George Mason University (GMU) Accelerated BSN Fall 2016

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Hello all current/ prospective nurses! I am currently finishing up my application for admission to George Mason University for the Fall Semester 2016. At this point I have completed the HESI Exam and all required prerequisites for the program. My cumulative HESI score was a 94% and my Pre-nursing GPA was a 3.6 (all A's except in two classes: a B in Statistics and a C+ in microbio both which I took at JMU). I have a B.S. in Biology from JMU, and my GPA from my undergraduate career is less than stellar (2.9) due to my very difficult, science-intensive course load which included organic chemistry and physics. Since my graduation from JMU in May I have gotten A's in all the classes I have taken (6 including anatomy & physiology I & II). I have been CPR, first aid and rescue certified for the last 8 or 9 years and am and I am currently seeking employment as a clinical technician at INOVA for more extensive experience. I would just like to ask any current or prospective Mason ABSN students who have knowledge about the program what my chances of getting in look like? Will my post grad coursework make up for my undergraduate grades or is my goose cooked? Also as a side note I am applying to other programs (Marymount & Shenandoah) as well. I appreciate your insights and wish you all the best of luck with your endeavors! :)

Re shoes: Some folks in my class went cheap; I went for comfort. In retrospect, I wouldn't necessarily buy the same shoes again - they've been great, but once I get out of school, I don't envision needing white shoes again. I got these Timberland Pro Renovo shoes Amazon.com: Timberland PRO Women's Renova Professional Slip On: Shoes.

Some people love Danskos; I like them generally, but I was afraid I'd roll my ankle if I wore them for nursing shoes. Everybody's feet are different. I would advise trying things on and going with whatever feels good to you.

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Crazy that we're already wrapping up our first semester! I know this thread hasn't been active in a while, but looking ahead, I'm wondering if any of the recent 2016 or 2015 grads could share some info about how the summer session goes? I was wondering if we would have more time to do PRN work or any formal internships during the summer to get some more experience before starting jobs? I am assuming we wouldn't be able to do 40hr/week summer internships/externships, but let me know if I'm wrong.

I also saw on the VA Board of Nursing website that 5 out of 5 accelerated students who took the NCLEX so far have passed, so congrats! I was somewhat surprised that so few people took the test right away and wondering why people are waiting to take it? I would like to have a job as soon as possible after graduation but know it may take a while. How's the job hunting going for you all?

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Hi there!

The spreadsheet you saw on the VA BON is not up to date, and honestly I'm not too surprised. I can assure you that way more than five of us have taken and passed the NCLEX. As a matter of fact, by my quick mental estimate, I'd say that at least 75% of our class has taken the NCLEX, passed, and has started working. There are others who took it and didn't go straight to work because of life changes (new babies!). But most people I can think of are happily gainfully employed at this point! I'd wait til 2017 to see what the state reports for 2016.

As for the summer. It is intense, but a bit less so. For that matter, I felt like the first semester was the toughest, and then workload eased up a bit every term thereafter. I don't know if they are planning any changes to the summer schedule, but for us, the first five weeks was our community health clinical (two days a week, scheduled independently with your facility) plus one 100% online course and one 75% online course. The online courses required a lot of reading and writing, so plan to be devoting a lot of time to it.

We then had one 5-day intensive lab course. And the last five weeks was our preceptorship. For your preceptorship, you will be assigned a nurse at a hospital, and you will work that nurse's schedule with him/her for the full five weeks. You may be working days, nights, or rotating. You will also have a clinical conference for 3-4 hours one day a week.

For me, I felt like the final preceptorship was easier simply because we were focused on one thing and one thing only. I finally felt like I was working and doing just a bit of school work. If you are good with time management and prioritization, then you might be able to get away with working part time.

Best of luck!!

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Hi there!

The spreadsheet you saw on the VA BON is not up to date, and honestly I'm not too surprised. I can assure you that way more than five of us have taken and passed the NCLEX. As a matter of fact, by my quick mental estimate, I'd say that at least 75% of our class has taken the NCLEX, passed, and has started working. There are others who took it and didn't go straight to work because of life changes (new babies!). But most people I can think of are happily gainfully employed at this point! I'd wait til 2017 to see what the state reports for 2016.

As for the summer. It is intense, but a bit less so. For that matter, I felt like the first semester was the toughest, and then workload eased up a bit every term thereafter. I don't know if they are planning any changes to the summer schedule, but for us, the first five weeks was our community health clinical (two days a week, scheduled independently with your facility) plus one 100% online course and one 75% online course. The online courses required a lot of reading and writing, so plan to be devoting a lot of time to it.

We then had one 5-day intensive lab course. And the last five weeks was our preceptorship. For your preceptorship, you will be assigned a nurse at a hospital, and you will work that nurse's schedule with him/her for the full five weeks. You may be working days, nights, or rotating. You will also have a clinical conference for 3-4 hours one day a week.

For me, I felt like the final preceptorship was easier simply because we were focused on one thing and one thing only. I finally felt like I was working and doing just a bit of school work. If you are good with time management and prioritization, then you might be able to get away with working part time.

Best of luck!!

P.S. I should mention that several members of my class are still lurking on your class' FB page, so you might get a broader response if you post there. :)

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Thank you! That's great to hear that most people have already passed and are now working! Some of us were talking about how it would suck if we were doing this intense, 1-yr program only to have to wait several months before we could get jobs or go to nursing residency programs that don't start until the Feb. after graduation.

Also glad to hear that summer isn't too bad, but it doesn't seem like I could apply for a summer internship that requires 40 hrs/wk for 8 weeks or something. I'll probably look for more shadowing opportunities during that time as well. Honestly, this first semester hasn't been too intense, so I hope the trend continues.

I'm taking a break from fb for a while (trying to avoid the political drivel as much as possible), so the posts here are really great. Thanks again!

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Hello!

I am applying to GMU's 2017 Traditional BSN program.

I am really nervous because I have a couple of friends who applied last year and didnt get in.

I went to NOVA, and received my Associates in Science, with a 3.6 GPA.

However, I feel like GMU looks to applicant with experience in the medical field (volunteer or employment), which I do not have.

Any tips/advice/comments?

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@al591 I was wondering if you had health care related experience before you applied. I just applied to GMU for the Accelerated BSN for Fall 2017 and how do you like the program so far? I went both undergrad and grad school at GMU but i don't know about their nursing program. Thank you.

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I have been acccepted into the program but I am interested in speaking with someone who has graduated from the program. Would anyone be willing to answer a few questions for me? Thank you!

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