Johns Hopkins Entry into Nursing (MSN) Spring 2021

EasilyExcited · Jul 7, 2020

Turns out, I'm not moving to the DC area, so I didn't/won't apply. Best of luck to all of you!! ?

botmann · Jul 7, 2020

On 7/4/2020 at 1:11 PM, Megan9901 said:
Is there a verification process? I submitted my app a few days ago and it says “Completed” but I never got notification that it was verified. ... hoping they consider a major directly related to the field and current experience. ...

You will get an email later confirming that your application has been verified. I think it's the school has done an initial review to confirm you have met the minimum application requirements.

As for the later part, I can confirm they do the holistic approach to their admissions. I got my bachelor's in economics many moons ago. My bachelor's issuing cGPA was 2.795. If you include my grades from a community college, it was 3.2ish. My post-undergraduate cGPA was a 3.78 (I have something like 150 semester units post-graduation; non-graduate level classes) with a 3.8ish sGPA. Little healthcare experience; under a year as an on-call CNA, four-semester as a human dissector.

If you look at previous cohorts, you will see all kinds of backgrounds. There are people with masters, PhDs, or no graduate degrees. The majors are all the place; although I see quite a few health-related. There are a lot of female students; I think someone said the cohorts tend to be about 85% female. The age of applicants is wide, but most of them are mid-twenties to early thirties. Some are married, Others have kids.

The only thing I know they are hardlined about is the B- or better in those key science courses. Beyond that is really comes down to your essays and letters of recommendation to see if you fit their vision of an applicant. The grade thing, it's more so they can gauge if you can handle the rigors of the program.

I did get into the program and start in the Fall. I went to an information session that was near my house. I spoke with the admission counselor/committee person afterward about my situation. I also went to the Accepted Students Day back in January that was at the school of nursing. The big theme with the school was inclusion. I think if you essays talked about how can/are inclusive, it will improve your chances. I also think being part of the early decision pool helps as well.

They only thing I can tell you, be confident in what you submitted. On the practical side, apply to several programs and types--ADN, BSN, ABSN, direct entry MSN/NP/PhD. Nursing school is very competitive and challenging to get into. I got turned down by significantly more schools than accepted.

C1979 · Jul 7, 2020

Megan, I was wondering the same thing because my app status says completed also. So, I sent an email to admissions agent to verify they received it and she confirmed. They probably have it but If you want to be sure, maybe just shoot an email? Good luck to you! Christina

Anuunu · Jul 21, 2020

Hello everyone,

It seems like I applied forever ago. I am feeling both nervous and excited as we get closer to recieving a decision. Good luck to everyone ?

Christina121979 · Jul 21, 2020

same here. Let's hope and pray for some good news for everyone..

nnm2426 · Jul 22, 2020

On 7/7/2020 at 12:42 PM, botmann said:
You will get an email later confirming that your application has been verified. I think it's the school has done an initial review to confirm you have met the minimum application requirements.
As for the later part, I can confirm they do the holistic approach to their admissions. I got my bachelor's in economics many moons ago. My bachelor's issuing cGPA was 2.795. If you include my grades from a community college, it was 3.2ish. My post-undergraduate cGPA was a 3.78 (I have something like 150 semester units post-graduation; non-graduate level classes) with a 3.8ish sGPA. Little healthcare experience; under a year as an on-call CNA, four-semester as a human dissector.
If you look at previous cohorts, you will see all kinds of backgrounds. There are people with masters, PhDs, or no graduate degrees. The majors are all the place; although I see quite a few health-related. There are a lot of female students; I think someone said the cohorts tend to be about 85% female. The age of applicants is wide, but most of them are mid-twenties to early thirties. Some are married, Others have kids.
The only thing I know they are hardlined about is the B- or better in those key science courses. Beyond that is really comes down to your essays and letters of recommendation to see if you fit their vision of an applicant. The grade thing, it's more so they can gauge if you can handle the rigors of the program.
I did get into the program and start in the Fall. I went to an information session that was near my house. I spoke with the admission counselor/committee person afterward about my situation. I also went to the Accepted Students Day back in January that was at the school of nursing. The big theme with the school was inclusion. I think if you essays talked about how can/are inclusive, it will improve your chances. I also think being part of the early decision pool helps as well.
They only thing I can tell you, be confident in what you submitted. On the practical side, apply to several programs and types--ADN, BSN, ABSN, direct entry MSN/NP/PhD. Nursing school is very competitive and challenging to get into. I got turned down by significantly more schools than accepted.

