Direct-entry MSN programs

JEMO · Aug 20, 2005

Kim,
Great advice from Smile. I too would rec. A&P or Micro first. You definitely want one of the lab sciences to be on your transcript when you apply. I just finished Micro online with lab- and while I truly hated the format of the class- the schedule flexibility was perfect for me. I had assignments, labs and quizzes due each week that I could submit whenever I wanted to. There were five unit tests and no final. It was a lot of work but not very hard work- it was a very do-able A. I think if you could squeeze in some volunteering on weekends or even just shadowing an RN and an NP, that could make an impression and probably provide you with some good material to incorporate into your essays. Don't sweat the GREs- if you test well, brush up on high school math for a few weeks to get back those skills, get a good review book (I used Princeton Review) and you should be fine. I think I read somewhere that preparation can have a bigger impact on your quant performance than your verbal. The analytical writing section is still kind of new and I'm not really sure schools know how to interpret the scores yet- so I wouldn't worry too much about that either.
Good luck and keep us all posted on your progress!
-Jess

Hi guys,

I just found out about this website this week and am very glad that i did. I have read what every one has to say about the direct entry program and am nervous already. I have'nt applied yet to any school because i have not finished my pre requisites but am planning on it. I know my chances of getting into the program are slim considering i have a 3.2 GPA. What advice would you guys give me to maximize my chances of getting into the program. I live in the Boston area and next week on Tuesday am going to Regis college for an open session. I'm afraid of being rejected!!!!!!!!!!

Jess RN · Aug 20, 2005

Hi guys,
I just found out about this website this week and am very glad that i did. I have read what every one has to say about the direct entry program and am nervous already. I have'nt applied yet to any school because i have not finished my pre requisites but am planning on it. I know my chances of getting into the program are slim considering i have a 3.2 GPA. What advice would you guys give me to maximize my chances of getting into the program. I live in the Boston area and next week on Tuesday am going to Regis college for an open session. I'm afraid of being rejected!!!!!!!!!!

Hi and welcome! I assume your GPA is for undergrad and I wouldn't worry too much about it- just focus on getting as close to a 4.0 in the prereqs as possible. Have you taken the GREs yet? They are also a piece of the application that I believe are weighted similarly to undergrad GPA at some schools (I know this is the case at MGH). Regis is a great choice if you are really worried- because it is not as comptetive as some other Boston area schools (BC, Simmons, MGH, Northeastern). I really liked Regis when I interviewed and was sort of sad not to end up going there. They have a great clinical component to the pre RN part of the program. Their focus is to make you a confident, competant RN first and foremost, before the MSN piece starts.

Another option to look at in the Boston area is Curry College's second degree BSN. I took my organic chem there and was pretty impressed with the school. They are located in Milton on a small, pretty campus and while their program is competitve, it isn't as competitve as some of the Direct Entry programs in the area.

Don't be intimidated- you can do it! This thread has been a great source of advice and encouragement for me throughout the process!

-Jess

JEMO · Aug 20, 2005

Hi and welcome! I assume your GPA is for undergrad and I wouldn't worry too much about it- just focus on getting as close to a 4.0 in the prereqs as possible. Have you taken the GREs yet? They are also a piece of the application that I believe are weighted similarly to undergrad GPA at some schools (I know this is the case at MGH). Regis is a great choice if you are really worried- because it is not as comptetive as some other Boston area schools (BC, Simmons, MGH, Northeastern). I really liked Regis when I interviewed and was sort of sad not to end up going there. They have a great clinical component to the pre RN part of the program. Their focus is to make you a confident, competant RN first and foremost, before the MSN piece starts.
Another option to look at in the Boston area is Curry College's second degree BSN. I took my organic chem there and was pretty impressed with the school. They are located in Milton on a small, pretty campus and while their program is competitve, it isn't as competitve as some of the Direct Entry programs in the area.
Don't be intimidated- you can do it! This thread has been a great source of advice and encouragement for me throughout the process!
-Jess

Thanks Jess for all the advice. I have not taken my GRE yet and am hoping to do that before the end of the year. Am also planning on taking Statistics and chem in the fall. I took A&P 1 and 2 five years ago and i got an A, i guess am going to retake it because it has been over five years. I also want to start volunteering, but i have a crazy schedule because i work 68 hours a week.

