Columbia ETP 2015

Nursing Students School Programs

Published

Has anyone started a thread yet? The application is due in 174 days and as you can see I'm already obsessing.

Anyone else?!

Hi Everyone

I havent really read everything already posted but I would like to offer any assistance/answer any questions people may have. I'm in the ETP program now in the acute care track.

A little bit about me...

Im from California, graduated from UCLA and only applied to Columbia. My GRE scores were low and my GPA was average so don't let these things discourage you! I did have a lot of volunteer experience during my undergraduate years and a few publications in journals so maybe that helped!

Good luck to you all!

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Do you have tips for the personal statement, Jen? Anyone else have tips for the personal statement? I'm struggling to cut down and still answer all the questions thoroughly.

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Hi @zoikers

I don't know what exactly they're looking for but I wrote about my accomplishments and how I got to be where I am today. I talked about what first sparked my interest and what I did during my undergrad and life after that. I honestly think if your GPA is above average ( I'm guessing they are looking for 3.3+), your GRE scores are quite decent (60%+), and you have a good reason for choosing the nursing field, you'll be fine! Hope that helps :)

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Was this the prompt for you if you remember?

Please address the following questions, limiting your essay to twopages, double spaced, using a 12 point font that is easily read. The essay willbe evaluated on the basis of ability to follow instructions,writing/composition, clarity of thought and your response.

Pleasediscuss why you have chosen to continue your studies at the Columbia UniversitySchool of Nursing, specifically your reasons for selecting the area ofspecialization to which you have applied and identify, if possible, theprofessional goal you hope to attain through advance studies.

Why have youchosen this career rather than an advanced degree in another field?

How doesyour background relate to this decision?

Pleaseprovide an assessment of your personal characteristics including strengths,weaknesses and areas you are working to improve. Describe how thesecharacteristic influence your interactions and how others view you.

Cutting it down to 2 pages is what is hard.

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Just reading posts and remembering how I felt at this time last year….so, I can definitely relate to those of who are applying, and particularly those of you are struggling with the personal statement. I can definitely say Columbia University School of Nursing looks at applicants in their entirety. I personally was happy the resume was a required part of the application because I felt my resume was one of my stronger points. With a GPA of 3.2 and GRE scores in the 50 percentile, my numeric credentials did not appear to be competitive. I truly believe it is my stellar references, my resume and personal statement that impressed the admissions committee and landed me a spot in this year's ETP program (FNP specialty). Yes, two double-spaced pages seems too short; but, it is enough to let Columbia know what is unique about you, why you want to be an NP, and what make you a good candidate.

Good luck!

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zoiKers….yes, the prompt for last year's personal statement was exactly the same...

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Do you have tips for the personal statement, Jen? Anyone else have tips for the personal statement? I'm struggling to cut down and still answer all the questions thoroughly.

I'm guessing you have a long version of it (Yale, right?). Take that one and figure out what key bits answer the questions, and which parts you think are critical to them getting who you are. I also realized it couldn't be more than 5-6 paragraphs, which only gives you 3-4 paragraphs of body to elaborate on the bigger topics. 1 was for my strength/weakness, 1 for my back story/why I chose my specialty, 1 for my understanding of what an NP is/my career goals. I used the conclusion to say how the Columbia community would benefit me and vice versa, and which programs in the school of nursing appeal to me (I read up on one of the research programs and how it benefits the surrounding communities).

Hopefully that's helpful. I spent an embarrassing amount of time on all of my statements.

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Thanks a lot snoozyd. Yes, I have a main personal statement but I was going to use my strengths/weaknesses paragraphs from Yale for the Columbia one too since it's exactly the same question. Yeah, I realized that there's not that many paragraphs to spare in 2 pages double-spaced and that I would probably have to cut down my strengths/weaknesses paragraphs to just one paragraph too. :nailbiting:

Nah don't say that it's better to have spent a lot of time on them and edit them over and over than have grammar mistakes and things that don't make sense.

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Thanks for the posts! This is my #1 choice and I really want to get in. My GPA and GRE should be good enough but the main problem would be my resume. I did do healthcare stuff (three or so experiences) but it wasn't for super long. I hope being a co-author in a publication would help :p although I didn't really do that much in it...

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Quality is better than quantity. If you did volunteering for long periods of time I'm sure it would show dedication. And being a co-author is pretty legitimate as not everyone gets published in a paper. I'm sure you have a good chance of getting in! :D

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What track is everyone applying for? I'm interested in knowing what the majority applies for... FNP? I'm applying for PMHNP!

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Yeah, I'm pretty sure FNP is the most popular tract for entry level master's programs so I don't know if that means they have more spots for FNP or not.

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