Fall 2016 Nursing School Applicant Support Group

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Thought it might be nice to have a general thread where everyone can share their journey without needing to create a specific thread for their school! I would love to hear from others going through this same process.... and if anyone has any other questions to add, let me know and I'll add them to the OP. That said.... share away!

Tell us about the school you're applying to.

I'm currently applying to a college of nursing through a hospital in my area. It's got a great NCLEX pass rate and a good retention rate as well.

What pre-reqs are you completing?

Working to complete A&P 1 and 2 prior to submitting my application.

What's the application deadline? When will you hear if you've been accepted or not?

Mine is January 1st. I'll know my status with the program by March.

Where are you in life right now - high school, college, going back to school? Working? Kids?

I'm 5 years post-A.D. and am working full time. I have a child in grade school.

How are you feeling about it all?

I'm feeling pretty confident. The school I'm looking at says a competitive candidate will have at least a B (3.0) average and I have a 3.8. Hoping to bring it up as I'm working to get A's on A&P. It's a wee bit overwhelming, though - it's hard to work 9-5, come home, study for 2 hours, stop for an hour to see my kid and put her to bed, and then head right back to it till 11 at night. Rinse and repeat. I know that's what school will be like, though, so I'm trying to get used to it!

Are you doing anything to get ready aside from taking courses (such as volunteering or shadowing a nurse)? How do you like it?

I'm going to be volunteering at a rehabilitation facility - my first day should be this Saturday. I'm nervous but looking forward to it and I'll probably pop in here afterwards to share my thoughts!

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Will be applying to majority of CSU's with BSN programs. I'm currently taking Anatomy/physiology II for the summer and my final class is microbiology in the fall. My deadlines are October to November for general admissions. January to March for the nursing programs. I just finished a CNA training class and am also about to take my state exam for a CNA license. Hopefully I pass on first try and can find some work for experience and extra side money. Truthfully, I am a second bachelors. My first BA was for International Relations. Got to travel quite a bit and changed my career goals after graduating. Looking into travel nursing in the future!

I am confident I will get into at least ONE program out of all the CSU's I apply to. Although it would be nice to have options, with the current dilemma of impacted nursing schools, I have my doubts and would be absolutely fine with any school that accepts me. :)

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Hey there!

Ill be applying to my local community college's Fall 16' program. I believe the deadline is January 15. I still have to take nutrition diet therapy this summer (I start on Monday) and physio this fall. I'm quite nervous about physio because everyone says the teacher is awful. I had a horrible teacher for anatomy and didn't do too well so I'm hoping this guy isn't as bad as everyone says because I'm really counting on getting a good grade! I have a few GE classes I have to squeeze in as well but nothing too difficult. I have the option of either taking the two pharmacology classes before starting the program or during the program so I'm planning to take them next spring just to get them out of the way and lighten the load when I do start. This will be my first college degree. I was in a MA program a few years back but I couldn't find anywhere to do my clinicals (it was a ****** school) so I had to withdrawal from the program and now have 22k of worthless debt. It took me a while to actually pursue the nursing track because I thought I wouldn't be able to do, so I first decided on being a MA and was actually taking MA classes this last semester before deciding that I CAN be a nurse and will do my best. I'm not currently working and have 2 small children. I really really hope I get accepted into the program!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

A&P is difficult today.

I really need to buy some notecards and make flashcards for myself. My current memorization process is to write notes by hand (helps me to condense information) and then to go back and generate a new set of more thorough, highlighted notes in a word-processor. It works, but it also makes me want to stab myself in the eyeballs and takes forrrrrrever.

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Hello all!

I will be applying to CSUEB, Sac State, Sonoma and SF State this fall. My number one choice is East Bay but I am flexible to move. Going back to school after plan A, becoming a physical therapist, fell through. I work work per diem in an ER right now and have 12 years of CNA experience. I volunteer at a mobile clinic on the weekends when I'm not working and currently took up another volunteer experience working in hospice care, since SF State prefers 2 volunteer experiences (correct me if I'm wrong). I am very excited to apply and finally move forward in my career. I've worked in several different areas of hospitals and hoping my experience both personal and work will help with my application.

