Anyone Else applying to Boston area Direct-Entry Programs

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Hi,

I'm applying to the main Boston area Direct-Entry MSN programs (BC, Simmons, MGH, and Northeastern), hoping to get a Family Nurse Practitioner degree. Just wondering if anyone else on this forum is either applying or is currently a student. I'm really excited, but I'm super nervous as well. Hoping to hear from some other people.

If anyone else wouldn't mind sharing their GPA, major, and work/education experience that would be great. I was a Chemistry major with a 3.5ish GPA. I'm finishing up some of the Bio pre-reqs now. I am currently working for one of the big hospitals in Boston as a technical research assistant looking at platelets and their roles in metastatic cancers (just had my first paper as a second author come out in August!).

Good luck to every one else who is applying!

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Hello and welcome to the site.

I moved your thread to the MA Nursing Programs Discussion forum where you should get more response from some MA members.

Good luck!

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Hey!

Congrats on the paper, that's awesome!

I'm applying to 2 Boston schools (BC and Northeastern) for pediatric and pediatric acute care programs. I'm also applying to Columbia and NYU. The wait is definitely killer.

I was an International Relations (global health concentration) and Community Health double major with a 3.5 GPA (3.8 prereqs) and a 1240 GRE. I've studied Traditional Chinese Medicine at a hospital in rural China and did my thesis on the healthcare and admissions policies at an orphanage in South Africa while teaching and assisting clinical teams there. Right now I'm a clinical research coordinator in pediatric emergency medicine in Boston and on a disaster response team.

For what it's worth you sound super qualified, good luck!

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Current DE student at Simmons, 2nd year, would be happy to help you with questions you may have from my experience.

Simmons was my first choice based on the strength of their clinical program, and I have been happy with the program thus far (especially the clinical aspect). Simmons has changed the way the do admissions in the past few years (it seems, and we have heard comments about it). All these programs are pretty selective, taking 30-60 students per cohort and getting hundreds of applications. Simmons seems to value critical thinking and life/work experience in addition to grades. They place a lot of value on your admission essay, and it's a unique question to Simmons so you can't use your essay from other schools (from what I understand, the a number of the faculty read every essay).

A little info about me: I graduated from HC in 2002 with a decent GPA 3.4ish, worked in business management before coming back to school. I had to repeat a few pre-reqs and did so at Quincy College (because it was cheap and convenient); got straights A's in everything and that boosted my pre-req GPA. I'm also a guy (1 out of 6 in our 60 person cohort) so that helped too I bet.

These programs are intense, be prepared to have life flipped upside down for a few years!

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Hi de2013,

Simmons is currently my first choice. I have do have a relatively high GPA based on the way Simmons calculates it because of a 6 credit course I took in college and aced. But I was a chemistry major, so my GPA isn't as high as it could be with a different major (I like to be challenged). I have been working at BWH as a lab tech for the past two years, which has been an amazing experience. I love the lab I'm in, but I'm really ready to start my career.

I'm wondering if Simmons has clinical placements outside of Boston. I have a really strong interest in rural medicine, and am hoping to go back to the hilltowns of Western MA when I finish school to start a family practice while also spending a little time in the greater Springfield area (really poor, lots of underserved individuals). I am also wondering if there is any focus on transgender medicine at Simmons. Western MA is a relatively progressive area with a relatively large trans population.

Hope you're enjoying your time at Simmons!

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

It sounds like you are a strong applicant.

Simmons has moved to a 100% FNP program, as I am sure you know, so they cover a broad base of care. Your first year of clinical placements will be in the Boston area (ranging from the south shore to Worcester at the farthest), and you don't get a lot of choice on where you will be placed (though this year they have taken steps to make that better I hear). Once you hit your preceptorship, they are very willing to work with you on where you are placed. Fenway Health is close by, though I don't know anyone who has precepted there.

I think if you advocate for getting that experience, they will work with you to make it happen.

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Hey everyone,

I will be attending the direct entry FNP program at Simmons this coming summer. I applied to the program last year, but ended up deferring my acceptance until this year.

I graduated in January 2010 from Simmons with a BS is psychobiology. My undergraduate experience at Simmons was phenomenal, and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to attend graduate school there as well.

I would love to talk more with anyone applying to Simmons!

Good luck everyone!

Chantelle

[email protected]

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