MDE Columbia University 2021

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Hey ! I know im super early to make this thread for the MDE program at Columbia for the 2021 start year ? but I was wondering if there are any future nurses out there as eager as me to get started !!

2 minutes ago, Rose_Queen said:

Hello all! Just a reminder from the Terms of Service to debate the topic and keep things constructive and polite. 

 

Thank you ??

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30 minutes ago, meghan0808 said:

I agree, goodness- I've never seen anything like this on any other allnurses forum before. I understand we're all stressed but y'all are speaking to your potential future classmates or coworkers like this. ?

Deciding where to go to school is a very personal decision and there are good and bad fits of schools for everyone! 

I completely agree! Here’s to hoping we finally hear back this week

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Specializes in Chaplaincy to Nursing.

Hey all,

So I initially felt the same about CUSON's admin team as has been conveyed in this chat. However, I have some good news. The admin side seems to improve markedly once you're accepted.

I asked to defer for a year (orders to Army Officer Candidate School and follow on branch training) and the process was done quickly and efficiently. Remember that you as an applicant are not the only source of work these folks have.

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Dear GreenMagus87:

First, let me thank you for your service to our country. I am so glad that CUSON accommodated your request for a deferral and has been helpful to you.

It is possible however that you are not aware that the last official communication any CUSON applicant not accepted in "round one" received was on Jan 6th, when we were informed: "Those not receiving a decision in the first round will be considered in the second round.  You can anticipate decisions for this round in early February." That's it, nothing else. Not even an email letting those of us waiting for decisions that the admissions process would take until the end of February. That information was just obtained last week by applicants who called CUSON (some of whom were unfortunately treated quite rudely).

I'm glad that CUSON's administration treats its accepted students well. But for those of us still waiting for a decision, the process has made us all anxious. None of us want to think badly of CUSON, a school we all respect and hope to attend.  But without any communication from its administrators, the only alternative is to either doubt ourselves, or to conversely write posts which have been described as too "negative" or critical of CUSON.

In my case, I'm going to have to make a deposit tomorrow at a school (I will be very happy to attend), and I'm wondering how many other people have done that at other schools, as this process has dragged on.

So I'm really hoping the CUSON admissions decisions come out tomorrow so I can make a well-informed choice. I think that's all anyone posting on this thread really wants.

Best of luck to all!

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Specializes in Chaplaincy to Nursing.
1 hour ago, againstthegrain said:

Dear GreenMagus87:

First, let me thank you for your service to our country. I am so glad that CUSON accommodated your request for a deferral and has been helpful to you.

It is possible however that you are not aware that the last official communication any CUSON applicant not accepted in "round one" received was on Jan 6th, when we were informed: "Those not receiving a decision in the first round will be considered in the second round.  You can anticipate decisions for this round in early February." That's it, nothing else. Not even an email letting those of us waiting for decisions that the admissions process would take until the end of February. That information was just obtained last week by applicants who called CUSON (some of whom were unfortunately treated quite rudely).

I'm glad that CUSON's administration treats its accepted students well. But for those of us still waiting for a decision, the process has made us all anxious. None of us want to think badly of CUSON, a school we all respect and hope to attend.  But without any communication from its administrators, the only alternative is to either doubt ourselves, or to conversely write posts which have been described as too "negative" or critical of CUSON.

In my case, I'm going to have to make a deposit tomorrow at a school (I will be very happy to attend), and I'm wondering how many other people have done that at other schools, as this process has dragged on.

So I'm really hoping the CUSON admissions decisions come out tomorrow so I can make a well-informed choice. I think that's all anyone posting on this thread really wants.

Best of luck to all!

That's all definitely valid. The lack of information and the frankly brutal price tag (trying to get a VA scholarship, even the GI Bill barely makes a dent) left a bad taste in my mouth during the process. Just wanted to offer some light at the end of the tunnel. The impression I get is that the staff that deal with admissions will not be the same staff you deal with as a student of CUSON. Still not a good look for the school, but a positive development.

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13 hours ago, ladybug1 said:

CUSON does not care about their students and applicants. They care about the huge price tag. I have became so sickened by this school throughout this whole process to the point of pulling my application out. Yeah there’s a pandemic going on but thats no excuse either if other schools are doing good getting decisions out and not messing up anyone’s applications. CUSON is a big school with a big name but I hope everyone who applied, is going for the right reasons for yourself and not because of the name. You can become an RN at any nursing school. CUSON has dropped to the very end and crossed off my list. I would advise everyone to really and truly think about that. 

Hey!  Greetings from a former MDE student.  I graduated a few years ago. I was initially waitlisted, but admitted to the program in mid-March.  I moved a far distance into on-campus housing and was grateful for the housing.