Hi! Is there anything you can recommend that you included to make up for the below 3.0 GPA? I applied for Fall 2020, and I did not get in. My undergrad degree is in biology with a philosophy minor, and my GPA is similar to yours was, though I've since re-taken a couple science courses, so I think it should be close to 3.0 now. My prereqs were not all complete at the time when I applied last year, and now they are. I've also worked as Medical Assistant, and done some local volunteering, and international healthcare shadowing, however all of those experiences were already included in my previous application. Was there a particular way you presented your addendum, or things you brought up in your essays? Or do you have any other tips? Part of me wants to apply again for Spring 2021, though I was pretttttty bummed out by the first rejection, so I kind of feel like I'm just playing with fire.

Thanks in advance!!

Christina121979 · Jul 22, 2020

Hi there. can I offer some suggestions?

nnm2426 · Jul 22, 2020

7 hours ago, Christina121979 said:
Hi there. can I offer some suggestions?

Yes!

Christina121979 · Jul 23, 2020

My undergraduate GPA is also below a 3.0 and I also got rejected for fall 2020. In terms of making up for the 3.0, I would add addendum to your app saying "this is what happened, this is how I learned from it, etc., bec it shows your resilient. I went back to school and got a graduate degree in Psy & did A LOT better. My science pre-reqs are all A's & B'.s; so like mention how you rebounded better from it. even though you included medical assistant, local volunteering, and international healthcare shadowing in previous app, include it again & "buff it up." also, maybe talk about how fabulous you are bec they want to see that. also, add another addendum discussing your interest (or whatever you want) in research I.e. look up prof's & see who's into what and how they fit w/your interests I.e. this could help show how passionate you are about nursing. One of the things the dean talked about @ virtual open house was how Johns Hopkins was about "excellence w/o elitism." maybe mention that or something else you find on website. one of their other mantras is "the healthcare needs of all persons locally and globally being served." I also added another addendum discussing the greek island of Ikaria bec Dr's there are in midst of 5 yr landmark study about people there have "lower rates of cancer, heart disease & dementia." In terms of things I brought up in essays, I talked about how being a psychotherapist made me want to turn to nursing; & in the diversity essay: about a pt case where religion and health intersected. I would really encourage you to apply again. When I got rejected the 1st time, I was disappointed also. It sucked. I reapplied for Spring 2021. So, we'll see what happens. If Johns Hopkins is something you really want, don't give up. If you want or need help applying again, PM me; I am happy to help you w/your app. Good luck to you. Christina

nnm2426 · Jul 23, 2020

44 minutes ago, Christina121979 said:
My undergraduate GPA is also below a 3.0 and I also got rejected for fall 2020. In terms of making up for the 3.0, I would add addendum to your app saying "this is what happened, this is how I learned from it, etc., bec it shows your resilient. I went back to school and got a graduate degree in Psy & did A LOT better. My science pre-reqs are all A's & B'.s; so like mention how you rebounded better from it. even though you included medical assistant, local volunteering, and international healthcare shadowing in previous app, include it again & "buff it up." also, maybe talk about how fabulous you are bec they want to see that. also, add another addendum discussing your interest (or whatever you want) in research I.e. look up prof's & see who's into what and how they fit w/your interests I.e. this could help show how passionate you are about nursing. One of the things the dean talked about @ virtual open house was how Johns Hopkins was about "excellence w/o elitism." maybe mention that or something else you find on website. one of their other mantras is "the healthcare needs of all persons locally and globally being served." I also added another addendum discussing the greek island of Ikaria bec Dr's there are in midst of 5 yr landmark study about people there have "lower rates of cancer, heart disease & dementia." In terms of things I brought up in essays, I talked about how being a psychotherapist made me want to turn to nursing; & in the diversity essay: about a pt case where religion and health intersected. I would really encourage you to apply again. When I got rejected the 1st time, I was disappointed also. It sucked. I reapplied for Spring 2021. So, we'll see what happens. If Johns Hopkins is something you really want, don't give up. If you want or need help applying again, PM me; I am happy to help you w/your app. Good luck to you. Christina

