Is anyone out there a Emory nursing student?

dmrnurse · Jul 26, 2005

Hi!

I will be starting nursing school at Emory this September. I don't know that I have any tips that are specific to Emory, but definitely apply early. I applied in late November last year and heard back with my acceptance early in January. I've heard people say that they applied closer to the January deadline and didn't hear back (acceptance or otherwise) until April.

I went to an open-house at Emory last October and folks on a student panel advised me that the essay (statement of purpose) was the most critical part of the application. I spent a lot of time thinking about why I wanted to become a nurse and crafting an essay that expressed my goals and my personality.

I highly recommend applying for the NEAT scholarship (if you're interested in working for the Emory Healthcare system post-graduation) where Emory Healthcare pays half of your tuition for 2 years then you work at one of the Emory hospitals for 2 years after graduation. There is a limited number of these scholarships available each year (I have heard numbers from 12 to 20) so once again, apply early. Also, apply for the named scholarships -- there's one application form for quite a few nursing school scholarships. I applied to Emory but was worried that I would never be able to afford it, however, I was very pleasantly surprised at the amount of financial aid that was awarded to me.

Good luck to you! I hope to see you around campus in September, 2006! I know there are a few others in this forum who are also starting at Emory this September. Feel free to send me a personal message if you have specific questions.

Darlene

choanurse · Jul 27, 2005

Did you finish all the prereq classes before you applied? If not which ones were you missing? I am taking two more this semester and the last two in the spring. Thanks for any help in this never ending process. Also what about the CHOA program? Do you know how many of those they award each year?

dmrnurse · Jul 27, 2005

When I submitted my application, I had completed A&P I and was taking A&P II and Chem I. I submitted my application around Thanksgiving then submitted my A&P II and Chem I grades a couple weeks later in mid-December. I received my acceptance letter in January and still had to complete Micro, Organic Chem, and Human Lifespan and Development in the Spring. I forgot how the letter was worded but my acceptance into the program was dependent on my receiving acceptable grades in those last 3 classes. BTW... I am a second degree student; my first degree was computer science. I am not sure how that factors in on my acceptance, if at all.

The program that you mentioned, is that the CHANCES program with Children's Hospital of Atlanta? I don't know a lot about it firsthand but I believe that it is similar to the NEAT program where there are a limited number of awards per year. Again, I would apply as early as you can for it.

Hope this info helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.

Darlene

HRM672 · Jul 27, 2005

Darlene will probably concur with this (we were in prerequisites at GA State together and talked to many of the same people), but if I had it to do over again I would have applied at many more schools, not just the one I wanted to attend. I know many people who didn't get into the school they wanted, but got in somewhere else and are starting in the fall; and I also know many people who only applied to one school and didn't get in at all.

Good luck!!

dmrnurse · Jul 27, 2005

That's very true. I applied to both GA State and Emory last year. The nursing programs are so competitive with the excess of applicants for a limited number of spots that there are really no guarantees. So it is very sound advice to apply to multiple schools if your goal is to be in nursing school next fall.

Heather (HRM672) and I knew one girl from our classes who got good grades, sort of worked in a healthcare field, and was a great person but didn't get into the first school to which she applied. We were all surprised. Hopefully she made it into her second choice school.

choanurse · Jul 28, 2005

Darlene will probably concur with this (we were in prerequisites at GA State together and talked to many of the same people), but if I had it to do over again I would have applied at many more schools, not just the one I wanted to attend. I know many people who didn't get into the school they wanted, but got in somewhere else and are starting in the fall; and I also know many people who only applied to one school and didn't get in at all.
Good luck!!

Did you get into Emory as well? How many schools did you apply to? I am applying to a few, there are only a limited number of programs that I am interested in. I figure if I don't get in I will just try until I do.

choanurse · Jul 28, 2005

That's very true. I applied to both GA State and Emory last year. The nursing programs are so competitive with the excess of applicants for a limited number of spots that there are really no guarantees. So it is very sound advice to apply to multiple schools if your goal is to be in nursing school next fall.
Heather (HRM672) and I knew one girl from our classes who got good grades, sort of worked in a healthcare field, and was a great person but didn't get into the first school to which she applied. We were all surprised. Hopefully she made it into her second choice school.

