Any Fall 2008 UCLA - MECN Program Applicants out there?

pretzelpug · Mar 8, 2008

Pretzelpug is absolutely right- professional school tuition at UCLA and probably all UC schools has gone up dramatically. You also need to do a cost analysis of sitting out another year vs. starting now- you are delaying your earning a nurse's salary by a year. I personally would bite the bullet and get going with a training program- I do not think MSMC is out of line at all from what I have heard. I also do not think it is that important where you get your degree from as long as it is accredited and graduates have a track record of getting desirable positions after graduation- there is such a critical need for nurses.

I agree - the sooner you get a foothold in the nursing industry, the better likelihood of you feeling the greater effects of the worsening shortage salary-wise, job-opportunity-wise, etc. Plus, tuition rates only increase every year, so getting it done as soon as you can is preferable I think. MSMC has a great nursing program - practically all the nurses who work at UCLA are from the Mount and my roommate who is studying to be an NP at UCLA's SON is also from the Mount. 30k per year is not that bad if that's how much it is.

A correction: the amt i listed earlier was what they said at the MECN info session. The amount for my current program is (w/living expenses that financial aid bestows to me) is $45k/year = $15k per QUARTER. So consider MSMC if you still can. Their program is very supportive and I think their NCLEX pass rates are pretty decent.

http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/passrates.shtml

Asherah, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2008

For all of those who are considering applying for the next round of admissions, I would highly suggest that you contact Suzette Cardin and discuss which components of your application can be strengthened. In my case, because of the fact that UCLA only looked at the last 60 sem/90 quarter units of your previous degree, there was no way I could have improved that portion of my application. She was able to tell me straight away that I would not be competitive for the next round of apps (also due to the fact that the applicant pool would be even larger) and so I didn't apply again.

I am not in any way trying to discourage anyone from trying again, but it was easier for me to move forward with my eyes wide open and a realistic perspective. I did appreciate the fact that Ms. Cardin was able to take a few minutes of her time to have a one-on-one conversation with me about my situation.

Good luck, everyone!

odamae · Mar 8, 2008

For all of those who are considering applying for the next round of admissions, I would highly suggest that you contact Suzette Cardin and discuss which components of your application can be strengthened. In my case, because of the fact that UCLA only looked at the last 60 sem/90 quarter units of your previous degree, there was no way I could have improved that portion of my application. She was able to tell me straight away that I would not be competitive for the next round of apps (also due to the fact that the applicant pool would be even larger) and so I didn't apply again.
I am not in any way trying to discourage anyone from trying again, but it was easier for me to move forward with my eyes wide open and a realistic perspective. I did appreciate the fact that Ms. Cardin was able to take a few minutes of her time to have a one-on-one conversation with me about my situation.
Good luck, everyone!

Thank you Asherah. Very wise and practical words indeed. This is why I wrote to Dean Cardin straight away after receiving the rejection (before putting the letter in the shredder :yeah: ). I want to know if I am better advised to seek another program rather than spin my wheels at UCLA. Knowledge is always a good thing- it may not be exactly what you want to hear but it allows you to move forward in a productive way. I wish I could attend JHU- that is so totally awesome you got in!

kathliz · Mar 8, 2008

Masaemasae, I have seen your posts on the CSUN thread. I really hope that you get into UCLA, but if for some reason you don't I am sure that CSUN will be a good program. If I am LUCKY enough to get in it will be a 130 mile roundtrip commute for me each day, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. If I were you I would submit an app to MSMC. They have an excellent reputation. If you're applying for this fall, however, you had better act quickly because according to their website I believe that the deadline for the Accelerated BSN is this Friday. I was considering applying a couple of weeks ago, but I just couldn't get myself to bug the same three people to do another round of recommendation forms for me. I applied to five programs so that is 15 letters. I had very few people to choose from. Toward the end I was being terribly apologetic to them. After last night's rejection I had considered again, but I think it would be impossible to get the transcripts and recommendations done by this Thursday.