First, thank you so much for this! I’d start by saying that yes, I definitely romanticized Hopkins for a while there, and wanted it so badly. But I’ve since become somewhat jaded by it (for several reasons), and realized that thinking Hopkins is a whole universe better than any other nursing program is a bit silly, possibly even immature. But I bought into it for a while. There is definitely some sentimentality there for me, as my mother got her BSN from Hopkins in the 1990. And I honestly might’ve made the mistake of placing too much emphasis on that fact in one of my essays—shortly after my rejection, the cover the their nursing newsletter that my mom receives had their new policy about no longer taking legacies into consideration emblazoned on the cover haha I’m sure it wasn’t actually, but it felt like a call out. I may have to delete this bit, because who knows who peruses these forums, but this next bit is probably what jaded me the most. My Medical Assistant co-worker and I both applied to the program. We were good enough friends that we compared stats. We had very similar GPAs (though I will say, his was more a result of being a consistent B-C student, whereas mine was a result of doing well in general, but with several REAL blunders including a few Ds and Fs that dragged it down.) Neither of us took the GRE. He came from a pretty wealthy background, so he only worked in the office where we worked 2 days a week for resume purposes, whereas I worked there full-time. He didn’t have any other healthcare or relevant volunteer experiences like I did. I got everything in by the priority deadline, and he did not. I attended an open house, and he did not. I had all these passionate reasons for wanting to go into nursing and midwifery, and he was admittedly falling on it as a back up, as someone who wanted to be a doctor, but realized he wouldn’t make the cut there. I realize how bitter this all sounds, but I can’t help but look at all that information and realize that the likely reason he was accepted, and I was not, is because he is a man, and I am a member of the demographic that already contributes the the highest percentage of all nurses—a white woman (boo-boo, I know! No. I recognize my privilege in most areas. But within nursing, it doesn’t make me stand out—it makes me blend in.) I guess this made me hold a bit of a grudge against Hopkins, thinking they’d rather have somewhat of a less enthusiastic/qualified applicant, simply because he fills their male “quota” (I doubt there is an actual quota, but you know what I mean). I did write an addendum last time, but I guess I can try to polish it up. Maybe the biggest boost would actually be that I didn’t have either A&P completed last time, and now I do. Some of my really poor undergrad grades were in the prereqs, but I re-took those courses, and I now have all As & one B+ in every prereq. The thing I really loved when I visited Hopkins was their Birth Companions program, as I want to be a CNM. And at the open house, I sat at a table where I was able to talk with CNM, which was really cool. They were so passionate, and I saw my future self in them. I could try to emphasize that more in my essays. All that said, I have actually become more interested now in the UMD program, primarily because, I mean... (I am in-state) looooook at the freakin price difference for the same degrees, and both are top ranked schools. UMD admissions also feels more transparent, like if you’ve got the credentials, you have a fair shot, whereas Hopkins admissions sometimes seems like they already have a vision of who you should be, which can be things out of your control, before you apply. So I don’t know. I think it would hurt a lot to get another rejection from them, if I am honest though.

botmann · Jul 23, 2020

On 7/22/2020 at 3:32 AM, catherine48 said:
Hi! Is there anything you can recommend that you included to make up for the below 3.0 GPA? ... Or do you have any other tips? ...

I'm not sure if I have any "magic" tip for you. I suggest not using my GPA for comparison. My GPA that was below a 3.0 was only at the UC San Diego, which I transferred into as a junior. At UCSD I got a 2.795. At Solano Community College, I actually earned a 3.33GPA. Totally both schools, I had something around 3.1 or 3.2.

On top of that, I went back and did many classes at two local community colleges--Napa Valley and Solano--which totaled around 118 graded hours; around four years of full class loads. According to NursingCAS, my Post-Baccalaureate-non-graduate GPA was 3.79. Thus, I was able to establish I can handle the rigors of college. On a side note, it was a major chore inputting all those damn classes into NursingCAS.

I did address a couple of bad terms I did have in my addendum explain what I believe happened to cause it. More importantly, I explained what I learned from those situations that I was to apply to both school and outside of it.

The other stuff I included in my addendum are things I was not able to include in the more traditional areas in my application but felt help make to stand out some from the crowd. The big one was that I took four semesters of honors biology where I was a human dissector where I help prepared human cadavers for the Human Anatomy courses to study and exam from. I discussed how it recorded what I learned from anatomy and help the students. Still related, the other things I added and discussed how I arranged with the Solano county corner's office to be able to observe an autopsy. Talked about how it took me six months to make it happen, how I wanted to see the organs in their natural state versus on some Youtube video. Of course, some of the things I observed and learned. I also pointed out that I was the only person in my class to do this, and did not know of anyone else who did.

The one thing I can point out, which at least from my experience from the Accepted Students Day I attended in Baltimore and later virtually, the school is very much into "inclusion". This can be seen from the essay questions on the application.

The thing I did that I felt helped sell myself better was I sought help from others. I have a family member who is HR director go over my resume. I had a friend who has been writing short stories and novels since he was around 12, and a literature graduate student go over my essays; in my current career, I have to write objectively and factually only. There can not absolutely no assumptions or opinions because the documents may be used in court.

