Yale GEPN Fall 2010

[girl.w/useless.b.a.]

Okay, I know it's early, but Yale is my first choice, and I'm already terrified that I'm going to screw it up. My goal is New England (although I'm also applying to Pace because they have this Science Summer thing for those of us who haven't taken anatomy yet), and I want to be a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner.

I eventually want to either have a mobile clinic for poorer older folks who can't afford more traditional options or who are home-bound, or make home-calls in some other way.

I think Yale will help me get there, but I don't think I'll get in. I have a lower GPA (but still above a 3.0) from UC Santa Cruz, and I spent the last two years teaching in Taiwan, only to find out I don't like teaching very much. I'm taking my GREs in three weeks and I'm starting some prereqs this summer.

I'm also applying to Simmons, Pace, Northeastern, MGH and Boston College.

Before I ramble on any longer, anyone else applying?

[ooooladoula]

Lucy, I think I can answer one of your questions. The two professors who did my Midwifery session said you definitely need a dependable car. Placements can be up to an hour away. Biddy, is this true?

And, I'm leaning towards Yale too! I am still going to the Columbia day so see you there.

[Biddy]

I do think the estimate is enough money, but I am married and we had savings when we moved here. I know some other friends have thought they could use a bit more, but honestly, New Haven is not a super expensive city. I think it's quite affordable (I did, however, spend ten years in Los Angeles, so perhaps my perspective is skewed...) There are many of us that pay with loans - I took out the Grad Plus loans (federal) to cover what Stafford did not. They do tell you that you don't need a car for the first year, but really, I think it's best to buy one as soon as you can. You will definitely need one during the specialty years, and it's not like you are going to suddenly be making more money once you're a student! We have now had three clinical rotations, and only one of mine has been in New Haven. I happily drive students without cars, but they are all now thinking about how they are going to purchase cars for next year when you will be alone at clinical sites. So while you may not need a car for GEPN, you will need one in the years to come.

[rowan630]

Thanks Oooladoula and Biddy for this good information. I live in NYC and don't have a car, so I will have to get on that! I am pretty sure now that I am New Haven-bound :) I am starting to feel good about the decision.

Oooladoula, I am going to try and pm you with my email b/c I would like to try and meet up at the Columbia revisit and chat. (Not sure how to pick you out from the crowd, as I only know your screen-name!) Not quite sure how to send a pm, but hopefully you will get it!

[zmrmna]

Hello Biddy/any other YSN students,

Can you tell me a little more about what it is like to live in New Haven? I would also be moving with my fiance, and I am worried about him being able to find a job there. I have also heard some negative things about the city in general.

We were told that the average distance we would need to travel for clinicals is about 60min each way. Is that really true? You mentioned that one can get by without a car during the first year though?? Is it just twice per week or so that we would have to be doing all of that traveling, and does that mean that some of the sites are over an hour away?

Does anybody work during the two specialty years or do most students study full time without part-time jobs? Lastly, how do you think the coursework at Yale compares to some of the other direct entry programs?

Those are all of my questions for now. Thanks so much!!

[javabean]

Ya, that would be great to know more about the GEPN program! I'm having the HARDEST time trying to choose between Hopkins and Yale. AHHH...Anyone else having trouble trying to choose?

[Biddy]

New Haven: I'd heard horrible things about the city prior to moving here. I had incredibly low expectations, so perhaps that's why I was so pleasantly surprised. New Haven is awesome! I'm a southern Californian (to let you know my perspective). The city is very walkable...it's small - you can really walk everywhere (you should definitely invest in a bike if you don't have on). There are lots of great restaurants, bars, etc. If you like Italian food, oh yes, the city is amazing for that. I live in East Rock, which is a really cute neighborhood of old victorian homes, churches (I'm not religious, but they are quite pretty), and there's a huge park (east rock park) at the end my street. The park is great for walking, running, etc. There's a really nice trail along the river there. You can also hike up to the top of East Rock, which has great views of New Haven. I have 3 markets within walking distance, two of them specializing in Italian food (oh yes! AMAZING!) I'm not going to lie about the difficulty of potentially finding a job for a mate (but in this economy, that's probably true anywhere you'd be considering). My husband had a film background and worked in Hollywood exclusively since graduating. It doesn't translate here. He's just completed EMT training and is starting paramedic school in May/June. I have another friend in the program, whose fiance just found a job. If you can, you and your fiance should save up money before you move out here to get through while he looks (and I suppose, too, the ease with which he can find a job will depend on his skill set...You can also take the train into NYC - it's 1.5 hours each way...Or with a car, you can drive to Hartford in 45 minutes...)

In terms of average driving distance to clinicals, the 60 miles round trip might not quite be true for GEPN year, but I think it becomes true during the specialty years. I've now had 3 rotations, and only one of them was at Yale New Haven Hospital. My first one was a 30 minute drive away. My last one was 55 minutes. They will always do groups during GEPN so that there are cars among the members - I've driven classmates that don't have cars (of course, everybody carpools). However, you will absolutely need a car during the specialty years because you are assigned alone to sites. So you can worry about buying a car now (when you are likely to have more money than you will once you are a student), but many people are waiting and will be scrambling this summer to find cars...I will say, too, that I've actually kind of enjoyed the commutes to clinical. You really get to know your classmates when you are in the car for an hour together...I would not complain about that at all.

People do work during the specialty year, but the schedule is pretty packed so it's on a very part-time basis (one or two shifts per week would be my guess). I really can't say how the coursework compares here vs. other direct entry programs because I haven't attended classes at other schools...If you have a more specific question about academics here, I will try and answer that, but I can't even begin to try and offer a comparison...

I was also trying to choose between Yale and Hopkins. I would say if you have not visited Baltimore, you have to do that before you can make a decision. I went out there last year for accepted students day, and I knew right away that I did not want to live in Baltimore. It also was going to cost more money because as an adult doing a second BSN, the financial aid is really bad (half as much in stafford loans, and there's not the option of the grad plus loan...I would have had to take out private loans, requiring a cosigner and I did not feel comfortable doing that...) JHU also gave me exactly the same amount of money as Yale did (don't get your hopes up about financial aid! In most cases, it won't help you make a decision... Nursing schools don't seem to have much to go around...)

I'll try to answer any other questions you might have...

[chender_low]

Hi Biddy,

I am deciding between Yale and U Penn? Do you mind pm me and share some insights?

Thank you.

[eazye]

thanks so much, biddy, for taking the time to share your experience. it is incredibly helpful.

[Abby Normal]

I can only speak for myself, but some of the things that made me choose Yale over my other offers were:

Yale only does graduate nursing education. We're not fighting for time with undergraduates or even a large group of Ph.Ds. GEPNs are what they specialize in.

Yale University, overall, has the second largest endowment of any university in the country. It has a very major medical school, serious and well-equipped research facilities, various funds for research, travel, etc. It's not going to fall into our laps, and it may not be as generous as in years past, but there IS money there. Or at least money we can visit. Like a money zoo.

The program will teach nursing, but it also prizes my liberal arts background and values writing. Some other programs made me feel like this was not important. It also requires a research project. This might seem like an annoying hurdle to a lot of people (it did the first time I heard it), but it's actually a really great opportunity.

For what it's worth, I walked around and found a few cool little restaurants (including a vegetarian/vegan one that had tons of great looking homemade cakes!). I can make this work. If you really hate New Haven, after the first 1 1/2 years you can move a bit further out and just commute in for classes 1-2 days a week.

Anyone who is smart enough to be accepted into any of these programs (and so many who are not!) is going to be a success no matter where they go. So there is really no bad decision.

I just wish there were more aid money ...

(I'd heard rumors there was millions written into the health care bill for advanced practice nursing education. Who knows if we'll ever see that!)

[shallowhorn]

When I applied to grad school I knew how much it would cost, but it wasn't until the reality of being accepted hit me that I've begun to consider how the cost will affect me. I used a loan repayment calculator today and wanted to cry. It seems like we will be making a good living in the future, but I am afraid of working solely to pay off debt. I'm aware of the loan forgiveness programs that are available but from what I've heard we really can't bank on those (specifically, NHSC) due to the sparsity of their disbursement.

Is anybody in touch with a GEPN alumni that could shed light on their repayment experience? I'm in no way uncertain about what it is I want to do with my life, I'm just really scared about the costs associated with the most rapid route. Is anybody else in sticker shock?

[rowan630]

Shallowhorn--the answer is YES! I also knew the numbers when I was applying, but they seemed so large that they just floated out into the ether. Now that I am writing up a budget for my first year, I feel the impact of those big numbers! I am applying to NHSC, but like you said, funding seems to be allocated to only a few. (I think they say 1/11 applicants receive funding, but some of that funding goes to students who were already accepted and want to add a 3rd year.) Maybe there will be some new loan repayment programs in the coming years w/ the new healthcare bill. Here's to hoping!!

[javabean]

Is there a facebook group to join for Yale GEPN 2013?