Gennaver, MSN · Aug 21, 2005

Sure you can share this info with whoever you think might benefit. I think you will find that with 3 courses in the fall, you will have more time to study for the harder classes. 430 is awesome in the summer. I took online and I'm so glad I did. basically we just had to write a paper and do a presentation. And respond to discussions on the message board.
Let me know if you have further questions.
Take care.

Hi,

There is an online option! Good,

Genn

Gennaver, MSN · Aug 21, 2005

whoops! forgot the hopkins blurb. here it is. :)
>>>>>>>>>
Benefits of a Direct Entry to Combined BS to MSN Program at Hopkins vs. an entry level Master's Program
...
Employment in many government and military organizations require nurses to have a baccalaureate degree in nursing in addition to a master's degree in nursing.
...

Hello Janony,

My comment is only on the above clip. When I spoke with the Army and Navy about this after looking on their website, (the army accepts RNs with loan repayment beyond age 40 and so does the Navy, as officers) I was told that the minimum degree was the BSN. Then I questioned further, was put on hold and then when the recruiter came back he said, ma'am, the MSN is beyond the BSN and you would more than qualify and that the BSN was merely the minimum. So, thankfully that is not a limiting factor.

Gen

deelace · Aug 21, 2005

Kim,
Great advice from Smile. I too would rec. A&P or Micro first. You definitely want one of the lab sciences to be on your transcript when you apply. I just finished Micro online with lab- and while I truly hated the format of the class- the schedule flexibility was perfect for me. I had assignments, labs and quizzes due each week that I could submit whenever I wanted to. There were five unit tests and no final. It was a lot of work but not very hard work- it was a very do-able A. I think if you could squeeze in some volunteering on weekends or even just shadowing an RN and an NP, that could make an impression and probably provide you with some good material to incorporate into your essays. Don't sweat the GREs- if you test well, brush up on high school math for a few weeks to get back those skills, get a good review book (I used Princeton Review) and you should be fine. I think I read somewhere that preparation can have a bigger impact on your quant performance than your verbal. The analytical writing section is still kind of new and I'm not really sure schools know how to interpret the scores yet- so I wouldn't worry too much about that either.
Good luck and keep us all posted on your progress!
-Jess

Hi Jess. Where did you take your Micro online w/lab? I'm trying to get as many of my pre-reqs as I can before I retire from the military in a couple years and I have to do them on line since I am stationed in Africa. I have the Peterson's distance learning catalog and it lists lots of courses including the Micro but only the names of the schools instead of the URLs. Then, when I try to find the courses at the school by typing the info into my web browser, I always seem to come up with everything except the course that I'm looking for. Thanks in advance.

Sandra

Jess RN · Aug 22, 2005

Hi Jess. Where did you take your Micro online w/lab? I'm trying to get as many of my pre-reqs as I can before I retire from the military in a couple years and I have to do them on line since I am stationed in Africa. I have the Peterson's distance learning catalog and it lists lots of courses including the Micro but only the names of the schools instead of the URLs. Then, when I try to find the courses at the school by typing the info into my web browser, I always seem to come up with everything except the course that I'm looking for. Thanks in advance.
Sandra

I took Micro online through http://www.ccconline.org It is Bio 204. Here's the link to the description http://www.ccconline.org/courses/course_desc/index.php?course=bio204_welcmpg_04m It is not self paced- and they start on a semester basis and mine ran for 15 weeks this summer. I thought the labs were pretty useless- but it did count for credit!

There is a forum on allnurses under the student forum called distance learning where I learned about ccconline. There are a few other schools that do lab sciences as well. Check it out and if you have any questions about Micro- don't hesitate to PM me.