I also know of several people who haven't been accepted. Sometimes it doesn't make any sense. I am also a second degree student and I also attended the open house last fall. I couldn't apply for this fall, too many classes left to take at that point. I am actually working on that essay a little everday. I too heard that it is a vital part of the approval process. Hopefully if it is meant to be I will be there next fall. Have you talked with anyone who is a current student to find out what life will be like once you are there actually taking the classes? Thanks.

dmrnurse · Jul 28, 2005

A fellow who lives in my neighborhood, who was also a second degree student, just graduated in May from Emory. He loved going there. He spoke very highly of the faculty and of his clinical experience. In fact, I saw him doing his peds clinical in the video they show at the open house. He was a NEAT recipient and had his choice of jobs in the Emory healthcare after graduation.

He has an 11 year old son and worked one or two part time jobs so I didn't get to chat with him too much about school. But if you have specific questions, I can always send him an e-mail. In fact, I want to try to catch up with him soon to see how he did on the NCLEX, which he took 2 weeks ago.

You know how everyone says how difficult the first semester is, my friend said that it wasn't too bad. He thought the toughest semester was the one in which he took the genetics course. I don't know which one that is off the top of my head.

Well, I certainly hope that you get into Emory. Keep in touch about your progress or if you have other questions.

Take care!

Darlene

bbcewalters, NP · Jul 29, 2005

A fellow who lives in my neighborhood, who was also a second degree student, just graduated in May from Emory. He loved going there. He spoke very highly of the faculty and of his clinical experience. In fact, I saw him doing his peds clinical in the video they show at the open house. He was a NEAT recipient and had his choice of jobs in the Emory healthcare after graduation.
He has an 11 year old son and worked one or two part time jobs so I didn't get to chat with him too much about school. But if you have specific questions, I can always send him an e-mail. In fact, I want to try to catch up with him soon to see how he did on the NCLEX, which he took 2 weeks ago.
You know how everyone says how difficult the first semester is, my friend said that it wasn't too bad. He thought the toughest semester was the one in which he took the genetics course. I don't know which one that is off the top of my head.
Well, I certainly hope that you get into Emory. Keep in touch about your progress or if you have other questions.
Take care!
Darlene

Hey there,

I just graduated from Emory this May. The life there is good, but get used to disorganization. You will wish that all of your classes were like Dr. Neville's and Dr. King's. Really it is great. I think I know your friend (We had only 3 guys, and only one with a kid) He sat next to me and we chatted a lot. I agree with him on the most difficult semester, it was my most difficult too. We both had Adult med/surg together with Genetics that semester.

Enjoy your time and make the most of your clinicals.....Good Luck :)

Bobbi

choanurse · Aug 29, 2005

When I submitted my application, I had completed A&P I and was taking A&P II and Chem I. I submitted my application around Thanksgiving then submitted my A&P II and Chem I grades a couple weeks later in mid-December. I received my acceptance letter in January and still had to complete Micro, Organic Chem, and Human Lifespan and Development in the Spring. I forgot how the letter was worded but my acceptance into the program was dependent on my receiving acceptable grades in those last 3 classes. BTW... I am a second degree student; my first degree was computer science. I am not sure how that factors in on my acceptance, if at all.
The program that you mentioned, is that the CHANCES program with Children's Hospital of Atlanta? I don't know a lot about it firsthand but I believe that it is similar to the NEAT program where there are a limited number of awards per year. Again, I would apply as early as you can for it.
Hope this info helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Darlene

What was your GPA for the prereq classes and overall when you were accepted at Emory? I am doing well but I have received a couple of B's. Do you have to have all A's or not? Thanks for your help.

dmrnurse · Aug 29, 2005

My GPA for all of the Emory Nursing School pre-reqs was 4.0. My GPA for my first degree (Computer Science) was not that good -- definitely a few B's in there, but 10 years ago I did take some graduate level software engineering classes and had a 4.0 GPA in those classes. I think Georgia State (where I took the pre-reqs) calculated my overall GPA as 3.74. But the admissions folks at Emory seemed more focused on my pre-requisite grades than anything else.

I don't know for sure if you *must* have A's in your pre-reqs. But I am living proof that you can get B's in non-nursing pre-req classes and still get accepted. Depending on your volunteer/work experience and the information that you provide in your essays, getting a couple B's in your pre-reqs might be okay. Again, this is based solely on stories that I've heard from other folks.

If you're concerned about any of your grades but don't feel that you need to re-take the classes, you might want to incorporate some sort of explanation (without sounding like an excuse) in your application essay. For example, I made sure to point out that I was working full-time (and was on-call) when I went to school for my first degree.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions! Emory orientation is tomorrow and Wednesday, and our classes start on Friday. I can't wait!