Sure.  Columbia University's nursing program was a complete disaster at the time I was there.  They were moving from the old building to the new facility.  The program has a large cohort, especially compared to many nursing programs; it somewhat felt like a diploma mill if I'm honest.  Things from classrooms sometimes being too small for the class size to plans changing sometimes at the last minute made it feel like someone tossed their hands in the air and said, "Eh. F*** this! Let them eat cake!"

But, you know what?  I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.  I spent a bazillion dollars on an education I could have gotten for a fraction of the cost at my local state school, or even community college.  At my hospital, I currently earn the same amount of money as the ADN and BSN educated nurses.  However, my depth of knowledge on pharmacology, pathology, physical assessment, and so much that I didn't even comprehend is far wider, deeper, and more thorough than those nurses.  Sure, some came out with better phleb skills than me.  Or, more hands-on skills due to the nature of their clinicals.

Yet, I look back at the time I spent in the skills labs with Mary Moran (who is one of the most delightful nurses I've ever met) and am grateful for her sense of humor and the extent of her experience in refugee camps in Africa.  I think about my relationships with the MedSurg instructor, and her drilling heart failure into my head, or how to recognize the early signs of certain disease processes.  Thanks to her, and the extra reading she encouraged, I have been able to question some patient symptoms and have them looked at before they crunked. 

I spent a LOT of time in office hours, because, I am not a smart person.  I have to work hard to achieve the slightly above average grades I receive. This time in office hours gave me wonderful relationships with my instructors.  One of these fantastic instructors wrote recommendations for my DNP applications this cycle.  So far, I have received one acceptance letter, and I am awaiting more that I anticipate will roll in soon.  The acceptance letter I received so far I received after a zoom interview.  They asked about my time at Columbia, and I told them about how rigorous the program was, and that, yeah, most of my cohort had like a 3.9GPA and mine was lower, but I was also in NYC and wanted to experience Broadway, and restaurants, and tourism, while also volunteering.  In New York, I found opportunities to volunteer a the Food Bank, work part-time as a personal caregiver for an elderly person, and got involved in all the crazy things that CUSON itself offered.  I am quite certain that having gone to Columbia and been a part of the crazy-train to survive and come out thriving on the other side has made me not only a better nurse, but a much more interesting candidate for NP schools.

Yeah, Columbia University's nursing program is a complete and utter shitshow of a program.  I am sure there are other programs that are run like the military, with everything clean, polished, and perfect.  I wouldn't trade all the confusion and disarray for anything.  Maybe not having my student loans as large as they are.  But, overall, I think being in the program and learning to juggle priorities in a way that I'd never juggled priorities before, building relationships in new ways, learning a language completely foreign to me, changing careers from one of physical labour and no brain-usage to nursing made me the best nurse I could possibly be.

CUSON is far from perfect, but, it's one of those nice little gems that everyone knows is valuable, but, people still don't know what to do with it, because it's not as perfect as the exterior would have you believe.

The school cares deeply about its students.  They will go to almost any lengths to help a student succeed, understand the material, learn the language of nursing, find themselves as a nurse, and so much more than I can put into this quip on the internet.

If you find frustration in the vagueries of CUSON at this stage in the game, I truly hope you never have to contend with the reality of working in a hospital with management and admin changing policies and procedures every five minutes or patient assignments that change from one moment to the next.  Nursing is a career choice that requires you to just roll with the proverbial punches and take things as they come to you, at face value; and Columbia is a perfect, shining diamond example of that.

I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do with your life.

6
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Specializes in Reproductive and Women’s Health.
5 hours ago, freedomdawn said:

Hey!  Greetings from a former MDE student.  I graduated a few years ago. I was initially waitlisted, but admitted to the program in mid-March.  I moved a far distance into on-campus housing and was grateful for the housing.

Sure.  Columbia University's nursing program was a complete disaster at the time I was there.  They were moving from the old building to the new facility.  The program has a large cohort, especially compared to many nursing programs; it somewhat felt like a diploma mill if I'm honest.  Things from classrooms sometimes being too small for the class size to plans changing sometimes at the last minute made it feel like someone tossed their hands in the air and said, "Eh. F*** this! Let them eat cake!"

But, you know what?  I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.  I spent a bazillion dollars on an education I could have gotten for a fraction of the cost at my local state school, or even community college.  At my hospital, I currently earn the same amount of money as the ADN and BSN educated nurses.  However, my depth of knowledge on pharmacology, pathology, physical assessment, and so much that I didn't even comprehend is far wider, deeper, and more thorough than those nurses.  Sure, some came out with better phleb skills than me.  Or, more hands-on skills due to the nature of their clinicals.

Yet, I look back at the time I spent in the skills labs with Mary Moran (who is one of the most delightful nurses I've ever met) and am grateful for her sense of humor and the extent of her experience in refugee camps in Africa.  I think about my relationships with the MedSurg instructor, and her drilling heart failure into my head, or how to recognize the early signs of certain disease processes.  Thanks to her, and the extra reading she encouraged, I have been able to question some patient symptoms and have them looked at before they crunked. 

I spent a LOT of time in office hours, because, I am not a smart person.  I have to work hard to achieve the slightly above average grades I receive. This time in office hours gave me wonderful relationships with my instructors.  One of these fantastic instructors wrote recommendations for my DNP applications this cycle.  So far, I have received one acceptance letter, and I am awaiting more that I anticipate will roll in soon.  The acceptance letter I received so far I received after a zoom interview.  They asked about my time at Columbia, and I told them about how rigorous the program was, and that, yeah, most of my cohort had like a 3.9GPA and mine was lower, but I was also in NYC and wanted to experience Broadway, and restaurants, and tourism, while also volunteering.  In New York, I found opportunities to volunteer a the Food Bank, work part-time as a personal caregiver for an elderly person, and got involved in all the crazy things that CUSON itself offered.  I am quite certain that having gone to Columbia and been a part of the crazy-train to survive and come out thriving on the other side has made me not only a better nurse, but a much more interesting candidate for NP schools.

Yeah, Columbia University's nursing program is a complete and utter shitshow of a program.  I am sure there are other programs that are run like the military, with everything clean, polished, and perfect.  I wouldn't trade all the confusion and disarray for anything.  Maybe not having my student loans as large as they are.  But, overall, I think being in the program and learning to juggle priorities in a way that I'd never juggled priorities before, building relationships in new ways, learning a language completely foreign to me, changing careers from one of physical labour and no brain-usage to nursing made me the best nurse I could possibly be.

CUSON is far from perfect, but, it's one of those nice little gems that everyone knows is valuable, but, people still don't know what to do with it, because it's not as perfect as the exterior would have you believe.

The school cares deeply about its students.  They will go to almost any lengths to help a student succeed, understand the material, learn the language of nursing, find themselves as a nurse, and so much more than I can put into this quip on the internet.

If you find frustration in the vagueries of CUSON at this stage in the game, I truly hope you never have to contend with the reality of working in a hospital with management and admin changing policies and procedures every five minutes or patient assignments that change from one moment to the next.  Nursing is a career choice that requires you to just roll with the proverbial punches and take things as they come to you, at face value; and Columbia is a perfect, shining diamond example of that.

I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do with your life.

Thank you so much for this wisdom. Well said and well received by this prospective student. I absolutely agree that many healthcare facilities are not perfectly run and it’s so important to be able to just roll with annoying things like disorganization (especially now with Covid and all of its associated curveballs). It’s a major pet peeve of mine and I expected less of that from a school with as much prestige as Columbia. However, I’m up for the challenge of working with the admin issues if it means earning the depth and breadth of knowledge you described in one of the most iconic places in the world! Thanks again, this is just the kind of encouraging post I needed to see after so much negativity. Especially hearing a positive outcome from someone who had waitlist experience. 

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TBH, after my "acceptance high" is over I am getting pretty disappointed at the way CUSON is treating their student (maybe it is just my experience). I have been trying to contact them since January to get more in-depth information regarding their course and clinical experience for certification purposes. Sent them 4 emails, called their office and so far 0 response. Like...my question was very simple yet very important for me to decide whether it is worth it for me to attend the program with the huge $$$ (I don't wanna end up having to take extra courses after graduating from the program ya know :/). Maybe I am just too upset right now..but CUSON used to be my #1 choice, but now I am more eager to attend another school..(looking at ya UCLA, please get me off the waitlist)

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Did anyone else on here apply to Georgetown's program?

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Long time lurker first time poster and will be applying next cycle

Is anyone considering between Yale and Columbia? those are my top two and can someone who has interviewed at both chime in 

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17 hours ago, Absnholder109 said:

Long time lurker first time poster and will be applying next cycle

Is anyone considering between Yale and Columbia? those are my top two and can someone who has interviewed at both chime in 

I was accepted to both Yale and Columbia and would be happy to share my perspective on various metrics that were most important to me when considering which school to attend, and which I hope will be helpful.

Columbia’s MDE/DNP vs Yale’s GEPN/MSN: Columbia offers a 15-month accelerated Masters Direct Entry (MDE) program leading to an RN license and generalist MSN degree. This is followed by a 2-2.5 year DNP specialty program leading to an NP license and DNP degree. Yale offers a 12-month accelerated Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) program leading to an RN license, followed by a 2-year specialty program leading to the NP license and MSN degree in your specialty. So, after ~3 years, you could earn a masters and doctorate from Columbia or a masters from Yale. Yale offers a DNP program which requires a separate application and takes an additional 2 years to complete.

Clinicals: Columbia offers more clinical sites (200+ partner sites), more clinical hours (1,000+), and more diverse clinical settings. Columbia also utilizes their ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Group practice and 16,000 sq ft simulation lab as part of their clinicals, as well as a 6-week integration experience at one of their global partner sites or in NYC with a nurse preceptor. Yale has a 5,300 sq ft lab and offers 600 clinical hours. Not much else is available in terms of detail about clinicals on their website. 

Cost: This varies based on so many individual factors, but for my situation, Columbia’s MDE/DNP program is 40k more expensive than Yale’s GEPN/MSN program, but is 20k less expensive if you add Yale’s DNP program. Columbia offered me 2.5x the scholarship aid that Yale offered me, which offset the initially much larger price tag. The takeaway here is that cost is not as clear-cut as some people might lead you to believe - it really depends on your situation. 

Rankings: According to US News & World Report Rankings, Columbia’s DNP program is #1 in the country and Yale’s DNP program is #17. Columbia’s MSN is #11 and Yale’s is #14. I did a lot of research going into this application process, and it included rankings. In general, I found that CUSON is more highly ranked as compared to YSN. 

Other: One of the advantages I think Yale has over Columbia is the name recognition. Even though they’re both Ivies and Columbia has become more selective in terms of admissions in recent years - it doesn’t register the same as Yale. (If you Google Columbia’s famous alumni, I think it puts things into perspective). Also, Yale’s nursing program is much smaller than Columbia’s and I got the sense from the communication I had with them that they can offer more individual support to their students. Columbia’s MDE program has an average cohort size of 200-250 students compared to Yale’s ~100 for GEPN, but is broken down into smaller clinical groups. My understanding is that once you move into the DNP program, it’s much smaller. Another factor is location, which is largely subjective, but I think NYC does offer more opportunities for just about anything I can imagine. 

Obviously this won’t be your exact situation, but it helped me to lay it out all this way. I have a PowerPoint and everything ? I also hope this helps to bring some of the focus back to why we’re all here to begin with - CUSON is one of the best places to get a nursing education.

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7 hours ago, ForeverPsych said:

I was accepted to both Yale and Columbia and would be happy to share my perspective on various metrics that were most important to me when considering which school to attend, and which I hope will be helpful.

Columbia’s MDE/DNP vs Yale’s GEPN/MSN: Columbia offers a 15-month accelerated Masters Direct Entry (MDE) program leading to an RN license and generalist MSN degree. This is followed by a 2-2.5 year DNP specialty program leading to an NP license and DNP degree. Yale offers a 12-month accelerated Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing (GEPN) program leading to an RN license, followed by a 2-year specialty program leading to the NP license and MSN degree in your specialty. So, after ~3 years, you could earn a masters and doctorate from Columbia or a masters from Yale. Yale offers a DNP program which requires a separate application and takes an additional 2 years to complete.

Clinicals: Columbia offers more clinical sites (200+ partner sites), more clinical hours (1,000+), and more diverse clinical settings. Columbia also utilizes their ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Group practice and 16,000 sq ft simulation lab as part of their clinicals, as well as a 6-week integration experience at one of their global partner sites or in NYC with a nurse preceptor. Yale has a 5,300 sq ft lab and offers 600 clinical hours. Not much else is available in terms of detail about clinicals on their website. 

Cost: This varies based on so many individual factors, but for my situation, Columbia’s MDE/DNP program is 40k more expensive than Yale’s GEPN/MSN program, but is 20k less expensive if you add Yale’s DNP program. Columbia offered me 2.5x the scholarship aid that Yale offered me, which offset the initially much larger price tag. The takeaway here is that cost is not as clear-cut as some people might lead you to believe - it really depends on your situation. 

Rankings: According to US News & World Report Rankings, Columbia’s DNP program is #1 in the country and Yale’s DNP program is #17. Columbia’s MSN is #11 and Yale’s is #14. I did a lot of research going into this application process, and it included rankings. In general, I found that CUSON is more highly ranked as compared to YSN. 

Other: One of the advantages I think Yale has over Columbia is the name recognition. Even though they’re both Ivies and Columbia has become more selective in terms of admissions in recent years - it doesn’t register the same as Yale. (If you Google Columbia’s famous alumni, I think it puts things into perspective). Also, Yale’s nursing program is much smaller than Columbia’s and I got the sense from the communication I had with them that they can offer more individual support to their students. Columbia’s MDE program has an average cohort size of 200-250 students compared to Yale’s ~100 for GEPN, but is broken down into smaller clinical groups. My understanding is that once you move into the DNP program, it’s much smaller. Another factor is location, which is largely subjective, but I think NYC does offer more opportunities for just about anything I can imagine. 

Obviously this won’t be your exact situation, but it helped me to lay it out all this way. I have a PowerPoint and everything ? I also hope this helps to bring some of the focus back to why we’re all here to begin with - CUSON is one of the best places to get a nursing education.

May I ask which school you ended up committing to?

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