Any Accelerated BSN at IUPUI Fall applicants?

anomaly · Oct 7, 2009

BNE103,

Do you have any insight on how much the program costs?

anomaly · Oct 7, 2009

JRenihan,

If you read this page, it tells you exactly what you need to do to apply: http://nursing.iupui.edu/degrees/absn/apply.shtml

From the information that I have gathered, and I could be completely wrong, the most important "statistic" is your pre-requisite GPA (see previous posts). BNE103, jennimarie, or awinfrey--Do you have any input on this?

When you meet with an advisor to go over the program planning sheet they'll go over the transcripts that have already been processed and use them to fill out your program planning sheet.

I hope this helps.

jlynn80 · Oct 8, 2009

I'm planning on applying for the spring 2011 ABSN progam at IUPUI and have done a lot of research on all of the other programs offered in central IN. Here's what I found so far:

Tuition

Overall, IUPUI is BY FAR the least expensive ABSN program you will find. I've estimated the tuition to be around $20K, which is significantly lower than some of the other options, like Marian or UIndy, which will cost at least $50K. Also, the advisor for Marian's new 16 month program told me that their affiliation with St. Vincent is only for the purposes of providing clinical training, and no scholarships are being offered to program participants at this time (apparently, that was part of the original intent of the affiliation). The IUSON advisor I met with said that Clarian does give out a "handful" of $15K scholarships each semester, but I'm not sure on what basis they're awarded (i.e. merit, financial need, etc.).

Admittance

One of the only downsides that I've heard about IUPUI is the competition for admission to the program. Based on everything the IUSON advisor told me (and from the application) it appears to be almost entirely based on GPA. He said that the cut-off depends on the pool of applicants (they accept 30 per semester), but it is usually somewhere between a 3.8 and 3.9. However, on the upside, they only look at your pre-requisite GPA, not your total undergrad GPA. Therefore, if you're like me and only have a 3.5 from your first degree (because a social life was top priority at the time), but have more credit hours than required and/or need to take several additional science pre-requisites before applying, your pre-req GPA will likely be much higher. That is because the advisor will select the course with the highest grade that qualifies as a pre-requisite requirement to apply towards the ABSN pre-reqs. So where I had two courses that met a pre-req requirement, he applied the one with the highest grade. Because of that my current pre-req GPA is a 3.85 and will be above a 3.9 if I can manage to get A's in my science courses.

The downside of IUPUI seems to be the upside at other programs, like Marian and UIndy (Purdue is also VERY competitive), as I was told that they are easier to get into. This is probably due, in part, to their hefty private school tuitions, which deter many applicants.

One other downside that I've noticed about IUPUI is it's "big school" atmosphere. Since I attended IU Bloomington for my first degree, this doesn't bother me, but I know it's important to some people. Because IUPUI is a large public institution, they're very hands off in their approach to seemingly everything, not just in the SON, but everywhere. I've found it's oftentimes difficult to get answers to many of my questions about admissions, transfer credits, registration, etc. I didn't notice it much until I started meeting with advisors from other smaller schools and realized quickly how much more helpful those schools are in comparison. I'm not sure if this changes once you're in the school of nursing, but it can be frustrating when you're going through the pre-requisite and application process.

If you are interested in the IUPUI ABSN, I would strongly recommend that you meet with a SON advisor first thing. That was most helpful to me.

Sorry for the long post. Hopefully the information helps. Thank you to the rest of you for the other information! It's helped me a lot!

anomaly · Oct 8, 2009

I saw this today on the University of Florida's nursing school website, and thought someone else might find it interesting as well:

Over the next several years, it is expected that nursing schools will begin to phase out those master's degree tracks that prepare nurses for advanced practice (e.g., nurse practitioner). This is in keeping with national recommendations (American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the accrediting body, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) that as of 2015, advanced practice nurses should be prepared with a DNP, not a master's degree. The national bodies that offer the certification exams for advanced practice are expected to require nurses to hold a DNP prior to examination as of 2015, and perhaps earlier for some specialties. Selected schools may initially offer the DNP as a completion program for those who already hold a master's degree in nursing. However, over time many schools will phase out the advanced practice master's degree tracks. The DNP is designed to be a post-baccalaureate degree and there is considerable interest among baccalaureate degree graduates in pursuing this degree already.

Sorry, I know it doesn't really pertain to this thread...

michelios19RN · Oct 8, 2009

I spoke to an advisor at IUPUI about the Accel. BSN program. It looks like I have about seven courses to take (one of them is a retake) before I can apply. I hope to start Spring 2010. After some thought and after reading this thread, I decided to go ahead and stick with IUPUI's program rather than completing the one at Ivy Tech primarily because I want to eventually work on masters and teach. I am certain you need a masters to teach. Anywho, I'm pretty excited about eventually getting started in the program. Until then, I'll just bounce along through my pre-reqs.

A big thanks to those who posted. I found you insights and information supremely helpful.

Jones

anomaly · Oct 8, 2009

Jones,

Did you apply for the Spring of 2010 then?

Sigh. I wish they would let us know about our admission status sooner than the first week of December.

michelios19RN · Oct 9, 2009

Anomaly,

Unfortunately no. I due to the classes I have to take, I might not be able to start as late as Spring 2011. If I can manage to squeeze my classes in, I could start as early as Fall 2010.

