Binghamton Applicants- BAT Fall 2013

midwifetobe85 · Dec 3, 2012

Hey @midwifetobe85 !
Congratulations on graduating and becoming a RN!! I have a bunch of questions so I hope you dont mind:
1. When did you receive news that you were accepted into BAT?
2. Did you live off-campus and how important is having a car for transportation to/from clinicals?
3. Did your breaks correspond to the regular undergrad ones? (ex: was ur winter break shorter than the month-long one regular undergrads get b/t semesters)
4. What was your pre-req and overall GPA when you applied?
5. What was your GPA when you graduated from the BAT program?
The other questions can wait. I'm sure some of my questions are ones the other applicants would also like to know. Thanks!!

Hey Spiritedkidd!

Thanks! It was a long haul, but I'm proud to have made it. I'll do my best to answer your questions.

1.) I got my acceptance letter Feb. 7th. There were students accepted as early as the second week in Jan. but I also saw acceptances up until the beginning of April (possibly after some students had turned down their offer.)

2.) I lived WAY off campus. I actually lived in Ithaca, which is about an hour away. I had friends there and it's super beautiful (much nicer than Bing) and I decided it was worth the drive. There were days that it was really rough because we often had to be at clinical at 5:30am, which meant leaving around 4:20am (earlier if the weather was bad)..so on those mornings I was cursing my commute. But it was such a nice place to come home to, I was happy with my decision. Nearly all of my classmates lived off campus in the Binghamton/Vestal area. I would say having a car is important but not absolutely crucial. I had several clinicals that were pretty far off any bus route - especially the geri/nursing home rotations. I had a friend who did not have a car and she lived on a bus route which she took to school and arranged to get rides with classmates from her clinicals. A couple of times she had a little trouble depending on classmate's schedules and their availability, but it was never a big problem. Just a hassle. I would say if you have access to a car it will make your life much easier, but if you don't it's not the end of the world. Just network with your classmates, maybe get some BAT roommates. They start a facebook page when you're accepted so you'll get to talk with others about apartments, etc.

3.) Yes, breaks were just like regular undergrad. There's a week break in between summer sessions, about two weeks between summer and fall, a short 4 day break around Thanksgiving, and a month-long break during Jan. (You really need that one). Then, I believe there were two breaks in the spring - a week each, about a month apart. They let you know pretty well in advance too what the dates are.

4.) My first degree was in French and I had a 3.55 (including a few Cs and a D). My pre-req GPA was a 4.0. They were from different schools so I never figured how the two would have averaged out.

5.) My BAT GPA was 3.84..I worked REALLY hard. I felt the toughest class by far was pathophysiology. If you get in, definitely spend a little time reviewing physiology before the program - it will pay off. I took A&P online - and did not really learn the material well - big mistake! It was the most important content to know for nursing school. It was a steep learning curve for me. You never touch micro again and barely see any chem even in pharm. Besides patho, I would say the most challenging part was not the material, but the breakneck pace. You barely have time to integrate the information. Also, I did feel that there were a couple of teachers who did not write fair tests. Either the questions were worded so strangely that they were difficult to follow/answer or the material did not really reflect what was covered. It was too often an exercise in frustration. This was not always true, of course, but when you're sleep deprived and busting your butt, it's tough to swallow less than stellar teaching.

I'm happy to answer anything else!

spiritedkidd · Dec 3, 2012

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! They were very helpful. It's hard to tell what admissions base their acceptances on, because I have two friends currently in the program and their overall & pre-req GPAs were a little over 3.0, but I'm guessing they probably had really good recommendation letters. Also, I hear that BAT tends to accept people who went to Bing for their undergrad. Not sure how we can verify that though, lols

I realize it's pretty intense and rigorous, but did you have any extra time for extracurricular activities? I'm not referring to going downtown and such lols. But maybe stuff like doing volunteer work or being involved with B.U.'s organizations/clubs. I was involved in 2-3 volunteer organizations during my time at Bing and was hoping I can do at least 1 if I get accepted

midwifetobe85 · Dec 3, 2012

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! They were very helpful. It's hard to tell what admissions base their acceptances on, because I have two friends currently in the program and their overall & pre-req GPAs were a little over 3.0, but I'm guessing they probably had really good recommendation letters. Also, I hear that BAT tends to accept people who went to Bing for their undergrad. Not sure how we can verify that though, lols
I realize it's pretty intense and rigorous, but did you have any extra time for extracurricular activities? I'm not referring to going downtown and such lols. But maybe stuff like doing volunteer work or being involved with B.U.'s organizations/clubs. I was involved in 2-3 volunteer organizations during my time at Bing and was hoping I can do at least 1 if I get accepted

I do think there was a range for pre-req GPAs. They seem to weigh each component and not just your grades. If you can articulate yourself well in your essay I think that counts towards a lot. Good recommendations too. I do believe that NYS residents get priority, but I'm not sure about former Bing students. I did not do my undergrad at Bing, so that wouldn't have helped me.

