Hi! I live in Portland, OR and want to apply for OHSU's accelerated bachelor's program for nursing, but there isn't a lot of information out there on it. I've browsed their website, but it doesn't answer all the questions I have. I would love to know exactly what they judge you on in order to get in. I know your GPA and essays are extremely important, but do they care if you have had work history, or your CNA license or not? I don't have any experience, but have a 4.0 so far in my pre-reqs, and a 3.6 in my previous bachelor's degree (in a social work field). Anyway, I want to apply for the program to enter it in the summer of 2012, so I can finish up my pre-req's and what not. I am just wondering what else I need to do, because I really want in. Also, how much does it cost, and being accelerated, is it 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, or what? I have two kids I'm going to need to find childcare for while I'm in school, so I just want to know what I'm in for. anyway, if you can help me answer any of these questions, I would so greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
pnlu007 - Thank you for sharing this information with me about Linfield. I'm leaning towards staying in Portland to attend Linfield. Johns Hopkins is a wonderful school, but it's hard for me to rationalize spending $50,000 more to go there (with moving costs and higher costs of living, etc). I think it's smarter for me to spend less on my bachelor's and then go to a spendier institution for my master's/doctorate. I'm still on the fence though. Tomorrow is the accepted students day at JH, so I'm hoping I will have a better idea overall of what I want to do. If I do stay, I look forward to meeting you also and either way, how exciting to start a nursing program in which we'll be an RN in less than two years! Not to mention, looking forward to a Portland summer :-)
alkalinetreeo - I have a 4.0 pre-req gpa and a 3.7 cumulative gpa along with 6 months of volunteer experience at a clinic in Portland. The more experience you can get the better. Also, I took 3 classes over to raise my grades from B's to A's. From the looks of it, a 4.0 pre-req gpa is pretty standard. Best of wishes to you in the future and let me know if you have any other questions!
pnlu007 - Thank you for sharing this information with me about Linfield. I'm leaning towards staying in Portland to attend Linfield. Johns Hopkins is a wonderful school, but it's hard for me to rationalize spending $50,000 more to go there (with moving costs and higher costs of living, etc). I think it's smarter for me to spend less on my bachelor's and then go to a spendier institution for my master's/doctorate. I'm still on the fence though. Tomorrow is the accepted students day at JH, so I'm hoping I will have a better idea overall of what I want to do. If I do stay, I look forward to meeting you also and either way, how exciting to start a nursing program in which we'll be an RN in less than two years! Not to mention, looking forward to a Portland summer :-)
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smallyfry....waitlisted with a 4.0 on prereq and prolly like a 3.65 overall...a bit of volunteering...i think my essay was good, but didn't have a strong, community-focus...i think that would have been good to have.
I was wait listed also with similar background. I have been accepted into a few other programs so am really unsure on what to do at this point. What are other people thinking? I wish they could give us our rankings to make the choice easier....
One thing I've heard about Linfield from a lot of people is that the curriculum is very reading and writing based. Personally, I don't like writing papers and don't feel like it helps me learn things better so Linfield would be a frustrating experience for me. For others, it's probably excellently suited to their learning style.
Also, I've heard that OHSU has a nearly 100% completion rate for it's nursing programs and Linfield has an 85% rate. This may only be a RUMOR, but you could ask to confirm. Those statistics can be interpreted in a number of ways but with how expensive school is, it's only an investment if you actually finish. Maybe worth asking about JH too.
Also, when I was looking to apply outside of Portland (where I have friends) my brother, who had a former roommate in an Accelerated program, had an astute comment. He said that you basically have to study all the time in an AcBac program so you won't be able to go out much. Your old friends will forgive you for this. Making new friends in a new city will be harder.
... that said, your cohorts probably do become a lot of your social life either way, so I don't know if it makes as much of a difference.
Zeebee, I will have to email you later, but I am also really excited to meet everyone. As for my gpa, I had a 4.0 for the pre reqs and like a 3.999 for my cumulative. However, I have no experience!!! At all!! So, I wouldn't necessarily say they are looking for one thing. Good luck though!!
Came home from work to find an acceptance letter! YAHOO! So so so excited. Can't believe the competition to get into this program; sounds like there was a tidal wave of amazing applicants. Looking forward to meeting my cohort! Wishing those who were wait-listed the best of luck as well.
I don't think there is a perfect formula for ensuring acceptance. My pre-req GPA was around a 3.85 and my previous degree in Public Health was about a 3.7. I think what helped me write a compelling essay was my ability to draw off of my last two years of experience as a nursing assistant (first in long term care, and now on an orthopedics acute floor at a hospital). I was able to demonstrate that I know how demanding this profession can be, and that I have the skill set and bedside manner to be successful...which is difficult to do in an essay (and required NUMEROUS drafts!). I encourage you to have a nurse read your essay. I was able to receive valuable feedback from my coworkers who have been RNs for years.
smallfry2
27 Posts
4.0 in pre-req's (all completed), overall GPA from previous bachelor's 3.7; waitlisted.