ASU Post-Bacc 2014

[rtyo1]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post! What a valuable resource this site has been for me! A little background on myself to begin:

I am 24, male, and have a degree from ASU in Business Marketing (2012). I have been working all year on prerequisites required for consideration in ASU's Post-Bacc BSN program, which (if you are unfamiliar) is a program that allows people with degrees to get their BSN in 12 months after completion of pre-reqs. It requires a minimum 3.50 select GPA and 58.7% score on the TEAS to even be considered.

I received A's in all prerequisites except for a sophomore-year psychology 101 class, which was a B. This makes my application GPA a 3.89 (instead of a 4.0 ). I just took the TEAS yesterday, and got a 91.3% (99th percentile national, 98th percentile in the ASU BSN program overall).

Do any accepted applicants have opinions on my scores? What do you think the chances of me getting into the program are? If you can speak to your experience with the application and admissions process, that would be great. I think I am doing well, and I believe after they look at my application and see that I have straight A's on all of my medical-related prerequisites, they won't discredit my GPA with the one psychology class.

Also, anyone else applying? How has the process been? Our apps are due soon!

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[asubsn2013]

Hi guys!

Another current post-bacc student here – just thought I’d add my two cents of advice, in case anyone is interested. :) It’s been a crazy year, but in the end – I would say it has been pretty great and I am excited to graduate in two weeks and get started on my new career!

Some things to keep in mind:

1) Get used to chaos. It’s not always that bad, but there are moments. The first 8 weeks or so are so difficult and you will be overwhelmed with your workload, but just push through – you can do it! I started getting fairly negative about certain chaotic days when things did not go as planned, but then I changed my mindset by remembering that as a nurse, things will be unpredictable and chaotic sometimes, so I may as well get used to it now and figure out how to work through it! It helped me a lot to think that way, so hopefully it will help some of you! Try and stay positive as much as possible!

2) After the first semester, many of us were feeling very insecure and that maybe the program was too fast….maybe we should have taken the traditional program because can we really do this? After speaking to many traditional students about this, I learned that this is how everyone feels – traditional or accelerated. Just know that insecurity is part of it and you’ll get through it! RNs tell us that it will continue even through your first or second year of nursing…that’s just how a nursing career is. Yay!

3) Financial Aid – Your federal student loans will not cover the summer at all. Get ready to look for private loans (I went with Wells Fargo, but there are others). Also, when you are awarded your Fall semester loans, they will be spread across the entire academic year, even though you will only be there for Fall. You have to apply for graduation first, then contact financial aid to have the loans “prorated” and get them to cover the Fall. Mine still didn’t cover the fall and I had to seek out another private loan to cover it (about $3000 shy of what I needed). Bankrate.com is a great place to look for interest rates on private loans.

4) The textbook bundle – Unless you are sure you will use the Ebooks, it’s cheaper to look for your textbooks on Amazon. Just an FYI. I bought the Ebook/hard copy “bundle” from Elsevier my first semester and never touched the Ebooks. On the other hand, some of my fellow students only used the Ebooks and loved them - so it's all about personal choice. Also, consider the “optional” books before purchasing – I never opened the medical dictionary or lab values book from Davis.

5) Get to know your courses on Blackboard – click on every link – you never know what resources you will find. Every teacher sets it up differently, so just explore as you have the free time. (The words "free time" will become as much of a joke to you as it is to us....but it does pay to become familiar with each course shell, I promise)

6) Americorps – We did not know about this program until our second semester, so were only able to utilize it once. Check it out early – do a search for it on the ASU website and ask for a seminar. You get education awards to pay tuition and/or pay off loans. ---------------- is your rep – you should be able to find it with a search.

7) After the first semester, you can apply for a job as a Student Tech at the VA Hospital. It’s a great place for experience and additional cash. I didn’t do it, but many of my cohort did. You cannot get certified as a CNA because you won’t have enough long term care hours (maybe petition for that?), but you may still be able to get a job as an aide without your CNA license at other hospitals. I didn’t get a chance to seriously research it during my time, but I regret it….if you need a job, check it out!

8) The APA manual is your best friend! Get to know it… But also know that your friend may betray you on occasion, depending on which faculty is interpreting it. It sucks, but it’s the truth – you have to just roll with it.

9) You will hear from your first instructor that you cannot possibly do all the reading she assigns to you. This is the truth of every class. You’re going to have to pick and choose wisely. Get comfortable with skimming.

10) There is a huge online component in the first semester (first 8 weeks). We were not aware of this going in, so I want you to know because it was jarring for me. There are a couple of online classes later in the game also. Just an FYI.

11) There are organizations you can get involved in, if you are interested. You will hear about these during Orientation – Student Nurses Association, College Council of Nursing Students, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Active Minds. These were important to me for my resume. If anyone thinks they might want to be actively involved, please private message me, as there are people I would love to connect you with! You will think you don't have time to get involved, but it is possible, with good time management. I participated in two organizations and still maintained my grades.

12) Think about Letters of Recommendation for jobs along the way…. Your clinical faculty members are a great resource for this!

13) I hear that you guys already have a Facebook group – good job on that! It was extremely helpful for us. It’s a great place to ask questions, get to know each other, and commiserate on what you’re going through. Nobody will understand what you're dealing with except for your fellow students. These people will be your life for the next year! :)

That’s all I can think of for now, but I am open to questions if you guys have them! I will tell you that this program is incredibly difficult and you may not think you will get through it, but you will! It goes by so fast – try to enjoy it! Best of luck to you all!

[brinnym3]

hi!

I am thinking about applying for Spring 2015 since I am graduating with my undergrad in public health this may (2014).

Do you guys have any tips for applying and what were your GPA's, if you don't mind me asking. I know it's a very competitive program, so congrats to those of you that got in for this spring and I hope your classes are going well!

[courtneyfaith]

Hi Brinnym3, I am currently in the program and really love it! Select GPA has to be above a 3.5 but I think most of us where between 3.75-4.0. The TEAS test carries equal weight so I know those with GPAs in the "lower" range probably did pretty well on the TEAS. I don't know if you've gone to an info session yet but they are really informative. Let me know if you have any other questions, I know how stressful the application process can be. Congrats on almost graduating!