As far as extracurriculars go, unless youre superhuman, you will not have time. I have a friend who tried to remain on the intramural volleyball team and nearly had a nervous breakdown. Another two friends and I attempted to do a volunteer doula program once a week and we had all quit within two months. To say it's intense is a SERIOUS understatement. I did well academically, but I barely made it emotionally and physically speaking due to the exhaustion and constant stress. I don't want to be negative. And sure, about 90 students graduate from the program every year so it's obviously not impossible. But it was the hardest year of my life - it completely takes over.

I will add - I did have a couple of classmates who worked part-time because financially that HAD to. But their grades definitely suffered.

spiritedkidd · Dec 3, 2012

aws, lol thats a little sad to hear because i was hoping to do a little volunteering and get involved with groups i didnt get a chance to interact with during my undergrad years. but academics should go first, of course.

also, if people hear back in march or even as late as april, and want to live in an aptmt off-campus in the bing/vestal area, how would that work? most places have their rooms rented out early in the semester. do you think it'd be easy or difficult to find an aptmt to rent in the middle of the spring semester (which is when most ppl hear back from BAT)? sorry for my influx of questions!

spiritedkidd · Dec 3, 2012

Hi everyone!
I'm a 2012 BAT graduate and RN. I know what it's like to be in your shoes, so I figured I'd pay it forward. It was a seriously intense year. I'm happy to offer any advice and answer your questions. Good luck on getting in! :)

Also, just to confirm, the BAT program gives you a BACHELOR'S in nursing, correct? Or is it associate? And how well did they prepare you for NCLEX or did you have to mostly do it on your own? (Granted, you had to do most of the studying, but did they give you any resources or anything like that?)

cbrubaker05 · Dec 3, 2012

@midwifetobe85, thanks for all your help!! This is the honest feedback we need. What were class/clinical schedules like? Class from 8-5 daily? Clinicals on weekends? Do you get ANY free days? Thanks!

midwifetobe85 · Dec 4, 2012

Hey Spiritedkidd - I wouldn't worry about getting an apartment. Like I said nearly all of my classmates rented places in the Bing area and were able to find a place before the start of classes. Many of them started looking at orientation. If you know in April you'll still have plenty of time. :)

midwifetobe85 · Dec 4, 2012

Hey cbrubaker05,

No problem! I know how invaluable this kind of info can be as a prospective student. Thankfully, there are NO classes on the weekends. It's hard to remember the schedule exactly at this point, but here's a rough idea:

Summer I: classes mon-fri, 9-4ish, clinical lab on campus once a week

Summer II: classes 5 days a week, 9-5, plus clinicals twice a week (geriatrics)

Fall I: class all day on monday 9-9, clinicals 5:30am - 12:30/1pm four days a week, classes also on a couple afternoons after clinical

Fall II: same as above but drops down to clinicals two days a week

Spring I&II: same as fall I & II

As I said before, I felt patho I and II during the summer sessions were the hardest content-wise. Make sure you know your physiology. Summer II is also a little crazy because you have patho and you start your first clinical. I had no medical background and I definitely experienced culture shock. It's a cliched expression - but, I thought I knew, but I had no idea. If you can, try to work as a nurse's aid before starting school, it will help prepare you a lot.

Intensity-wise, the beginning of the fall and the beginning of the spring semesters are really crazy because of the early morning clinicals four days a week and having classes. Then there's the whole nightmare of care plans. If you don't know what that is (as I didn't) and youre serious about attending this program - look them up. Basically, you're assessing your patient's condition and writing down what you'd like to accomplish with them to improve their condition and you create goals for them. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, they're bizarrely simple to the point that it becomes difficult. Unfortunately, they are a staple of nursing school. If you have some spare time research them a little. It might help out.

The other odd thing about this program is the way every few weeks is a major exam - one that will dramatically impact your grade. This is a little tough to get used to. Ever taken summer semester courses? The BAT program is basically a year of non-stop summer semester courses. Except each "semester" your taking 18 credits.

