Applying to Duke ABSN Spring 2017

perspicace · Apr 2, 2016

Hi! I'm applying as well, what is GPA inflation? As for late transcripts, your best bet is to call admissions and ask how they handle it. My guess is that you submit an official transcript prior to deadline, then they have you submit another one once final grades are posted, or they may make the decision off that and if you're accepted it will be contingent upon satisfactory completion of the courses in progress.

Knatori · Apr 7, 2016

Hi I am also applying to the Duke Spring 2017 cohort. Are you applying to anywhere else?

kathywasabi · Apr 8, 2016

Thanks @perspicace ! I did call them about the transcript!

My schools is like ivy league status but not an ivy league. While professors tend to give out tons of A's in ivy league to help their students get ahead in their future endeavor, here professors have to give out certain numbers of B, C, D... so even if I tried my best and did well, I could still end up with a GPA not as stellar as someone from other schools :/

anyway, that might be a generalization too, but I was just wondering if the admission will account for the ranking/difficulty level of undergrad

kathywasabi · Apr 8, 2016

Hi I am also applying to the Duke Spring 2017 cohort. Are you applying to anywhere else?

Yea! I applied to University of Rochester and NYU so far. I think that's all the ABSN programs I'm applying to.

Pmilian08 · Apr 8, 2016

Hi, I wanted to know if anyone knew if applying to spring would be easier to get in than the fall?

Knatori · Apr 8, 2016

I applied to nyu as well. I saw you're in Berkeley, I'm in Emeryville! Have you considered applying to Samuel Merritt? I may also apply there, though it's pricey and I'd have to take a few more silly required classes.

adairfletch · Apr 13, 2016

Hi all! I applied for Fall 2016 and was accepted, so I thought I'd answer any questions I can after successfully going through the application process. It is stressful, but worth it!

@kathywasabi: From everything I've heard, no, Duke doesn't consider how competitive your undergrad school is/was, but they do consider what courses you took and the grades you received. I'm a little annoyed by the grade inflation assumption, since no decent university (Ivy League or no) is just going to hand their students grades they didn't earn. Duke, like any school, would prefer you to have a high GPA (I have a friend who was rejected for the Fall, and they told here it was primarily due to her low GPA - she has loads more clinical experience than I do), so just do the best you can in any courses you may still be taking. I don't think a lower GPA will break an application, but I also don't think making excuses or blaming your university's grading policies for your non-perfect grades is the way to go - plenty of other applicants will have gone to competitive (and non-Ivy) schools and will still have good GPAs.

My advice would be just to worry about what you can do now to make yourself a better applicant.

@Pmilian08: I don't know if the Spring cohort is easier to get into, but they did receive more applications than they ever have since the ABSN program began during the last application cycle (they received over 450 applications for Fall 2016). So, it is competitive. However, there's no perfect applicant - I don't have any clinical experience in my background, which was a concern I had about my application, and I was still accepted.

So, @ everyone: even though it's competitive, I wouldn't be discouraged - keep in mind that they also look really hard at your personal statements and recommendations. Do the best you can on those - think of your personal statement like an interview response, and let yourself shine through. Focus on what makes you interesting. Think of it from their point of view: they look to accept students that they want to teach. Give them a reason why they should share their knowledge with you and put up with you for 16 months.

Also keep in mind that the application process at Duke is holistic - they don't do number cut-offs from what I understand. Try to stay positive, and good luck to all of you!! :)

Pmilian08 · Apr 14, 2016

@adairfletch thank you so much. I applied for fall 2016 as well as was rejected due to low GPA. Nora also stated that while my personal statements were good, they weren't the best. I have below a 3.0 GPA & I was told that starting with the fall 2016, the GRE scores will no longer be a requirement for anyone. I know in the past it wasn't a requirement if you had at least a 3.0. But now when I talk to Nora about possibly re-applying she's making it seem as the decision would be no different from the last. I'm wondering if I was to re-work my personal statements, would that give me an advantage? Plus, I work at Duke Universiy hospital. Idk what else to do. Should I re-apply or should I give up & let it go? Is your friend that got rejected re-applying? Do you know of how many people got accepted into fall?

adairfletch · Apr 16, 2016

@adairfletch thank you so much. I applied for fall 2016 as well as was rejected due to low GPA. Nora also stated that while my personal statements were good, they weren't the best. I have below a 3.0 GPA & I was told that starting with the fall 2016, the GRE scores will no longer be a requirement for anyone. I know in the past it wasn't a requirement if you had at least a 3.0. But now when I talk to Nora about possibly re-applying she's making it seem as the decision would be no different from the last. I'm wondering if I was to re-work my personal statements, would that give me an advantage? Plus, I work at Duke Universiy hospital. Idk what else to do. Should I re-apply or should I give up & let it go? Is your friend that got rejected re-applying? Do you know of how many people got accepted into fall?

Hi Pmilian08! I'm sorry to hear you didn't get accepted this last go round.

My friend isn't reapplying, she's applying to Watts instead, so she can still start nursing school in the fall (they have rolling admissions). Nora essentially told her over the phone that with her undergrad GPA, it's very unlikely she'd be accepted into the ABSN program, but she could still apply for the MSN programs after getting her RN license (my friend wants to be an NP). I do think removing the GRE requirement has hurt some candidates - if you have less than a 3.0 GPA, there's no other means to offset it now. But maybe that was their goal, since it would make it easier to reject some applicants/sort through a greater number of applications.

I can't tell you if you should reapply or not, but I don't think a second try is ever a bad idea, assuming you can sacrifice the application fee. Should you decide to apply again, just make sure to get some fantastic recommendations and work on those personal statements. There's no guarantee, but then at least you'll know you gave it your best shot. And you never know what other applicants you'll be competing against - maybe you'll be more competitive this time.

As far as the amount of people who were accepted for Fall 2016, I'm not sure exactly, but I believe it was somewhere between 68 and 73. So, if we assume for the sake of easy math that there were exactly 450 applicants and exactly 70 were accepted, then the acceptance rate was 15.56%. That's definitely competitive, so don't beat yourself up about your last application.

I think that if you apply again, just do the best you can, but be sure to have some back-up options. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you pursue! :)

aechung · Apr 25, 2016

Hello! I'm also applying to Duke's ABSN Spring 2017 program.. just turned in my application. Fingers crossed we all get in! July couldn't come sooner.

Sunshinexoxo1991 · May 16, 2016

Hey guys!

I'm a current Duke ABSN student and I would love to answer any questions!

I will say they want you to be well rounded. My profile looked like this: 3.6 GPA, got my first degree from a state university, finished my prereqs at some little community college, I have international nursing experience and I have a huge love for people of all walks of life. I think something to emphasize is that you're relatable and have a desire to do this. Don't be arrogant, nothing is more annoying than that, and remember nursing is a humbling profession. I think they also want to get a picture that you understand what it means to be a nurse-like shadowing or any CNA experience or exposure is good.

Alright thats at about all I have haha I would love to answer questions! Either PM me or respond here.