ABSN/NP Admissions Interview: Advice from a Penn Alum

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I know the 2021 admissions cycle is almost over, but I have a couple clients who are prepping for upcoming Cal State interviews, so I know there are a few more still out there. I graduated from Penn's ABSN program in 2014 and their MSN WHNP/CNM program in 2016. (Just to give me some credibility, I was also admitted everywhere I applied including UCSF, Hopkins, Yale, and Columbia. I really do have some solid advice! haha)

I offer admissions mentoring and interview prep as part of my business, but wanted to offer free advice on here because a) it's just a nice thing to do and b) it gives me new things to think about, and makes me a better mentor for future clients. 

If you have questions, let me know! ? 

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Hello! I am going into my 4th year in the BSN program at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

My goal is to get into Penn's MSN WHNP/CNM program in the future. Can you please tell me what you liked/didn't like about the program? Also, is 2 years of clinical experience required to apply to the MSN WHNP/CNM program at Penn? 

 

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On 5/27/2021 at 1:14 PM, nphopeful523 said:

Hello! I am going into my 4th year in the BSN program at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

My goal is to get into Penn's MSN WHNP/CNM program in the future. Can you please tell me what you liked/didn't like about the program? Also, is 2 years of clinical experience required to apply to the MSN WHNP/CNM program at Penn? 

 

Hi! First of all, sorry it took me so long to reply! I was mid-move. I'm happy to tell you about my experience. You don't need to have two years nursing experience for the program (it's just a requirement for the acute care/inpatient ones). However, you'll want to have some sort of birth experience to be competitive. 

PROS:

Supportive Environment 

For me, I had a really hard time choosing between Hopkins, Yale, and Penn. I loved the international public health reputation of Hopkins, the universal name recognization of Yale for future jobs, and the strong nursing and research reputation (and ranking) of Penn - but what pushed me over to Penn was actually the "vibe." Haha Interviews were in person, and when I went, I got a real sense of community from current students and support from faculty. I'm glad I trusted my intuition. I was right. The school of fostering an environment where community/camaraderie instead of competition and this made all the difference in my experience. Professors were also truly there to support me through the programs ups and downs. Although the program is rigorous (you need to maintain an 80% or higher on exams), I felt like they had my back. When my partner at the time got a tough diagnosis and needed surgery in the middle of a critical academic week, they did everything in their power to make it work for me (and checked in on me). 

Clinical Placement & Sim Lab
With the exception of one clinical placement (great placement, horrible preceptor), I was very happy with my placements. I requested things specific to my career goals and for the most part, they made it happen. I cannot imagine having to secure clinical placement. (OMG whatever you do, try to avoid schools who do that unless you have your whole MSN lined up.)

Faculty also puts a ton of time and effort into sim lab, so I felt (as prepared as you can feel) for emergencies should they arise. 

Philly & Networking

I feel like this is one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of selecting an MSN program. Because Penn also has a med school and a social work school, we always got phenomenal speakers and experts in the field to lecture the class. We also had great lecturers from outside the school. Philly has a bunch of med schools and residencies so it's great for this.They usually share their emails and offer for you to message them with questions. Because of this, if there's something that interests you, there are SO many opportunities to find your way into research projects, clinical placements, and future jobs that interest you.

Philly is just generally an awesome city to live in. Totally underrated. Easy to get around and meet up for study groups. More opportunities to meet people with shared interests outside your program as well. I read somewhere that Philly has more doctors per capita than any other US city. It's also a young and academic city. Go to pretty much any coffee shop in Center City, and it will be littered with grad students and residents. 

Name Matters

You can obviously get a job without a degree from a top 10 school, however I do think it makes it easier and Penn is a well recognized name. I happen to know (because they told me) that I was invited to interview for my first job because I was a Penn grad. They were familiar with the work of one of the faculty members and also felt like they knew that I would be "well prepared." 

 

CONS

Cost

OMG the cost. I don't even know what to say here. I don't think I fully appreciated how much debt I'd be taking on. I was just so excited to get in. Even with lots of scholarship money... I still don't know how it can even be a thing to charge this much for school. Also, something weird happened with my first semester with loans and I had to get a private loan. But I've been talking to others and I'm not the only one. I don't know how common this issue is with other schools. But ouch. If I could do it again, I would apply for a HRSA scholarship and get it all paid for in exchange for working in less than ideal circumstances for a couple years. 

I'm trying so hard to think of something else bad right now. I can't. 

Home Birth

Okay, I thought of one. I will say that the program prepares you well for being a hospital or birth center midwife, but if I had planned to do home births, I might have felt a bit less prepared. (I have a feeling this is true of a lot CNM programs though.)

