Can anyone help me find a school?

[Apollo85]

hi all!

my professors suggested i not put all my eggs in one basket no matter how good a student i may be because nursing school is competitive. quite frankly i agree but my other egg baskets means i'd need to wait for months doing nothing. i'm currently finishing up my pre-reqs to apply for the accelerated program at umdnj starting september 2009. this is plan a and other than the last pre-reqs, i think i *should* be able to get accepted.

the problem is i won't be able to finish the pre-reqs until the end of july, leaving only a month, by which time the 56 available seats could be likely filled up. if i wasn't able to get in for fall 2009, then i go to plan b: apply for the program starting @ winter 2009-10. if i get rejected all-together from umdnj or also don't get accepted for the winter program, i need a plan c. plan d is applying to any number of other schools offering an accelerated program starting either in spring 2010 or summer 2010 (omg wait a whole year to start nursing school???). but i was wondering if anyone knew of any schools offering accelerated bsn which 1)starts winter 09-10 and 2) has an application deadline that hasn't passed yet or won't pass until around fall.

i saw a link on this site earlier to allnursingschools.com which listed a bunch of schools offering accelerated programs but i'm positive that it wasn't a complete list (umdnj wasn't even in it or other schools offering the asbn in nj, ooooh burn!!!). so it would be great if anyone can help me fill in my plan c: find an asbn program which starts this winter. i would hate to resort to plan d because it would mean months wasted waiting, i would hate to do that because i just wanna get going on my career already.

if you're wondering if i have a plan e, the answer is yes: attend a 4-yr bsn program.... which i cannot even fathom resorting to right now....helllll nuuuuu:angryfire ....not after 6 yrs of architecture school

so hopefully plan a or b works but just in case i could really use help with plan c.

thank you x10!

as a little side note info on what i've got so far:

• chemistry with laboratory (4 credits)*
  
• human anatomy and physiology i & ii with laboratory (8 credits) **
  
• microbiology with laboratory (4 credits)
  
• psychology (3 credits)
  
• sociology (3 credits)
  
• statistics (3 credits)*
  

this is the pre-reqs for umdnj and i only have apii, chem, and statistics left to finish this summer. this is the least amount of prerequites on an absn program i've seen so far so other schools will probably need me scrambling to pick up another pre-req:sniff:

[tfleuter, BSN, RN]

Are you willing to relocate, or do you need to stay in NJ?

[Apollo85]

I have no problems relocating, I'll even go across the country if it fits me

[SFChef]

Duke has an ABSN cohort that starts in July 2010. The application deadline is either June or July (but I think it's July 1). However, they do require the GRE (although they only require 1000).

Their application process is fairly smooth and painless--apply online. I believe that most people who meet the qualifications (it's okay to have pre-reqs in process) are granted an interview. The interview can be in person (which they prefer) or over the phone (which I did, and was accepted). After the interview, most people will find out their answer within about 1 week. And, typically, the interviews get scheduled fairly quickly after the application deadline.

Check them out and let me know if you have any questions.

[Apollo85]

I checked out Duke, I'll certainly think about it. Their application deadline is July 1 for the starting Spring semester in 2010. This would leave me with a month and a half to complete their application, scrounge up recommendations, and study/pass GRE (is 1000 hard to achieve? I tried some sample questions, math seemed basic and I read frequently but some verbal/definitions comparisons escaped me). Getting that application done real fast is doable but I'm not sure if I'd want to go to NC (I hate humidity, how's everything else there? The people, and culture? I've never been to the South with the exception of Orlando and New Orleans so I'm not sure how I'd fit in, I'm very liberal. That tuition fee is also a hurdle, +$45k I think I saw. I'll have to see where my other options are. I might have to spend Sept-April just doing odd-jobs (I suck at finding these, for some reason I have a hard time landing a job to even work in a department store. Is there a trick to getting jobs at stores?) What do people do when they're waiting for their nursing program to start and have all the prerequisites met?

[SFChef]

Yes, it is expensive. I know, I just secured all my loans for the program. Still, it's not any more than a lot of other private schools, the program is only 16 months, and Duke has a great reputation. In addition, Duke Hospital is one of the country's top 10 hospitals, and all of Duke's hospitals have earned magnet status (which speaks directly to their nursing departments). Not a bad place to get an education (or so I think).

I haven't yet been to the South, so I can't speak to the culture of the area. From what I've read and researched, the Triangle area seems very progressive and diverse. The humidity sounds awful, but everywhere has trade-offs (well, except San Diego, which is near perfect year round). Still, it's only a few months out of the year, and my car and apt have air conditioning.

I don't think getting 1000 on the GRE is that hard. I SUCK at math, and I still managed to pull out that score. I studied flash cards from Kaplan's GRE flashcard box, and did a couple practice tests online. It might be at least worth a try.

I know this would really only be a back-up school for you, right? Your professor was smart to tell you not to put all of your eggs into one basket--nursing school is competitive and if you really want it, it might be smarter to apply to your dream school and then one or two more, just in case. My number one choice was Hopkins--they said no, and Duke was 2nd choice. Looking back, I think Duke will end up being a better fit for me, so I believe things work out just how they should.

Whatever you decide, good luck.