Columbia School of Nursing MDE 2018

Nursing Students School Programs

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Hi AN fellows!

I know it is super early to start such a thread but I was hopping to connect with potential applicants/classmates for Columbia SON MDE 2018 program!

If you are applying to Columbia SON for summer 2018, let's share our experiences, ideas, thoughts and such!

Looking forward to hearing from some of you!

Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.

Thanks for starting this thread. I am thinking about applying for the 2018 entry as well and I think they added a new component called video essays that we now have to submit as part of our application. Did the 2017 class have to do this or was this optional for you? If you did submit a video how did you prepare?

They also added a timed writing portion that was not part of previous application cycles.

Thank you for your help in advance!

FYI - the application has opened!!! :)

Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.

Yeah! Thank you for the info. Columbia also sent out an announcement today that said if your undergrad GPA is greater then 3.25, GREs are waived for the MDE program. This is the school where you received your bachelors, they were very specific about this. Check your inboxes if you haven't read the announcement yet.

Hi future nurses! I'm a current MDE student finishing up my first semester. Last year it was very helpful getting to talk to MDEers so I've decided to help you all out by answering questions, giving advice, and telling you about the program. I have finals coming up but I am always looking for things to help me procrastinate, so ask away!!!!! ;)

Hi future nurses! I'm a current MDE student finishing up my first semester. Last year it was very helpful getting to talk to MDEers so I've decided to help you all out by answering questions, giving advice, and telling you about the program. I have finals coming up but I am always looking for things to help me procrastinate, so ask away!!!!! ;)

Hi there! It is so awesome of you to help potential MDErs out!

Obviously I and many on here have a ton of questions, but I will start with the basics:

1. How do you like the program so far?

2. Do you think the curriculum is rigorous enough to prepare you for the NCLEX and the world of nursing?

3. How supportive are the professors, clinical instructors, administration, peers?

4. Do you feel the pace of the curriculum is adequate that you are able to study?

5. Do you work?

6. How do you manage your tuition: grants, scholarships, loans, own money?

7. Anything else you think is important to mention.

Thank you in advance!!!!

1. I love the program so far! There have been numerous complaints about it being disorganized, but I have to disagree. All of our professors are in contact with each other and with all the administrative staff. For example, one time two different professors were gonna have a review session at the exact same time, but when they noticed this conflict one immediately changed her time. TAs are always trying to work around our schedule to fit in review sessions and office hours. Whenever we get some sort of administrative email, the professors know that we got that email. I think the coordination is great overall. The only "disorganized" part is that in one of our classes it feels like we have 10 things going on at once. At the beginning of the semester it was confusing but 2-3 weeks in most of us got the hang of it. Clinicals are great and a really awesome way to learn. The only part that no one likes is our long days. It feels like we practically live on campus because we spend so much time in class and at the library studying.

2. The curriculum is rigorous enough to prepare us but not so rigorous that we can't handle it. Almost all professors make their exams multiple choice and NCLEX style. To give you an idea, we have integrated testing throughout the year using Kaplan test prep and the Kaplan exams, which are made specifically to help us pass the NCLEX, have been very similar to our in class exams. I think Columbia's pass rate is about 95% but if someone doesn't pass it's probably because they didn't use the tools that were available to them, not because the school didn't prepare them.

3. Everyone in the program is very very supportive. All professors are very approachable and more than happy to answer questions. Administrative staff are very easy to get ahold of and very responsive via email. My clinical instructor is awesome and I've only heard good things about other instructors. Peers are pretty supportive I would say. A lot of people study together, but that's not for everybody. Obviously if you have a group project (which we have a lot of) then you can't avoid working with others. But even outside the group work many people have study buddies. I do have to admit that some students are very competitive and it shows. But I should have known to expect that. It is Columbia after all!

4. The pace of the program is fine. The tricky part is using your time wisely. For example, we spend Mondays 8AM to 5PM in class. Not many people want to head to the library after that many hours and continue studying. If you rest and relax every evening and then get some work done before bed you'll be fine. And it's also important to get some studying in on weekends. But yes, you will have plenty of time to study and surprisingly even some time to go out and enjoy yourself. I was under the impression that I would never do anything fun all summer but that's not the case at all.

