Oakton Community College - NLN and admissions

Spring semester is very hard to get in because you have to get a really high nln score, I would have to say a minimum of 94% and up. I talked to an advisor recently and she said that all student information is entered in the system and the computer selects the students with the highest nln scores. That is how oakotn chooses who gets in for the upcoming nursing classes. In Spring they take 25-30 students based on how many lpn students they have for spring session. The nursing advisor told me that about 25 students get in to the spring session and that the lowest nln score that gets looked at varies year after year. She mentioned that one of the advantage to applying to the Spring session is that they have considerable less amount of students applying. I applied for fall semester however did not get into that session b/c i did not have a very high nln score. The lowest that was accepted for fall 2010 was an 89% whereareas fall 2009 the lowest score was an 81%.Hope this info. helped.

Well its somewhat discouranging but not the end of the world, i just have to retake the nln and try to score higher. I am not too good at math so that may be where I may need to get some tutoring for . I did not apply for Spring session b/c my nln score isn't in the 90's and I didn't take the nln again so I'll just retake it again in Jan or Feb and apply for fall 2011. What would be your suggestions to improve the scores in the nln as it seems you might have scored pretty good. I need to get at least a 90% to feel like I might have a chance because the 80s are just too risky. I hope u get in for Spring session, I can't wait to also get in! :)

Hi Ashley,

Good luck with your application! I also applied for Spring. I turned in the last piece of my app--my high school transcript--today. I also have a Bachelor's degree so I know how frustrating it was trying to track down the HS transcript haha.

I got a 98 on my NLN overall and a 99 in the English section. I am really really hoping I get in, but I am super nervous. I have heard from a few of my friends that they also got 98s so I hope there are enough spots for all of us!!!

Sue told me today that the admission decision meeting would be on October 12th, and then they hope to mail out decision letters in the third week of October.

Let's keep each other updated!!!!

I suggest that even before you attempt to get into the program, try to finish all your non-nursing classes first. Especially the Science classes. (You can take NUR 155, Nursing Informatics w/o being in the program.) It will help you get ready for your test. Besides once you're in you'll have less classes to deal with. Nursing classes are intensive as they are already.

I'm in the 2nd sem of the program now. I applied last year for spring 2010. There were 30 of us accepted. None were LPN's. My comp. score was 137 and my composite percentile score was 95. What I did was during the summer I borrowed a friend's NLN entrance exam reviewer and I actually finished the whole book. It turned out that a lot of Science questions from the NLN exam were from higher BIO subjects like BIO 131, 132, and 151. If you've taken those subjects already, you have the advantage. On the verbal part, I suggest buying a small dictionary and once in a while, open it and look up some words. Instead of reading a magazine or a pocket book read the dictionary. That's what I did. Some of the vocabulary words they used for our test was outragious! Words like penchant and ravenous (that's what I remembered). For the math part, I suggest practicing the NLN reviewer. It might not be the same questions but its mostly the same problems. And cantbeagoddess is right, sometimes just by partly computing for the answer and you'll find the right choice right away. That'll save you some time.

Once you're in the program please say goodbye to everybody... your spouse, kids, parents, friends, and co-workers. Nursing will own you for the semester. If you have any family issues, resolve it first before you get in to the program or you're just asking for more trouble. The batch that started fall 2009 was cut down almost in half. We were luckier, we only lost 2 in our batch. One was for a health issue and the other student was having some family problem and did not meet the passing grade of 75.

The good side of the nursing program is your class will be a tight group. You will get to know each other well. Good luck!

My composite was a 147, but I am still so nervous. I heard they will only take 20 instead of the usual 30 because some of the spots are being reserved for different students.

drgngnr2002, do you remember if you had an orientation before the program started? I am going away on vacation Jan 4th-11th and then classes start the 18th....so I am hoping I won't miss anything beforehand! Also, have you worked at all while doing the program? Can you tell me approximately how much work you need to do outside of class to keep up? I am really hoping to work as much as possible during the program--I need the money!

If you're applying for spring 2011, they'll probably take between 28-31. They can take up to 8 people per section, and there's 4 sections in the spring class. We lost 2 for our batch, and they are the priority next schedule so there's a good chance that they'll take in more people.

Yes, you do have a mandatory orientation for 3 days a week before classes start. If you dont attend that orientation, you'll lose your spot. Im working 30 hours a week, but I'm struggling, i suggest that 20 hours work will be ok. Class schedules will be inconsistent. Fall batch normally have classes in the morning but clinical hours change, sometimes its in the morning then you'll have PM the next class. It's not work friendly at all. If you have a weekend part-time job, that will be great. Also working as CNA will help you at school too.

I'm applying for the Spring 2011 term and I was wondering if anyone out there is also applying or applied last semester and had info about how difficult it is to get in. Judging from the website, it seems like all they really care about is your results on the NLN pre-entrance exam. Is this the case?

Also, if anyone is currently enrolled in the nursing program I was wondering how rigorous it is compared with other classes you've taken at Oakton?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ashley

I'll tell you what I had experienced so far. NUR 103 your 1st class. It's about 6 weeks long. You meet everyday 5x a week. About 1.5 hr lecture, 1 hr tutoring, x 2/week. Lab is about 3 hours x 1/week, and clinical is 5hrs x 2/week. NUR 104 is about 10 weeks I think. You'll have 5 quizzes and 1 final exam. Don't take the quizzes lightly, because it is a major chunk of your grade. This is were most people fail. Then you have lab quizzes almost every week. Lab grades don't count toward your final grade. Its pass/fail. Then you'll have your skills assessments, done almost every week too. It's pass/fail also. Your book readings will be overwhelming............... if you read the whole chapter..........., just read the topics pertaining to your lecture.

It might be too intimidating at first but after your first month, everything will become clearer. Be organized, always keep your ducks in a row and never be behind with your paperwork (yes, a lot of papers). Invest on a calendar where you can write notes. Good luck!

Do you remember if your orientation was Mon, Tues, Wed before classes or Wed, Thurs, Fri before classes?? I get back from my vacation on the Tuesday before classes start. Obviously, I need to take my spot in the program if I get in, but I already spent 3000 dollars on this vacation....