nocheapones

I'm very thankful for this thread. I have a long history of depression, but in the past few years have managed without meds. I'll be starting nursing school in the fall and I'm worried about what that will do to my depression. I'm relieved to know I'm not alone, and that there are other nurses/students who use the help of antidepressants to make it through.

I can see both sides of it, but personally I would never be able to leave my child for that long a period of time. There are undoubtedly alot of "firsts" that you will miss out on that way. Like I said, I see the other side of it too, and I do think it would be a good thing for both of you in the long run. But just IMHO, I would never give up that time... nursing school can always happen later, becoming independent can always happen later, but you will never be able to get that time back with your daughter. Good luck with your decision :hug:

I want to say that my chem class actually ended after the deadline. I can't remember exactly when the deadline was though, but my class should have ended around when yours is this year (with final grades being due a week later, and transcripts being sent after that.) The deadline may have been in April.

LOL me too! I like to plan everything in advance, and it drives me crazy not really being able to do that yet.

I just got my letter today with information about the information/registration session that I will have to attend. It's in early April. I am sooo excited :) Anyone else around here waiting for the first tangible bit of nursing school?

I think there are alot of posts about this already, so you might want to try the search feature on the top right of each page. Also you will likely find more stuff about Shadyside specifically in the PA nursing programs board. Have you used any of the books that they recommend? I took the test last spring and found it to be much easier than the stuff that was in the books. I got 90-some percent on each category and was admitted for this spring but declined. I never had A&P or Bio (since high school, which had been 6 years) before taking the test, for what it's worth. I never had physics, period. And like I said, I did pretty well. It's really (IMO) more a matter of critical thinking with each question. You need some background information, but most of the questions were able to be answered just by process of elimination with the choices that you were given. I thought the math section was insanely easy, and I know there was one more section but I can't recall what it was about... it too was really easy. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I think probably the best thing to do besides studying the books that they recommend is to stay calm and collected during the test so you can work by process of elimination for the things that you don't know.

I already know that I'm in for fall, but I had applied previously to a couple other programs and had to wait for those... was ultimately denied for one because they never got my high school transcript on time (even though it was sent ::eye roll:: ) and the other one denied me because I hadn't completed my chemistry pre-req by the application deadline (I was in the process of taking, had been told by someone that it was okay, I could still apply, but then was told that is why they rejected me.) For this coming fall, the deadline for application was December, but I'd applied a bit earlier than that. I'd taken alot of classes that were pre- and co-reqs, and some that weren't required at all but I took for my own purposes. I had (including from the fall semester): English 1, Intermediate and College Algebra, Elementary Statistics, Intro to Philosophy, General Psychology, an introductory chemistry course designed for allied health majors, Bio for non-majors, Public Speaking, and Intro to Computers I had a 4.0, and admission to the program that I was admitted to was based solely on GPA and having a bio and chem pre-req in the last 5 years. As for the wait, honestly, after the first two rejections, I kinda stopped caring and it became much more bearable. It was almost non-eventful when I got my acceptance letter... strange as that sounds, because I am excited. But when I was very nervous and eager to hear, my strategy was to get really into whatever else I was interested in... exercising, stuff around the house, books, games, etc... anything else that was really enjoyable to me, I would focus on. And actually, that might be why the wait for my acceptance letter (the one that WAS an acceptance and not a rejection) wasn't that bad, because I was full-time for the first time last semester, and am full-time again taking courses that interest me and will ultimately be of use when I go for my RN-BSN at the university I intend to apply. I'm taking Genetics (which is super interesting), a dance appreciation class (which is a real change of pace from all the math and science classes I'd taken), English 2, and Introduction to Programming Principles. It's kept me very busy, that and having a family and buying a new house and stuff LOL. I don't know what your life situation is, but that would be my advice, just try to focus on whatever else you have going on. I can't say it's full proof, because you will probably still feel a little crazy till you hear (that's how I felt with the first round), but it does help. Good luck

Yikes... are those your only two options? I hate to say it, but they both sound kind've scary, though I'm not in nursing school yet so I can't comment on whether or not what you said about school 1 not telling clinical sites about the students is normal or not. Personally, though, if those were my only two options, I would go for the one that is accredited by the NLNAC. Again, I'm not sure, but I would be worried that that might inhibit my chances for jobs or future education. I also think the weather is a big deal, I can definitely relate to that. You may not want to have to rely on someone else for a ride, I don't know who this person is and how close you are, but what if they prove to be unreliable? Then you're just stuck.

Well, thanks to this thread and all your replies, I've decided to try a little harder to get into A&P over the summer. At my CC where I will be taking my nursing classes, they have no open sections of A&P 1 and even if they did, I'd still have to take A&P 2 with the nursing classes because of how their summer classes run. But earlier I had a little Eureka thunderbolt and thought I'd try a neighboring county's CC. Sure enough, they have open sections of A&P 1 and 2, and I would be able to take both back to back. So I'm registered! This drastically changes my summer plans LOL. But it will be good to get it out of the way.

No, unfortunately. There are no open spots in any of the A&P 1 classes this summer. I was thinking of taking Micro, but then I wouldn't be able to take one of the other co-reqs this summer that I would otherwise need to take in the fall, and I can take Micro next summer based on the course progression at my school.

I'm gonna guess that that's how it's done in mine as well, since they aren't pre-reqs (but, like you said with your program, alot of people do finish them early to get them out of the way.) Thanks for your reply :)

i will have to keep that in mind, thanks!

Thank you so much, it's great to hear from someone who's done it! I don't really have an option at this point, unless I were to delay starting my actual nursing classes but in my mind that's not an option at all!

Just out of curiosity, is the organic chem you take for your nursing program the same as what a chemistry major would take, or is it tailored specifically for nursing/allied health?

I'm just curious about how common this is, and how difficult it is to have both A&P and nursing courses at the same time. I will be starting my nursing classes in the fall and will be taking A&P 1 then, and A&P 2 in the spring (and nothing else with them.) I don't know if I'm being naive, but I'm not really worried about it except that I hear people on the pre-nursing forums talking about how horrendous A&P is. While I realize this is on a totally different level, I did well in A&P in high school without trying at all and it seemed like the majority of my classmates were having a really hard time. Anyway, I'm not trying to sound like a pompous jerk, I'm just kinda worried that I'm not worried enough if that makes sense. It seems like alot of people take A&P ahead of time. In my mind, 12 credits is 12 credits. I had Bio, College Algebra, Statistics, and Speech this past fall, and while it was definitely hard and alot of work, I managed to do well in all the classes. I know there's no way to tell ahead of time, but I want to be real about this going in... so any opinions on the difficulty of doing both at the same time would be greatly appreciated.