First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone who has been accepted into the next starting cohort for this program!
I am starting this super early because I have already begun to freak out lol.
Is anyone applying for the MDE MDE/DNP or MDE/PHD program for 2017?
This is my dream program !!
I am prepping for the GRE at this point which I am taking in August. It has been a long arduous road for me to say the least and I am ready to send my app off with a prayer. Any advice from current/previous students of this program or applicants welcome! And to my fellow applicants what other programs are you applying to? And most importantly good luck to everyone. The application opens August of 2016
Hi, tva829, Columbia is my absolute first choice for programs. I am currently only applying for the MDE, as I really want to return to Alaska and work as quickly as possible. I can also, once employed by the Native Healthcare system up here, have them pay for my education as a DNP.
Anyway, my main concern is around my undergraduate grades. I graduated from University of Virginia ten years ago and had a cumulative undergrad GPA of right at a 3.0. (due to life, mostly) I've since taken some of the prerequisites and proven that I'm able to handle classes (Yay being an adult!).
I'm so scared that my low undergraduate grades will completely preclude me from admission to this program that I'm on the verge of panic!
What types of recommendations are people getting from their letters of reference? Are they ones where they state the applicant is the best ever and needs to be admitted, or are they ones were the applicant is able to handle the work and simply very basic?
I'm hoping that my colorful experiences across Alaska, living in the Bush in places with no running water, will help give me a leg up.
There were really varying undergrad degrees - some majored in photography, biochemistry, etc. If your prereqs are decent you should be okay! They really do take a holistic view of your application. If you have strong references and essay, it weighs much more than you'd think it does. That being said, it's a selective program that is very accelerated, so they want to see people can handle the courseload.
Rec letters should talk about your ability to excel with a rigorous curriculum and if you have professional ones, they should discuss your work ethic and qualities of you as a person and how they would make you a good candidate for nursing overall! It's not just about showing them you can do your work and get good grades, the rec letters are definitely your chance to prove that you, and others, believe that nursing is the right field for you because of x, y and z qualities you have. I would definitely reach out to professors/supervisors that know you personally, and give them summary of yourself, resume, your goals and what characteristics you possess that you believe makes you a good candidate to aid in their writing.
Thank you so much for all the helpful info! I'm from a non-healthcare background and love hearing about all the professional diversity in your cohort. And that is some great rec letter advice. I did that with mine, and the letters people have shared with me are better than I could have written myself!
Jumping in here: I just finished my MSN and looking at Columbia for a post-Master's DNP? Any Post-Master's DNP people here? I've searched the threads and didn't see anything. If so, I'd love to hear about your experience. Anyway, does anybody know if the students have a hard time finding their own residency sites? It's a requirement and I would be coming from MD to NY weekly for class (Friday cohort). They can be arranged in your hometown, but I've read that this can be a challenge.
Also what are the financial aid packages looking like? I have been a full time student for 2 years with no job. Do they consider these things when awarding aid?
In general, there's no 'financial aid' except government loans and a few nursing scholarships for those with virtually no assets or savings. The nursing scholarship I received was 30k for a program that costs around 100k without living expenses. This was the best package I received from any school I applied to. I have two friends within the program who received merit aid and I'm not sure how they swung that haha. I'm not sure if this is different for the DNP since there is the residency and the schedule is different. The loans/scholarships are also dependent on your credit status. If you're only on campus a couple days a week, I'm not sure if you'd fulfill the credits necessary for scholarship/loans so definitely reach out to them for advice.
You should call about the post-masters DNP because the classes are completely separated from the MDE cohort. The office/directors are super receptive and always gave great info that's not already listed!
At the info session I attended, they said that ~75% of the students qualified for a need-based scholarship of $25,000. There is also a need-based scholarship in a smaller amount for the DNP portion, but I don't recall how much. And of course there are government loans up to a certain amount, and private loans. In general, the people at Columbia are really great at answering questions. You could probably call up the financial aid office and get more concrete answers without much trouble.
At the info session I attended, they said that ~75% of the students qualified for a need-based scholarship of $25,000. There is also a need-based scholarship in a smaller amount for the DNP portion, but I don't recall how much. And of course there are government loans up to a certain amount, and private loans. In general, the people at Columbia are really great at answering questions. You could probably call up the financial aid office and get more concrete answers without much trouble.
Out of curiosity, are there any guys reading this board/applying for the program? I just realized that when I read this I assume mostly females are writing, in some part because of comments and screen names that imply it. But actually - I shouldn't make that a blanket assumption. Is nursing still so female-dominated? Curious since my husband's med school class has more women than men, so this could just be another step toward total lady domination. MWAHAHAHAHAHA. But really, I do hope there's a mix...
freedomdawn, MSN
61 Posts
Hi, tva829, Columbia is my absolute first choice for programs. I am currently only applying for the MDE, as I really want to return to Alaska and work as quickly as possible. I can also, once employed by the Native Healthcare system up here, have them pay for my education as a DNP.
Anyway, my main concern is around my undergraduate grades. I graduated from University of Virginia ten years ago and had a cumulative undergrad GPA of right at a 3.0. (due to life, mostly) I've since taken some of the prerequisites and proven that I'm able to handle classes (Yay being an adult!).
I'm so scared that my low undergraduate grades will completely preclude me from admission to this program that I'm on the verge of panic!
What types of recommendations are people getting from their letters of reference? Are they ones where they state the applicant is the best ever and needs to be admitted, or are they ones were the applicant is able to handle the work and simply very basic?
I'm hoping that my colorful experiences across Alaska, living in the Bush in places with no running water, will help give me a leg up.
Thanks for any feedback!