Applying to nursing school

Hi,

I'm a Sophomore at the University of Illnois at Chicago. And at my school you have to apply again to get into the College of Nursing Junior year. It is really competitive and I was wondering if there were way to make me stand out and get accepted there. So far I have a 3.71 GPA, I have taken a CNA course over the summer, I'm in the university's Honors College, I volunteered at UIC's medical center by reading to children, and I plan on volunteering at a benefit for diabetes.

I have considered volunteering at my local hospital, but they want a commitment of 4 hrs. per week for 3 months and as of right now I have a heavy courseload. So I don't want to have my grades suffer. I don't mind volunteering at certain events every once in a while or doing other things.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Melanie

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You've already done more than enough volunteering. I would focus on raising the grade point average to a 3.8 or even a 3.9 and doing well on your pre-nursing entrance exams. They're going to look closely at your grades and test scores, which will form the basis for their decision to admit you into the school of nursing or reject you. Good luck!

[mom2cka]

What are the determining factors for admission? If it's community involvement, school involvement, etc. see if you can get into your campus' student nursing association... volunteer with the red cross, get your pre-reqs all done... with my school, they looked heavily at the science grades - if that's the case, take an extra science class or two to boost that part of your GPA... a 3.71 is great, however my school had a cutoff (I forget it if was 3.5 or what, but it was close) and everyone above that was eligible - after that, they looked @ the additional stuff, mostly science grades & # of credits taken through them (which made some of us transfer students sweat a bit!) -- Good luck!

[allthingsbright]

Hi,

I'm a Sophomore at the University of Illnois at Chicago. And at my school you have to apply again to get into the College of Nursing Junior year. It is really competitive and I was wondering if there were way to make me stand out and get accepted there. So far I have a 3.71 GPA, I have taken a CNA course over the summer, I'm in the university's Honors College, I volunteered at UIC's medical center by reading to children, and I plan on volunteering at a benefit for diabetes.

I have considered volunteering at my local hospital, but they want a commitment of 4 hrs. per week for 3 months and as of right now I have a heavy courseload. So I don't want to have my grades suffer. I don't mind volunteering at certain events every once in a while or doing other things.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Melanie

You sounds VERY competitive to me and I think the only issue will be how many other people are applying at your level. Good luck to you...you'll get in soon, I bet! :)

[JaxiaKiley]

What are the determining factors for admission?

I think this is the most important part. Find out how the school will rank you, and focus on those things that really matter.

Most of the schools around here go off of GPA (some use overall GPA, and some use the GPA for certain classes) and entrance test scores. This year it took a 3.8 to get into a BSN program.

[prinsessa]

Hi,

I'm a Sophomore at the University of Illnois at Chicago. And at my school you have to apply again to get into the College of Nursing Junior year. It is really competitive and I was wondering if there were way to make me stand out and get accepted there. So far I have a 3.71 GPA, I have taken a CNA course over the summer, I'm in the university's Honors College, I volunteered at UIC's medical center by reading to children, and I plan on volunteering at a benefit for diabetes.

I have considered volunteering at my local hospital, but they want a commitment of 4 hrs. per week for 3 months and as of right now I have a heavy courseload. So I don't want to have my grades suffer. I don't mind volunteering at certain events every once in a while or doing other things.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Melanie

I just wanted to wish you some good luck!!! I am also applying for UIC for next year. I have heard they are really competitive. I am also going to apply to a couple other schools just in case I don't get in there. People tell me that I should have no problem since I have a GPA of 3.83, but I don't think they know how hard it is to get into Nursing school. I wish I could volunteer, but I just don't have the time between kids and school. Maybe I will see you next year . :monkeydance:

[woody436]

I didn't even bother applying to UIC and I had a GPA of 3.78. I figured at my age (40) at the time, I didn't have time to be wait-listed or to be told to reapply next time. I decided to go to Chicago State University. I was accepted immediately and I couldn't be happier. Yes, I know, I know...CSU is a "working-class" school that has had it's share of issues, but the nursing department is fantastic. They opened their arms to me (middle-aged, second career, white, man) and it's been among the best experiences of my life. CSU makes excellent bedside nurses, they do not spend a lot of resources on conducting a ton of research.

Good luck in your endeavors. I hope you get into UIC if that's what you're looking for. Take a look at CSU in the mean time though. You may be pleasantly pleased at what you find.

Jeff