Direct Entry MSN Programs 2013

I was honestly considering applying, especially because it is in Boston and clinicals would be done at one of the best hospitals in the country... I just couldn't bring myself to pay $100 for an application fee, $25 to send my GRE scores in, and around $25 to send in my transcripts! It would end up costing me around $150!

So I think one of my transcripts got lost on the way to Duke... I mailed it out October 17th via certified mail, and it says later that night it was "dispatched to a sorting facility"... and then nothing else has been updated on there. I'm sort of concerned because it said that expected delivery was October 20th, and its obviously October 24th. I'm going to give it til the end of this week because I remember my transcripts took awhile to send to Penn, and they weren't always updating the tracking information. So if it hasn't been received by Duke by the end of this week, I'm going to have to resend it, I suppose. It's just frustrating that this keeps happening to me.

Edited to say: I just checked my application and it says they received all of my transcripts, so never mind, I guess! Just USPS being unorganized and not updating the tracking info, I suppose.

MGH was also on my list, but I dropped it for a couple of reasons... some personal, some because of the program itself. In my opinion, the program does not offer enough for me to justify its high pricetag -- low overall ranking, no BSN, many classes taught online. Regardless, I will be interested to hear reports from anaboo and JP999!

My last application will be for U of Minnesota/Twin Cities, due mid-Jan. Right now I'm waiting for TWO of my LOR writers for my Hopkins app to follow through... aarrrrgghhhh.....

kdiem, I am impressed. You're halfway there, you can do it!!! :)

hopefulnurse, glad to hear your transcripts made it!

Bardone... MGH doesn't offer a BSN? So is it only RN-NP/MSN route? I would prefer regular lectures over online classes too. I'm working hard on OHSU's personal statement right now... but will probably take a mini break before I attack MGH, Duke, and Emory. Phewwww. I need a drink haha.

Good luck with those letter of recs too! I had such a stressful time asking my LOR writers to submit early/on time. Get that Hopkins in soon! I've heard they give interviews to most MSN applicants.

And Hopeful! I'm glad you sorted through the transcript mess. USPS...can be so frustrating at times! As for MGH, the hospital definitely made me want to apply there. Plus living in Boston sounds pretty nice :) I have an uncle who lives there.

I'm becoming very nervous about gaining admission to a school, so I was thinking about switching to ED for Hopkins... although my chances may not be any better by applying ED. From what I understand, it is binding and you are required to not only withdraw applications from any other school you are applying to, but also submit your $500 deposit by a certain date... am I correct? Because without signing a contract, would it really be binding? I'm just getting so nervous and anxious, and the idea of hearing before Christmas is SO appealing, but I'm not sure if its the smartest thing to do. I'd really love to go to Hopkins but committing before receiving financial aid packages from other places also makes me nervous! But then again, what if I don't get it anywhere and this could have been my one chance?! Ahh, so many choices! I just wish I could know already

kdiem, per the website, no. MGH is a direct-entry program along the lines of UCSF's MEPN or Yale's GEPN. The MGH program might be a great choice for some, but for me it's not a good fit.

Hello everyone,

I have a question regarding the essays and I figured this might be the group to bounce a few ideas off of. :) I am applying to many of the master's entry programs for nurse-midwifery and I've recently decided that *when* I am accepted, I will also be applying to the US Department of Health and Human Services' Nursing Scholarship Program. (It's where your receive a scholarship for your nursing studies and then you agree to serve 2-3 years in an area where there are a critical shortages of nurses/advanced practices nurses once you are done with school.) Do you think this is worth mentioning in my essays as supporting evidence that I'm committed to serving the under-served and vulnerable populations alongside my other experiences relevant to this topic?

Any and all opinions welcome.

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure you get a BSN at MGH... the website says "At the successful completion of this program you will be granted both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science, Nursing." I'm not sure on the timing, but I do know that you are eligible to sit for the NCLEX after December of your 2nd year, so I would assume you would get the BSN then...

kdiem, what 8 schools did you apply to ! i only have applied to 5, mgh will be my 6th but...i feel like i should have applied to so many more because i feel like i could be getting all rejection letters. this process is getting me so nervous.

and i finally got an e-mail back from marquette and I am officially not applying there because they would require me to retake my statistics which is so dumb!

hopeful-- hopkins is an amazing school and i work with 2 nurses that did the acclerated bsn program that rave about the program ( besides the price tag lol) I also know a few docs, rts, and nurses who work that that have very good experiences BUT i heard it is def better for people who are going into primary care specialites over critical care specialities ( this of course is just a few peoples opinions)

I'm becoming very nervous about gaining admission to a school, so I was thinking about switching to ED for Hopkins... although my chances may not be any better by applying ED. From what I understand, it is binding and you are required to not only withdraw applications from any other school you are applying to, but also submit your $500 deposit by a certain date... am I correct? Because without signing a contract, would it really be binding? I'm just getting so nervous and anxious, and the idea of hearing before Christmas is SO appealing, but I'm not sure if its the smartest thing to do. I'd really love to go to Hopkins but committing before receiving financial aid packages from other places also makes me nervous! But then again, what if I don't get it anywhere and this could have been my one chance?! Ahh, so many choices! I just wish I could know already

I know what you mean! I am getting so anxious. I was thinking of adding Georgetown's ABSN program and University of Cincinnati's GEPN program even though they both require a lot of prerequisites I haven't taken. I just want to be a nurse so badly! The hard part about all this is that there are no "safety" schools. There's no guarantee to get into any of them which means I'm terrified that I won't get in anywhere!

I am applying to MGH even though I'm not in love with their program but it is a BSN/MSN program not just an MSN. I really don't like online classes and it's super expensive, but it would be nice to do clinicals in their hospitals.

Whoops -- ugly mistake on my part re: MGH! Sorry, all! Must've had my mind elsewhere today...

the healer's art, I know what you're talking about with Georgetown. They have strange prerequisites that I cannot meet - I've taken World Religions, but that's about it, and they require two religion courses! They also require two ethics courses! At least with Cincinnati, you have the option to enroll and take the prerequisites you haven't taken and then matriculate into the nursing portion after. I only had two courses left to take if I went to school there - pharmacology and pathophysiology. I thought it was weird that they had you take it before the program, and not during (at least, that's what the curriculum said).

There are certainly no "safety" schools, which makes it very scary when applying. If I don't hear good news in February, I have a few other schools I'm going to apply to that have March 1 deadlines, but I'm waiting until then just to save some money. I also know of a few programs that accept people in the spring, such as UAB and Duke, that I could reapply to if I don't gain acceptance to any of the schools I'm applying to. I hope I don't have to worry about that, but it's something I've been thinking about just in case! Gotta have some backup plans! I could always get my CNA license and work in the meantime. But like I said, hopefully I don't have to worry about that! I'll be praying about it!