Applications: How Many!?

nlitened · Feb 4, 2015

I applied to 3 and got accepted to 2. Apply to as many as you qualify for, and good luck!

PinkEagle · Feb 5, 2015

I applied to 7! 3 MSN programs, 3 ABSN and 1 "regular BSN". Haven't heard anything back yet.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Feb 5, 2015

My area isn't exactly awash in nursing schools. Of the schools in the area, only two were truly an option for me. I applied eight consecutive fall/spring semesters and was finally chosen. I was "qualified" for one just one semester before the other, so when you add things up, I turned in 15 applications total. Applications # 14 and 15 were both selected. Yes, I was admitted to both programs to start the same semester.

If I hadn't been chosen then, I would have also applied to the local university as they were getting ready to open their BSN program to 2nd Bachelor students like I would have been.

My point is that you should apply to every school that you even minimally qualify for. Here's why: while some places have a points system where they take the top 50 (or whatever) students, that selection pool is completely at the mercy of the pool of applicants. If they don't have students that max out the scale, that means more students that don't have fantastic entry scores have a chance. This is why you'll see variation in the "low" value of points. One semester it's 78, the next it could be 73. If you think you meet the minimum requirements, apply!

The next thing to consider is cost. If you can't afford to go there, and that's even with loans, grants, savings, and whatever you still have left over from that armored car heist last month (just kidding!!!), you probably should consider not attending. It's never fun to have to drop from a program for financial reasons.

If you absolutely must work (I did), try to work out a schedule that will allow you to go to school and meet your "home" needs as well. I got really, really lucky in that regard. If you can, try to find a job at a hospital that you might want to work as a nurse later. This accomplishes two things: one is that you get to understand the hospital culture better and determine if you're a good fit and two is that as an internal employee, you have access to managers and internal job postings that non-employees don't have. Three of my classmates got nursing jobs precisely that way! Never forget that sometimes getting a job is a combination of not just who you know, but also who knows you or knows of you.

RunBabyRN · Feb 7, 2015

I always recommend applying to anywhere you'd consider attending.

I applied to 10 and got into 2, but due to family circumstances at the time, I couldn't move that far for school. I had to wait another year. However, because of specific circumstances, I was able to get acceptance the next year into the university near home.

WanderingWilder, ASN · Feb 7, 2015

I've applied to the three community colleges within a hr and half drive from me. There's one more that I could have applied to that at the hr and half mark but I decided to just stick with three. If I don't get in this year I'm going to expand next year but this year was a bit of a rush to get everything in by the end of the year. i had just completed two of the needed prereqs at two different places and I was just done with collecting everything that was needed.