Did I ever have moments for myself? Yes. I made sure of it. You'll need to do that for your sanity. But essentially, for that year, the program owns you. Hope that helps!

midwifetobe85 · Dec 4, 2012

Also, just to confirm, the BAT program gives you a BACHELOR'S in nursing, correct? Or is it associate? And how well did they prepare you for NCLEX or did you have to mostly do it on your own? (Granted, you had to do most of the studying, but did they give you any resources or anything like that?)

Oh and spiritedkidd - yes it is a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I would say it prepared me fairly well. It's sort of hard to say though. They required us to sign up for Kaplan's nclex prep program. There were mini kaplan tests that we had to take all year, but there were ways to zip through them without working too hard. Honestly, it didnt count toward a grade, you just had to do them and so it wasn't at the top of my priority list. At the end though, I was glad that I had been forced to pay because the kaplan materials, quizzes, tests, videos, etc that they provide I believe are what helped me pass in the first try with 75 questions. It's a great program. I think it cost $500. I also spent a solid two months studying - all day, nearly every day, using Kaplan and the Saunders prep book. So in the end, I'm not sure how much credit should go to Bing. I recognized most of the material in the review stuff, so I would say they gave me a good start.

spiritedkidd · Dec 4, 2012

Hey cbrubaker05,
No problem! I know how invaluable this kind of info can be as a prospective student. Thankfully, there are NO classes on the weekends. It's hard to remember the schedule exactly at this point, but here's a rough idea:
Summer I: classes mon-fri, 9-4ish, clinical lab on campus once a week
Summer II: classes 5 days a week, 9-5, plus clinicals twice a week (geriatrics)
Fall I: class all day on monday 9-9, clinicals 5:30am - 12:30/1pm four days a week, classes also on a couple afternoons after clinical
Fall II: same as above but drops down to clinicals two days a week
Spring I&II: same as fall I & II
As I said before, I felt patho I and II during the summer sessions were the hardest content-wise. Make sure you know your physiology. Summer II is also a little crazy because you have patho and you start your first clinical. I had no medical background and I definitely experienced culture shock. It's a cliched expression - but, I thought I knew, but I had no idea. If you can, try to work as a nurse's aid before starting school, it will help prepare you a lot.
Intensity-wise, the beginning of the fall and the beginning of the spring semesters are really crazy because of the early morning clinicals four days a week and having classes. Then there's the whole nightmare of care plans. If you don't know what that is (as I didn't) and youre serious about attending this program - look them up. Basically, you're assessing your patient's condition and writing down what you'd like to accomplish with them to improve their condition and you create goals for them. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, they're bizarrely simple to the point that it becomes difficult. Unfortunately, they are a staple of nursing school. If you have some spare time research them a little. It might help out.
The other odd thing about this program is the way every few weeks is a major exam - one that will dramatically impact your grade. This is a little tough to get used to. Ever taken summer semester courses? The BAT program is basically a year of non-stop summer semester courses. Except each "semester" your taking 18 credits.
Did I ever have moments for myself? Yes. I made sure of it. You'll need to do that for your sanity. But essentially, for that year, the program owns you. Hope that helps!

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@midwifetobe85: your responses are so helpful!! I hope one day, I will be able to do what you're doing now and help other BAT hopefuls. Thank you for taking the time to address our concerns - they seem to be growing as 2013 gets closer and closer! lols

Also, how were your clinicals and instructors? There was another user who posted on another thread about how she was disappointed that it wasnt as "hands on" as she had hoped it would be. What's your take on clinicals? Were you able to learn how to do the procedures and such? How supportive were the lecture and clinical instructors?

lwalter2 · Dec 6, 2012

Generally, it depends on what type of housing you are looking for. A one bedroom apartment could be anywhere from 550-650 a month, give or take. If you lived in a 2 bedroom with a roommate, it'd probably be around 325-400 dollars a person/per month depending on how nice the place is. It should be relatively easy to find an apartment ... I found mine through craigslist, although there is an off campus housing website through the Binghamton University website that shows housing options as well. Binghamton is relatively easy to navigate with a car. Most housing is 10-15 minutes from campus and there are buses that run all throughout binghamton so it should be relatively easy to get around without a car. Hope this helps!

midwifetobe85 · Dec 12, 2012

___
@midwifetobe85: your responses are so helpful!! I hope one day, I will be able to do what you're doing now and help other BAT hopefuls. Thank you for taking the time to address our concerns - they seem to be growing as 2013 gets closer and closer! lols
Also, how were your clinicals and instructors? There was another user who posted on another thread about how she was disappointed that it wasnt as "hands on" as she had hoped it would be. What's your take on clinicals? Were you able to learn how to do the procedures and such? How supportive were the lecture and clinical instructors?

