BCIT, LANGARA, DOUGLAS nursing

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Just to give everyone a background, I just graduated from high school here in Vancouver. With all the stories I've heard of how long waiting lists are, of how BCIT only takes in applicants that have degrees/diplomas, and so many more, I'm absolutely anxious in getting in nursing school. My only goal is to become a nurse in the next 4-5 years, but again with all the stories I've heard from other applicants, I don't exactly know what to do anymore.

So to any nursing graduates here Vancouver/ BC or to anyone who has successfully gotten in either Langara, BCIT, or DOUGLAS nursing program, do any of you have tips/advice on how I can get in nursing school? I currently have 0 post-secondary credits but have over 100 volunteer hours with kids and seniors (And regarding volunteer experience, will a non-health-care related volunteer experience help with my application?)

Also, if it's fine with anyone, can any of you share your experience with the application process.

P.S: I'm starting to get the pre-reqs this January ?

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If you obtain a very high GPA in your pre-reqs you can get in sooner at Langara or BCIT. At Douglas as long as you get the minimum GPA you can get in but it’s first qualified first admitted so it takes longer (average about 2-2.5 years after finishing your pre-reqs). They are all good schools.

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yes what Pcmama says is true. If you get high GPA on your pre-req's you can get in & finished quickly at BCIT or Langara. Langara admits solely on GPA of pre-req's & doesn't assess volunteer hours so get those super high grades and you'll be fine. I'm only familiar with Langara's current process so here's a suggested sched for that. (Add in whatever BCIT's & Douglas pre-reqs are to cover all your bases so you have options to apply everywhere as time goes on)
Take Engl + A&P 1 in Jan 2020
Second Engl + A&P 2 in May 2020
Stats in Fall 2020 (plus redo any Langara pre-req course which you got lower grade on and want to bump up)
Applications for fall following year open in October and close end of Jan. Apply when you're doing stats, submit final transcripts at end of term.
I'd aim for 3.8 if you want to be sure but I think 3.6s and 3.7s are getting in. Take more courses at a time if you're sure you can get the grades; otherwise spreading them out is safer.
Start Sep 2021 & finish 36 months later.

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Thank you both very much for the advice!! @babyfriendly @Pcmama

Since my plan is to be able to apply to both BCIT and Langara by 2021 and since both have quite different pre-requisites (ie: Langara wants 2 English courses; BCIT only wants Engl 1177) I registered for 2 classes this January 2020 in BCIT (Engl 1177 & Psych 1101). Then take the other pre-requisites in Langara.

Now, I'm a bit confused as both of you said that having a high GPA can get me in both Langara and BCIT much faster. I've spoken to two BCIT nursing students and what they advised me is to have a min of 30 credits or more (Apparently this is why BCIT picks applicants that already have degrees?) The nursing students I talked to both have degrees and had health-care related work experience which made me a bit discouraged to apply in BCIT. So, do you think I still have a chance of getting in BCIT with a high GPA from pre-reqs alone? I find it frustrating the way BCIT picks nursing program applicants ?

I'm also currently volunteering at a program for seniors that have physical and cognitive disabilities, do you think this will help my Langara application?

What do you guys think?

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Langara admits solely on GPA. Volunteering will not help you with admissions to Langara.
The only thing that gets you to the front of the line at Langara is a previous degree. Langara gives priority admission to degree holders and then picks the rest based on GPA. If you don't have a degree but get awesome marks on your pre-reqs, you'll get into Langara. You definitely don't need 30 credits..

I really can't comment on BCIT as they have changed their program and process recently and I'm just not sure what they're doing right now.

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I’ve researched the different program requirements quite extensively as I’ve prepared to apply.

When I spoke to the admissions councillor at BCIT, she recommended that I have “about 75 credits to be competitive.” I was totally flabbergasted because they list only five pre reqs for nursing on their website. I was very discouraged to by this news.

After that I was very careful to speak to an admissions councillor at each of the schools as I was doing my course and application planning.

Langara requires the fewest pre reqs to apply, but has the longest program (9 consecutive semesters,) and is therefore the most expensive (I compared ubc, Douglas, and langara in this case). When I did the rough math they came in at around $35k (domestic student- Douglas and UBC were closer to maybe $26k?). They have two intakes per year (Winter and Fall).

Ubc is a very short program compared to any of the others (I believe it’s 5 consecutive semesters), but requires at least 30 credits to apply, only has one intake per year, and is very competitive (get that high GPA)!!

Douglas is three years, two semesters a year (summers off!), has a ten class set of pre reqs (it’s called academic foundations,) but has a “waiting list” type entry rather than competitive (and like an earlier poster, I’ve heard it’s about 2.5 years). I would love to do this program since the six semesters is substantially cheaper than nine semesters... and summers off means you can work and make some money. But if you are trying to get into a nursing program fast, this isn’t fast. If you are struggling with maintaining a high GPA, this might be good though, because they only require a C+ in all classes to apply for their nursing.