5. I do not work and I don't know anyone who does. I highly discourage it because if you use up your little free time working you will never get around to studying. Here's our schedule this semester to give you an idea:

-Monday classes 8AM to 5PM

-Tuesday classes 8AM to 4PM

-Wednesday labs 8AM to 12PM usually followed by about 3 hours of group work

-Thursday clinical 7AM to 3:30PM

-Friday class 9AM to 1PM and an optional review session for that class 1PM to 3PM (that a lot of people go to)

(Wednesday half the class has clinical and half has labs. Thursday we switch. Also half of us have labs 8AM to 12PM whereas the other half have them 12:30PM to 4:30PM. For those with afternoon labs they might do their group work in the mornings before class.)

Throw in time spent watching tv to unwind, time making dinner, time studying, showering, grocery shopping and whatever else. And sleep of course. Sleep is very important and something we treasure nowadays!!!

6. Most of us got the MDE scholarship which is $27,000. But if I remember correctly the cost of tuition for the MDE alone is $109,000 so most of us have close to $100,000 in loans to cover the rest of tuition, books, health insurance, housing, food, transportation. Unless your family can afford to pay for it, in which case you're VERY lucky!

7. My advice is this: stop stressing about whether your GPA or GRE or experience is good enough. I know someone in the program whose undergraduate GPA was a 2.8 and another person who had a 2.9. There is a reason Columbia doesn't have a minimum GPA and that's because it doesn't take straight A's to make a good nurse. Some people bombed the GRE but still got in. Some of my classmates have all kinds of medical experience on their resumes while some of us have none. Our cohort is made of teachers, paramedics, people who worked in business, people who did public health, musicians, students who came here straight from undergrad with no work experience whatsoever. Some people have degrees in neuroscience and some of us have degrees in liberal arts. Some of us are older in our 30's and 40's while some are barely 22. We have lots of married students and students with children! In my opinion, anyone can get in with good essays, good videos, and good recommendations. Just make sure you show your passion for people and a good reason for why you chose nursing and Columbia.

1 Votes

Thank you for helping potential students out! :)

Do you think we need to dress professionally for the video response? I got the impression that it's alright the record in your room?

@kettywng Just a nice blouse is fine. I wore a blouse that's nice enough for church but not necessarily nice enough for an interview LOL. And my hair was down, not styled or anything.

@soontobeRN89

You've been incredibly helpful and so informative! I'm brand new to this site, I mean I've navigated the site before, but never participated in a discussion (too shy).

I wasn't even considering Columbia because I thought I wouldn't be good enough or am not Columbia material. But, after reading your posts I feel I have a chance at getting into the program! I'm an older student that's been working office jobs for quite a while now, and I've always felt stuck and unfulfilled. But, it wasn't until I had a conversation with a nurse educator about a year ago that my life changed. In the middle of our conversation she told me I would make an amazing nurse. Of course, my response was I wasn't smart enough to be a nurse. But, I found myself researching and Googling everything I could about nursing. Eventually, I realized I could do it. Now, I really want to make a difference and work with people. I was looking into programs like LIU, but I've only heard terrible things.

Anyway, I digress (sorry), I just wanted to say thank you for giving me hope! Columbia would also be ideal because it's so close to home :)

1. I love the program so far! There have been numerous complaints about it being disorganized, but I have to disagree. All of our professors are in contact with each other and with all the administrative staff. For example, one time two different professors were gonna have a review session at the exact same time, but when they noticed this conflict one immediately changed her time. TAs are always trying to work around our schedule to fit in review sessions and office hours. Whenever we get some sort of administrative email, the professors know that we got that email. I think the coordination is great overall. The only "disorganized" part is that in one of our classes it feels like we have 10 things going on at once. At the beginning of the semester it was confusing but 2-3 weeks in most of us got the hang of it. Clinicals are great and a really awesome way to learn. The only part that no one likes is our long days. It feels like we practically live on campus because we spend so much time in class and at the library studying.

2. The curriculum is rigorous enough to prepare us but not so rigorous that we can't handle it. Almost all professors make their exams multiple choice and NCLEX style. To give you an idea, we have integrated testing throughout the year using Kaplan test prep and the Kaplan exams, which are made specifically to help us pass the NCLEX, have been very similar to our in class exams. I think Columbia's pass rate is about 95% but if someone doesn't pass it's probably because they didn't use the tools that were available to them, not because the school didn't prepare them.

3. Everyone in the program is very very supportive. All professors are very approachable and more than happy to answer questions. Administrative staff are very easy to get ahold of and very responsive via email. My clinical instructor is awesome and I've only heard good things about other instructors. Peers are pretty supportive I would say. A lot of people study together, but that's not for everybody. Obviously if you have a group project (which we have a lot of) then you can't avoid working with others. But even outside the group work many people have study buddies. I do have to admit that some students are very competitive and it shows. But I should have known to expect that. It is Columbia after all!

