Maricopa Comm College CEP Fall 2017 Applicants

potatoz, RN · May 9, 2017

I got accepted right away, but know other students with nearly the same credentials who didn't get in this semester but are still on the Maricopa wait list & will have to reapply for CEP. I can't say why for sure, but can speculate that CEP has gotten popular enough that it's become competitive.

Hi Milady, thanks for the response :)

It is definitely competitive! During the nursing orientation it was asked who was planning to apply for CEP. The whole room, except for one person, raised up their hands.

I was planning to use my waiting time to find a full time job and earn income because I thought it'll be around a year. But it seems like there is no real formula on waiting time.

potatoz, RN · May 9, 2017

Has anyone managed to get a full time or part time job and still maintained good grades?

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · May 9, 2017

Hi Milady, thanks for the response :)
It is definitely competitive! During the nursing orientation it was asked who was planning to apply for CEP. The whole room, except for one person, raised up their hands.
I was planning to use my waiting time to find a full time job and earn income because I thought it'll be around a year. But it seems like there is no real formula on waiting time.

The colleges vary too - Glendale CC is one of the most popular on the central/west valley, for example. They have already had about 200 applicants for the May 31st deadline round of students.

The formula on wait time is about 3-8 weeks after the closing date/deadline for applications. Find out when the close date is that you intend to apply for, and expect to hear a month or two after that. They will tell you at the time of submission anyway.

CEP is very competitive, yes. But it all depends on who else has applied that round. Your scores might be average in one group, and stellar in a different group. You are judged alongside the other applicants at the time you apply, so it's all based on their scores too.

If you can drop to part-time, I would recommend it. It is certainly possible, but the stress (for me) would be too great.

potatoz, RN · May 10, 2017

If you can drop to part-time, I would recommend it. It is certainly possible, but the stress (for me) would be too great.

Thanks Jack:) Yeah same here. I prefer to fully commit to studying so I can really focus on maximizing my GPA. But financial wise I'm not in the best position.

I don't have a high school diploma (skipped it), but I do have a bachelors degree. So I cannot apply for financial aid because of that.

I'm sure in the end things will work out :) It always has! hahaha

berew · Jun 13, 2017

hi all,

I just went to an advising orientation a couple weeks ago. How did you guys get on the ADN waitlist? I have my university sent my official transcript over to MCC, so hopefully I can meet with a counselor soon to talk about what my next steps are. Please let me know if you guys have any tips, thank you!

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 13, 2017

hi all,
I just went to an advising orientation a couple weeks ago. How did you guys get on the ADN waitlist? I have my university sent my official transcript over to MCC, so hopefully I can meet with a counselor soon to talk about what my next steps are. Please let me know if you guys have any tips, thank you!

The community colleges accept applications year round, but there are several specific deadlines. Whenever you apply, your application will be in the group that falls between the previous and the next deadline. If you are having your University send over your transcript - do you already have a degree? If so, then I would urge you to consider the CEP program; it is a fairly new program that allows you to take your nursing practical/in-person ADN at the community college, alongside the online classes to fulfill the requirements for the Bachelors degree. In other words, assuming you complete everything, you can graduate with an ADN and a BSN at pretty much the same time (give or take based on which university you choose).

Regardless of whether you apply for the ADN or the CEP, you need to submit the application for the "nursing pool" (which is essentially the application for the ADN). The CEP application is a different form, and you can submit that at the same time or later.

When you speak with your advisor, be sure to get conformation of every class you will need (pre and co reqs) for the course you wish to apply for. If you have a previous degree, you may be able to transfer a bunch of credits over, ask about those too.

berew · Jun 14, 2017

Thank you for all your help.

Yes, I do have a B.S. in Human Development and I did complete pre-req Nursing courses while I was an undergrad. My grades are simply not nearly good enough for Nursing (2.66 overall) because I was trying to finish my degree as well as the pre-reqs, just too much on my plate each quarter. I agree with you on the CEP Program. Hopefully I can meet with an advisor soon, their hours fluctuate a lot it seems.

The application you're talking about, is it the "Nursing Admission Information and Application Packet"? I'll print that out and bring it to the advising session.

Thank you for your help again, it's really nice to have you guys' advice.

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2017

Thank you for all your help.
Yes, I do have a B.S. in Human Development and I did complete pre-req Nursing courses while I was an undergrad. My grades are simply not nearly good enough for Nursing (2.66 overall) because I was trying to finish my degree as well as the pre-reqs, just too much on my plate each quarter. I agree with you on the CEP Program. Hopefully I can meet with an advisor soon, their hours fluctuate a lot it seems.
The application you're talking about, is it the "Nursing Admission Information and Application Packet"? I'll print that out and bring it to the advising session.
Thank you for your help again, it's really nice to have you guys' advice.

Yes, I believe that is the correct form, but don't stress it too much; if it isn't, they can almost certainly print the correct one for you while you are there. The selection process for the CEP nursing program is done with a point system, so your GPA will come into play there, yes. However, it is my understanding that the ADN program accepts you as long as you have a GPA above 2 (I think you'll have to verify that). There will be a wait-list for the ADN though - which can be pretty lengthy - such as 2-3 years in some cases, so be prepared for that.

There may be ways to improve your GPA by re-taking some classes if you are interested in the CEP? I would ask about that, and focus on improving your lowest grades.

You will need to complete a few extra things: you need a finger-print clearance (background check) which costs about $70, and you'll have to sit the HESI exam, which is basically a test of your English and math skills. That can be taken at most of the community colleges, and costs in the region of $40. There are minimum passing grades for the ADN (I can't recall exactly what they are, but something like 75% for math and 85% for English). However, if you are considering the CEP, then you want to aim for a very high HESI score because it is part of the point system they use to select people. 90% and above, and preferably over 95% in both parts. It's a long exam, by the way - 3-4 hrs, so don't just role up at the last minute to sit it; be prepared with time, energy and focus!

Good luck!

berew · Jun 18, 2017

Thank you so much!!

The advisors are a bit overwhelmed right now - they said they've been back-logged on a lot of stuff. Hopefully I'll get a clearer answer soon about how the best way to approach my CEP application. I did schedule my finger-print clearance for next week and am doing practice test for the HESI. What did you think of the test?

Are you currently a nursing student in MCC? Sorry I haven't even asked that about you! Thank you for all your positive encouragement. I will do my best :) x

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 18, 2017

Thank you so much!!
The advisors are a bit overwhelmed right now - they said they've been back-logged on a lot of stuff. Hopefully I'll get a clearer answer soon about how the best way to approach my CEP application. I did schedule my finger-print clearance for next week and am doing practice test for the HESI. What did you think of the test?
Are you currently a nursing student in MCC? Sorry I haven't even asked that about you! Thank you for all your positive encouragement. I will do my best :) x

Hi again -

The fingerprint clearance should be valid for quite a few years, so that's a good thing to get out of the way so you don't have it on your "to do list". The HESI scores are valid for either 1 or 2 years (you'll have to check, I've forgotten exactly) so keep that in mind for when you sit it...if it's going to take you more than that timeframe to take classes, then delay when you take it. Keep in mind that you can retake the HESI to improve your scores; I think you get 2 or 3 chances in a 12 month period, but you must wait 60 days between each try, so again - keep that in mind when you take them (ie - don't wait until you only have a few weeks left because that won't allow you enough time to retake the HESI if you decide to do so).

The HESI wasn't too bad, I thought. It is broken down into areas of English (such as vocab, grammar, reading comprehension etc) and math. We're really lucky in Maricopa - we only get tested on the math and English - other areas have to tale the sciences too!! My best advice with the HESI is to give your self ample time - you have 4 hours I think, and I would allow yourself the full 4 hours - and don't rush the questions. Read them carefully. Most of it is common sense. There's nothing in there that is super difficult. I used the HESI workbook (approx. $30 new) and the online practice tests.

That's great you're considering the CEP. Here in AZ I think it's getting harder and harder to get a job with the ADN; they are expecting a Bachelors degree. Have you looked over the CEP programs on the Maricopa website to decide which University to partner with? Also, have you looked at which classes you'll need so that you know which ones you can transfer and which ones you'll have to take?

I'm not at MCC, I'm in the West Valley - and I'm only a pre-nursing student. I just turned in my CEP this "round" of applications, and I'm waiting to hear back hopefully in the next 4-6 weeks whether I got a place. I'm not holding my breath though - the CEP has gotten very competitive, and there were over 200 applications for only a handful of seats!

berew · Jun 22, 2017

Hey!

Yeah I heard a front desk advisor mention that 85 seats are available for over 200 applicants. She said it wasn't like that a year and a half ago. How things change! Also, she said that not 100% of the people who get into CEP actually stay. Mainly because they can't handle it but that's just what I've heard.

My transcripts from both high school and University were delivered, so I was hoping to talk to one of the advisors about them. Unfortunately, they were delivered to the main office even though I specifically wrote for them to be delivered at the Nursing Dept. So I'm not sure what happened there.

For Universities wise, I know I really want to try ASU. you? I also talked with Arizona College (they just got accredited a few weeks ago!). Their acceptance policy isn't as strict and from my conversation with the advisor, it's not competitive yet. But the tuition is too high for me personally.

Hope you'll get in!!! Let me know I'm crossing my fingers for you heh

Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2017

Hey!
Yeah I heard a front desk advisor mention that 85 seats are available for over 200 applicants. She said it wasn't like that a year and a half ago. How things change! Also, she said that not 100% of the people who get into CEP actually stay. Mainly because they can't handle it but that's just what I've heard.
My transcripts from both high school and University were delivered, so I was hoping to talk to one of the advisors about them. Unfortunately, they were delivered to the main office even though I specifically wrote for them to be delivered at the Nursing Dept. So I'm not sure what happened there.
For Universities wise, I know I really want to try ASU. you? I also talked with Arizona College (they just got accredited a few weeks ago!). Their acceptance policy isn't as strict and from my conversation with the advisor, it's not competitive yet. But the tuition is too high for me personally.
Hope you'll get in!!! Let me know I'm crossing my fingers for you heh

Yes, it is a very rigorous course, so I'm not surprised people drop out. And yes, it has gotten very competitive; a BSN for $20K is amazing value! It would be 4 times that if you went to a University, once you figure in rent etc.

Each college has its own number of seats. I applied to Estrella, which only has 24 seats. Glendale CC has 96 seats spread over three different cohorts (traditional, evening, weekend). So - a lot depends on which college you apply to also.

I've gone with Ottawa University. I ruled out two of the choices because they don't accept financial aid, two were too expensive (ASU being one of those), and that left me with Ottawa and Upper Iowa. I plumped for Ottawa for several reasons: the course content/classes, price, location of in-person campus in the valley, etc. Plus, their additional pre/co-reqs were reasonable.

I know a lot of people who opted for NAU because the cost was the lowest, but I personally found their additional pre/co reqs were too much - there were at least 6 if not more - so by the time you figure in the additional time and cost of completing those classes on top, then it's pretty much the same as Ottawa cost-wise, but more work. Not to criticize anyone who chose NAU, but it wasn't for me.

No word yet....I'm thinking very late/end of June to mid-July we should hear something!