MGH

dhart17 · Mar 26, 2014

Continue working hard! Study for your GRE as well, but don't be discouraged if don't do well. But I would encourage you to practice the writing a lot. I feel that's the most meaningful score. Also just choose whichever specialty interest you most! It'll be easier to convey your true interest in your essay if you're dedicated to your specialty. Lastly find strong letter of recommendation writers. Pick people who are familiar with your character and enthusiasm. Hopefully it goes well!

AMagoo923 · Apr 5, 2014

I'll echo dhart that continue working hard is the best advice! The people that make up many of the direct entry MSN programs come from a variety of backgrounds, majors, gpas, etc. Just work on making your application the strongest way you can present yourself. Study for the GREs, but know that you don't need a perfect score to get in. Brush up on math that you may not have had in awhile. I know that for me, I definitely needed to revisit geometry since I didn't have it in years before taking the GRE. I also agree that the essay and recommendation letters are very important in letting the admissions committee know what kind of student, person, and worker you are!

Coming from someone who graduated in 2008 with a liberal arts degree as well (mine was Communication Arts & Sciences), I tried to ensure that I did the very best in my prereq classes so admissions knew I was capable of keeping up science classes and medical terminology that you don't often encounter with liberal arts degrees. In my essay, I made sure to connect my previous degree, work experience, and volunteer work to my goals in nursing.

Also, some schools will give you the average GPA of admitted students, but it's not a hard line. Some prospective students will have strong work experience with years of work in a related field and not great undergrad GPAs, others will shine academically and be applying straight out of undergrad. If it helps as any guideline, as a fellow liberal arts undergrad major, my undergrad GPA was 3.8 and I have about a 3.9 in my prereqs with one class still in progress. My GREs were pretty average I think a 308 overall and a 5 on the writing. So, if you're still taking prereqs, focus on making those count! MGH doesn't do interviews for the MSN program but a few other schools do, and when I interviewed they were really interested in hearing how my current courses were going and how I was managing the course load.

Also, pick the specialty you're most interested in, not the one you think you have the best chance of getting in, since getting in is just one step in developing your career, but your specialty follows you around for much longer. I chose the Family path because I wanted to work in a primary care or clinic setting and didn't want to limit myself to an age group (peds or adult). So, weigh the different options and think what might work best for you in the long run. If you're passionate about it, it will come through in your application. Best of luck!

Lauren_M · Apr 5, 2014

Thank you so much your answers have been so helpful!