Mercy School Of Nursing, NC- Anyone have some answers?

rosebud123 · Apr 5, 2010

rn diploma's from mercy are accepted at uncc for the bsn program.

thanks everyone for the advice about mercy! i just haven't heard of a diploma program before.

since uncc accepts mercy's diploma for their bsn program, does anyone know if other schools will accept it as well? i know, i know... i could call :) but i just wanted to know what everyone else here thinks about other schools accepting mercy's diploma. are the classes generally accepted nationwide?

hcclemons · Apr 6, 2010

csaund29..........thank you for taking the time to post such positive things about Mercy. I was just accepted and I start in August. Mercy was the ONLY program I applied to. After visiting all of the nursing schools in Charlotte I had my heart set on Mercy for 3 years now. Ultimately all students take the same NCLEX so diploma or not I'm good with that :) I personally want more clinical experience and that was one of the reasons I chose Mercy. I learn from doing.........not from sitting in a class room.

rosebud123.......I think you will love Charlotte. I moved down from Michigan 7 years ago and it was by far the best move I ever made! I have a 4 year degree with a major in Finance but I had knocked out A&P I, Micro, and the Psych class before I applied. I did well on the TEAS so I think that also helped me to get in. A girl in one of my prereq classes applied to Mercy without having any of the preregs done (she had a 4 year degree though) and she was accepted first time with the requirement she finished them before she started the program. I know she did really well on the TEAS as well.

bass1232 · Apr 10, 2010

I am currently in my first semester at Mercy and am loving it! The instructors are great and the school is very welcoming and you are learning alot. Is it hard?--Yes it's hard but I don't think I would want it to be easy, I want to know everything that I can when I graduate and actually have to take care of a person on my own.

As far as getting in, it's pretty competetive. We were told that out of the 30 people that were admitted in the spring they received 400 applications, and anyone in the field that I have ever spoken to about nursing school has only wonderful things to say about Mercy. When you hear comments like, "how did you get in there...it is so hard to get in there" and "Mercy graduates are much more prepared for the reality of clinical life then some other graduates" it's makes me feel like I made the right choice...not to mention the NCLEX pass rates speak for itself. I had a previous Bachelor's degree in Biological Science and a 3.4 GPA, I know everyone but one person in our class had at least a Bachelor's degree--1 person even has an MBA.

You will LOVE Mercy and you will LOVE Charlotte, just be ready to work and learn alot :) See ya around!:)

arlinda97 · May 29, 2010

Hello everyone! I am new to this site. I applied @ MSON and just recently took the TEAS test. I still have to take both of my anatomy classes, microbiology, and psychology. I applied for the spring semester of 2011. I am taking my pre-req. classes through Devry university online. I checked with the advisor just to make sure that the classes were transferrable, and they are. I will be able to complete everything by the end of this year. I know that your SAT/ACT scores are looked at, but I didn't take neither.Would it be wise for me to take either the SAT/ACT? Also, do they take letters of recommendation into consideration? Also, how soon do you find out whether you were accepted? :uhoh3:

USN2UNC · Jun 8, 2010

Hi All,

So I am getting everything together to apply for the Spring session and I see that we can either apply Online or use the paper version. I looked over both and they seem to be highly different in that the Online options includes many additional options (fine by me, I have many things to list :) ). Also, I see that the paper version says include a "handwritten" essay while we can either include it in the Online version in the text or mail it in. Does this make a difference? For some reason, probably d/t over-thinking, I feel like they want to see my penmanship. :)

Also, the application mentioned the idea of submitting a resume but nowhere on the website do I see where it says to submit one.

