Duke ABSN Spring 2015

anixon · Aug 2, 2014

Yeah Homelife that's what I was wondering... The private loans. They tend to be difficult to get without a consigner.

I didn't know they did away with the masters credits!

homelife · Aug 2, 2014

Fortunately I can have either of my parents or my sibling cosign for me to help me get a reduced rate. I realize, though, that there are many individuals for which this isn't an option, just like I realize many of those individuals, too, might decline their offers because they can't "selfishly" commit to all that debt when they have a family to care for. There are so many factors to consider in making a decision, but at least in my Duke Days groups, a large percent of the group had already accepted their offer and were buying Duke gear to celebrate their decision. That said, there is still hope for you folks on the waitlist! I have my highest hopes for you!

The new curriculum has only minor alterations to what you see still online as the "old". The new curriculum will be in effect for Fall 2014 cohort and beyond. The Mental Health class in the second semester has been eliminated entirely; instead, mental health will be incorporated into classes through the span of the program. Faculty found it was just way too much plopped into one course, so they decided to pair mental health with what students are studying at the time to make it more relevant and balanced (much like Anatomy & Physiology classes being in tangent, not separate classes for either).

Another change is the 15 masters credits an ABSN student would graduate with. Instead of the various tracks (genetics, language - Spanish, research, etc), they have dialed this back to allowing 6 elective credits (~2 classes). Within those electives, you can by all means take graduate level classes that may be used towards your follow-up degree. If you were excited about pursuing those tracks - no fear. You still can within those 6 elective credits (of which you'll be during taking your 3rd and 4th semester). Faculty found that, while a lot of students do choose to do the ABSN to MSN bridge right out of the program, many students were pursuing graduate work back in their home state and these 15 masters credits weren't transferring seamlessly.

myischmo · Aug 3, 2014

Oh, wow! I did not know they did away with the 15 credit hours. I understand their reasons. Most grad schools will not allow more than 6 credits transferred in; however, I was looking at the early entry MSN program at Duke. That was a big selling point for me in justifying the cost. Thank you for the update!

myischmo · Aug 4, 2014

I thought about it....I still want to go! I hope there is room to pull off of the waitlist! The deadline is a week from tonight, so hopefully us waitlisters hear something sometime next week! :nailbiting:

running05 · Aug 7, 2014

Did anyone that attended Duke days hear them mention the 2015 cohort size, how many offers were made, and if they mentioned anything about the wait-listed folks? Thanks!

homelife · Aug 9, 2014

Did anyone that attended Duke days hear them mention the 2015 cohort size, how many offers were made, and if they mentioned anything about the wait-listed folks? Thanks!

Nora said the cohort size is typically 70-76 students. Acceptance letters were sent to 99 people of the 400-500 applications received from this application period. Unfortunately I cannot speak on the waitlist, as nothing was stated. You might find it wise to shoot her an e-mail and ask her the statistics of waitlisted students becoming part of the cohort, ask how many (if she can reveal this) students are currently on this waitlist. It may give you some hope to cling to since she will be unable to tell you your exact position on the waitlist.

myischmo · Aug 11, 2014

So basically 24 people needed to decline in order to open up just 1 place on the waitlist.

running05 · Aug 11, 2014

Yeah the odds aren't looking great. However, in previous classes it looks like they were able to pull quite a few people from the WL as many declined due to cost concerns.

anixon · Aug 11, 2014

So... guessing this week sometime?

vbee · Aug 11, 2014

I'm starting to wonder if we're the only ones on the wait list. LOL. Only 4 of us are active on this board. Well, maybe the other waitlisters are just lurking. Homelife, you've been very kind to give us such valuable information--has been much appreciated.

My guess is that we'll hear something mid to late next week. The deposit/accept deadline was Sunday, but I bet Duke gives them a grace period of a few days. It's an expensive program, so several might still be waiting for their financial packages and/or loan possibilities. Good luck to us all! Hopefully we will meet each other next spring. :yes:

myischmo · Aug 11, 2014

Anixon,

I called last week and she made it sound more like next week at the earliest, but didn't rule out this week. I'm crossing my fingers for this week. My other program starts next week and I would really like to decline ASAP if an offer from Duke is made. That way they can pull from their wait list and it opens a door for someone else.

myischmo · Aug 11, 2014

Running05,

I've looked at past threads and it does seem like they are able to pull quite a few from the waitlist, but I've also noticed that prior to the second announcements you see quite a few people announcing they declined. I realize not everyone comes to allnurses, but it doesn't seem like this cohort (those that are posting) are not following past trends. It's making it difficult to be optimistic. :nailbiting: