Looking for Amarillo College Students

Chapis · Aug 13, 2009

hello-i just posted a thread under the texas tab, anyhow-i'm planning on appying to the program this fall for the spring '10!

marcekr · Aug 13, 2009

Will you have all of the general ed classes complete when you apply? I will still have two classes left, a&p 2 and microbiology.

Chapis · Aug 13, 2009

yes, i will have all the pre-reqs done but that's not required. i wanted to get all of them done to concentrate in ns just on nursing classes. are you planning on taking a&p ii and micro this fall? if so, you're okay, that's why they take so looong to let us know who's in and who's not. susan told me that they wait until all the grades are in, in order to know if the student passed or failed the class to either count him/her for the program or not.

Nepenthe Sea · Aug 14, 2009

Wow! I never thought I would actually see another AC student on here! I am entering Level I this fall, starting clinicals.

As far as the application process, it's kind of ridiculous. They will tell you that you need to have all or most of your pre-reqs done. But after I took the HESI last fall, I guess not enough people fit their standard or something, so then they sent out this e-mail saying that they would let you apply even if you didn't have most of your pre-reqs done. Also, everyone freaks out about the HESI, and talks about what a good program AC has, but there are two bimbos (sorry, no other word for them) that I had in previous classes. We (me and my friends that shared classes with them) couldn't BELIEVE it when we saw them at Boot Camp. It left us seriously wondering about their "standards".

Also, when they accept you, your acceptance will be conditional upon passing their background check. I did the check online the DAY I got my acceptance letter. This was during Christmas break, and I know that things move slow at that time, but they didn't fully accept me until two DAYS before boot camp (which you have to attend!). I was freaking out the whole time, waiting to see. I have a minor arrest in my background, but if you don't have one, you should be okay. The lady at the desk at West Campus surely has my name on a list of crazed nursing students to watch for, because I called so many times to check my status :chuckle.

It's like alot of programs - there are little stupid things that will drive you nuts. They don't seem to be very organized sometimes; there can be a lack of communication; the online component of the intro classes sometimes had glitches that caused people to lose points; etc. BUT...I thank my lucky stars that I am in the program! Every nurse that I have ever met tells me how much they would rather work with AC students than WT. We're supposed to be much better with the hands-on portion of nursing, at least.

As far as the HESI, buy the actual HESI study guide in the West Campus bookstore, or at Barnes and Noble. It's about $35, but it is VERY close to what is on the test. Study all the subjects, even the ones that you think you're strong in. Give yourself plenty of time to study - don't cram. I didn't believe the HESI was a hard as I was led to believe it was, but it is very nerve-wracking. All the exams in the program are basically like the HESI. You will get used to the testing style after awhile - esp. if you use NCLEX review books to study. Oh, and really KNOW the vocabulary section for the HESI. Study that part from the book really well, because that section kills alot of people. If they have a word, and there is a medical meaning and a non-medical meaning, always give your answer as the MEDICAL meaning. There is math, and that intimidates alot of people, but it is 8th grade level - seriously. Just brush up on fractions, decimals, ratios, percentages, very basic algebra (solving for 'a'), etc. Oh, and do brush up on military time and Roman numerals, too. Know the metric system, and household equivalents. It's all in the study guide.

A&P II and Micro together in one semester might be kind of overwhelming but you will get a feel for the amount of work facing you in the nursing program. I took A&P I and Micro together last fall (and two other classes), and I'm so glad I did because not only did I get them out of the way, but I felt more prepared for our courseload. When everyone was else was freaking out about all the work, I was like, "Oh, is that all?" If all you are taking are those two classes, and you study alot, you will do fine.

Sorry to go on and on. It seems like there's alot to know about the program though. Hope this helps.

marcekr · Aug 14, 2009

I will still have a&p 2 and micro after the fall semester. I am curious to find out if many people are accepted without all of the general ed classes complete. I guess we will find out more during the advising sessions.

marcekr · Aug 14, 2009

Thanks Nepenthe Sea for all of the great information! Do you know what kind of score you need to pass the Hesi? Also, do you know many people that were accepted that still had a few pre req's left?

Nepenthe Sea · Aug 14, 2009

You're welcome!

You have to have a cumulative score of 75 or above on the HESI. You can take it again,though, if you don't pass the first time. There are people in my level that had to take it twice.

There were also people in my level that didn't have alot of the pre-reqs done. Supposedly you get more points if you have more of them done, but they will still take you...especially if not enough people pass the HESI. My nutrition professor told me that one year the program had to lower their admission standard to get more students in because so few people passed the HESI. And I'm telling you, just by looking at some of the people in my class last semester, it's not THAT hard to get in. I read on this forum about some of the hoops people have to jump through just to get put on a waiting list, and am glad it's not like that here!

I wouldn't worry that much about it, honestly.

marcekr · Aug 14, 2009

I feel so much better about applying for the Spring semester. I almost put it off until the fall semester, but the nursing advisor suggested I apply. I moved here last month from Washington state and the programs there take over two years to get into. I was really excited to find out it was different here.

Thanks again!

Nepenthe Sea · Aug 14, 2009

One of my NS buddies moved here from Colorado for the same reason. It's not too bad here, as far as getting in. Also, at AC an A = 90-100, B = 80-89, etc., unlike some schools where a B = 85-95, and so on.

Believe it or not, getting in is not the hardest part! We started out with 110 students (114, if you count the people who had to repeat Intro). As of now, there are only 90 people registered for next semester. I would hope that we didn't already lose 24 people, but I've heard crazier things!

marcekr · Aug 14, 2009

That's crazy! My husband and I were just talking about the dropout rate for the nursing program this evening. I would have not thought so many would be out of the program already.

Nepenthe Sea · Aug 14, 2009

Sorry I keep adding stuff...I am doing anything to avoid going to bed right now.

About the professors...there are two in the Intro semester. They are both pretty cool. One is a much better lecturer than the other. I have the feeling that the one who is not-so-stellar in lecture may be better in a clinical setting, but I don't know. She is very nice, though. They are not always good about returning e-mails. They will put things on tests and quizzes that you didn't go over in class or in your text reading, and that was annoying! In Skills, you will be put into care groups to learn and demonstrate the skills. There are several different professors that are care group leaders. Some of them look really mean (like mine did - but she was cool!), but I heard they were all okay. There is one that is supposed to be harder than the others, and will come down on you if you are not working to her standard, but she's not supposed to be mean. What I have heard is that there are not any really horrible instructors at AC anymore. I sure hope it is true. Some of the nurses at the clinical sites are supposedly not student-friendly, but you won't have to worry about that until the second semester.