Pace ABSN program starting 2013

mairayhans · May 8, 2013

Pregunta,

Thank you for your words. I really (like everybody else) want to get in. Pace is my first choice out of the 2 I have. I am a little nervous because they have been sending acceptances to people who interviewed on April 8th and I did my interview with the first group of people in March. Anyways, when I called like 2 days ago and ask them about my status they said that they are sending emails with their decision and also ask me if I had an interview already. So I told her that I went for an interview on March 28th and that I haven't heard anything yet. She said that if I was in the first group of people who interviewed that I should be getting an email with the desicion anyday in the next 2 weeks and that if I was called for an interview that I was in good shape because there is still a lot of people who haven't been called for an interview yet and that they are still thinking about interviewing more people... who knows, I am going through that same thing with NYU and they tend to say one thing but at the end is not true. Let's hope for the best! Good luck to all!

SunnyNYC · May 8, 2013

The acceptance email indicated you have to pay the deposit by May 15th or 17th (I forgot which) in order to hold your spot. Maybe after that point. they send out more acceptances? Does that make sense?

mschief · May 9, 2013

Hey guys! Congrats to all of you guys who've gotten in so far, and good luck to those of you who are still waiting!

I'm currently in the CDP program (graduating--I hope--in August 2013) and want to make myself available as a resource to anyone who's interested. There's a TON of stuff I wish I knew before I started, so if you have any questions ask away! The FB group is a great idea; way to get a head start :)

Hope this helps!!

Simplybliss · May 10, 2013

Hi can my it share with all of us your stats in terms of GPA, undergrad degree, volunteer experience and a little about yourself?? I would truly appreciate any insight on how competitive the program is!

Congrats on your journey so far! :)

Hey guys! Congrats to all of you guys who've gotten in so far, and good luck to those of you who are still waiting!
I'm currently in the CDP program (graduating--I hope--in August 2013) and want to make myself available as a resource to anyone who's interested. There's a TON of stuff I wish I knew before I started, so if you have any questions ask away! The FB group is a great idea; way to get a head start :)
Hope this helps!!

SunnyNYC · May 10, 2013

Sunshine, that's really great of you! Are you in the 1 year or 2 year program? What are some of the things that you wished you would have known about beforehand?

mschief · May 10, 2013

Aw thank you! And no problem:

Undergrad: Double majored in human bio & cognitive science. Ugrad GPA was low (2.7! So have hope, haha :bag: ) but pre-req GPA was 3.9. Plenty of work, research, volunteer (hospitals, free clinics, mentorship, etc) & leadership experience. Worked in pharm/research for a couple of years before applying; didn't have any particular distinctions as far as scholarships or publications.

As for competitive..? To be honest, getting into the program is the easy part. I honestly wouldn't recommend Pace CDP to anybody, and I think 90% if not 100% of my classmates would say the same. I don't think it's a bad education, just that we students pay a LOT of money to put up with a LOT of unpleasantness from the school. Overall the quality of experience is nowhere near worth what you're paying for it; administration clearly cares more about stats than the welfare of students, and the program's structure/organization leaves a lot to be desired. These things make the program a lot more confusing, stressful, and frustrating than it needs to be. So, competitive? Not per se... but difficult? Absolutely.

On the plus side, if you do survive with your sanity intact you probably WILL pass the NCLEX in one go! There ARE a few professors that do care about their students, and being in Manhattan is a great way to see many different hospitals. And, whether you end up teaching yourself, learning from your peers, or lucking out and getting one of the really great profs... you will get your accredited nursing education.

I definitely wouldn't choose Pace again, but haven't left in a rage yet... so take that as you will!

mschief · May 10, 2013

I'm in the 1 year program! I wouldn't have survived another 2 years of school, haha :)

Things I wish I knew beforehand:

-- Studying by doing practice questions is 10x more effective than by reading the textbook. Even if you don't know any of the science behind it, do practice questions every chance you get and read the rationales. You'll internalize.

-- It's never too early to start memorizing normal lab values- your clinical instructors will be really impressed! Or at least they won't be embarrassed of you. :bag:

-- PREPARE for clinicals! The more you know going in, the more you'll get out of it. And the less terrified you'll be in your scrubs, too!

