Hi all - maybe I am jumping the gun, but has anyone else begun working on their applications for Summer/Fall 2010 admission?
I plan on applying for direct entry to JHU, UCSF, Yale, Columbia, and Vanderbilt. With the exception of UCSF's 9/1 deadline, the rest seem to be due between 11/1 and 12/1. Although UCSF has the closest deadline, I am stressing the most about the essays for JHU. Anyone started them yet?
Also, does anyone plan on attending the open house that JHU is having in September? I would love to go, but I am in California, so I have to decide if it is worth the $$$. I am thinking I might be better off saving the money to fly out for the interview (positive thinking here).
Anyway, I would love to compare notes with anyone applying, or anyone who applied last year.
i sent my application in on friday morning. essays sent via email (procrastination again) on sunday. i got that confirmation email wed morning as well.
hi, just to self invite myself and add a friendly face to this thread.
im joseph, 4th year human bio student @ ucsd
applied to jhu ed bsn/msn cns-child health
sent in my app a month ago
got my email confirmation of a complete application and to schedule an interview on 10/26
flew from san diego for an interview in person last weekend
and now im waiting.. and its killing me.
that is all
gl everyone
ps. anyone know an earlier date for acceptance phone calls? i know they get to all acceptances by 12/15. but the earliest i know so far is 12/09. O_O ... when i have finals... die senioritis die.
I was just talking about that recently... getting the decision right before finals. Argh! I'm impressed you flew all the way out for the interview, Joseph. Was that your first time seeing the school? How did it go?
Hey I also graduated from UCSD in 08! There's more people at Hopkins from UCSD than I expected. The change from San Diego to Baltimore is going to be significant. I'm still adjusting. I remember being in your shoes not to long ago. Let me know if you have any questions.
happy thanksgiving everyone!!! i am very thankful that i live in a country that allows me the luxury to be as stressed as i am now. people in other countries would give anything to be given the opportunity to go to college and attain their dreams, and here i am doing it! i hope everyone has a happy, safe, and restful holiday!
i recently wrapped up the first round of applications so i'm equally as anxious and nervous as all of you. i've applied to ucsf, jhu, yale, nyu and columbia for nurse-midwifery. ucsf is my first choice but i realize that it's incredibly difficult to get into. with that thought in mind, i figured i should visit the other schools and speak to students and faculty about their experiences so i could (hopefully) determine what the next best fit would be.
i know everyone is swamped with pre-reqs and work (as am i) but my three day trip was so worthwhile that i highly recommend it to anyone who's even a tad uncertain about where to tackle grad school. i spent one day touring and sitting in on classes at yale, another at jhu, and my last day was split between columbia and nyu. my trip allowed me to get a feel for the faculty i'd potentially be working with, the type of cohort (e.g. cut-throat, friendly, supportive...) i'd by amongst, and the environment that would become my home for the next three years.
honestly, i had preconceived notions about each place that i'm sure would have played into my final decision. my visit was able to reveal things about each location that endless hours of forum lurking and internet searching simply could not ever deliver. for example, i left california with the firm notion that my excitement over jhu's program was going to be crushed as soon as i got a look at where i'd have to live (the same can be said for columbia). this idea was compounded by all the unfavorable posts i'd read about baltimore. after meeting with an admissions counselor, sitting in on classes and speaking with students i quickly fell in love with jhu! the opportunities and resources that are available at jhu, combined with the type of one on one attention i received, made me feel so good! baltimore may not be the best area, but living there would be extraordinarily cheaper than living in ny (or sf for that matter) and ultimately we're pursuing the education, not the cool city, right?
i was able to make the trip because i had friends i could stay with, found a cheap ticket, could switch classes around and take the days off from work. not everybody has that luxury, but if you do you should go! prior to visiting i was going to base the most important decision of my life thus far on other people's opinions and rankings that aren't always accurate. instead, i found faculty members that i wanted to talk to in person, admissions counselors that were more than willing to meet with me, and students that were candid with their thoughts. i now feel like i can make a decision and get behind it 110%.
sorry this is so long, but i thought that my experience was worth sharing because, like all of you, i am deadly afraid of going into so much debt and not being certain i made the right decision. when up to $100,000+ is on the line, what's another few hundred to ensure that your heart and your mind are in the right place?
since i've been back all i can think about is getting into jhu. for financial and academic reasons it makes more sense for me to stay in california, but if that doesn't pan out i will hopefully be calling baltimore home this time next year =)
Thank your sharing that experience. It was a well written and interesting post...of perfect length =)
I'm secure in my decision to not visit JHU only because being a military brat made me something of a chameleon. Or maybe it's blind faith. Or the increasing realization that I'm not as competitive a candidate as initially believed and the impending fear of rejection this creates inside me as the decision deadline nears.
thank you for the kind words. the blind faith approach is appropriate for jhu. i'm not sure what your background is but after speaking at length with two admissions counselors and a few students, i was left with the impression that those admitted have such varying histories that it would be unfair to criticize your competitiveness. my fear of rejection hasn't grabbed a hold of me yet, and i'm hoping that it won't be too bad as the date nears. i wish you the best of luck, poetwhittier!
truth be told, i was really excited to visit yale. i'm proud to have gone to the university i attended, but i've always been curious about ivy league schools. while i was impressed with the caliber of students and faculty, i was disappointed with the facility itself. the nursing school is not on campus (within a mile though) and appears to be a bit on the dilapidated side. it is under construction so i'm sure it will be much better soon. it's a minor disappointment, and one that wouldn't factor into my decision anyway(if i were lucky enough to be admitted). i really hate to say this, but out of all the schools i felt the least welcomed at yale. i didn't expect people to go out of their way for me, but after being introduced to the class i just felt like an observer that was being observed. at the other schools i was approached by students who wanted to share their experiences and opinions with me, but that was not the situation at yale. they were abnormally reserved and that just struck me as weird. i'm sure their program is phenomenal but the last thing i want is to endure three difficult years of school with people who are only concerned with their personal well being. i can excel on my own but i'm also a supportive person that would appreciate reassurance from her fellow students. anyhow, that is merely a day's worth of opinions that are by no means representative of the entire program. overall, the vibe i got wasn't what i was looking for.
columbia and nyu were great. i prefer columbia to nyu for a few reasons. my communication with columbia has been rapid, thorough and candid, whereas with nyu it has been slow and unreliable. more importantly, i'd receive a better education at columbia for what i plan to study. the neat thing about columbia was that the moment i got off the subway i could feel the buzz from the school. the energy and drive are almost palpable there! i enjoyed the feeling i got from the students and how thrilled they were with the program. columbia is definitely a top choice for me.
as i mentioned before, jhu is amazing and i get goosebumps just thinking about going there. but at the end of the day my heart is set on ucsf because i've fallen in love with the entire package it offers (not to mention that as a ca resident my tuition would plummet!). the trip was worthwhile because it allowed me to react instinctively to each school and that gut reaction will be invaluable when it's time to make a decision.
amojo99
74 Posts
i sent my application in on friday morning. essays sent via email (procrastination again) on sunday. i got that confirmation email wed morning as well.