Jones

anomaly · Oct 10, 2009

Anomaly,
Unfortunately no. I due to the classes I have to take, I might not be able to start as late as Spring 2011. If I can manage to squeeze my classes in, I could start as early as Fall 2010.
Jones

Sorry,

I think I misunderstood when you said you hoped to start in Spring 2010. Perhaps you meant taking your pre-reqs? You probably already know this, but they are changing their admissions requirements:

Effective for Fall 2010 applicants: Science courses (anatomy, physiology, and microbiology) must also be completed at the end of spring semester.

One person I took classes with this summer was admitted for the Fall of 2009, but was taking Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology over the summer, and apparently they're no longer allowing that. I wonder what that means for Spring and Summer applicants after the Fall of 2010. Did the person you met with say anything about that?

Do you know where you're going to take your pre-reqs? If you have to take all three of the science requirements, it might be a little tricky to complete them by May 2010, but I think it's possible. APHY 101 and 102 from Ivy Tech transfer as Anatomy, and APHY 201 transfers as Physiology. You're not supposed to be able to take any of them concurrently, but I've met a few people who've taken 102 and 201 concurrently.

Over the summer, the person I mentioned above took a 6 week anatomy course, followed by a 6 week physiology course through IUPUI, while taking the 10 week microbiology course through Ivy Tech, but I'm not sure what their class offerings look like for Spring.

Godd luck in your pre-reqs! I hope this has been helpful. Did you get any interesting information when you met with the counselor to do your program planning sheet?

anomaly · Oct 10, 2009

jlynn,

A person I have spoken with who is in the program said that the program is usually about $5000 per semester, including everything you have to pay for. That brings the total closer to $25,000 for all 5 semesters. I guess it depends on a lot of factors, including where you buy your books, how much tuition goes up each year, living expenses, and how far you have to commute, for example.

The person I have spoken with got a $20,000 scholarship from Community when they started, and this semester (the 5th and final semester) there was only $500 of the scholarship left.

The Community scholarship differed from the Clarian scholarship in that Clarian taxed the $15,000 and then deposited it into an account (leaving recipients with somewhere around $12,000), while you paid for everything up front and then submitted your receipts to Community, who then reimbursed you for a total of $20,000.

Regardless, it does seem to be the most affordable program with or without the scholarships offered by Clarian and Community, and there's still the opportunity to apply for national, state-based, and a slew of IUSON scholarships after admittance. :)

Have you heard anything else about the scholarships? The person I spoke with said they think that Community's gone down to a $15,000 scholarship with a 3 or 4 year commitment. They also said that in their class about 6 people applied for Community scholarships and 6 people received one, and about 20 people received a Clarian scholarship. The counselor I spoke with said that 5-6 people get a scholarship from Clarian and 5-6 people get a scholarship from Community (out of the 30-40 people in the class). But what I've heard "through the grapevine" so to speak, is more in line with what the person who is currently in the program told me--that almost everyone who applies for a scholarship from one of the two hospital networks gets one.

That would be great. :)

anomaly · Oct 10, 2009

Is anyone else waiting to hear if they've been accepted to the IUSON A-BSN at IUPUI for the Spring of 2010?

csab · Oct 10, 2009

Anomaly, I wonder if they are now requiring that those science courses be finished at least one semester prior to starting, i.e. there needs to be a semester in between finishing the classes and starting. So Spring applicants would have had to finish them by the end of the previous summer, and Summer applicants would have to finish them by the end of the previous Fall.

So you applied for Spring? I was thinking of the program for Summer 2010, but I have been accepted to Ivy Tech for January and I think I'll stick with that. I would have at least 4 courses to take for their pre-reqs all next semester (none of them would be the A&Ps or Micro though). I'd have to take Stats, two science cluster courses, and Lifespan at a minimum. I took a couple of science-y classes many years ago that probably wouldn't count anymore (a basic Chem 100 class and a "Weather and the Atmosphere" class that isn't on their list but I wondered if they would count.) I took Math 118 at Ivy tech but I don't think they would count that as a science cluster since its equivalent at IUPUI says 'not accepted for admission' for it.

anomaly · Oct 11, 2009

csab,

That scenario came to my mind as well. I wonder if they would like students to complete those courses before they submit their applications, but it doesn't work for every cohort.

Fall admits = app due Mar 15 (classes end in May)

Summer = app due Jan 15 (classes end in Dec)

Spring = app due Sept 15 (classes end in Aug)

Have you applied to IUPUI as an undergrad? I think to meet with the SON to go over your pre-reqs you have to be accepted through the office of undergraduate admissions so they can evaluate any transfer credit you have and forward that to the SON.

I tried to predict all the courses they would use but some of the courses they used surprised me, so you might find that you only need 2 courses. One of the science cluster options is Chem 100. Also, I don't know what Math 118 is at Ivy Tech, but there's only one math option listed under that cluster, and it's for calculus, which is Math 119 at IUPUI.

Congratulations on your acceptance to Ivy Tech! I saw you over on that thread, haha.

I know someone else who is in your situation--they have been accepted to the ASN program at Ivy Tech for the spring, but still aren't sure if they should try to pursue a BSN through IUSON instead.

Are you hoping to get an advanced practice degree?