Wishing you well in your academic journey!!

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On 1/1/2020 at 12:16 AM, CassieBaxter said:

Langara requires the fewest pre reqs to apply, but has the longest program (9 consecutive semesters,) and is therefore the most expensive (I compared ubc, Douglas, and langara in this case). When I did the rough math they came in at around $35k (domestic student- Douglas and UBC were closer to maybe $26k?). They have two intakes per year (Winter and Fall).

Ubc is a very short program compared to any of the others (I believe it’s 5 consecutive semesters), but requires at least 30 credits to apply, only has one intake per year, and is very competitive (get that high GPA)!!

Hello, I was curious and did some calculations of the cost for each program. You did not mention if your cost estimation is solely based on tuition & student fees but since additional costs vary wildly (ex. $500 textbooks can be reduced to $100 if one is resourceful) and some costs can be opted-out like insurance, I will only use tuition & student fees as the base. These numbers are only for domestic students.

Langara - 9 Semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
Term 1: $1724.04
Term 2 to Term 5: $1939.36 eachx4
Term 6: $2047.02
Term 7: $2142.50
Term 8: $2142.50
Term 9: $1867.40

15 Pre-Requisite Credits Cost: ~$2048.50 (@ $99.42/credit, assuming done over 2 terms)

Approx. Total: $19,729.40

UBC - 5 Semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
- UBC program cost needs to be broken down

Total Program Credits: 81
Cost per credit: $179.97
Tuition-Only Cost: $14,577.57
Student Fees + UPass Cost (for 2 years assuming with no breaks): $2128

- 48 uni transferable credits are required for admission, not 30, the GPA will be calculated off the most recent 30 credits

Cost of 48 Credits Tuition + Fees + UPass (assuming over 2 years, 4 terms, 12 credits a term): $10,602

Approx. Total: $25,180.13

Douglas College - 6 semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
Term 1: $2057.32
Term 2: $2057.32
Term 3-5: 2403.82x3
Term 6: 1770.32

30 Pre-Reqs Credit Cost: $3797.54 (@ $105.70/credit done over 2 terms)

Approx. Total: $16,893.96

In terms of program cost, Douglas is the least expensive but it has the major drawback of having a very long waitlist which would delay earning potential and seniority as an RN by 2+ years.

Unsurprisingly, UBC is the most expensive and depending on how long it takes to earn 48 credits, it may not even be that much faster than Langara. UBC also has the more complicated application process, requiring a supplemental application and CASPer assessment. I would imagine that both of these could weed out applicants.

Langara has the most simplest admission requirements and the least complex application process of all the schools. It is a longer program, but you do have a clinical practice every term and all of Term 9 is a preceptorship. Altogether, there's over 1600 clinical hours. For admission, you don't need references, volunteer/work experience, resume, extra credits, etc. To get in, you just need at least a 3.6 GPA in the 5 pre-requisite courses. Some people have gotten in with a 3.53 off the waitlist. All you do is apply online for the term, submit your transcript for the 5 courses at the registrar, and wait for the email for accceptance. After acceptance, you have to do your immunizations, CPR + BLS, and Criminal Record Check prior to the start of the term.

I would actually start checking to see if you're up-to-date on all your vaccines now. I never got the Hep B vaccines when I was a child and it requires several doses over a long period of time. I highly recommend Intensive Care First Aid for doing CPR and BLS.


Sources:
- https://langara.ca/registration-and-records/tuition-and-service-fees/domestic-student-fees.html
- https://langara.ca/admissions/cost-of-study-tool/index.html
- https://nursing.ubc.ca/undergraduate-program/admissions (UBC admission reqs)
- http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=12,211,386,381 (UBC BSN degree courses)
- https://students.ubc.ca/enrolment/finances/tuition-fees/undergraduate-tuition-fees
- http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/?tree=14,267,784,0 (UBC Student fees)
- https://www.douglascollege.ca/programs-courses/catalogue/programs/BSNURS (Douglas BSN degree courses)
- https://www.douglascollege.ca/-/media/24FFD390561D45CE8D01DD062FCA8FD5.ashx?la=en&hash=E6CCAA7777B706A300E28714DABF50C2E0152E6B (Douglas tuition 2000 level)
- https://www.douglascollege.ca/-/media/00755C159AD14A4DAEBC9E950AFE52BE.ashx?la=en&hash=C600325CE3AEE1535C7480CA1180CF5E6A0BF983 (Douglas tuition 3000+ level)

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6 hours ago, seaofgreatness said:

- 48 uni transferable credits are required for admission, not 30, the GPA will be calculated off the most recent 30 credits

Thanks seaofgreatness, this is correct, you need 48 credits, but ubc only considers the most recent 30 credits for your at your GPA calculation; good correction.