-- All the working nurses I've met have told me that it's better to have a little experience under your belt before going for the Master's. (I've opted out of the Master's portion, myself) It's an individual decision, but going through the program (and harassing every nurse who would give me the time of day) really convinced me to work as an RN first.

-- Stress is negotiable. I know you don't want to be mean, but you'll be a lot healthier & happier if you don't hang out with people who are always stressed.

As for Pace-specific things... well maybe I'll see you guys at orientation, and let you know then! Good luck & rock those interviews! :)

mairayhans · May 10, 2013

Sunshine&Mischief,

Thank you for your insights and good advices. I've heard that the CDP at Pace is a tough program and that you have to do a lot of self teaching and that you have professor that really don't care about you learning. But do you think it has improve compared to past years. When I read threads from last year or 2 years ago I feel horrified for all the bad comments about the school. Anyways, here are a few questions I have, Which course do you think is the hardest? and Do you think the 2 year program is easier since you actually take less courses per semester? Is there anything you would personally recommend doing before starting school? I am still waiting for a decision and it is getting very frustrating because it's almost Mid May and I don't really know what's going to happen in the future for me. Thank you for sharing things with us. Crossing my fingers for the people that like me still haven't heard any news.

mschief · May 10, 2013

Aw the waiting game IS terrible. My fingers are crossed for you too!

Hmm has it improved from past years? I don't think so; I'd agree with most of what past posts say. Primarily I feel that admin and (some) faculty have a really bad attitude towards the students. They brush off our complaints and opinions, and they know what the word on the street is, but they don't care because they know applicants will keep coming in. Don't expect anything to change on that front!

However I think the cohort before us (~20ish) had an okay time, so maybe it's just a factor of Pace biting off more than they could chew with our class (our cohort started with ~70 students). As I mentioned, I don't think the curriculum is more difficult than at any other school; it's the emotional strain, stress, and lack of support that's the worst. Faculty seems stretched too thin (which goes into the whole lack of nursing faculty in general problem, but that's another thing!) and honestly I think a cohort of 70 is just too big.

Let me ask: what makes Pace such an attractive school to you?

As for the 2 year program, I definitely think it's easier. They seem a lot less stressed than we do, at least :) You have more time to focus on each subject, although many 2-years work part time so I think it evens out.

Recommendations before starting school: the same stuff I said before about memorizing the normal lab values (electrolytes, WBC, RBC, platelets, hbg, htc, etc etc), and if you PM me I'll send you some resources that you can start to get into the stride of test-taking. (That goes for anyone!)

Good luck :)

esawitz · May 12, 2013

Aw the waiting game IS terrible. My fingers are crossed for you too!
Hmm has it improved from past years? I don't think so; I'd agree with most of what past posts say. Primarily I feel that admin and (some) faculty have a really bad attitude towards the students. They brush off our complaints and opinions, and they know what the word on the street is, but they don't care because they know applicants will keep coming in. Don't expect anything to change on that front!
However I think the cohort before us (~20ish) had an okay time, so maybe it's just a factor of Pace biting off more than they could chew with our class (our cohort started with ~70 students). As I mentioned, I don't think the curriculum is more difficult than at any other school; it's the emotional strain, stress, and lack of support that's the worst. Faculty seems stretched too thin (which goes into the whole lack of nursing faculty in general problem, but that's another thing!) and honestly I think a cohort of 70 is just too big.
Let me ask: what makes Pace such an attractive school to you?
As for the 2 year program, I definitely think it's easier. They seem a lot less stressed than we do, at least :) You have more time to focus on each subject, although many 2-years work part time so I think it evens out.
Recommendations before starting school: the same stuff I said before about memorizing the normal lab values (electrolytes, WBC, RBC, platelets, hbg, htc, etc etc), and if you PM me I'll send you some resources that you can start to get into the stride of test-taking. (That goes for anyone!)
Good luck :)

Sunshine&mischief,

I Just got accepted into the two year program. I tried to PM you for the resources however, I am new to this site and I am having problems sending messages. Can you please PM me the resources and any suggestions of what and how to prep.

Thank you so much

SunnyNYC · May 12, 2013

Is anyone else doing the 1 year program?

mairayhans · May 13, 2013

Did anybody hear anything from Pace? I called today and they said that they are trying to get all the letters out by the end of the month and that people that had interviews don't seem to have any advantages compared to people who haven't had any yet... this waiting game sucks! Good luck everyone!