Csula Fall 2014 applicants..

draconisnewt · Aug 19, 2014

LOL I went to the mail today and thought it was the welcome package too...turned out to be an invitation to the Nat'l guard. What a letdown *sigh* T_T

faraway123 · Aug 19, 2014

No mail packet yet for me either. I was excited to check mail today too.

righteousjenn · Aug 19, 2014

Didn't get anything in the mail today, is the package thick? Is it mostly to do list or just information?

Info and deadlines. It's about 8-10 pages

draconisnewt · Aug 19, 2014

Info and deadlines. It's about 8-10 pages

Guess we'll have to wait another day :/

joanpant · Aug 19, 2014

Didn't get anything in the mail either

Elkay · Aug 19, 2014

Info and deadlines. It's about 8-10 pages

Eh not bad, thanks.

righteousjenn · Aug 19, 2014

This is wack that I had to give up my spot and today I got the welcome package but no one else did even though you guys have been waiting anxiously for them.

Here's things that will get you excited from it while you wait:

All paperwork is submitted electronically.

If anyone else knew about the almost $700 ati book charge, it's broken up into 3 payments over a year

The uniforms are effing expensive.

For lab schedule you rank the ones you want from 1-3 and will get chosen accordingly and by demand of the one you chose.

righteousjenn · Aug 19, 2014

oh and also, it does not contain a book list.

CaliMursin · Aug 19, 2014

Yeah ATI payments are a drag but the books you get from it are helpful to pass the NCLEX and also to understand some of the more complex concepts in the reading, and in a few of the classes we get tested using ATI so that is covered by the cost as well. The tests are not as long as TEAS, only 65 questions. I have a test tomorrow for my ICU class

This year my class is in charge of selling uniforms and on the welcome package.. one of the letters might have my name on it.. I think..

Anyways, the two classes above you, class of 2016 and 2015, sell goods/clothing as a fundraiser to raise money for their pinning ceremony and its the senior class that always sells uniforms, sweaters, t shirts etc.. We are selling uniforms at the same price as the class before us and the class before them.

It says that two uniforms are recommended, I only bought one trying to save money and down the line somehow my school patch got bleached.. Its still OK and ill continue using it until I finish school! So do you have to buy two nursing tops? No not really, but it isss recommended. One of my friends washed his uniform together with his black bottom and for a while his shirt was pink. Hes a smart guy too and laundry mistakes are not common but they happen. Most people are able to keep their uniform(s) in great condition.

Before we had these uniforms, my class was the first to buy them luckily, everyone wore ALL white, and they even had to wear white underwear or it would show, or so I hear.

I think of it this way... I got into a state school, and am saving so much money compared to private schools so maybe i have to spend a little extra on top of a great price for a nursing education, but itll be worth it!

The first year is always the most expensive and hardest but trust me, it gets way easier and way nicer after the first or second quarter.

Books can usually be found using http://calstate-la.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TBWizardView?catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=30556

in some classes you can get away with the previous edition.

-KB

Lemons · Aug 19, 2014

@ Kb,

thank you for sharing this information with us.

is the pocket companion jarvis health assessment book sufficient for nursing 272 or do we have to buy the actual book?

how was your first semester in the nursing program?

CaliMursin · Aug 19, 2014

Well i didn't buy the pocket companion at all, just the actual book which you do need.

My first quarter was not bad but coming from a semester cc, i had some getting used to.

You guys will most likely be affected by the quarter to semester change. I think in the fall of 2015 or 16 theyre changing the whole school over to semester system. I dont know exactly how it'll work, but you guys will be OK.

One of your classmates asked me a few questions. I hope this helps

They asked

"I have some broad questions for now:

1) Which class(es) do you think are the most challenging?

2) Which professors do you recommend and don't recommend?

3) How "hard" is it to maintain above a 3.7 GPA by the end of the program?

4) Which hospitals can we choose for clinicals....or is it different for every cohort?

5) Did you work during these years? Do you think it's manageable to work as a CNA or some kind of physically demanding job?"

My answer,

So let me start off by saying that everyone studies differently and gets different grades. Nursing school can be quite easy or it can be hard, all depending on your individual strengths and discipline in regards to studying.

1) If you were to take a poll for graduating seniors, I think most would say that in their three years, the class I'm taking now is the hardest. ICU. But I have a very good grade right now so again it varies. Before this class, it would have been one of the med surg classes.

2) For professors, I would say the best ones are ----------------------- just because he is a great lecturer and we have him for about 3-4 quarters. Other professors such as ------------, ---------------, -------------------- are also very good. All the teachers are pretty nice and solid in terms of teaching ability, but the only time you get to choose teachers is when you choose clinical sites. Lectures are usually the same for everyone, and at the same time.

3) So I came in with a 3.96, and it's now 3.85. I came from cc so I did not have an +\- in my school, but CSULA does. It can be a good thing if you're at the B+ but bad if you have a 91%\A-. I don't think it's too hard, as all the people they admit are smart.. you just have to stay on top of reading/assignments and learn to prioritize where you should study more or less. You'll find that amongst the smart students they admit there are also levels of smart, if that makes sense. Some get labeled as smart through perseverance and disciplined studying, others just get the material on their first go around, and others get labeled as being not asss smart, due to lack of trying or difficulty in grasping the concept.

4) So we get to choose from a wide variety of hospitals, most of which are awesome! So far I have gotten to go to LA county USC, USC Verdugo Hills, Cedars Sinai, Kaiser Panorama City, Children's Hospital LA, White Memorial, Glendale Memorial, and other hospitals include Huntington, Rancho, other Kaisers and a couple others I can't recall. We really do get some of the BESTTTTTT hospitals to choose from and when you go to the hospitals they really do love CSULA because they know how impacted the program is and how bright the students are. Lets just say that the job market it tough right now but with a BSN degree from CSULA you're a little bit more marketable.

5) Personally I have not worked during school but I have taken on leadership positions in my class and in clubs, which can take up time planning and scheduling fundraisers, or attending community events. There are those in my class who work, and some people even work 40+ hours a week. After the first med surg I think we're allowed to take on student nurse jobs, which the school highly recommends as it helps you get your foot in the door. I know some places such as ucla pay their student workers 20/hour which is probably the highest and they even work with your school schedule. I would not recommend working the first quarter and maybe not the second either, but if you have to I would recommend getting a feel for the classes and then get hours based on what you can handle.

I wish you the best of luck and message me any time!

Hope that helps :)

-KB

Lemons · Aug 20, 2014

I received the package today. All I can say is: start saving your money. lol