Duke ABSN Spring 2021

FutureNP_1319 · May 7, 2020

I also check it everyday! June, where are you ?!

yansads · May 10, 2020

Hey y'all!

I figured I'd jump into the discussion. I probably won't get in but its nice to have other people to obsess with. I applied on Wednesday late. I didn't plan on applying for Spring, I was going to wait until fall. I saw the application was still open and I started to fill it out just to see what it entailed. Then I got a call from someone saying they saw I started my application and if I can fill it out same day, they'd pass it along to the admission committee so I bit the bullet haha.

I'm curious if this is something they typically do or if applications have been low with the current state of the world. Either way I'm not holding my breath but I'm crossing my fingers.

redster23 · May 10, 2020

2 hours ago, yansads said:
Hey y'all!
I figured I'd jump into the discussion. I probably won't get in but its nice to have other people to obsess with. I applied on Wednesday late. I didn't plan on applying for Spring, I was going to wait until fall. I saw the application was still open and I started to fill it out just to see what it entailed. Then I got a call from someone saying they saw I started my application and if I can fill it out same day, they'd pass it along to the admission committee so I bit the bullet haha.

I'm curious if this is something they typically do or if applications have been low with the current state of the world. Either way I'm not holding my breath but I'm crossing my fingers.

You are actually pretty lucked out that they contacted you to finish your application. I was in the same boat last year! I had missed the deadline and they sent me an email notifying me about missing the cut - so I knew I blew it. However, I applied at other schools and got in but deferred it. So to answer your questions, I have a feeling that they probably have enough candidates, but most likely lower than the prior years. But don't get be fooled, there's probably still hundreds of candidates so our chances are still slim considering Duke is probably on of the nursing programs in the country that is hard to get into. Please note that there were also candidates that they place on the waitlist and have accepted for the next term so even if you don't get in for the Spring, they may like your application and move you to the Summer term- that is always a possibility.

Have you applied elsewhere too? if so where? Does anyone know how many students are admitted each semester? Did I miss that info somewhere?

yansads · May 11, 2020

Yeah. Like I said, I’m not holding my breath but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Sounds like it was an anomaly to get a phone call which is cool for me. Another board said they accept 70-75 out of 350-450 applicants per semester.

I didn’t apply anywhere else. I didn’t plan on applying for the Spring. The other programs I was looking at needed prerequisites complete before applying, so I’ve spent this semester finishing them. I’m gonna try to submit my transcripts from this semester as soon as they’re released. Hopefully my grades will help sway them haha.

FutureNP_1319 · May 19, 2020

On 5/10/2020 at 4:47 PM, yansads said:
Hey y'all!
I figured I'd jump into the discussion. I probably won't get in but its nice to have other people to obsess with. I applied on Wednesday late. I didn't plan on applying for Spring, I was going to wait until fall. I saw the application was still open and I started to fill it out just to see what it entailed. Then I got a call from someone saying they saw I started my application and if I can fill it out same day, they'd pass it along to the admission committee so I bit the bullet haha.

I'm curious if this is something they typically do or if applications have been low with the current state of the world. Either way I'm not holding my breath but I'm crossing my fingers.

That's great! From reading previous years posts, I don't think they have done that. But hey, you got the call--so why not ?!

Sun1 · May 19, 2020

How does the application portal indicate change in status as it progress through the review to the final decision. Does anyone know anything about this?

Thanks!

FutureNP_1319 · May 21, 2020

On 5/19/2020 at 5:01 PM, Sun1 said:
How does the application portal indicate change in status as it progress through the review to the final decision. Does anyone know anything about this?
Thanks!

I'm not 100% sure, but I would assume that as our application moves along in the process the status will change to display what step its in.

Km477 · May 21, 2020

Hi all! I just happened to come across this forum and wanted to jump in. I’m currently in my third semester of Duke’s ABSN program. I’m happy to answer questions you have about the program and life as a student. It’s been a while since I applied so I may not be very helpful with the application and financial aid topics LOL.

redster23 · May 21, 2020

21 minutes ago, Km477 said:
Hi all! I just happened to come across this forum and wanted to jump in. I’m currently in my third semester of Duke’s ABSN program. I’m happy to answer questions you have about the program and life as a student. It’s been a while since I applied so I may not be very helpful with the application and financial aid topics LOL.

WOW!! Great seeing you here and thank you for reaching out! If you could just give us an insight about your experience being in the program, that would be helpful. Additionally, can you describe what it's like? Is it something that you expected? are there any Surprises? Were there people in your Cohort that perhaps dropped out? How are the classes and clinicals? Any of the folks in the program that are currently employed while in the program? I'm sure I have tons in my brain but any feedback that you can provide is greatly appreciated.

yansads · May 21, 2020

31 minutes ago, Km477 said:
Hi all! I just happened to come across this forum and wanted to jump in. I’m currently in my third semester of Duke’s ABSN program. I’m happy to answer questions you have about the program and life as a student. It’s been a while since I applied so I may not be very helpful with the application and financial aid topics LOL.

