I have narrowed it down, sort of...

Have you checked out Emmanuel College?

Paula

Have you gone to http://www.allnursingschools.com yet? There you can get a list of some of the better known accelerated programs in the country. You are considering some good schools, why not throw Penn, UNC, or Maryland into the mix? You need to consider NCLEX pass rates, program length, clinical opportunities, costs. If you have specific questions about Hopkins, feel free to ask as I am a little over halfway through with their accelerated program.

I need to know the questions to ask, such as NCLEX pass rates, etc (as you mentioned in above reply). Could you tell me how you are finding the Hopkins accelerated program? I would opt for the slower approach, and do it in 4 semesters instead of just 13 months.

Any other pointers while I look at schools?

Steph

Hi--I would just call each of these schools and talk to the recruiter about stats, etc. Keep in mind Duke is very competitive and has many applicants--best, hty/

I'm in a similar situation! I've been accepted into the Accelerated Program at Duke AND the BS-MSN program at John Hopkins. I have to give John Hopkins a decision by February 25th! I don't know where to go! If you get any good feedback about the programs let me know!

Definitely ask questions about NCLEX pass rates, class attrition, clinical hours and clincial sites, scholarships, internship opportunities, elective courses. You also need to make sure you are competitive, so ask about the average GPA, GRE scores, work experience of accepted applicants. In addition, even though the BSN prepares you to ge a "generalist", get an idea of the research interests of the faculty. You might get the opportunity to start working in the field you are interested in while in school.

Hopkins specifically had approximately 500 applicants for 100 accelerated spots. I am not sure what the numbers were for the traditional class. We get a lot of students with international experience, mainly Peace Corps volunteers. The toughest semester is the first summer, after that many students get job as CNIs or in health clinics. We have 16 hours of clinicals per week at hospitals all over the Baltimore/DC metro area. The NCLEX pass rate is a little over 97% and only a couple of students drop out or "deccelerate" each year. Hope this helps you in your quest!

I am aware that these schools are all competitive, and that is why I am applying to them. But I also know that a "name" or reputation that a school has means next to nothing, and that asking the right questions are essential (For the woman struggling between Duke and Johns Hopkins, let go of any attachment you have to the "name", if you have any, and really try to figure out which school offers you the most). I want to make myself a desirable candidate, and I think I am doing a good job of it, but I could use some pointers... I have a solid GPA, work experience that people my age usually don't have, and a BA in Literature... I have a year and a half until I start nursing school, and am trying to get a job that will make more competitive, and also gain some expereince. I was thinking that my best bet would be to become a CNA. What do you think?

Steph

P.S. To the woman trying to decide between Duke and J.H., how hard was it to gain admittance to these schools? If you don't mind me asking, what was your GPA, pervious experience, etc?

When I applied to Simmons through the Dix Scholars program (this was a little over 2 years ago), I had no problem getting in..in fact I was basically admitted before all of my application was complete. This was before the applicant pool began to increase. I worked with two people who ended up going there and they both seemed to like the program.

To answer your questions:

The schools were definately competitive. I had a pretty good background because I went to a college that is ranked very high. My GPA was decent...around a 3.3 or so. However, I completed all of my pre-requisites before applying and I had a 4.0 in all of my pre-reqs. My GRE scores were good, but not phenominal. I had a combined score of approximately 1150 on the GRE's with a 5.5 on the writing section. I also did a great deal of volunteer work at Massachusetts General Hospital, which I think helped a bit. I think that the real advantage that I had were my recommendations. I work as a research assistant and my boss (who is a highly educated Ph.D. and J.D. from an ivy league school) wrote me a raving recommendation.

I do really feel like they looked at the whole package, and not just one specific aspect.

I hope that this answered your questions!

Thanks for the encouragment! I am pretty confident about getting accepted. Have you thought more about your decision? Please let us know when you have decided! I noticed that you live in Boston -- so do I, as you can see by my name of course! I go to UMass Boston right now and am getting my BA in Lit in June. People are very perplexed when I tell them I want to go to nursing school, instead of become a teacher or something along that line. I just tell them, that hey: two bachelors are better than one! The first one was just practice. I became interested in nursing later on in my degree, so it just made sense to finish it out anyways and then go for the BSN later.

If I were you, I'd pick Duke; North Carolina is beautiful and the people are very friendly!

Later,

Stephanie

I am currently enrolled at University of Phoenix on line program.

It is great:) I would encourage anyone to at least check it out.