I wanted to start a thread for those applying to HCC's Spring 2014 nursing program. I am a stay at home mom. I know its early but I wanted to get as much info as possible. The deadline isn't until 6/1. I'm a current HCC student. My pre-req GPA is 3.57 (all A's 1 B and 1 C ), I'm hoping that this is good enough to get me a spot in the program.
What is everyone elses GPA? I heard its lower for the Spring.
Does anyone know when they start giving acceptance letters? I was put as an alternate for fall 2013 but they haven't contacted me yet so I've kinda lost hope for fall so hoping to get in in spring I have a 3.6 prereq gpa
Oh wow.. nice Fxcolon! I just checked "MyDocuments", and the three that have been listed as ASAP are still listed as such. Hopefully mine will show up the same here soon. Regardless, its awesome to see progress!
Hello. I was accepted and am beginning the nursing pgm at HCC in August. We also had a thread...I am going to give you guys a heads up on some things that I wish I had known further in advance. I searched through previous threads for info, as I am sure you guys have done also. But, that can be cumbersome and confusing. I am going to post info that I think will be useful, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Some of this you may already know.
1. GPA - I have heard that the GPA is lower for Spring than it is for Fall entry, but I don't know that for a fact. None of us has a true pic of what GPA's are accepted, as not all applicants post on the applicant threads. I can tell you that based on those that posted on our thread, 3.7 and above were accepted during the initial acceptance...there were a few that had GPA's in that range, but were denied or given alternate letters- some of these situations were typically due to issues with transcripts from other schools not being read properly, etc. and some were due to GPA miscalculations. These applicants filed appeals, and I believe most of them were accepted in the end. Don't be afraid to file an appeal if you think there is a mistake. Alternates that were accepted prior to orientation (end of June) had GPA's in the upper 3.5's and above. Now, like I said before, I am only referring to info that is available on the thread...there may be lower GPA's.
2. Cost prior to program. I do not currently have health insurance, as I was laid off from my job at the end of 2011. And, I have found that there are A LOT of students that do not have health insurance. All students will be required to have updated immunizations and a physical. If you do not have your immunization record, you need to find out NOW if you can get it from your perspective county school board's records. Mine is VERY OLD, but they still had it, and I got a certified copy within a few days. This record saved me money. I have gotten all my shots at the Polk County Health Department...I live in Lakeland. These are the immunizations you will need:
DTAP - must have had one within the last 10 years - I had mine when I was a child a looooong time ago, so I had to get one. $48
MMR - 2 Doses - I only had one when I was a child, so I got the 2nd. $48 ea
HEP B - 3 Doses (2nd dose no sooner than 30 days after 1st, and 3rd no sooner than 5 months after 2nd- they told us its o.k. to start clinicals without the 3rd, so don't stress over timing) You can opt out of these shots but some clinical sites will not allow you in their facility without them- $62 ea
TB test - must have had one within the last 10 years (I believe...maybe only 5) - $20
Varicella - If you have had the chicken pox and have proof in your medical records, you only need to show that proof, but it must be documented by a physician. If you had chicken pox but no record, you can get a Varicella Titer - I got mine at Any Lab Test Now for $49, and your result must be >1 to be considered immune. If you haven't had chicken pox or your titer result is
Influenza - You can opt of this, but same as with Hep B, some clinical sites will not allow you in without it. I don't have a price on this, because we cannot get ours until the CDC releases the new shot for the upcoming season, in October.
Physical - The cheapest physical I found was $30 at Any Lab Test Now. It must be performed by a M.D. or Nurse Practitioner. No chiropractors, etc.
Uniforms/Supplies - 2 scrub sets, stethoscope (they said not to spend a lot on this, as it is unnecessary- I spent $65), bandage scissors, pin light and shoes. $240
Books - we a have a set available to us that includes all the books for the program, along with the E-book code. $612 (buying the books individually will cost you over $900)...they will go over this in orientation.
Name Tags - $18 (for 2...$10 for 1)
Student Nurse Association Fee - $35 (they highly recommend that you join...it is very beneficial...you will hear all about it at orientation)
So, do the math...my total cost prior to beginning the program is approx $1225. (this may be less if you have insurance)
One other cost that you should keep in mind is that they require you have a basic student health insurance that covers emergencies and hospitalization for clinicals. You will hear about this in orientation. I heard of a plan for $30 a month. The school carries your Liability Insurance.
As far as tracking your documents to see if they have or are processing your app, like you guys have posted, you can look at My Documents in Web Advisor to see that they are marked received...contact the Health Sciences Dept, via e-mail if you have questions...they are pretty good about getting back to you - [email protected]. Another thing I found was if you click on Progress Toward Degree in Web Advisor, you should see an option that titled ASN-NUR-APPL (or similar...mine has changed now). This is what they use to calculate your GPA...if you see something odd, you might want to head off a potential problem.
I know this is A LOT of info, but I wanted to include all I could. Hope you find some or all to be helpful. I knew there would be a cost to prep for nursing school, but honestly, I underestimated. Things have worked out, but I wish I had known all of this further in advance...it would have reduced my stress level significantly.
I know you guys are anxious to get your letters, and still have a few months to go. My patience ran out about mid March, and we didn't receive letters until April 13th...LOL. Good Luck to you ALL!!
@la1717: That was an awesome bit of information. Thank you very much for taking the time to post that and answer some questions. I really appreciate it!
How are you liking the program? Is the quality of instruction good? How motivated are the professors in helping their students to succeed?
Hi La1717, like you said I had searched all through threads and read all of the above but it's nice to now have it on our thread as others may need the info. And you are correct in saying that the GPA cutoff is not lower for spring. It is always the same as I was told by an advisor recently.
@la1717: That was an awesome bit of information. Thank you very much for taking the time to post that and answer some questions. I really appreciate it!
How are you liking the program? Is the quality of instruction good? How motivated are the professors in helping their students to succeed?
Thanks again!
Don't know yet...I start 8/19... But during orientation, they brought in upcoming 3rd and 4th semester students that answered those questions, and they said that all the instructors are very helpful and eager to see every student succeed. They said that it is up to the individual to do their part- read, study, etc., but that the instructors are happy to help; even if that means some one on one time during their office hours. I am so ready to get this ball rolling...I will probably wish for the free time I currently have after I get started. LOL!
@la1717 I do have a question. What is the deadline for the vaccines so I can get all my paperwork in time if need be?
Our deadline to have everything in is 8/12...classes begin 8/19. You will be uploading everything to a website, via scanner/pdf. They will explain all of that in orientation, so don't worry about that right now. Once you have all your vaccines, you go for your physical with all your vaccine records, and the M.D. that does the physical will review them and document/certify them on the physical form. So all you really have to upload is the physical form. If you feel confident about your acceptance, you should get started. I can send you the physical form that has all the vaccine info on it...the form may change, so I would hold off on the physical, but the vaccines will probably remain the same...if they were to change, you will have a great jump on things. I was fairly confident of my acceptance because I had a 4.0 on my prereqs. (not trying to sound like I jerk...I'm still can't believe I ended up with a 4.0 on my prereqs- the A&P courses were TOUGH at PC campus). Anyway, my point is, I would have began working on all this in February or March to lessen the financial burden, had I known what exactly I needed to do.
Again, things may change somewhat from this term to next, but I doubt it will change much.
Private message me your e-mail if you want me to send you the form!
One more thing, you will need to take a CPR for Healthcare Providers course...HCC offers them at the Dale Mabry campus for $25...there is currently a schedule that lists classes through August...there will probably be a new schedule for classes in the Fall. You will have to have this done for prior to the documentation deadline, along with your physical and immunizations...my due date is 1 week prior to 1st day of classes, but they will tell you that it is best to have all this done well before that time to work through any unexpected obstacles.
But during orientation, they brought in upcoming 3rd and 4th semester students that answered those questions, and they said that all the instructors are very helpful and eager to see every student succeed. They said that it is up to the individual to do their part- read, study, etc., but that the instructors are happy to help; even if that means some one on one time during their office hours. I am so ready to get this ball rolling...I will probably wish for the free time I currently have after I get started. LOL!
alismami
16 Posts
Does anyone know when they start giving acceptance letters? I was put as an alternate for fall 2013 but they haven't contacted me yet so I've kinda lost hope for fall so hoping to get in in spring I have a 3.6 prereq gpa