. Even though I applied just for kicks, it still makes you think when you get a rejection, you know? Congrats on the Penn interview!! I do have above the 3.6 average GPA that the admissions counselor suggested so that makes me feel better.

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Thanks for the encouragement, Hopeful! I have the exact same GRE scores as you but a 5.0 in writing--really encouraging to hear you got an interview at Penn, way to go! Seattle U doesn't require the GRE for those who already have masters in other disciplines, but it is a 3 year vs. 2 year program.

As far as Durham goes, it is a renters market with so many students in Durham, so you will have lots of options. I am not sure how prices have changed in the last 5 years, but when I was there, Pinnacle Ridge was a very nice complex close to campus. There are also apartments converted from old tobacco factories nearby--suuuuper cool but not sure on prices. NC in general is very cheap compared to major cities. There are also small houses and duplexes for rent; good deals can be had that way, but I would definitely recommend visiting in person if you do that, as parts of Durham can be quite sketchy and change from one street to the next. If you are accepted, you will be invited to join the graduate student group which is very active in posting rooms for rent, apts for sublet, etc. If you don't mind finding roommates, you could pay as little as 250-300 a month in rent!

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Hopeful, Thanks! Yeah you're right they both sound great. I think I will consider it. I can write an essay before the deadline.

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