Basically, I just want to know what all you guys sent in and how that worked out for you. I don't want to send in too much and create a convoluted application but I also don't want to sell myself short :)

Any advice on all of the above would be great!

emptyboxcars · Jun 13, 2010

For those of you already attending Mercy, I have some questions. I was accepted and will be starting in the Fall 2010. I'm very excited about it, but I'm wondering about how much time I can expect to spend studying/doing homework per week outside of classroom and clinical hours. I am older with other obligations, so I want to prepare for what is ahead of me. Also, I'm in the process of reviewing A & P I and II, since I completed those a few years ago. What areas would you say I should focus on studying to prepare for the first semester of nursing school? Thanks in advance!

aggiebell430 · Jun 14, 2010

Arlinda97: I too am an applicant for Spring 2011, and I know that the SAT scores will be helpful, if you can take them. I applied in the Fall and fell short in just one area that luckily I was able to raise, but the more help you have the better, it is extremely competitive. I too am anxious as to when letter will be sent back, and according to the website, Spring applicants should hear by September 1st. Hopefully, for those who finished their applications well before July 1st will hear back sooner than that:).

I was also wondering for those of you that have had the experience at Mercy (thanks for all the helpful information by the way!), how plausible it is to work while attending the school? I am coming in from out of state and will have to start living outside of my parents rent free, grocery free home, and will need to be able to afford a roof over my head while paying for school. I should only have to take one course per semester because of previous courses, but still worried.

Good luck to my fellow Spring 2011 applicants, and to all of those starting in August!!

USN2UNC · Jun 14, 2010

Ditto on the working while in school question. I too would only have to take the Nursing courses. All help is appreciated!

the_london_sky · Jul 6, 2010

Ditto on the working while in school question. I too would only have to take the Nursing courses. All help is appreciated!

I am ending my first semester at Mercy and love it. The teachers are wonderful and helpful and I love the small school atmosphere. I have a job as a phlebotomist and work about 15-17 hrs a week and its really tough. I basically study 2 to 3 hrs a day to just to stay on top of the material and be prepared for test and class. I cant imagine working more than I already work. Working while in school is doable, but you have be prepared to study EVERYDAY, even on mid semester breaks, saturday and sundays. Also you have to be prepared to spend a little less time with family and friends.

Ashersmamma · Aug 12, 2010

I applied at Mercy for Spring semester & am IMPATIENTLY awaiting my letter. We should know by September. I hear that it is very competitive & am wondering if I will get in.

I have a 4.0 in all of my pre reqs.

I had a 2.6 in high school (12 years ago)

I made an 1100 on my SATs when I took them 12 years ago.

I took the TEAS test & scored 85% overall. This is more than 10 points over the average.

I scored 91% in english , a 97% in reading & a 89% in math. I scored..... 57% in science. UGH! The science really threw me because I scored 80% on the Human body, scientific reasoning & general science & a 20% on the life science, chemical science & physical science. Those 80% scores were well above the program average as well as the national average, but questions about frequency & tetonic plates brought my score way down in science overall. I am hoping that they look at each individual portion of the science. I have knowledge where it counts.

Anyhow... (ramble over) I was wondering if any of you who HAVE made it in to the program can give me some insight to my chances of getting in.

donnasaur · Aug 20, 2010

Sending best wishes over as you wait!!! I have applied to Mercy for Spring 2011 and am also impatiently awaiting my letter and wondering if I'm good enough.

The counselor has been dropping a few encouraging hints to me that "comparable students" are "usually in consideration."

I have a 4.0 in pre-reqs, in past (unrelated) college courses, and in high school.

I have a 32 on the ACT (36 reading, 36 writing, 30 science, 24 math).

I have a 1340 on the SAT. (Although it was more than 10 years ago.)

I have a 92 overall on the TEAS. It was like 99 reading, 99 writing, 96 math, and like 67 science! (( I got topic spreads similar to yours, so I am also hoping for both our sakes that they dig deeper. I have since heard that the TEAS is 60% of the evaluation criteria, but the counselor told me that the one bad score, even though it's in science, will not be a make-or-break thing.

She did tell my girlfriend, who had bad grades in high school like 20 years ago, that all previous grades are lumped together to determine the number of points awarded for GPA. So your good grades have a chance to cancel out your bad grades, and vice versa.

Ashersmamma · Aug 20, 2010

If you have a 4.0 and a 92 on the TEAS... you are in. No way that there are 30 people with higher scores.