-Jess

deelace · Aug 22, 2005

I took Micro online through http://www.ccconline.org It is Bio 104. Here's the link to the description http://www.ccconline.org/courses/course_desc/index.php?course=bio204_welcmpg_04m It is not self paced- and they start on a semester basis and mine ran for 15 weeks this summer. I thought the labs were pretty useless- but it did count for credit!
There is a forum on allnurses under the student forum called distance learning where I learned about ccconline. There are a few other schools that do lab sciences as well. Check it out and if you have any questions about Micro- don't hesitate to PM me.
-Jess

Thanks a million Jess!

PdxDreamer · Aug 22, 2005

Hi everyone,

Diana here from Oregon. I moved back to Boston last week(well, my parent's house in Brookline) and I start MGH on Sept 6. I've been reading any books I can get my hands on because I'm pretty bored. I'm used to school all the time! I ordered most of my books online and got the uniform stuff also. I wonder why we have to wear white shoes? They're going to be so hard to clean! Otherwise,I'm just counting down the days for school. I ride my bike everywhere, so I'm learning how to dodge traffic in Boston :rotfl:

Glad to see that you guys are all doing well! And to the newbies who are thinking about applying to grad school: I was always the underdog in high school and college, getting solid B's but never the A student. I didn't think I could get into an MSN program, but my family suggested I try anyway. Lo and behold, I pulled it off! So don't be afraid to try!

Diana

elizabells, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2005

the white shoes do kind of suck. I got one of those spongey polish applicators and go over 'em before every clinical

Selke · Aug 23, 2005

Hi everyone,
Diana here from Oregon. I moved back to Boston last week(well, my parent's house in Brookline) and I start MGH on Sept 6.
Glad to see that you guys are all doing well! And to the newbies who are thinking about applying to grad school: I was always the underdog in high school and college, getting solid B's but never the A student. I didn't think I could get into an MSN program, but my family suggested I try anyway. Lo and behold, I pulled it off! So don't be afraid to try!
Diana

Dear Diana,

High School is no measure of future success in life. Look at the vast number of ex HS athletes and cheerleaders who are now insurance salesmen and fat bored housewives, whose imaginations never get past from their hometown. HS education itself -- the usual public variety -- is boring, aimed at the middle percentile (or even lower), not at the brightest. There are many bright HS students who never find their passion or intelligence in HS until they leave.

Besides, there's no shame in solid Bs. You did get into college and did well! Perhaps your passions were triggered and your intelligence blossomed? Maybe you found college education to be more adult and addressed your existential needs in a way HS never can? (That happened to me, short story.) My impression is that nursing programs are more interested in getting nurses into advanced education, nurses who can do the work (any B average is capable), not just the straight A students, of which there are few. (Besides, given the capriciousness of how I experienced grading was done at the school where I earned my BSN, it was too easy to get a B for A work.)

The best of luck to you.

PS I noted you moved from OR to MA. I just moved from CA to CT for grad school. What a time zone change. The light is different, too -- I've heard the sunlight off the Bay Area coast is like the coast of Greece on the Mediterannean . The Atlantic differs from the Pacific ... I miss the Pacific! It seems peaceful, its non industrialized, it has beaches, state parks, &c.

Jess RN · Aug 24, 2005

Hi everyone,
Diana here from Oregon. I moved back to Boston last week(well, my parent's house in Brookline) and I start MGH on Sept 6. I've been reading any books I can get my hands on because I'm pretty bored. I'm used to school all the time! I ordered most of my books online and got the uniform stuff also. I wonder why we have to wear white shoes? They're going to be so hard to clean! Otherwise,I'm just counting down the days for school. I ride my bike everywhere, so I'm learning how to dodge traffic in Boston :rotfl:
Glad to see that you guys are all doing well! And to the newbies who are thinking about applying to grad school: I was always the underdog in high school and college, getting solid B's but never the A student. I didn't think I could get into an MSN program, but my family suggested I try anyway. Lo and behold, I pulled it off! So don't be afraid to try!
Diana

Welcome back to the Boston area Diana! I wasn't a stellar HS student either. I did much better in college- but even then it was a mix of As and Bs. It really hasn't been till going back to school as an "older adult" where I have had the focus and discipline to earn better grades (earn the grades I'm capable of- as my mom would say all thru HS!). I'm excited to hear about your experience at MGH. I can'twait to start either!

-Jess