Do you think the financial cost is worth the education you’re getting? If you’re willing to share, did you get a good financial aid package?

Km477 · May 21, 2020

3 hours ago, redster23 said:
WOW! Great seeing you here and thank you for reaching out! If you could just give us an insight about your experience being in the program, that would be helpful. Additionally, can you describe what it's like? Is it something that you expected? are there any Surprises? Were there people in your Cohort that perhaps dropped out? How are the classes and clinicals? Any of the folks in the program that are currently employed while in the program? I'm sure I have tons in my brain but any feedback that you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the great questions! That’s also a lot to unpack so let me know if I miss anything or if you’d like more details.

Duke has really exceeded my expectations. Pretty much every professor knows us by name and they truly care about each and every student. DUSON as a whole treats students extremely well and they provide as many resources as possible to us. The environment is very friendly and collaborative. Many of us come from competitive environments but Duke fosters an environment that is completely the opposite. One thing that I was surprised by is the diversity of students. We have students from age 20 to 60. Majors from biology to history to French. We all have bachelor degrees but we have a couple of students with masters and even a PhD. There are students from all over the US. Students from Ivy Leagues and schools I have never heard of. People with kids. Veterans. People with experience as EMTs and CNAs, as well as people with no relevant experience at all. You name it... we have it.

As far as dropping out... that’s very uncommon. Duke is extremely accommodating of personal circumstances. There have been a few people in my cohort drop back into the next cohort due to personal reasons (usually medical). I only know of one person that actually left the program entirely (personal reasons). My point is that I don’t know of anyone that has quit the program due to poor performance.

I find the classes and clinicals to be manageable. If COVID doesn’t affect your cohort too much and you have a similar setup to mine, the first semester will be class and lab five days a week. You will spend a lot of time in lab learning and practicing all kinds of skills. In the second half of the first semester, you will have clinical one day per week. Second and third semester have class two days per week and clinical one day per week (occasionally twice per week). Fourth semester has class one day per week and the number of clinical days varies individually. That being said, it is pretty hard to keep a work schedule in the early semesters. There are some students that pick up PRN or weekend shifts as CNAs. Other people have part time jobs in coffee shops, stores in the mall, etc.

The classes are ordered and coordinated very well. Pathophysiology and pharmacology are spanned over 3 semesters so we really have the chance to understand everything. We take 3 credit hours of electives in the each of the last two semesters. This is a great opportunity to take a fun class like flu fighters, a speciality class like mental health (if that’s what you’re interested in), or even a graduate level class. There is a pretty impressive list of clubs to join, as well. Every student is offered a free peer tutoring service that I highly recommend, even if you have great grades. The research opportunities here are incredible.

One part of the program that I very much appreciate is the clinical instructors. I have never had a clinical instructor that was anything less than excellent. The CIs at Duke are incredibly friendly, helpful, and willing to facilitate learning. For each class that has a clinical component, students fill out an evaluation form that covers a list of objectives that must be met by the end of the course. This is a great form of self-evaluation. In addition, clinical instructors add their feedback to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.

One thing that Duke takes a lot of pride in is the Center for Nursing Discovery (CND). This is where most of the labs and simulations will take place. If you haven’t already, I recommend looking it up on the DUSON website. The CND is truly state-of-the-art.

Another thing that draws a lot of students is the opportunity for a global immersion trip. At the end of the second semester, students have the option to complete their clinical requirements for the Community Health course in another country through a 2-week immersion trip with a small group of students and a clinical instructor. Options in the past have included the Philippines, Barbados, Tanzania, and Honduras.

This post is turning into a novel, so I’ll stop here. Please let me know what other questions you have. If anyone would like to chat personally, please PM me.

Km477 · May 21, 2020

3 hours ago, yansads said:
Do you think the financial cost is worth the education you’re getting? If you’re willing to share, did you get a good financial aid package?

Great question! On one hand, I think education is priceless. On the other hand, I could have gone to another school for half the cost. I am extremely satisfied with the education that I have received so far, but it is incredibly expensive. If you want to go to grad school or into research, I think going to a highly ranked program like Duke is a good idea. If the end goal is a BSN, I would probably opt to go somewhere less expensive.

As far as my financial aid package.... let’s just say I wouldn’t be at Duke if my family wasn’t willing to help pay my tuition.

I hope this helps!