CSULA ELMN 2011

RosePetalss · Mar 15, 2011

Hey all! I GOT IN TOO!!! She just called me!
I only had my interview on Saturday and she was so fast in responding! I just want to say that this forum definitely allowed me to keep my cool and helped me so much. Thank you all!

Congrats rpatil88!! Good job!

rpatil88 · Mar 15, 2011

Thanks so much Star15brite and rosepetalss!

@Star15brite and dewdrops-Did you guys receive a confirmation in writing? I just got a phone call from Professor Hinoki.

Sam198 · Mar 15, 2011

yay good job rpatil88!! Its nice that you heard back so soon!

star15brite · Mar 15, 2011

She called me first, but I missed the call I emailed her around 9pm, and she wrote back to me about 10:30pm with my acceptance offer.

dewdrops · Mar 15, 2011

She also called me, I haven't received a letter or anything written. Congrats!! I'm so excited to meet you, what is your background/what track are you interested in?

summerslippers · Mar 15, 2011

HI guys! I am one of those people who got accepted to both Western U and Cal State LA. Will guys help me figure out the difference between the two schools in terms of their EL MSN program? I already know CSULA is cheaper but I really want to make an informed decision. Please help

bababowman · Mar 15, 2011

Hey innatchka, thank you for your advice. Do you mean to say the essay we wrote to apply to the nursing program itself, or is there another essay that we have to write while in the nursing program to apply for the specific track we want?

Yes, you have to write another essay when you apply to your preferred track halfway through the first year. Acceptance into the ELMN program does not assure you a spot in the track you want. Like Innatchka said they only hold a certain number or spots in each track for the ELMN students. If more people apply to a track then they have room for, they essay is the deciding factor since most ELMN students have well over a 3.0 GPA, which is the minimum you have to have to stay in the program FYI. They asked all of us in this cohort for a second choice and the cohort before us had to give a second and third choice. 1 or 2 students actually ended up with their third choice in cohort 6.

bababowman · Mar 15, 2011

HI guys! I am one of those people who got accepted to both Western U and Cal State LA. Will guys help me figure out the difference between the two schools in terms of their EL MSN program? I already know CSULA is cheaper but I really want to make an informed decision. Please help

Do you really want to spend 100k+ to go to school in a converted strip mall in Pomona? Sorry, Western U called me in for an interview and then rejected me so I am bitter.

Western does have some advantages especially when you get into NP portion of the program and most of the course work is done online and you only go to campus a couple times a semester. That would certainly make life easier. Cal State LA is a lot cheaper, has more NP specialty options and is working on a plan to offer a DNP in the next few years. I don't know if you are aware of it but there is a movement afoot to make all Nurse Practitioners earn a doctoral degree in order to practice after 2015. When I interviewed at Western and asked what their plan was for this change they could not give me an answer. The CSU system has already done what it needs to do to be able to offer a DNP degree, the first doctoral degree to be issued by the CSU system FYI. CSULA is well positioned to be part of the new program. Just some food for thought.

rpatil88 · Mar 15, 2011

Thanks Sam198, I'm sure that you will do great in your interview as well!

@Star15brite and dewdrops-I asked her to send me something in writing so I could show my parents so she sent me a few paragraphs with my admission. Also, really glad both of you added me as a friend, but I haven't posted 15 times yet to get the privacy message privilege. Email me at talktorashmi@gmail so we can talk more! (So sooo excited!)

My background is that I graduated from UC Berkeley last year and didn't decide on nursing until the very end of my last semester, so then ended up taking prereqs at a junior college, took the TEAS and then began applying to a bunch of schools. I plan on doing the FNP with possibly a mental health speciality but lets see what happens once we actually start.

goguemah · Mar 15, 2011

O man i really think i didn get into csula.. Interviewed on 2/28. Still no answer

star15brite · Mar 15, 2011

O man i really think i didn get into csula.. Interviewed on 2/28. Still no answer

Don't give up yet!! She is still doing interviews, so there is plenty of time for her to get back to you. I wish you the best of luck :)

dewdrops · Mar 16, 2011

summerslippers, I faced the same choice as you did, and chose to look at the curriculum more carefully. I think the two are structured very differently. I know that CSULA emphasizes TONS of clinicals and really gets you in there to get your feet wet. Western emphasized nursing theory a little more and tended to load the clinicals more into the FNP portion of the program. They both allow you to work as a student RN which is great, but I know that western is distance based for the 2nd part of the program. Western's faculty really emphasized this, and even has students in Guam! You only need to come to school a few weekends a semester. In contrast, I think CSULA's second portion of the program is not as intense as the prelicensure, but you are certainly still in school every week.

I would evaluate your choice off of a few things, 1) cost 2) length of the program (western is four years, CSULA is 3) 3) distance based vs. classroom based, and 4) location. I hope this helps, as you can see, I have certainly thought about the same choice!