 

Hope this helps! Feel free to email me if you have other questions. 

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17 hours ago, NursingMentorPRN said:

Hi! First of all, sorry it took me so long to reply! I was mid-move. I'm happy to tell you about my experience. You don't need to have two years nursing experience for the program (it's just a requirement for the acute care/inpatient ones). However, you'll want to have some sort of birth experience to be competitive. 

PROS:

Supportive Environment 

For me, I had a really hard time choosing between Hopkins, Yale, and Penn. I loved the international public health reputation of Hopkins, the universal name recognization of Yale for future jobs, and the strong nursing and research reputation (and ranking) of Penn - but what pushed me over to Penn was actually the "vibe." Haha Interviews were in person, and when I went, I got a real sense of community from current students and support from faculty. I'm glad I trusted my intuition. I was right. The school of fostering an environment where community/camaraderie instead of competition and this made all the difference in my experience. Professors were also truly there to support me through the programs ups and downs. Although the program is rigorous (you need to maintain an 80% or higher on exams), I felt like they had my back. When my partner at the time got a tough diagnosis and needed surgery in the middle of a critical academic week, they did everything in their power to make it work for me (and checked in on me). 

Clinical Placement & Sim Lab
With the exception of one clinical placement (great placement, horrible preceptor), I was very happy with my placements. I requested things specific to my career goals and for the most part, they made it happen. I cannot imagine having to secure clinical placement. (OMG whatever you do, try to avoid schools who do that unless you have your whole MSN lined up.)

Faculty also puts a ton of time and effort into sim lab, so I felt (as prepared as you can feel) for emergencies should they arise. 

Philly & Networking

I feel like this is one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of selecting an MSN program. Because Penn also has a med school and a social work school, we always got phenomenal speakers and experts in the field to lecture the class. We also had great lecturers from outside the school. Philly has a bunch of med schools and residencies so it's great for this.They usually share their emails and offer for you to message them with questions. Because of this, if there's something that interests you, there are SO many opportunities to find your way into research projects, clinical placements, and future jobs that interest you.

Philly is just generally an awesome city to live in. Totally underrated. Easy to get around and meet up for study groups. More opportunities to meet people with shared interests outside your program as well. I read somewhere that Philly has more doctors per capita than any other US city. It's also a young and academic city. Go to pretty much any coffee shop in Center City, and it will be littered with grad students and residents. 

Name Matters

You can obviously get a job without a degree from a top 10 school, however I do think it makes it easier and Penn is a well recognized name. I happen to know (because they told me) that I was invited to interview for my first job because I was a Penn grad. They were familiar with the work of one of the faculty members and also felt like they knew that I would be "well prepared." 

 

CONS

Cost

OMG the cost. I don't even know what to say here. I don't think I fully appreciated how much debt I'd be taking on. I was just so excited to get in. Even with lots of scholarship money... I still don't know how it can even be a thing to charge this much for school. Also, something weird happened with my first semester with loans and I had to get a private loan. But I've been talking to others and I'm not the only one. I don't know how common this issue is with other schools. But ouch. If I could do it again, I would apply for a HRSA scholarship and get it all paid for in exchange for working in less than ideal circumstances for a couple years. 

I'm trying so hard to think of something else bad right now. I can't. 

Home Birth

Okay, I thought of one. I will say that the program prepares you well for being a hospital or birth center midwife, but if I had planned to do home births, I might have felt a bit less prepared. (I have a feeling this is true of a lot CNM programs though.)

 

Hope this helps! Feel free to email me if you have other questions. 

First of all, thank you so much for this thorough and thoughtful response! I don't feel as lost anymore.

I only have one more question though: you said to have some sort of birth experience to be competitive, can you list some examples that they'll accept? 

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I'm so happy to hear it! It's not really a black and white sorta thing, they just want to know that you understand the role of a midwife and/or what the birth space is like. You could have doula or birth assistant experience, or something along those lines. It's not so much the medical experience as it is the familiarity with the "birth world." It's not mandatory. There were definitely people in my cohort who didn't. However, it will definitely make you a more competitive applicant. 

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On 6/10/2021 at 2:52 AM, NursingMentorPRN said:

I'm so happy to hear it! It's not really a black and white sorta thing, they just want to know that you understand the role of a midwife and/or what the birth space is like. You could have doula or birth assistant experience, or something along those lines. It's not so much the medical experience as it is the familiarity with the "birth world." It's not mandatory. There were definitely people in my cohort who didn't. However, it will definitely make you a more competitive applicant. 

Hello! Can I ask what your stats were/background was when you applied?

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