BSN Admissions Essay Advice

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Hello there,

I'm seeking advice regarding the admissions essays for a second-degree, accelerated BSN program. After finishing my essays, I began to rethink my responses. I felt as though I had displayed a healthy understanding of the nursing profession and what I could bring to the profession, yet it all seemed superficial. After rethinking my approach, I'm tempted to go out on a limb. I am willing to admit that my view of the nursing profession was once superficial as well, and fell in line with some of the unfair stereotypes that are associated with the profession. I want to discuss this in my essays. I want to talk about how my perception of the nursing profession has changed over time. I have been working in the ER as an ER tech for two years now, and I don't think I can accurately describe the amount of respect I now have for nurses, without discussing my original view of the profession. In my opinion, this approach will be attention grabbing, and will set me up to further elaborate upon how I have discovered the nursing profession and its alignment with my values and future goals. However, I also think this could potentially be a turn off to an admissions committee. I would much appreciate the advice of those currently in the profession before taking this approach. What do you think?

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What is the question asking? If you do have one, make sure to stick to it, get to the point fast, especially if you have the word count limits. However, if the topic of your essay is too broad, try to narrow it down. You are correct in that whoever is going to read your essay may be put off. Therefore, try to stay neutral. Never sound too negative or too "rainbow and unicorns." Be realistic, but with an upbeat tone. Also, one example from your life, that ties in beautifully with the purpose of the essay, is more than enough. Remember, it is not a memoir you are writing.

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The essay in question is as follows.. Statement of Purpose: Discuss why you would like to enter the nursing profession through an Accelerated BSN at this time, giving the event, inspiration, or reasoning that led to you making this application.

Thank you for putting things in perspective for me. I may be straying too far off topic, which I feel was part of my problem in my initial response.

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So, you have three key words in the statement: event, inspiration, reasoning. I think you should pick only one. If you pick even, speak about a major event in your life or a life of your close relative/friend that opened up your eyes to nursing. If you choose inspiration, it may be an event as well, or a person like a nurse who cared for your loved one. If you choose the reasoning, at this point all I could think of is positive future perspectives in the job market, job security etc.

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Going off of that, my major reasoning is to use the BSN as a stepping stone to becoming an advanced practice provider. Would you consider such reasoning as an appropriate response, if I were to discuss my belief that this pathway is the most appropriate path to attaining this goal?

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Again, I thank you for your input.

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Going off of that, my major reasoning is to use the BSN as a stepping stone to becoming an advanced practice provider. Would you consider such reasoning as an appropriate response, if I were to discuss my belief that this pathway is the most appropriate path to attaining this goal?

I think is is sound. However, still put an emphasis on "now", not your hypothetical NP "later". Does it make sense?

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Yeah, definitely! That makes me feel much more comfortable with my initial response. I cannot thank you enough, really...

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Glad I could help :-)

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