Hey spiritedkidd,

I know the post you're referring to. I would say to some degree, what she wrote is true. But, in Binghamton's defense, I think most (if not all) BSN nursing programs are up against the same problems - not having enough instructors/profs and also trying to fit in a lot of nursing theory which takes away from clinical time...personally, I feel all of the nursing theory/socialization courses are an attempt to quickly teach social sophistication and maturity to the nursing students. The problem is, it's not well presented and it's not really necessary for most second degree adult students, who may already have another undergrad degree and real life experience. To us BATs, the nursing theory material seemed really trite and lacking depth. It's part of the degree requirements though, so you just have to muddle through it.

Anyway, regarding the clinical experience. It's a mixed bag. At school, there are labs and simulation. The simulations are pretty..sad. They make a big deal about it, but it's they're over-hyping it for sure. There are these very expensive mannequins on which you can measure heart rate and blood pressure and listen to lung sounds reading their o2 sat and temp on the monitor. You're assigned a part to play before walking into the room - a family member or nurse, etc. If you're the nurse you have to assess the patient, usually while dealing with a "family member" (your classmate) who might be upset/yelling loudly,etc. It's meant to prepare you for real life situations. But to be honest, they only ever felt like bad acting classes. Dealing with a "hysterical mother" only works if your classmate commits to her role and yells, but most of the time (understandably) people are quiet and ackward and it's not clear what's supposed to be happening. For me, the simulations never helped my clinical skills and I personally did not need to practice interacting with people. It would be fantastic if they gave you access to the mannequins to practice your assessment skills, but they don't.

The labs were in my opinion way to short/infrequent. They take up much of day because they can only teach in small groups and so there was a lot of waiting around, but the actual time spent learning was pretty short. During the first summer semester, you learn basic nurse's aid work. Bedmaking, hand hygiene, bed baths, etc. as well as how to take vital signs and assess heart and lung sounds. It's not difficult material, but because there's no actual practice time it ends up being more nerve-racking than you would think. (You watch videos at home and are expected to come in knowing how to do everything for the day and then are "checked off" for that skill.) It's also at a CRAZY pace. Later in the labs you learn med admin, catheter placements, IV skills, trach care, etc. But they are short presentations followed by "check offs". It never feels like enough practice.

Clinical experience in the hospitals is also extremely varied because it depends on several factors. 1.) What conditions/medical/nursing needs your patient has 2.) How available your instructor is to observe you doing the procedure (like inserting a cath) and 3.) How accommodating the floor nurses are (if they want you out of the way, you will not be doing it). To get a varied clinical experience I recommend the following:

1.) KNOW how to do a procedure cold. Whether it's inserting a foley catheter, an IV or cleaning a trach watch the Decker videos multiple times and read about it. They also allow you to make appointments to come in to the lab and practice skills like IV insertion, so if youre a hands on learner that may help. Make sure you know exactly what you would do. This is highly important not only because you want to be a safe student nurse, but also because you want to have the confidence to jump in when the opportunity presents itself. I was pretty sure I knew how to insert a foley cath but I definitely could have been more confident. When the opportunity came up during my OB rotation I was super nervous and thought "maybe I should wait until I watch that video a few more times before I try.." but I decided to go for it anyway. It was a good thing I did because it was the only time I got a chance to do one during nursing school! It just never came up again.

2.) This is an extension of the first recommendation - Be brave. This may be the only time you get to do this skill..so go for it! Speak up right away. "Who would like to start this IV" "I would!!"

What you will end up learning also hugely depends on where your capstone placement is. This is your final placement and you are more confident from the start and you spend several months on the same floor. If you're on an ICU, you will learn totally difficult skills than if you're on an OB unit. I never once did trach care, but I am fantastic at postpartum and newborn assessments.

As far as instructors go, I will say I had mostly great experiences. Several were brilliant and supportive and made the crazy pace less scary. Not every instructor is perfect though, and there are a few difficult ones, but you don't really have any control over who you are placed with, so it's pointless to worry about it. My recommendation is find out what your instructor's expectations are at the beginning of clinical - when do they want the paperwork (database) by? Which sections of the paperwork are most important to them? Requirements definitely vary a little by instructor so find out what they're looking for and you'll do fine.

Hope all this helps!