Any Fall 2008 UCLA - MECN Program Applicants out there?

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Are any of you starting to get anxious about the forthcoming decisions? We have another month or so yet to know, but I still want to know NOW! :innerconf ... Wanna share in the waiting process? Have you heard anything about the # of people they are accepting? Anything?

omg wow that is really nervewracking!!! I can't believe they already made decisions (even though, duh that was expected) - it just makes it all so realistic that we're going to be finding out if we got in or not pretty soon! :-/ I'm so nervous now!!!

Any of you who were looking at USD and UCLA - which would you choose if you got into both?

how sad about dean cowan! about your question, i was accepted to USD and a few others and am waiting to hear back from UCLA like the rest of you! i think the decision between the schools is a very personal one. what separates them in my mind are the following things: (keep in mind i went to UCLA for undergrad) I believe UCLA is very research and theory-based (because it's a research institution), so the learning experience will be a lot less geared toward vocational studies and a lot more about the concept and ideas behind it. (at least that was my experience with undergrad and that seems to be the case from at least the first 2 quarters of the MECN program from what i read in another post) however, UCLA must have it's high ranking for a reason, so you should still get an amazing education there. in addition, the hospital at UCLA is ranked 3rd in the nation and would be an incredible place to learn at. about USD, it's a very expensive program with little scholarship info (outside of the army), but because it's a private school, they may have a more extensive skills lab and other resources. from what i learned at the interview weekend at USD, i got the feeling that there's a bit more hand-holding to help you succeed than you would find at a large university like UCLA. (which can be good or bad, depending upon how you learn and if that would help you or annoy you) overall it's the difference between a public big-name school vs. a private school with not as big of a reputation. i know i didn't give you a definitive answer, but hopefully i touched on some ideas that will help you make your decision! good luck!

i also have a question of my own for current MECN students or anyone else who can give me some advice: I was also accepted to Columbia's ETP program for pediatric NP, and while pediatric NP is my eventual educational goal, i have my boyfriend and family out here and would prefer to stay in California for those reasons. Any advice on Columbia vs. UCLA/USD? Does anyone know about the difficulty level of the test to work in California as a nurse after going to school out of state? I've heard it's rough... I'm seriously considering Columbia because it looks like an amazing program. Any advice?

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how sad about dean cowan! about your question, i was accepted to USD and a few others and am waiting to hear back from UCLA like the rest of you! i think the decision between the schools is a very personal one. what separates them in my mind are the following things: (keep in mind i went to UCLA for undergrad) I believe UCLA is very research and theory-based (because it's a research institution), so the learning experience will be a lot less geared toward vocational studies and a lot more about the concept and ideas behind it. (at least that was my experience with undergrad and that seems to be the case from at least the first 2 quarters of the MECN program from what i read in another post) however, UCLA must have it's high ranking for a reason, so you should still get an amazing education there. in addition, the hospital at UCLA is ranked 3rd in the nation and would be an incredible place to learn at. about USD, it's a very expensive program with little scholarship info (outside of the army), but because it's a private school, they may have a more extensive skills lab and other resources. from what i learned at the interview weekend at USD, i got the feeling that there's a bit more hand-holding to help you succeed than you would find at a large university like UCLA. (which can be good or bad, depending upon how you learn and if that would help you or annoy you) overall it's the difference between a public big-name school vs. a private school with not as big of a reputation. i know i didn't give you a definitive answer, but hopefully i touched on some ideas that will help you make your decision! good luck!

Yeah, I got the same impression with USD when I was there for interviews recently - that they would be more supportive and guiding throughout the whole program. I think that's great they are so close-knit and seem to really CARE a lot. I got into their MEPN program and am just waiting on UCLA's notification.

My head is telling me I should go to UCLA's program since UCLA's the huge name, much higher ranking, etc. and any employer would be very impressed by seeing UCLA SON on it, but the focus on theory and research is the thing that concerns me. Since MECN students are saying how it seems like they won't have as good a grasp on their clinicals since the focus in the first 2 quarters is strictly theoretical and textbook-based. However, they all have to have strong clinicals, so I don't think it leaves them unprepared - I just hope that the classes (business-y leadership type) aren't the sole focus; rather focuses should be on the clinical/patho/pharma part of care to be able to start off with bedside nursing right out of the program.

It seems as though USD's program has a very strong foothold in their clinical partnerships throughout the county. I would be lucky with either. I think I'd be super satisfied with USD but on the other hand be happy about UCLA b/c it's hard to get into. I feel like USD should have more state-of-the-art sim labs vs. USD b/c UCLA's a state school and gets more funding, esp w/its huge contributors and the name itself. My roommate told me that it's a research- and teaching- institution, so you get both and she thinks her NP program is great (though a bit unorganized).

You're right about the scholarships being focused on the army ROTC - that's all they focused on at interviews. But I don't know what's out there for UCLA, either. I wish someone would be able to give more thorough insight about their clinical rotations and classwork for the ucla MECN program. It seems like the students are way busy, dislike the program, or the staff/faculty don't go out of their way to really give you information so that you can make as informed a decision.

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Hi Chicamica,

Congrats on Columbia! I was looking at their program as well, it sounds like a well-structured program and Columbia has a wonderful name too. If you don't mind me asking, what was your application profile like? What GPA is considered "competitive". I wanted to apply this year but didn't get my GRE's done on time...

All this waiting for UCLA is killing me too! :nurse:

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Hi folks!