In terms of the costs for each school, in my rough math I used the suggested additional costs from each school’s website, and I did not include the pre req classes.

Regarding those additional costs: in my experience, you can only opt out of student health insurance if you are covered on another plan (like from your spouse or parents). And although there are only 10 academic foundations classes, they must be taken over at least 3 terms (because of needing to take some classes before you can take others). So there are lots of confounding factors in the calculations, at large.

I will add, I had to take supplementary English tests at both BCIT and Douglas; it cost $100 at BCIT, and it was free after I was registered at Douglas. I just had transcripts sent from both schools, I think BCIT charged me $10/$15 and Douglas charged me $5... so there are definitely big price differences between schools for all kinds of things. If possible, I would suggest taking pre req classes at one of the more cost efficient schools, regardless of where you are going to apply to nursing.

This online tool will tell you how your courses transfer between schools, so you don’t take courses that won’t work in all of the applications you intend to make:

https://www.bctransferguide.ca/

I think ultimately, anyone interested in applying to any of the programs should be digging deep into the schools’ websites to nail down the requirements, costs, time frames, application dates, etc. I would also *highly* recommend speaking to admissions counsellors from anywhere you are interested in, because what’s on the website isn’t always what’s actually needed to be competitive (looking at you, BCIT).

I’m happy to pm with anyone who has questions about anything I’ve said- or post on here ?

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45 minutes ago, CassieBaxter said:

Thanks seaofgreatness, this is correct, you need 48 credits, but ubc only considers the most recent 30 credits for your at your GPA calculation; good correction.

In terms of the costs for each school, in my rough math I used the suggested additional costs from each school’s website, and I did not include the pre req classes.

Regarding those additional costs: in my experience, you can only opt out of student health insurance if you are covered on another plan (like from your spouse or parents). And although there are only 10 academic foundations classes, they must be taken over at least 3 terms (because of needing to take some classes before you can take others). So there are lots of confounding factors in the calculations, at large.

I will add, I had to take supplementary English tests at both BCIT and Douglas; it cost $100 at BCIT, and it was free after I was registered at Douglas. I just had transcripts sent from both schools, I think BCIT charged me $10/$15 and Douglas charged me $5... so there are definitely big price differences between schools for all kinds of things. If possible, I would suggest taking pre req classes at one of the more cost efficient schools, regardless of where you are going to apply to nursing.

This online tool will tell you how your courses transfer between schools, so you don’t take courses that won’t work in all of the applications you intend to make:

https://www.bctransferguide.ca/

I think ultimately, anyone interested in applying to any of the programs should be digging deep into the schools’ websites to nail down the requirements, costs, time frames, application dates, etc. I would also *highly* recommend speaking to admissions counsellors from anywhere you are interested in, because what’s on the website isn’t always what’s actually needed to be competitive (looking at you, BCIT).

I’m happy to pm with anyone who has questions about anything I’ve said- or post on here ?

Have you gotten in BCIT nursing? If so, how was the process for you?

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7 hours ago, seaofgreatness said:

Hello, I was curious and did some calculations of the cost for each program. You did not mention if your cost estimation is solely based on tuition & student fees but since additional costs vary wildly (ex. $500 textbooks can be reduced to $100 if one is resourceful) and some costs can be opted-out like insurance, I will only use tuition & student fees as the base. These numbers are only for domestic students.

Langara - 9 Semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
Term 1: $1724.04
Term 2 to Term 5: $1939.36 eachx4
Term 6: $2047.02
Term 7: $2142.50
Term 8: $2142.50
Term 9: $1867.40

15 Pre-Requisite Credits Cost: ~$2048.50 (@ $99.42/credit, assuming done over 2 terms)

Approx. Total: $19,729.40

UBC - 5 Semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
- UBC program cost needs to be broken down

Total Program Credits: 81
Cost per credit: $179.97
Tuition-Only Cost: $14,577.57
Student Fees + UPass Cost (for 2 years assuming with no breaks): $2128

- 48 uni transferable credits are required for admission, not 30, the GPA will be calculated off the most recent 30 credits

Cost of 48 Credits Tuition + Fees + UPass (assuming over 2 years, 4 terms, 12 credits a term): $10,602

Approx. Total: $25,180.13

Douglas College - 6 semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
Term 1: $2057.32
Term 2: $2057.32
Term 3-5: 2403.82x3
Term 6: 1770.32

30 Pre-Reqs Credit Cost: $3797.54 (@ $105.70/credit done over 2 terms)

Approx. Total: $16,893.96

In terms of program cost, Douglas is the least expensive but it has the major drawback of having a very long waitlist which would delay earning potential and seniority as an RN by 2+ years.