Pre-req GPA: 3.82 (taking Micro and Stats this fall)

TEAS: haven't taken yet

I feel as though there are so many things left to do before we apply. Good luck to everyone and I look forward hearing from others! :)

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I'm taking Nutrition now, which is a killer and I'm one of the few with an A right now. I take Micro for Summer 2 and AP2/Stats in the fall. I have a 4.0 in the prereqs. I will be applying to programs in January and will be done with classes in December.

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I also study best by writing, OP! But whenever I have a few minutes to kill (waiting in a line, taking a lunch or snack break, etc) I like to use the quizlet app and flip through some of the flash cards on there. It's free and there's a bunch to choose from! Maybe that can help until you can get some notecards to make your own!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I also study best by writing, OP! But whenever I have a few minutes to kill (waiting in a line, taking a lunch or snack break, etc) I like to use the quizlet app and flip through some of the flash cards on there. It's free and there's a bunch to choose from! Maybe that can help until you can get some notecards to make your own!

I just discovered Quizlet a couple of days ago and OH MY GOD. It's way better for me than writing stuff out. I get exam anxiety because I don't really know what to expect or what level of detail the exam will go into so I usually end up taking notes that are TOO detailed. Quizlet helps me to have that "test-taking" experience without consequences on my grades, so I took a few quizzes until I got 100% on them and finally felt confident enough to take my first exam yesterday. I'm fairly certain I nailed it :)

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Tell us about the school you're applying to.

I am applying to my CC's stand alone ADN program. It has one of the highest NCLEX pass rates in the state of Iowa and almost every nurse I run into in my area has started their schooling there.

What pre-reqs are you completing?

This fall, I am re-taking my Basic CNA. I couldn't complete last year after I found out I was pregnant the week before clinicals.

In the spring, I will be taking the last science courses Intro to Chemistry and Intro to Biology plus College Algebra. During late spring early summer, I hope to be enrolled in the 2 week Advanced CNA crash course at my school.

I am planning on taking the TEAS V during Spring semester and get on the state registry for CNAs.

What's the application deadline? When will you hear if you've been accepted or not?

No strict application deadline. It's a stand by list that goes by the date you put in your application. Your initial school enrollment acts as the application. Every semester, I am "applying" to the nursing program at my school and they send out a letter stating I was rejected till I fulfill the requirements. It's an automatic process.

Where are you in life right now - high school, college, going back to school? Working? Kids?

I am a mother of 2 kids (my oldest is 2, my baby girl is 1 month). Currently, I am employed by a retail grocery chain as a Bakery Clerk while going to school for my ADN. This is my second time in college. My first time was a diploma in Medical Billing and Coding from a for profit.

How are you feeling about it all?

Excited to be one step closer to my dream. I am a bit angry with my school because they changed the pre-reqs. If they hadn't, I'd just need to take TEAS and CNA. It feels like a struggle but it will be so worth it for me and my children. One day at a time!

Are you doing anything to get ready aside from taking courses (such as volunteering or shadowing a nurse)?

​Not in the present moment.

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I was able to get into the BSN program at CSUS and have several friends in the program. There are some details that are helpful when applying that were shared with me, and I'd love to be able to pass them along if they'd be helpful. When you get closer to applying I'd be happy to help in any way I can!

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Hello Courtney in CA,

I would love any helpful advice you have to pass along! I find that even though I have experience in the field, mastering the classes with A's and getting a good TEAS test is only a portion of the actual application process. I get worried that somewhere on my application I will have forgotten to fill out a portion on the nursing application, which will therefore make my application incomplete.

Thank you so much for the post! Which BSN school did you get accepted into? How many schools did you apply to?

Melissa

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I'm having a moment where I'm worrying that nursing school might be too hard. I started out last month doing a review of chemistry and algebra, along with starting A&P 1 online on top of working 8 hours per day. Honestly, I've stopped doing my chem/algebra review so I can focus exclusively on getting through A&P quickly while getting the best possible grades. I'm going to start it up again once I finish my A&P 1 and 2 but I'm just concerned that I won't be able to juggle the demands of 4 courses per semester plus clinical and class time if I can't even handle three courses all at once plus my job.

I'm also slightly panicking because I have had zero time to hit the gym and I'm afraid once school starts for real I'm going to lose my fitness :(

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