Anyone applying to Yale GEPN program for Fall 2009?

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Hi,

Since there was a very extensive thread last year about application process to Yale, I thought I would start a new thread for 2009 hopefuls. I am working on my application and wanted to know who else chose Yale as one of their options. What program? How is the application process going? Essay writing? Any anxieties? I am applying to the Adult Advanced Practice Nursing but still deciding on the specialty. The hardest part for me is the essay writing as English is not my first language, but I have been working on it for some time now and getting close to finishing the final version. Anyone else wants to share?

hey guys,

i need some advice. im trying to figure out who to ask for an academic recommendation. like i said, i didn't do that well in undergrad so my grades are not that great. i emailed a prof whose class i did decent in and she said that she was hesitant because ive only had 1 class with her.

so should an academic reference be from a prof from my major or can it be from anyone? also, i did well in the bio class i took last semester, but it was at a no-name school and i only took 1 class with the teacher. do you think a recommendation from my undergrad which has more name recognition would be better or from this bio teacher?

im so on the verge of a meltdown!! ahhhh!!

many thanks in advance

ps kalsberg: sorry for the late response regarding your gres question. i did a lot of practice exams from any prep book that i could find. instead of buying lots of book, i just went to borders, sat down for many hours and did practice questions from their books. also check out http://www.number2.com which is an online test prep website. also barron's has the ultimate vocab list. i made flash cards of words that i didn't know. for the writing portion, practice brainstorming within the time limit that they give you. i found it hard to write a comprehensive essay within their time limits.

try to take your gres on a not very busy day. i took it on a sat morning which sucked because there were so many people and i felt distracted. plus the test center puts people taking different exams in the same room so people were going in and out of the door or asking the proctor questions as i'm trying to read a very complicated passage in the reading comprehension part. i was really annoyed with the test center, but apparently this is commonplace.

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Specializes in Gastroenterology.

I would say that you should pick the person who you think would say the nicest stuff about you regardless of what school they teach at or what subject it is.

All things being equal sure it's ideal to have a recommender who taught you in your major or a science class, who you took loads of classes with, and who teaches at a big name school. But that's not how it works out all the time. I think that an enthusiastic letter from anyone beats a lukewarm letter from somebody you think might get more recognition. That's just my opinion.

Do feel like any of these profs know you as a person at all and could comment on your personal qualities? Are you confident about your other references?

Don't freak out! It'll be okay.

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hey sprinkelz,

I agree with expathopeful, get a recommendation from anyone that knows you will and you know will write you a good recommendation, I really don't think the "no name" school matters, what matters is what they write. When asking professors I only had for one semester I asked: "Do you think you know my work well enough to write me a good recommendation?" becasue a lot of professors can write a generic recommendation, it's part of their job description, but you want one that is going to be meaningful. If you took any writing classes, ask those teachers too, or have them edit your essay, a lot are more willing than you might expect! try hitting up your employers as well or any volunteer service you've done.

Also, Thanks for the nimber2 site, that's exactly what I've been looking for!

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One more thing:

I ultimately want to be an NP as well...deciding my specialty is really stressing me out. I love the thrill of the E.R. but ultimately my 10-20 yr goal is to have my own practice dealing with holistic type medicine and pain management for a more maintenance care level... Do you guys think maybe: "adult community care" nursing would be a better specialty for this? That way I would probably not be in a hospital setting and dealing more with the disadvantaged public. My only real experience with NPs have been in clinical practice settings, womens health and life star.

How are you guys choosing?

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regarding recommendations i found this on the site:

can a placement file be used in place of references?

a placement file can be used in lieu of one reference, even if the file contains more than one reference.

http://nursing.yale.edu/admissions/faq.html

does anyone know what a "placement file" is?

o.k. i just googled it...

http://careers.ucr.edu/students/lor.htm :yeah:

i'm really having trouble understanding how to go about getting references. i recently took 2 bio courses with one prof. and am wondering if i should get some kind of general recommendation letter from him. guess this is where the idea of a "placement file" comes in.:wink2: i better get that reference before i loose contact with that prof!

i don't want to have to approach possible reference givers multiple times for all the schools i might apply to.:imbar

does anyone know the application deadline?