4. The pace of the program is fine. The tricky part is using your time wisely. For example, we spend Mondays 8AM to 5PM in class. Not many people want to head to the library after that many hours and continue studying. If you rest and relax every evening and then get some work done before bed you'll be fine. And it's also important to get some studying in on weekends. But yes, you will have plenty of time to study and surprisingly even some time to go out and enjoy yourself. I was under the impression that I would never do anything fun all summer but that's not the case at all.

5. I do not work and I don't know anyone who does. I highly discourage it because if you use up your little free time working you will never get around to studying. Here's our schedule this semester to give you an idea:

-Monday classes 8AM to 5PM

-Tuesday classes 8AM to 4PM

-Wednesday labs 8AM to 12PM usually followed by about 3 hours of group work

-Thursday clinical 7AM to 3:30PM

-Friday class 9AM to 1PM and an optional review session for that class 1PM to 3PM (that a lot of people go to)

(Wednesday half the class has clinical and half has labs. Thursday we switch. Also half of us have labs 8AM to 12PM whereas the other half have them 12:30PM to 4:30PM. For those with afternoon labs they might do their group work in the mornings before class.)

Throw in time spent watching tv to unwind, time making dinner, time studying, showering, grocery shopping and whatever else. And sleep of course. Sleep is very important and something we treasure nowadays!!!

6. Most of us got the MDE scholarship which is $27,000. But if I remember correctly the cost of tuition for the MDE alone is $109,000 so most of us have close to $100,000 in loans to cover the rest of tuition, books, health insurance, housing, food, transportation. Unless your family can afford to pay for it, in which case you're VERY lucky!

7. My advice is this: stop stressing about whether your GPA or GRE or experience is good enough. I know someone in the program whose undergraduate GPA was a 2.8 and another person who had a 2.9. There is a reason Columbia doesn't have a minimum GPA and that's because it doesn't take straight A's to make a good nurse. Some people bombed the GRE but still got in. Some of my classmates have all kinds of medical experience on their resumes while some of us have none. Our cohort is made of teachers, paramedics, people who worked in business, people who did public health, musicians, students who came here straight from undergrad with no work experience whatsoever. Some people have degrees in neuroscience and some of us have degrees in liberal arts. Some of us are older in our 30's and 40's while some are barely 22. We have lots of married students and students with children! In my opinion, anyone can get in with good essays, good videos, and good recommendations. Just make sure you show your passion for people and a good reason for why you chose nursing and Columbia.

Thank you so much for such in-depth info!!! I was, and still am, however, frightened at the prize tag!!! It is a lot of debt to get into. I wish to hear from former CSON students who actually work as nurses and are able to pay back the loans. I thought of applying but I am reconsidering.

@FutureNurseInfo I know the fear you're experiencing right now because I felt that way for years leading up to nursing school. But the truth is my classmates and I never think about the price tag. We're getting such a great education that it's almost a guarantee that we'll find work. (Columbia has that stats but it's something like within 6 months of finishing the program 100% of grads have nursing positions.) And SO MANY hospitals offer loan repayment programs, on top of our already really good salary.

The only time I've heard previous students talk about it is at Visiting Day when all admitted students were able to visit campus. They had a panel of three former students and one of the questions that came up is how they paid it off. The consensus was that this is NOT something to worry about and that it WILL get paid off eventually. They got scholarships, worked for hospitals that did loan repayment, and budgeted really well. You can be a TA for a semester in exchange for a few thousand dollars off your tuition. You can work part time during the DNP and start paying off loans. There's so many possibilities, it truly isn't a concern for us.

Think about it this way: education at an Ivy League and clinicals at some of the top hospitals in the nation. That's already a great looking resume, and add any extra things you might do during nursing school like study abroad and volunteer for different clinics... I truly think that had we chosen any other less "reknown" program (I hate that word) we wouldn't be so "hire-able." Hospitals literally come to Columbia in an effort to recruit new grads because we're thought of as exceptional and competent nurses! Imagine getting recruited for a job that payed $800 of your loans every month!

Don't think of this as you putting yourself $100,000 further in debt. Think of it as you investing in yourself and in your future!

Hi future nurses! I'm a current MDE student finishing up my first semester. Last year it was very helpful getting to talk to MDEers so I've decided to help you all out by answering questions, giving advice, and telling you about the program. I have finals coming up but I am always looking for things to help me procrastinate, so ask away!!!!! ;)

Is the timed writing process something we can prepare for? Also does anyone know if the video recording begins right away when you click on the link?

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