MSU Accelerated Nursing May 2010

espo44 · Jul 27, 2009

Hi there!

I am hoping to get into an ABSN program at UofM, State, Oakland, or Wayne State in fall of 2011. (just starting my prereqs now.) How has the application experience been? Any advice you can pass on? Where did you/are you taking most of your prereqs? I'm trying to decide that right now. Although they are all competitive, it seems like UofM is the most cutthroat to get into (based on all the info sessions I've been to.)

Anyway, good luck! I hope you get in!

ejcl68 · Jul 27, 2009

Hi,

If you want Wayne State, its best to do all your pre-reqs there. As long as you get a 3.5 in all prereqs, you will get early an admittance. Not a bad deal. I was just under a 3.5 and for Fall of 2009, I did not get in. Its highly competitive at Wayne (about 48 out of 300 got in for this cohort). I have been very impressed with U of M, MSU and Wayne out of the schools I have been interested in. I don't think U of M is cut throat but its difficult to get accepted. Its U of M MSU may even be harder to get in. Oakland is a very good school and they take all of the classes from Wayne. So if I were you, I would attend Wayne and you will be set for both schools. MSU and U of M also takes Wayne's courses. I think what hurts applicants is going to community colleges. I don't want to say community colleges do not offer good education - because I know friends who have gone to them and went on to be very successful. But I do believe they look at where you took your classes and a university is definitely tougher. That being said, you have to get high marks. Try to get mostly A's in all key classes(A&P, Biochem, bio, etc.) and mostly A's in all the others. If you don't have a 3.5 or higher, you will likely not be a strong candidate at any school. I have a 3.53 for U of M and that may not be enough. But U of M looks at your resume and essay. MSU wants an essay and letters of reference. At Wayne, they mainly look at GPA in pre-reqs and an interview is given (but doesn't weigh in the decision much). Best advice - attend info meetings at all the school if you haven't already. One final thing on Oakland - I applied but they told me the earliest I could start is January 2011. So basically add 1 - 1.5 years onto your wait AFTER YOU COMPLETE ALL PRE-REQS. Its stinks I know but that's how Oakland runs their program. At Wayne, you must have all pre-reqs done by June 1. You can do it .

ejcl68 · Jul 27, 2009

Oh, just to answer your other question, I took all of my pre-reqs at Wayne. I love this school. Just fair warning: Anatomy and Physiology at wayne is hard as hell. I had it last term and over half the class failed. If you do the work and devote the time, you will get an A or B. But its a very, very, very hard earned A or B.

espo44 · Jul 27, 2009

AH! Thank you for the warning. I'm starting with either basic inorganic chem or basic nutrition. I don't remember much chem but I don't know how much the basic nutrition class will require. I'll probably take them at Wayne State. Can you tell me if I should be taking chem before nutrition?

And THANK YOU for all this info. I'm going to work my ass off to get this done. I'm totally scared because I haven't been to school in TEN years, (got a BA from UofM), but I want to do this!

Incidentally, do you have any clue what you want to specialize in?

ejcl68 · Jul 27, 2009

Don't be scared. I graduated in 1993 and just went back to school this past semester. So you will do well, trust me. It took me about 3 or 4 weeks to get back into swing of things. You don't need chemistry to take Nutrition. However, you will learn about proteins, carbs, fatty acids so a base knowledge in chemistry may help a little. But you certainly can pick it up without much problem. The basic inorganic chemistry class is not difficult. The hard one is Biochemistry but I would not stress too much over that. A & P is probably the class which will weed out those who just can't handle the program. That being said, if you put the time into it, you can do it. For example, I basically had to teach myself A & P since the teacher lectured so fast. My success: Relisten to the lectures, rewrite your notes, practice what you have learned, if you don't understand a concept, ask for help. It worked in all three of my classes and I got two A's and a B.

I'm not sure what area I want to specialize in but I am planning on getting my masters as a Nurse Practioner.

espo44 · Jul 27, 2009

Wow that's awesome you want to go for the Masters degree. I may go that same route, we'll see what happens after I get to A&P. haha. Ok last question I promise!! Were there any study guides or particular books that helped you prepare for A&P besides those required by the instructor? I have heard from others as well that it is a SCARY class.

OK, I'll shut up now. Your advice has been great! Sorry to have hijacked your thread. :nuke:

ejcl68 · Jul 27, 2009

I think my reply didn't work. Darn, I typed a bunch of good stuff. Anyhow, I purchased Anatomy and Physiology the easy way and it helped a bit. The best book is Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology by Martini. Its an awesome book. Trust me: A & P is scary and its reputation is well deserved. :bow: But its been 18 years since I took biology and I did well. You can too. Its the hardest class I have taken and one that required the most work (and late nights). But learning about the human body is so much fun you forget the agony of the class(or not). I know our class of 360, only 150 or so passed. But I think many of those people didn't spend the necessary time. So get Martini and start reading ahead. He is a great author and you will love his style(not stuffy, not over-the-top). I love his book and plan on using it as a reference. Good luck!!

ps. When you take A &P. take only 2 other classes in order to be successful. A & P is basically two classes in one and you will be taking 7 or 8 exams(including the practicals). So keep your schedule as light as possible. I took 12 credits and it was a bear to keep up. I did it but don't be foolish to try to take 16 credits or you will be eaten up alive.

roma4204, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2009

Hello!!!

I am currently in the program at MSU. I absolutely love it. The instructors are so intelligent and they really want you to learn. I think I got in because I had a lot of healthcare experience and had great references from those that I worked with. Also, I was pretty happy with my essay - but they never tell you why you got in so I can't be sure. I had about a 3.3 GPA overall from my undergrad from MSU so I'm thinking it had to be everything else that got me in. I never took a class anywhere but MSU except testing out with AP credits.

