Published Jan 13, 2011
kbren05
7 Posts
Hi there,
Pretty new here. I am currently living abroad on a boat in Europe, but am planning on moving back to minnesota at the end of may o pursue nursing. I have been looking at the MN program at the U for the last couple of years, and was hoping there was anyone out there that could give some feedback/advice/tips or anything that could be useful. I will start taking my prereqs this upcoming summer. Does anyone have any recommendations for good school to take the prereqs? I lived in Key West Fl before living abroad, so I am afraid I won't be a resident for a year after living there. Again, any and all advice is appreciated! Thanks so much!!!
Minnesotanewgraduate
11 Posts
Hi Kbren05,
I just graduated from the MN program. I did the majority of my pre reqs (except pathophys) during my undergrad. However, a lot of my friends in the program took their prereqs at Normandale Community College. It's a lot cheaper than the U and all of the credits transfer.
It sounds like you have done a lot of interesting things. The School of Nursing really values candidates that have had diverse experiences.
If you have any other questions, let me know!
Minnesotanewgraduate,
Thank you so much for replying! I really appreciate it. I will look into Normandale for sure. I do have a few more questions. What did you think of the program? Would you recommend it? How were your clinicals? Was the workload manageable? Outside of diversity of background and GPA, do you have any advice on getting into the program? What was the mix of students in your program?
Thank you again for responding! I am sure I will have a few more questions!
Katie
Hey Katie,
I really loved the program. The faculty are so supportive and nice and really want everyone to succeed. I would definitely recommend it. Especially if you would like to go on to get your DNP. The program has several credits that carry over to the DNP program. About 8 or so of my classmates applied to the DNP program and I am pretty sure everyone was accepted. The clinicals are good. I did the majority of mine within the Allina system (United in St. Paul and Abbott). Also, the last semester you do a 225 hour clinical immersion on one unit and basically get to chose the type of setting you want to be in for the semester.
In terms of getting in, I would highlight any leadership experiences you have had. Also, the interview portion of the application is important. So I would make sure to really prepare yourself for the interview so that you can highlight all of your different experiences. My undergrad GPA was only 3.21, so they definitely look beyond your GPA.
In terms of our class. There were about 8 men and the rest were women. The oldest person in our class was 48 and the youngest was right out of undergrad. The diversity of age and experience really makes the program interesting. Everyone comes with different experiences which really brings a lot to the program.
Hope that helps and let me know if you have more questions!