I just wanted to make a post as we enter the new academic year, and more importantly the next admission cycle. Hopefully through this post we can all share our admission experiences, concerns, and achievements.
To begin with, I am currently a University of Toronto student completing my final year! I am hoping to apply to UBC, UofT, Nipissing, Western, and Trent. Just waiting on applications to open up! I am slightly worried I may not get in because admission is so competitive, and seeing those with 3.9+ not get in can be very scary.
How about you? Are you excited for the new school year? Any concerns for the admission process? Let's get through this together
Right now I only have admission to Western (which I plan on accepting at least for now because I don't have any other admissions) but I also applied to both and here are some pros and cons I've collected that could be helpful. Location is a factor, but that's unique to you because I don't know what city you're from. Both schools have nearly identical first-attempt NCLEX pass rates, but western has a slightly higher overall NCLEX pass rate (100% within 1 year of graduation).
Western pros: 19 months! Shortest program in Ontario. Since that last semester is no courses and full time placement, you could totally use the 4 days off per week (or evenings if you're in a M-F, PC / CH placement) to do NCLEX prep, which allows you to write your NCLEX as soon as you graduate and start working. Program length aside, Western is also cheaper per semester than UofT, plus starting to work a semester earlier is a solid 20k right there in acute care in Ontario. A course on nursing informatics and promoting the health of indigenous people! Ranked 8th in Canada, so still in the top 10!
Western cons: less placement hours and they don't start until 3rd semester (744 total in comparison to probably 1000+ at UofT (Not sure exact breakdown because they don't post what the hours are)). You do still have sim labs though. So while this sucks, you also in a way have paid placement hours because you'll start working sooner as an RN, which also means greater responsibility sooner. Because there are no classes in final semester this is an extremely compressed program (it's basically 16 months if you think about it). Childbearing and Pediatric units in the medsurg courses, but no entire course devoted to them like UofT. If you aren't interested in the world of birth and children though this could be a plus. If you live in the GTA all your placements will be in the SW LHIN. The only partnership western has outside the SW LIHN is SickKids. Have to compete for placements with kids in the 4 year track.
UofT pros: placements start right away! Maternal and child-specific courses. Networking with GTA hospitals which is nice if you live in the area and want that. You'll graduate at a time where 4-year nursing kids aren't graduating, so NGG opportunities might not be as widely available, but this being said there's not really ever a shortage of nursing jobs. Ranked top in Canada.
UofT cons: Larger program (nearly 200 acceptances vs western 104), so slightly harder to stand out if getting good references for work or grad school is a top priority to you. More expensive, both per semester and to live downtown if commuting isn't an option to you. Additionally, 24 months vs 19, so you write your NCLEX and start working 5 months later, which if time / finances is a major player to you is a drawback. UofT is also one of the few schools with neither of an informatics course nor an indigenous health course. Informatics is a hugely growing field in nursing so if you ever planned to build on your degree with a nursing informatics certificate or an HI master's, you lose that intro. No indigenous nursing course also sets them apart negatively from most school's whose curriculum include this. This is a sad choice from an EDI perspective, as I'd expect a school with such high caliber to make raising culturally sensitive trauma-informed nurses a priority, but hopefully, it'll get added to the curriculum like most schools in Canada already have.
There's likely more pros/ cons to each school but these are some I've come across. Congrats on your acceptances! You'll be awesome no matter where you go, and will definitely get a job after even in hospitals you didn't do placements in haha, I guarantee that. ❤️
I just spoke with an admissions officer and she told me to expect a decision to be made around June 1st and to follow up with admissions if my portal doesn't update by June 15th.
I was hoping to hear within the next week or so, as in years past... so I am extremely disappointed with how late decisions are this year, but wanted to let you guys know so you're not still checking your portal everyday like I have been ahah
(I don't see the point of a Feb application deadline if the school isn't going to look at applications until May... but I digress)
Yeah I just got an official letter stating that my application has been deferred until my final grades are received. I'm extremely disappointed as well and I'm beginning to doubt myself because of it. I just don't understand why conditional offers can't be given? Why are they waiting for our final grades?
Right now I only have admission to Western (which I plan on accepting at least for now because I don't have any other admissions) but I also applied to both and here are some pros and cons I've collected that could be helpful. Location is a factor, but that's unique to you because I don't know what city you're from. Both schools have nearly identical first-attempt NCLEX pass rates, but western has a slightly higher overall NCLEX pass rate (100% within 1 year of graduation).
Western pros: 19 months! Shortest program in Ontario. Since that last semester is no courses and full time placement, you could totally use the 4 days off per week (or evenings if you're in a M-F, PC / CH placement) to do NCLEX prep, which allows you to write your NCLEX as soon as you graduate and start working. Program length aside, Western is also cheaper per semester than UofT, plus starting to work a semester earlier is a solid 20k right there in acute care in Ontario. A course on nursing informatics and promoting the health of indigenous people! Ranked 8th in Canada, so still in the top 10!
Western cons: less placement hours and they don't start until 3rd semester (744 total in comparison to probably 1000+ at UofT (Not sure exact breakdown because they don't post what the hours are)). You do still have sim labs though. So while this sucks, you also in a way have paid placement hours because you'll start working sooner as an RN, which also means greater responsibility sooner. Because there are no classes in final semester this is an extremely compressed program (it's basically 16 months if you think about it). Childbearing and Pediatric units in the medsurg courses, but no entire course devoted to them like UofT. If you aren't interested in the world of birth and children though this could be a plus. If you live in the GTA all your placements will be in the SW LHIN. The only partnership western has outside the SW LIHN is SickKids. Have to compete for placements with kids in the 4 year track.
UofT pros: placements start right away! Maternal and child-specific courses. Networking with GTA hospitals which is nice if you live in the area and want that. You'll graduate at a time where 4-year nursing kids aren't graduating, so NGG opportunities might not be as widely available, but this being said there's not really ever a shortage of nursing jobs. Ranked top in Canada.
UofT cons: Larger program (nearly 200 acceptances vs western 104), so slightly harder to stand out if getting good references for work or grad school is a top priority to you. More expensive, both per semester and to live downtown if commuting isn't an option to you. Additionally, 24 months vs 19, so you write your NCLEX and start working 5 months later, which if time / finances is a major player to you is a drawback. UofT is also one of the few schools with neither of an informatics course nor an indigenous health course. Informatics is a hugely growing field in nursing so if you ever planned to build on your degree with a nursing informatics certificate or an HI master's, you lose that intro. No indigenous nursing course also sets them apart negatively from most school's whose curriculum include this. This is a sad choice from an EDI perspective, as I'd expect a school with such high caliber to make raising culturally sensitive trauma-informed nurses a priority, but hopefully, it'll get added to the curriculum like most schools in Canada already have.
There's likely more pros/ cons to each school but these are some I've come across. Congrats on your acceptances! You'll be awesome no matter where you go, and will definitely get a job after even in hospitals you didn't do placements in haha, I guarantee that. ❤️
I think this is from a very biased lens. But there are definitely pros/cons I’ve never seen before
GB2000
12 Posts
Leaning towards Western now