Marymount Accelerated BSN - Spring 2010

Glad to find this thread. I've been accepted into the MU Accelerated BSN for Spring 2010 (hip hip hurray!) but am still waiting to hear about the CNL program at UMB. Comparing the two programs has been pretty gut-wrenching for me. On the one hand, UMB is cheap, nationally ranked, and would give me a Masters degree (for which there is much greater borrowing potential). On the other hand, Marymount has been MUCH more responsive and supportive through the admissions process (and future employers may be more apt to recognize the BSN compared to the MS-CNL). The UMB CNL would mean commuting to Baltimore every day through the rain, sleet, snow, and hail (I live in Bethesda) with Baltimore clinical assignments. MU would be a much more humane commute with clinical assignments in the geographic area where I hope to actually work upon graduation. There's also my family (husband and six year old son) to consider. How much potential family time is lost sitting in traffic between Baltimore and Bethesda (though I'm sure it's no picnic getting over the Chain Bridge or the American Legion bridge during rush hour either)? UMB is not expected to release their decisions for at least another week---maybe longer. It was easy for me to rule out Hopkins and Georgetown for the same cost reasons cited by others--I didn't even bother applying (though I will definitely give them a closer look when it's time to explore MSN programs). However, UMB CNL vs MU Accelerated BSN is a much tougher analysis. Does anyone have a sense of private loan availability when you're pursuing a second Bachelor's degree? The Stafford loans don't even begin to put a dent in the MU expenses. Any other veterans out there who will be using the post 9/11 GI Bill? Thanks for "listening" to my vent----all of this will be finalized one way or another within the next few weeks. All of this angst will be a distant memory after we pass the NCLEX!

Hi! Let me just point out...if you live in Bethesda and truly believe that commuting to Northern VA will be faster than Baltimore, think again. Commutes are a huge factor considering they take up study time and quality family time. Do you have a day that you could maybe try out the commute during the morning for Baltimore and another day for VA? I am 99% positive the VA commute would be worse because of rush hour travel directions. Most people are going South to commute and you would be going North. Don't take my word for it, seriously try it out a few days and you'll be surprised. I'm a UMCP graduate, so I'm partial to Maryland...as you can see from my other posts. I highly disagree with MU's costs. I just don't think it's worth it IMHO.

How come you didn't apply to the Spring UMD BSN?

Thanks for the feedback mhinds12. This is definitely food for thought and, once I hear from UMB, I think I will do a dry run for each campus before making my final decision (if, in fact, I'm accepted to UMB). I was really torn between applying for UMB's BSN at Shady Grove vs the CNL (truthfully, I almost had myself talked out of the CNL until I met with one of the program administrators at Shady Grove and she gently encouraged me to reconsider the CNL). Unfortunately, they will not let you apply for both at the same time (which I definitely would have done because the Shady Grove BSN would have been my second choice). When comparing the two (UMB CNL vs BSN), I took into consideration the fact that, since the Veteran's Administration would be paying for a large portion of my tuition, I should try to get the most "bang for my buck" (i.e. a Master's degree as opposed to another Bachelor's). It has been a kick in the pants to learn that the VA will pay much more per credit hour for me to attend a Maryland School rather than a Virginia school (aprox $450 per credit hour in MD compared to $320 per credit hour in Virginia---which has me back to thinking that the CNL might be the right way to go after all). Also, the borrowing potential is much greater for graduate students than for undergrads. Another consideration for me was the fact that the CNL would make me eligible to apply for jobs that required Master's degrees which might become important given how tough it is for new grads to find jobs in the current ecomomic climate. At a recent UMB Open House, I met a CNL grad who is teaching clinicals at UMB (something a BSN wouldn't be eligible to do) while completing the MPH program at Hopkins AND working in an ED---that impressed me! Finally, I took into consideration the fact that the CNL is 16 months as opposed to the two years for the BSN. It's really too bad that UMB doesn't offer an accelerated BSN. There you have it---my thought process in a nutshell. It was very interesting to read your journey. I think that this is a very personal decision and it boils down to what works best for each individual (and that formula is going to vary from person to person depending on their individual circumstances). I really wish you the best of luck---trust your gut.

thanks!! My uncle is an anesthesiologist...and has been for 35 years. He thinks the CNL is the future of Nursing. Sounds really interesting. Keep me updated on your admission to UMB! Good luck

After allot of tossing and turning, I've decided that Marymount is the best fit for me. Such a relief to have this decision finalized! I've created a Facebook group so that we can get to know each other better before classes begin in January.

I have been accepted to Marymount for Spring 2010 too!!! I'm so excited! I actually applied to University of Maryland at Shady Grove as well, but their decision going to be ready in the middle of November . I'm sending my deposit to Marymount today to secure my spot. Even though I havent heard about my acceptance( or not acceptance) to UMD I'm still debating whether which one is better..I'm an international student so the cost is going to be the same for me.

I got accepted to Marymount for Spring 2010 too! I'm so excited!

Congrats everyone!! So far that's about 5 of us. Does anyone have any idea about how many students MU accepts for each 2nd degree BSN class?

@mother matters: Congrats on making your decision. Regarding your commute, I thought it might be helpful to you, and others, to pass on some info regarding scheduling. In another thread, I asked Fall 09 MU ABSN students about their scheduling since I would be commuting from Maryland also. I was told that they have block scheduling (A & B formats) and that there is a lot of variety. The person who responded to me was on campus 3 days a week with earliest class (not including lab and clinical) starting at 12:30. Also mentioned that there is even some saturday scheduling. With the broad range of choices hopefully we can avoid rush hour as much as possible so that it won't be too bad commuting.