Unsurprisingly, UBC is the most expensive and depending on how long it takes to earn 48 credits, it may not even be that much faster than Langara. UBC also has the more complicated application process, requiring a supplemental application and CASPer assessment. I would imagine that both of these could weed out applicants.

Langara has the most simplest admission requirements and the least complex application process of all the schools. It is a longer program, but you do have a clinical practice every term and all of Term 9 is a preceptorship. Altogether, there's over 1600 clinical hours. For admission, you don't need references, volunteer/work experience, resume, extra credits, etc. To get in, you just need at least a 3.6 GPA in the 5 pre-requisite courses. Some people have gotten in with a 3.53 off the waitlist. All you do is apply online for the term, submit your transcript for the 5 courses at the registrar, and wait for the email for accceptance. After acceptance, you have to do your immunizations, CPR + BLS, and Criminal Record Check prior to the start of the term.

I would actually start checking to see if you're up-to-date on all your vaccines now. I never got the Hep B vaccines when I was a child and it requires several doses over a long period of time. I highly recommend Intensive Care First Aid for doing CPR and BLS.


Sources:
- https://langara.ca/registration-and-records/tuition-and-service-fees/domestic-student-fees.html
- https://langara.ca/admissions/cost-of-study-tool/index.html
- https://nursing.ubc.ca/undergraduate-program/admissions (UBC admission reqs)
- http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=12,211,386,381 (UBC BSN degree courses)
- https://students.ubc.ca/enrolment/finances/tuition-fees/undergraduate-tuition-fees
- http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/?tree=14,267,784,0 (UBC Student fees)
- https://www.douglascollege.ca/programs-courses/catalogue/programs/BSNURS (Douglas BSN degree courses)
- https://www.douglascollege.ca/-/media/24FFD390561D45CE8D01DD062FCA8FD5.ashx?la=en&hash=E6CCAA7777B706A300E28714DABF50C2E0152E6B (Douglas tuition 2000 level)
- https://www.douglascollege.ca/-/media/00755C159AD14A4DAEBC9E950AFE52BE.ashx?la=en&hash=C600325CE3AEE1535C7480CA1180CF5E6A0BF983 (Douglas tuition 3000+ level)

Wow! Thanks for all the info!

Im also curious with how your GPA looks like (if you’ve gotten accepted into nursing school.) I’ve talked to a couple of nursing students from Langara and BCIT and one of them had a gpa of 3.6 but was still put on the waiting list ?

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8 hours ago, seaofgreatness said:

Hello, I was curious and did some calculations of the cost for each program. You did not mention if your cost estimation is solely based on tuition & student fees but since additional costs vary wildly (ex. $500 textbooks can be reduced to $100 if one is resourceful) and some costs can be opted-out like insurance, I will only use tuition & student fees as the base. These numbers are only for domestic students.

Langara - 9 Semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
Term 1: $1724.04
Term 2 to Term 5: $1939.36 eachx4
Term 6: $2047.02
Term 7: $2142.50
Term 8: $2142.50
Term 9: $1867.40

15 Pre-Requisite Credits Cost: ~$2048.50 (@ $99.42/credit, assuming done over 2 terms)

Approx. Total: $19,729.40

UBC - 5 Semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
- UBC program cost needs to be broken down

Total Program Credits: 81
Cost per credit: $179.97
Tuition-Only Cost: $14,577.57
Student Fees + UPass Cost (for 2 years assuming with no breaks): $2128

- 48 uni transferable credits are required for admission, not 30, the GPA will be calculated off the most recent 30 credits

Cost of 48 Credits Tuition + Fees + UPass (assuming over 2 years, 4 terms, 12 credits a term): $10,602

Approx. Total: $25,180.13

Douglas College - 6 semesters - Tuition + Required Student Fees + UPass
Term 1: $2057.32
Term 2: $2057.32
Term 3-5: 2403.82x3
Term 6: 1770.32

30 Pre-Reqs Credit Cost: $3797.54 (@ $105.70/credit done over 2 terms)

Approx. Total: $16,893.96

Just a note:

I don’t know how this works in other programs but Douglas has moved mostly to e-texts for nursing which are required and charged with your tuition fees so there is no way to opt out.

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23 minutes ago, zebbiana101 said:

Have you gotten in BCIT nursing? If so, how was the process for you?

Hi Zebbiana!

I’ve just applied to Langara September 2020 intake ??. I think we are going to get offers in mid-March.

From their posts, it looks like seaofgreatness started at Langara Nursing in Sept 2019.

When are you planning on applying?

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