I GOT IN!!! Advice wanted :)

Nursing Students General Students

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OMG, I am SO happy! I don't know the stats for this year yet, but last year 450 applied and 125 got in! I was a nervous wreck!

Any nurses or nursing students who have already done their first term - If you could give just one piece of advice for a brand new nursing student, what would it be?

Thanks! :D

way to go!!!

some good advice already posted, but i think what help me most was organization and working ahead.

i got a big wall calendar for second semester after the confusion of first. over christmas i wrote down every test, assignment, project or paper due for the whole semester. we got `a life line` ahead of time that said what we would be studying for each class and when the test and assignments were. i also colour coded it all. each class had a different colour. i would colour code my cue cards, and highlight text books accordingly. maybe it sounds crazy but it saved my life. (green will forever be a&p :))

secondly over holidays, and reading week, while my friends went on vacation or caught up their drinking, i worked on the next paper, or assignment. i`m not saying don`t take time to relax, and see your family, that’s important too, but don`t forget about school. during reading week i worked just as hard as i did in school (except i didn’t get up at 5am, and once spent an entire day writing a paper - in bed:yeah:). it really paid off for me. when those papers and assignments came due and we had a few tests that week, my peers scrambled and their grades suffered, i was able to focus on studying.

good luck, there is defiantly an adjustment period, but you will figure out what works for you soon enough.

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Specializes in MICU.

Wow, some really great advice, guys, thank you so much!

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My only advice - savor your time off. :)

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Specializes in Peds/Neuro/General Med-Surg/epilepsy.

if i can offer you one phrase of advice it would be "hold on tight because you're in for a ride!" i have had the pleasure of going through lpn school and now i am in my last year for my rn. there are a few things that i have used continuously for both experiences.

1. caffiene- coffee, redbull, rockstar, whatever gets your energy going have it ready because you will need it for studying well into the night, or even through the day (some of the text can be kinda dry and put you right out)

**if you are at all into the treadmill i used that to stay awake and read at night (bonus for getting in some extra exercise :yeah: )

2. pens and highlighters- i personally like the pens with the red:blue:black:green ink, and i buy packs of highlighters in bulk

3. sticky notes/page flaggers- your reading assignments will be huge so they save you from having to flip through the millions of pages in your book.

4. day planner/calendar/pda- seriously; i highly reccomend taking your syllabus the first day and just writing in when things are due and other important dates b/c the minute you think that you wont forget to do something or turn something in....you will. write it down! also take the time to write in things that are going on outside of school. such as family get togethers, birthdays, when bills are due, etc. you will get so busy studying and other things related to school that its easy to neglect other important areas.

**it also helps to schedule study time. i had a weekly sheet separated hourly and i would account for everything. this included sleep, getting ready, commute, work, class, study, and leisure time (you really have to schedule that even if its just to sit on the couch and watch tv) it sounds a little ocd but it really helped me with time managment.

5. sturdy backpack- nursing students dont get the pleasure of carrying one of those cutesy bags. those books weigh the same as an infant. lol. get a good one, lots of people get those backpacks on wheels now.

6. a good friend/companion- you will really need someone to have the tissues ready when you cry, take you out when you need a break, give you a hug when youre overwhelmed, kick you in the butt when you're slacking, and pat you on the back when you're rocking it out! :rckn:

lastly, make the most of the time you are in school, gain as much knowledge as possible. dont ever be afraid to ask questions, be the first to raise your hand, and volunteer to do new proceedures. this is your time to learn all you can.....take full advantage

:balloons: congratulations & good luck!!!!!!!! :balloons: :clpty:

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Specializes in MICU.

Thank you, great advice :hug:

This is seriously going to help me, guys.

It's also made me feel much better - I've been growing more and more terrified with each passing day :p

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Im starting my second year of nursing school....so here is what helped me!

1. Figure out how you learn the best. Do you do better with testing your-self? Note cards. Just reading? This will help you test better.

2. I reccommend finding a recent graduate or going on amazon or ebay and buying NCLEX books and flash cards. This is how I studied for my test! In my nursing school the questions are exactly like NCLEX questions.

3. If I didnt like the way an certain instructor was teaching...(or they were just reading from their powerpoints..) I would fill out my note-cards while they were lecturing. Or I would read that chapter...or chapters while they were talking.

4. I work and have two kids while going to nursing school....so TIME is valuable!!! This being said..if you find a good study group that doesnt mess around thats great. BUT sometimes its easy to talk about last weeks test score or whats going on in everyone's lives...this can waste valuable time. Trust me you also need some social time too..its a delicate balance!:rolleyes:

5. Hang in there! It will pay off! And just remember how many people would love to be in your shoes! Nursing school is so hard to get into now adays..... Good job!:yeah:

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5. Hang in there! It will pay off! And just remember how many people would love to be in your shoes! Nursing school is so hard to get into now adays..... Good job!:yeah:

This is a great piece of advice. I start my ABSN program in 2 weeks and everytime I start to feel overwhelmed, I'll remember this...I worked hard for that acceptance letter and there were hundreds of people who applied that were turned down...

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Read ahead, don't socialize, practice nclex questions, do your best on every test/assignment even if you have a 100 in that class, and study study study study! And yes, lots of coffee/ibuprofen, i would get a good recorder to record lectures, and a laptop for studying. If i were you if you know what books to get get them asap and start reading becuase the more you read ahead the more you will get out of lectures/labs. And most of all congrats!

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Specializes in Critical Care (ICU/CVICU).

congrats!!! i'm a seinor nursing student as well, and i would definately advise you to:

1) limit stress on yourself and don't tell your classmates how you are doing in your classes, grade wise. a lot of students are competitive as it is and whether you have a 75 or a 95, keep it to yourself! me and my closest friends i have in nursing school have made that promise to each other not to talk about grades and just help each other through!

2) please please don't listen to rumors. if people are saying something, especially if it's related to school, hear it from the source...the professor. i can't tell you how many times people will say something like "omg, can you believe professor x is blah blah". also, try your best to talk to your professors after class about any problems you have early on. don't ask for bonus points, ask how you can get an a or the hightest grades you can. show them that you mean business and that you are willing to work hard. trust me...they will notice and they will help you out if you are borderline on a grade.

3) eat right and try to get an hour out of the day to do something active... believe me your body and your clothes will thank you! you will not feel like spending extra money on having to buy bigger clothes. even if you are walking on a treadmill, you can still read or practice on notecards. i agree with another poster who wrote reading ahead in class if lecture sucks... so true!

4) unless you have financial aid that covers all your supply and book costs, the school bookstore is not your friend! get your book lists early each semester and cut costs as much as possible! amazon, bookrenter.com, a friend who already took the class and your schools library are places where you can get textbooks, study guides, whatever book you need (or a similar substitute) for cheap or free!! i use all these places and while everyone is crying that they had to pay $800...you can smile to yourself knowing the most you had to pay is less than $200 (i tend to pay around $70 a semester now, due to looking at all my resources before buying)

good luck with everything!!

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Yes!......consider another degree! There are NO nursing jobs for many new nursing grads, unless you want nursing home work or med/surg......

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ehhhh here we go again...this is a thread posted by someone who is EXCITED and eager to start their dream of being a nurse...not to discourage..

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um, hopes and dreams don't pay the school loans or bills past graduation----this is from a 4th semest nursing student graduating in december.....best of luck, but don't believe the hype about 'excellent job opportunities'...there are not MANY

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