I think for everyone here, the sooner you start your degree program the better. Not that it is entirely my fault, but I kick myself for not having considered nursing at least a few years earlier when the application process wasn't so competitive. Every year the number of applicants is jumping "exponentially". It will only be worse next year. I felt resentful when I attended UCLA's info session last year. The dean was giddy and almost couldn't contain her excitement that as more and more qualified students applied they would be able to pick the cream of the crop. We lose, but at least the public will gain. IMHO, the sooner you get into a nursing program the better off you will be.

Kathy

odamae · Mar 8, 2008

Masaemasae, I have seen your posts on the CSUN thread. I really hope that you get into UCLA, but if for some reason you don't I am sure that CSUN will be a good program. If I am LUCKY enough to get in it will be a 130 mile roundtrip commute for me each day, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. If I were you I would submit an app to MSMC. They have an excellent reputation. If you're applying for this fall, however, you had better act quickly because according to their website I believe that the deadline for the accelerated BSN is this Friday. I was considering applying a couple of weeks ago, but I just couldn't get myself to bug the same three people to do another round of recommendation forms for me. I applied to five programs so that is 15 letters. I had very few people to choose from. Toward the end I was being terribly apologetic to them. After last night's rejection I had considered again, but I think it would be impossible to get the transcripts and recommendations done by this Thursday.
I think for everyone here, the sooner you start your degree program the better. Not that it is entirely my fault, but I kick myself for not having considered nursing at least a few years earlier when the application process wasn't so competitive. Every year the number of applicants is jumping "exponentially". It will only be worse next year. I felt resentful when I attended UCLA's info session last year. The dean was giddy and almost couldn't contain her excitement that as more and more qualified students applied they would be able to pick the cream of the crop. We lose, but at least the public will gain. IMHO, the sooner you get into a nursing program the better off you will be.
Kathy

Well-said Kathy. You are preaching to the choir with me.

One thing that stands out in my mind about the information session I attended in the fall 2007 was the emphasis one of the students who spoke put on nursing salaries. She had a liberal arts background and diverse jobs yet she said she felt so lucky to be in the MECN program knowing when she graduated she was guaranteed $40/hour. Huh? Whatever happened to going into nursing to help others and to give back? At least have the veneer of altruism when speaking to a group of nursing hopefuls. I mean, isn't the goal of a nursing program to graduate caring, compassionate and competent healthcare providers not pecuniary individuals seeking fiscal stability??!! I was not impressed with that student's attitude.

kathliz · Mar 8, 2008

Well-said Kathy. You are preaching to the choir with me.
One thing that stands out in my mind about the information session I attended in the fall 2007 was the emphasis one of the students who spoke put on nursing salaries. She had a liberal arts background and diverse jobs yet she said she felt so lucky to be in the MECN program knowing when she graduated she was guaranteed $40/hour. Huh? Whatever happened to going into nursing to help others and to give back? At least have the veneer of altruism when speaking to a group of nursing hopefuls. I mean, isn't the goal of a nursing program to graduate caring, compassionate and competent healthcare providers not pecuniary individuals seeking fiscal stability??!! I was not impressed with that student's attitude.

I agree Oda Mae. She should have at least put on at least a "veneer of altruism". However, I will bet that her talk of $$ resonated with a lot of people. Let me play devil's advocate for a moment. Why is it almost impossible to get into nursing school these days? There are hundreds of programs across the country yet there are thousands of people trying to break it. The waiting lists at community colleges are now 2-3 years and the advanced degree programs are becoming ultra-competitive. I would venture to guess that only a tiny minority of today's applicants are applying to nursing programs to make a difference in this world. I meet so many young people in my CC classes and very few of them seem to be excited about healing the sick and serving the community. To them it's a job opportunity. For me nursing is entirely about altruism. Quitting my job is a totally losing proposition to me financially. My initial nursing salary will probably be less than I am making now. I will have to support myself for two years while not making an income and have to eat into my nestegg. I will have tuition costs to pay. I will lose all of my seniority, pension and benefits at my present job. A few of my friends have been honest and told me that they thought I was being foolish. However, money doesn't mean much to me anymore. I am now on the downhill portion of my life. I cannot bear the thought of retiring at my present company or lying on my death bed feeling that I have not done anything meaningful in my life. I have not brought any children into this world. I had this burning desire when I was a child to be a doctor or nurse. Better late than never, but I am going to fulfill that dream now. I hope to "serve" for the rest of my life and die a nurse! :nurse:

maybemaybenot · Mar 8, 2008

i'm so sorry to hear about your letters kathliz and odamae! You two will be wonderful nurses and honestly, it's ucla's loss!

after an uncomfortable and terrible interview (with 16 other people...and that was just 1 of 2 groups), i came home to a thin envelope. i'm on the waitlist but the number is sooooo ridiculously low it makes me feel like i'm just someone they added as a backup should alllllllllllllll the other people on the waitlist happen to decline an open spot...it really feels like false hope but i'll try to stay positive and keep applying to other schools in the meantime

kathliz · Mar 8, 2008

Well, congratulations!!! :anpom:

Several people here already said that they were going to turn down UCLA. You have a good chance. Where else have you applied?

maybemaybenot · Mar 8, 2008

Well, congratulations!!! :anpom:
Several people here already said that they were going to turn down UCLA. You have a good chance. Where else have you applied?

i also applied to samuel merritt college and the CSUN ABSN program...i had the interview for samuel merritt today and it was just absolutely awful for me...CSUN said they wouldn't be in contact until at least early april, but at least now i have the waiting experience after going through this whole ucla thing......also like you, i would really hate to bother others for references again!

kathliz · Mar 8, 2008

i also applied to samuel merritt college and the CSUN ABSN program...i had the interview for samuel merritt today and it was just absolutely awful for me...CSUN said they wouldn't be in contact until at least early april, but at least now i have the waiting experience after going through this whole ucla thing......also like you, i would really hate to bother others for references again!

Don't say that! We all say that our job interviews go awfully and then get hired! I think your chances of getting into UCLA are great. I also applied to CSUN. Where do you live? Samuel Merritt is in Oakland. I have also applied to CSU Fullerton's EL-MSM program. I have an interview in two weeks. I would love to go to school in the Bay Area, but I own a home in OC and I am also a caregiver to my best friend.

maybemaybenot · Mar 9, 2008

Don't say that! We all say that our job interviews go awfully and then get hired! I think your chances of getting into UCLA are great. I also applied to CSUN. Where do you live? Samuel Merritt is in Oakland. I have also applied to CSU Fullerton's EL-MSM program. I have an interview in two weeks. I would love to go to school in the Bay Area, but I own a home in OC and I am also a caregiver to my best friend.

i live up here in the sf bay area, but i'm willing to travel anywhere in california. i did my undergrad at uci, and would love to return back to socal! i absolutely love it down there! hopefully we'll both make it into CSUN's program! i heard they are only choosing 18 people for fall! yikes! good luck at the CSUF interview!

deni_in_LA · Mar 9, 2008

I'm back from vacation now (luckily that took my mind off all the agony you all were going thru waiting for the mail) and am both pleased and tormented by being in the nether-world of the wait list (#17). I heard in orientation that they took up to number 20 last year, so maybe I'll get in?? It seems incredible that so many would turn ucla down. Like kathliz and odamae I am an older student--perhaps the oldest at 51 years. So I really don't want to wait a year and reapply.

For others' info, my undergrad years at ucla in the 1970s had a lot of bad grades (2.9 gpa overall), but 4.0 in all my prereqs, and 29 years of work in microbiology research.

Shelli said we could contact her to get updates on the waitlist, so if anyone does so, please post it. Maybemaybenot---what number are you on the waitlist?