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Specializes in Gastroenterology.

Hey Pauligirl,

I don't really know what a placement file is either, although I guess that link makes sense. But getting references shouldn't be that hard. Like ksahlberg said in a post above writing references is part of a teacher's job and they do it all the time. It's not like you're asking them to go out of their way for you, it's part of their job description. I'm pretty sure that most teachers and employers keep a copy of any letter they write so that if you ask for another one later they don't have to write it from scratch.

To get a reference you should just contact them by telephone or email, remind them of who you are (classes you took with them, job you held,) tell them a little about the program you're applying for and ask if they would be able to write you a recommendation. Either they will say yes, at which point you just send them the form with an stamped addressed envelope to yale and a thank you letter or they will say why they think you should ask somebody else which is generally a polite no.

Like you said asking for letters over and over is annoying, so try to figure out all the schools you're applying to this year and send all of those references to your recommender at once. Even if you decide later not to apply to one or two schools it doesn't matter.

The deadline is Nov 1st.

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Specializes in Gastroenterology.

Now as for specialties....

If you are into ER stuff but ultimately want to do long term pain management then maybe you should do the Adult Advanced Practice specialty in either the oncology or Acute Care/Critical Care track. The AC/CC track specifically mentions ambulatory care, home care and case management which is what is sounds like you'd like to do eventually, but in the short term you could work with some really sick people in critical care if that's what you're into. The oncology track I brought up even through you didn't mention cancer because that patient group really needs pain management and I think is often into holistic medicine and complementary therapies. Also at Yale this track would get you certified as an ANP so you would be a generalist as well.

I see a fair number of clinical nurse specialists (hospital NPs) at my hospital and they're really cool. The pain team/palliative care nurses who work mostly with the oncology patients are awesome. They are really patient focussed and do a lot of work to help get patients home if possible or to make them comfortable in hospital. They seem to work a lot in teams and do a lot of communicating with doctors, social services, pharmacists, etc, to make sure the patient is getting the right care.

I am mostly decided on WHNP because that is 100% what I want to focus on in the future, but I still am having moments of intense fear that I won't be able to get a job as a WHNP/ANP and that I am screwing up by not going for the FNP. I hate working with kids though so it's just not an option....I guess I just want reassurance that it'll work out. :(

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I applied to Yale two years ago and even got an interview there and then blew it in the interview process. They accept something like 70 - 80% of the people they interview and I knew when I blew it. You know how you say something and right away you want to cram those words back into your mouth?

It is all okay though I graduated from a great program and am very happy.

By the way, if you do get an interview there WEAR A SUIT or dress professionally. I wore a suit as did 90% of the people who attended that interview day. You don't want to be one of the handful of people showing up in jeans when everyone else is wearing business attire.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Gastroenterology.

Thanks for the advice.

Out of curiosity (and a desire not to do the same thing) what did you say that you think blew it?

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thanks for the advice.

out of curiosity (and a desire not to do the same thing) what did you say that you think blew it?

i was asked why i wanted to be an np rather than an rn and i came off as undervaluing the rn through poor word choice.

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Thanks ExpatHopeful,

I've always been interested in oncology but for some reason forgot to link that field to acute care because it is so maintenance oriented. Your advice was perfect, THANKS!

What hospital do you work for now? have you had experience with womens' health there just as you've seen the palliative care nurses?

I think you'd be pretty much guaranteed a job as a WHNP. there are tons of womens clinics out there and the field is growing. Stay on this track if it's what you ultimately want to do, no sense dealing with finicky kids if its not up your alley!

all the best!

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Specializes in Gastroenterology.

Thank you for the encouragement - I need it! Glad you found the advice helpful too.

I work at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. It's the major hospital in town. Unfortunately I don't get to do much women's health these days but before this I worked at a women's health clinic for a year so that's what I'd like to go back to.

How is everyone coming along with their essays? I've managed to carve mine into something approaching a rough draft but cramming everything into 2 pages is pretty much a nightmare and I have no conclusion yet at all, it just kind of trails off.... In fact I realized yesterday that the last word of my essay was "beer" because homebrew is one of my hobbies. Somehow, I don't think that's the right note to end things on at all.

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