Check your e-mail today. I got an electronic letter from the Graduate Division notifying me of my admission to the UCLA. :bowingpurWhew,

what a wait. Now I can just chill and relax this summer.

Congrats UCLA Nursing_08! If you don't mind me asking, what was your application profile like? What other programs did you apply to?

Thank you!

:yeah:

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how sad about dean cowan! about your question, i was accepted to USD and a few others and am waiting to hear back from UCLA like the rest of you! i think the decision between the schools is a very personal one. what separates them in my mind are the following things: (keep in mind i went to UCLA for undergrad) I believe UCLA is very research and theory-based (because it's a research institution), so the learning experience will be a lot less geared toward vocational studies and a lot more about the concept and ideas behind it. (at least that was my experience with undergrad and that seems to be the case from at least the first 2 quarters of the MECN program from what i read in another post) however, UCLA must have it's high ranking for a reason, so you should still get an amazing education there. in addition, the hospital at UCLA is ranked 3rd in the nation and would be an incredible place to learn at. about USD, it's a very expensive program with little scholarship info (outside of the army), but because it's a private school, they may have a more extensive skills lab and other resources. from what i learned at the interview weekend at USD, i got the feeling that there's a bit more hand-holding to help you succeed than you would find at a large university like UCLA. (which can be good or bad, depending upon how you learn and if that would help you or annoy you) overall it's the difference between a public big-name school vs. a private school with not as big of a reputation. i know i didn't give you a definitive answer, but hopefully i touched on some ideas that will help you make your decision! good luck!

i also have a question of my own for current MECN students or anyone else who can give me some advice: I was also accepted to Columbia's ETP program for pediatric NP, and while pediatric NP is my eventual educational goal, i have my boyfriend and family out here and would prefer to stay in California for those reasons. Any advice on Columbia vs. UCLA/USD? Does anyone know about the difficulty level of the test to work in California as a nurse after going to school out of state? I've heard it's rough... I'm seriously considering Columbia because it looks like an amazing program. Any advice?

Hello Chicamica,

I know it's a tough decision that you have to make between staying here with families, friends, and especially your boyfriend and attending a Ivy-League univiersity like Columbia University for your education. Columbia is an excellent school that offers more opportunities than what UCLA has to offer you. You will be working with the nation's brightest doctors and nurses, not to mention that when you apply for jobs, you will have a better edge than most of us MECN students. Additionally, when you receive an NP license, you will be earning about $80,000 and up versus what a clinical nurse leader (CNL) who will start out at $50,000 per year. CNL are basically bed-side nurses. CNL cannot do advanced practice nursing but your future degree from Columbia can let you do that. My advice to you is choose Columbia. Why go to UCLA and get a CNL degree when you have more earning power and a better reputation as a pediatric NP from a top-notch university?

I wish you the best and I only want my colleagues to get the best from their education. I hope you will choose Columbia's program over UCLA's program. At least you will be far ahead than many of us in the UCLA MECN.

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i called earlier, and the guy said they were not finished sending the emails. we'll see...

Thank you NSFA08 for providing us with the update. :nuke:

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what time did you get it?

Hi NSFA08. When I opened my e-mail on Thursday afternoon, I was told that a decision was already made on my application and that I needed to log onto the UCLA Graduate Division website to read the letter. I don't know what time I got the e-mail. I'll get back to you on that later on.

I am a procrastinator. Any procrastinators out there?

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Congrats UCLA Nursing_08! If you don't mind me asking, what was your application profile like? What other programs did you apply to?

Thank you!

:yeah:

Y

Hello Yummycherrys,

I don't want people on the post to feel uncomfortable knowing about my stats since everyone is waiting to hear from UCLA. What specific information would like? I'd be happy to share with you. :wink2:

I'd applied to a couple of schools. Here are the schools that I applied to -

  • Western University of Health Sciences
  • CSU LB
  • CSU Fullerton
  • CSULA
  • University of San Francisco
  • Loma Linda University
  • UCLA

Which schools did you apply to?

I didn't want to go out-of-state as I would have to support myself financially. I needed to make sure that there is someone who could support me while I take part in a very rigorous and demanding profession. Nursing is hard and to many of my friends who go through these accelerated programs, it's like a military boot camp. It's not like a one-person job. We need to help each other emotionally, form study groups, create a Yahoo Group to share class notes, and offer any assistance to our fellow classmates as we embark on this very stressful journey.

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Are any of you guys coming to the funeral?

I cut and paste the following from the UCLA SON website.

------------------------------------------

Funeral arrangements

The Rosary will be held on Friday, March 7th at 7:00 pm.

The Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 8th at 11:00 am

Both events will take place at the Saint Martin of Tour Catholic Church located at 11987 Sunset Blvd, Brentwood, CA (the corner of Sunset and Saltair Ave--one mile west of the 405 freeway).

The telephone number there is: 310-478-7403.

A reception will be held immediately following the memorial service on Saturday at the Cowan residence, located at 2600 Cordelia Road, Los Angeles, CA.

There will also be a campus-wide memorial service planned at a later date.

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wow so sad to hear about the dean :cry:

i didn't get an e-mail from ucla...guess i'll have to wait for the snail mail... *sigh*

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THE ANTICIPATION IS MECN ME CRAZY! :bugeyes:

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THE ANTICIPATION IS MECN ME CRAZY! :bugeyes:

that was cute... let's just hope the letters do go out as planned on monday -- that is, BEFORE the mailman comes :-)!!!

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