I recently applied to nursing schools; and let me tell you most schools did not give me the opportunity like St. Paul School of Nursing in Flushing Queens, did. Aside from just wanting to take my money they really did not show much other attention to me; mind you I have volunteer experience in hospitals around Manhattan; a good GPA and stellar recommendation letters not to mention I scored in the upper 90 percentile. So needless to say I felt really depressed thinking that I would not be able to get into nursing school and I would have to waste another year waiting to get into school.
I applied to Saint Paul sort of on a long shot thinking I would not get in.
For those applying let me walk you through what I did.
First I went to their website and I entered my information; I was then mailed an admission packet.
Which I read thoroughly and made sure to follow all the directions. Then I called the admission department and set up an interview. On the day of the interveiw I called them before I went to the interview to confirm my appointment. Initially I was told that the person I had the interview with no longer worked their and I was transferred to a different admission representative. Now let me tell you this; there are two representatives and hundreds of people applying to the program leaving these guys messages will not help you will have to call a couple of times until you get them. I called two times and was able to set up and appointment.
On the day of the appointment I had everything prepared. All my paper work and check was in order; I was able to get a tour of the facility and I was also secheduled for the 12 Minute IQ Test for the week after. Note: Take the IQ test seriously if you read the school handbook it will tell you the maker and information on the test so you can practice. You need to get at least sixteen right in order to move on to the next test.
I passed the IQ test and my results were given after the test; I was then scheduled for the HESI about two-three weeks later. Again you want to study for this test as well; it may seem simple but the day I took my exam I was the only person in the room apparently taking the test for the first time; most of the other individuals were re-taking portions they had previously failed.
Once again I passed; note if you are curious as to my scores I got a 96% in the math and an overall average of 90% for the grammar, reading and vocabulary. (Side note vocabulary brought me down to a 90% if not I would have had a much higher overall) Also, note that in order to pass each section I believe you need atleast 75% to still be considered. My overall college GPA was 2.7 when I applied to St. Paul and my sciences were at 3.5; and after graduation from college my overall was back over a 3.0; but that did not matter because I had already been accepted.
Now after taking the test you are able to view your score report on each part. ALSO note if you are not good with computers well you will be out of luck because everything here is done on computers so you best start getting comfortable.
If you are still with me now comes the part of Acceptance. It took them about a week and half after the HESI for them to review my application I was a bit nervous because I did not hear anything from the school.
When I did find out I was accepted; I received a phone call from my admissions officer stating that I had gotten in and I need to come in to finish the rest of the formalities.
So, my next appointment from that phone call was two days later; I went in and paid my $50 dollar deposit to hold my seat; got my information for my background check, drug test and also meet with the financial aid counselor.
Note you will have a time limit as to when these things must be completed so do it ASAP. The financial aid counselor will schedule you another appointment two weeks from that day to make sure all of your information is in order.
Now, to address accreditation because I was so worried with all the drama I been reading on these boards and it got me so worried and I had to sit down and do my own homework on it. St. Paul is accredited by the NYS Regents Board. As far as NLN accreditation goes that will take some time because they had bought the rights to Saint Vincents (hence that is why when you file your financial aide the school code will show Saint Vincents) so things seem to still be in the midst of working out. I am not worried about the NLN accreditation because at the end of the day I will be able to sit for the exam and at this stage all I want is to get license and then move on. For those of you who have an issue with this then maybe this is not the school for you and you should try else where that might be accredited but please do not bash the school; I actually feel like you guys are not doing the school justice. I went to other nursing schools to check it out and see what they are all about and to be honest Saint Paul is upfront with you; if you ask a question they give you an answer they do not give you the run around like some schools (in case your interested I checked out some schools in Westchester County).
As far as transfer credits go; when you get called in for your drug test information etc. you will be given a sheet that tells you all the classes you had transferred; you will also be given an agreement stating how much tuition will be etc and your agreeing to the two year program.
Personally two my classes did not transfer they were too old; so I opted to take them over the summer and a CUNY community college because they only cost me about $2000 dollars at CUNY. The catch to doing this is 1. you have to make sure your grades are submitted before the first day of classes. 2. You also have to make sure that your grades are higher than a C+ in order for them to be transferred in.
I also read of the blogs around that the school needs better administration; now that worried me a little until I spoke to the administrative staff; they were all nice to me (mind you if you are rude to someone they will be rude to you right back) just keep your cool and people will treat you nicely. I dealt with the CUNY system for many years both as a student and an employee so I know how hard it is to deal with administration. But at the end of the day no one is going to hold your hand and baby you.
Choosing to go into the nursing field means that no one will hold your hand every step of the way and tell you that this is what you need to do. By choosing this profession you acknowledge that you are an adult and as such you are capable and free to make your own decisions.
If you have any questions feel free to message me; or if you have any tips for me as it stands I am a new student starting this fall so I can use all the advice I can get.
Please people keep the negativity to yourself; I will only respond to positive comments and concerns. My little blurb here is based on my experience with Saint Paul as of right now my opinion of the school might change in the future but so far its been a descent one. I look forward to working hard and making use of the school's resources.
P.S. Clinical's are held at New York Hospital of Queens. I hope this helps anyone who has been stuck.
