Help with FNP entrance essay

[steve 32]

Hello all,

Let me start by saying thank you and appreciating your time and critique. Ive been an RN since 2011 and mostly worked in nursing homes and home health care. I have decided I would like to continue my education towards my MSN FNP at a local college in NYC. Its a very well known school and can be quite competitive. I have spoken with the dean personally via email correspondence because I wanted to request an in person interview so they could see me as a whole and not just what they zero in on thats in black and white on the application. My background: A Purple Heart combat veteran, Former police officer, current firefighter (promoted to Lt) and also a per diem home health nurse. I went to school while working full-time and also maintained my nursing career. I'm extremely driven and have a BSN GPA of 3.8.

Heres the hard part, the dreaded essay. It only states to submit an essay on personal and professional goals. No specific questions asked and no limit on how much to write. Ive always been a public servant and have always chosen to work in lower income areas or with veterans because I feel that those communities are at higher risk and have decreased medical options (I've mostly worked in BK NY).

I've had many reasons to respect FNP's due to interactions with them on the professional and personal level. My wife was cared for by one after her bowel resection due to crohn's.

I would just like any help or guidance and eventually plan to put up what I have written, and re-written 30x's, for a review on what all of you think.

Very grateful,

Steve

[llg, PhD, RN]

Hi, Steve.

My advice is to simply start with the truth. Jot your personal and professional goals on paper. Don't try to state them perfectly -- or state them in a way that will impress anybody. Just jot down the truth. Think them through. Identify why those things are important to you and the key steps you will take to achieve those goals. Then (and only then) will you be ready to begin writing.

Decide which goals you want to share with the school's admission's committee. It's OK to leave something out if you think it is best left private. You don't have to tell them all of your private motivations. But make sure every goal you do talk about is a real one so that you don't end up squirming and scrambling in an interview when asked about it.

Once you have chosen which ones to share -- start a rough draft by simply listing the goals and writing a paragraph about each one -- why it is on your list, why it's important to you, and any other details you want to share. Don't worry that the draft is a little rough. You'll pretty it up later.

After getting the rough draft on paper -- consider the length. Does it come out about as long as you want it too? If not, consider that in your revising.

Revise it ... pretty it up with smooth sentences ... write a very brief introduction and closing (1 - 3 sentences is usually enough -- no need to add a lot of extra flowery crap) ... and then you are almost done. Put it aside for a couple of days and then come back and revise again. Then have some other people read it who you trust to be honest -- and preferably, who are in a position to know whether it is any good or not.

You can never know the personalities and quirky preferences that the members of the Admissions Committee with have. But I have hired people based partly on essays and I have served on a university's admissions committee for both graduate and undergrad programs. In my experience, it's not the flowery, gooey stuff that impresses. It's clear thinking, good organization, logic, and good flow from one thought to the next within the essay. They are not just looking at your content to see if they "like you as a person." They are looking to see if you can write a professional essay that is appropriate for graduate school. Will you be able to write readable term papers? etc.

Good luck!