Whether you chose to try for JHU again, UM or any other school, programs like this are going to be similar in trying to find their ideal candidate. It's not about being the "top" student. Thus, you kind of have to figure out what that is or figure out how to sell yourself better (assuming you are that candidate). I cannot say it'll be easier get into UM. I got a lot of rejection letters to programs I applied to. I also got accepted one ADN, one BSN, and JHU. I tried for UCLA and the University of San Diego direct entry MSN programs. I did not even get waitlisted at either. I know can be dishearting to get those rejection letters, especially when you see some people get to choose from multiple programs of the same type or even highly regarded.

That said, if you did not all prereqs completed, and they were not going to have them completed by the end of the fall term, you may have been disqualified and it may have had nothing to do with your GPA, work experience and so forth. On the same note, JHU SON did say they are very hardline about having B- or better in those core courses (they're listed on their website). If you're below that in any of those courses, they'll disqualify you. You'll need to explore retaking them and getting that grade up.

Lastly, if you want to read my essays, I will share a link to my Google Doc that I wrote them on. Trying DMing if are want to read them.

Marthern17 · Jul 23, 2020

5 hours ago, botmann said:
I'm not sure if I have any "magic" tip for you. I suggest not using my GPA for comparison. My GPA that was below a 3.0 was only at the UC San Diego, which I transferred into as a junior. At UCSD I got a 2.795. At Solano Community College, I actually earned a 3.33GPA. Totally both schools, I had something around 3.1 or 3.2.
On top of that, I went back and did many classes at two local community colleges--Napa Valley and Solano--which totaled around 118 graded hours; around four years of full class loads. According to NursingCAS, my Post-Baccalaureate-non-graduate GPA was 3.79. Thus, I was able to establish I can handle the rigors of college. On a side note, it was a major chore inputting all those damn classes into NursingCAS.
I did address a couple of bad terms I did have in my addendum explain what I believe happened to cause it. More importantly, I explained what I learned from those situations that I was to apply to both school and outside of it.
The other stuff I included in my addendum are things I was not able to include in the more traditional areas in my application but felt help make to stand out some from the crowd. The big one was that I took four semesters of honors biology where I was a human dissector where I help prepared human cadavers for the Human Anatomy courses to study and exam from. I discussed how it recorded what I learned from anatomy and help the students. Still related, the other things I added and discussed how I arranged with the Solano county corner's office to be able to observe an autopsy. Talked about how it took me six months to make it happen, how I wanted to see the organs in their natural state versus on some Youtube video. Of course, some of the things I observed and learned. I also pointed out that I was the only person in my class to do this, and did not know of anyone else who did.
The one thing I can point out, which at least from my experience from the Accepted Students Day I attended in Baltimore and later virtually, the school is very much into "inclusion". This can be seen from the essay questions on the application.
The thing I did that I felt helped sell myself better was I sought help from others. I have a family member who is HR director go over my resume. I had a friend who has been writing short stories and novels since he was around 12, and a literature graduate student go over my essays; in my current career, I have to write objectively and factually only. There can not absolutely no assumptions or opinions because the documents may be used in court.
Whether you chose to try for JHU again, UM or any other school, programs like this are going to be similar in trying to find their ideal candidate. It's not about being the "top" student. Thus, you kind of have to figure out what that is or figure out how to sell yourself better (assuming you are that candidate). I cannot say it'll be easier get into UM. I got a lot of rejection letters to programs I applied to. I also got accepted one ADN, one BSN, and JHU. I tried for UCLA and the University of San Diego direct entry MSN programs. I did not even get waitlisted at either. I know can be dishearting to get those rejection letters, especially when you see some people get to choose from multiple programs of the same type or even highly regarded.
That said, if you did not all prereqs completed, and they were not going to have them completed by the end of the fall term, you may have been disqualified and it may have had nothing to do with your GPA, work experience and so forth. On the same note, JHU SON did say they are very hardline about having B- or better in those core courses (they're listed on their website). If you're below that in any of those courses, they'll disqualify you. You'll need to explore retaking them and getting that grade up.
Lastly, if you want to read my essays, I will share a link to my Google Doc that I wrote them on. Trying DMing if are want to read them.

Hi bottman,

First off, I loved reading your input for the application process at Johns Hopkins University. JHU is my first choice because I love how they value world experience and how they see their students as a whole person and not a number. I have a pretty solid GPA but I do have patterns of Ws on my transcript. I'm worried that it might be a red flag for JHU but in the end I did end up finishing those classes that I withdrew from with good grades. Are W's frowned upon at JHU? Would I be disqualified? I have hospital volunteer experience and I studied abroad in Spain last Summer. Im having trouble with the multiculturalism question. What do they mean by "core values" ? Exactly what are they looking for in an applicant? If anyone else has input please respond to my comment. Good luck everyone!!