I honestly wake up every morning and I am so excited to go to class or clinical. It is a hard program but what makes it easier is that you are applying what you learn right away. Also it is time consuming more so than difficult because everyone relies on each other and teachers want you to do well. It is not for someone who wants to be a nurse because the economy is bad.

The only complaint I would have is that the college of nursing is a little disorganized. It always takes more time to process everything that they say and the advisor for the program students is new and has no answers. It is really early to be applying, is the deadline still Oct 1st? I found out at thanksgiving that I got in so the nice thing is you don't have to wait that long. Also the actual lecture classes are boring at first but they get better.

I would make sure finances are all set because the program is a little pricey and God knows it's just going to go up. You pay for a LOT more than tuition while in the program that they don't tell you about. Also, I'm sure you're aware what a huge research institution MSU is and so they stress a lot on research...they want everyone to go get their PHD's!

If you have anymore questions please don't hesitate to ask...I love talking to people about the program!

ejcl68 · Jul 28, 2009

Hi Roma,

Thank you for the information. I just had a couple of questions for you if you don't mind. What is your typical schedule?? They told me 3 or 4 days a week to start + clinicals. How many men are in the program?? I will be a male nurse if things work out for me. :yeah: Regarding the cost, they told me $ 25,000 + misc. supplies, etc. Is this accurate?? I have been super impressed with MSU and the advising staff. They have been very helpful. Regarding what you said about going in the nursing in a bad economy- I really don't have a problem with anyone going into nursing in a good or bad economy as long as they are committed to becoming a good nurse. I am sure you have experienced or heard about bad nurses who take the paycheck and that's it. Hopefully those who are going into nursing really care about people, listen to their needs, and want to help them. A BSN certainly will not make someone rich so hopefully its not about the money or bad economy. I think the accelerated BSN idea was brilliant as people who want to change careers or received an undergraduate degree(i.e. psychology, Latin studies majors, sorry if I offended anyone) that can't realistically produce a good job, can now purse a new avenue. Just awesome. I was fortunate to be a chemistry major and worked 14 years in a good job before taking a buyout.

I applied now because advising sent me an email and said applications are now online to apply. I am not sure if there's any advantage(likely not) of applying early but I was ready with all my documents. I have three classes to take and then I am completed for MSU. I know it will be highly competitive since they told me that 50 out of 350 applicants will be accepted. While I would love to go to MSU(my first choice), I am also applying to other schools. As you know, it's so hard to get in to any program but I am willing to wait if that's what it takes. in closing, good luck and continued success to you as you complete your BSN.

Take care and thank you for sharing your insight on MSU!!

roma4204, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

schedules vary so much from semester to semester

level 1- class 1 1/2 days a week

lab 1/2 day a week

med/surg 1 clinical one day a week. for me it was mon lab, tues clinical, wed and thurs class i think

level 2 - clinical 3 days a week (med surg 2 and psych)

lab on scheduled times

class one day a week

HARDEST SEMESTER EVER!!!

level 3 - class 1 day a week

no lab

peds clinical 1 day, ob clinical 1 day

level 4 - class 1 day

comm health clinical 1 day

preceptorship 1-2 days depending on hours of your preceptor

we have a lot of guys in our cohort. i think it varies every year. there's nothing different about the way they are treated or anything. as for the price, it's costing me about 6,000/semester in tuition, books are tricky because you get your PDA and a lot of books and supplies you have for later classes so the start up costs are high (maybe $800) but after that it gets better. also there's gas and everything. i worked 1-2 days/week throughout the program so that helped a lot. i know some people that have trouble working but i think that's ridiculus. as long as you manage your time you're fine. i wouldn't advise taking out a high amount of loans unless you have NO debt.

it's great you want to pursue nursing for the right reasons. i guess i just see a lot of people that want to enter nursing and know nothing about it except for the job security - which is now shrinking. but you sound like you're well prepared. i would recommend MSU to anyone. i think their standards are very high and they offer very good clinical experiences in hospitals. i get worried when i see people talking about their mean instructors on here. i can't imagine not having an instructor that instilled fear rather than confidence.

GOOD LUCK! and if you don't get accepted keep your hopes up because there were people in my cohort that got in from being on the waiting list.

ejcl68 · Jul 29, 2009

Hi Roma,

Thanks for the good information. I appreciate it. I also feel encouraged that if I am wait listed, there's a possibility I could still get in. Advising told me I will know in 7-9 weeks but they just pushed back the app. deadline to December 15. So it will likely be sometime in early 2010 before I get a decision. It will be worth the wait if I get in . From what I hear, U of M takes like 4-6 months to get back to applicants. But I have a decent GPA (3.53 nursing pre-req) for them so we'll see. MSU is still my first choice as I mentioned.

I was just going to ask you a few more questions about admissions. Do you know much weight do they put into the resume, essay, and references. I feel all three are very strong for me, especially the essay. I put a lot of effort in the essay :typingit came from my heart. But I have found other schools tell me they don't put a ton of weight in essays - they're used more to make or break you if you are on the borderline. I am hoping MSU looks at this more seriously and this will enhance my chances of getting in. I worry about my current GPA which is in the low 3's. I wanted to take summer classes but we have a baby on the way and I needed to get things done around the house. Now I regret not taking at least 1-2 classes to boost my GPA. I have three more pre-reqs to take for MSU. Thanks.

ps. Oh one last question I promise :) - I live in the suburbs of Detroit. Are they flexible on clinical locations?? They told me that they would work with people who lived in SE Michigan. I am willing to drive anywhere but hopefully I could get a clinical in Dearborn, Royal Oak, Ann Arbor, etc.