positive advice about Walden University NP program

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I applied to a very reputable local NP school here in Mississippi. The length of the program was a year and I met all of the qualifications. I was extremely hurt and upset when I received my denial letter. I thought the interview went great and I was extremely hopeful that I would get in. When I called to question why, I was told that the program was very competitive. Nevertheless, I met a student that was accepted and she told me that my scores were higher than hers and that she was accepted on probation. Consequently , I began my search for other programs. The only program that I was able to apply to was Walden University. I received my acceptance letter Friday. I am bothered about the ridiculous tuition price of course. I also recently found out that it was a for profit program and a lot of negativity about the program exists. However, if there is anyone that has attended the program that may be able to give me some advice or share your experience. I am scheduled to start on September 3 of this year.

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Obviously you have hang ups about it being Walden. I know nothing about the program or its curriculum, but a for profit online school (diploma mill).... If I was a patient I would look elsewhere. I know that will make others mad saying that, bit thats what it is. That is nothing against you, just the sound of the education you are looking at. If I were you, I'd look into adding to your resume and applying broadly to other traditional schools on the next application cycle.

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Reapply to the reputable school and include other reputable programs as well. Do not settle for a school whose only criteria are whether or not the person applying has a pulse and a checkbook.

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Specializes in ICU, step down, dialysis.
Reapply to the reputable school and include other reputable programs as well. Do not settle for a school whose only criteria are whether or not the person applying has a pulse and a checkbook.

You have to have two years full time direct care RN experience to apply to this school. There is nothing wrong with it, I myself attend there. That is after i did my own research speaking directly to students already enrolled in the FNP program and reading for several months now how they are doing (over 400 of them). Current FNPs have told me they do not have a problem with Walden and as long as you have the proper certification, no one cares where you went. These are from ones all over the US, not just in mu local area (in fact, its a group who among the members is the author of a very popular review course). i even spoke with recruiters about this.There is not many current students posting on here, and I searched out other ways to find them and ask questions before I made the decision to enroll. I would never dream of attending if it was a "diploma mill." I don't call CCNE accredited schools that anyways, but they can certainly vary in quality among them. I was pleasantly surprised how highly the students thought of it (and they would most definitely say anything negative about it if that was their experience). The state university I attended for my BSN was garbage, plain and simple. I am not spending anymore tuition than my local brick and mortar colleges, I would flat out refuse to do that. The reviews I read online were regarding other programs, not nursing. Most I found, like any online reviews, were usually vague and/or disgruntled ex students who were legitimately dismissed. If you personally have never attended, I would not consider your opinion valid, just my two cents. If I have any problems later on, I most certainly would high tail it out of there. I'm too old and do not have a lot of $$ to be wasting on a lousy program.

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Look at it from a patient and peer point of view (dont think for a second your place of education will not define you for your career). Who would you go to? Someone from a traditional university, or a for profit lets-see-how-many-we-can-churn-out school? Who would you want covering your ass in the work field? Someone who went to a diploma mill? This topic is always battled ad nauseum here. Those who attend the diploma mills get offended. But remember there are terrible universities too. Pick reputable places, make sure you are competitive, and apply. Don't settle for walden. You'll regret settling later on.

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It's true. Anyone who says "it doesn't matter where you go" says that because they have probably never had someone look at their resume during an interview and go "Oh Wow, Yale (insert any prestigious school), Huh? That's impressive". So they wouldn't don't know that it absolutely does help to come from a reputable program. I am simply fishing for RN opportunities right now and am finding that coming from my program has helped me a lot. Then again, I'm in a stupidly competitive market. It's relative.

Let's not pretend that a law graduate from Harvard is going to be seen as equivalent and just as desirable to hire as a law grad from Boston Night School, presuming they both pass the New York bar. They might have the same license and the same ability to practice in New York, but their opportunities are going to be very, very different. In competitive markets, you should do everything you can to help yourself. Plus going to a well established school that is affiliated with an academic medical center will help you massively when it comes to networking. NP education is highly, highly variable (unlike med school or PA school). This makes picking a reputable program all the more important.

OP - You are better than a school with a 98% admission rate (this is true, look it up on US News & World Report).

edit: I know this will probably offend people who attend Walden. Nothing I have said is untrue. Try and look at it objectively. I'm truly not trying to attack anyone or hurt people's feelings - but the reality is that for-profit education is hugely problematic (not just in the field of nursing - across the board) for many, many reasons. Also asking "for positive advice" only is not really asking for advice, what you're looking for is validation.

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Specializes in ICU, step down, dialysis.

I formulate my opinion based on current, experienced FNPs , not anonymous people. People have said the same about pre nursing programs such as Chamberlain, Fortis College, etc. but they all graduate and at least in my area, find jobs. We’ll agree to disagree but to anyone else reading, do your own research on this and consider your sources.

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It's true. Anyone who says "it doesn't matter where you go" says that because they have probably never had someone look at their resume during an interview and go "Oh Wow, Yale (insert any prestigious school), Huh? That's impressive". So they wouldn't don't know that it absolutely does help to come from a reputable program. I am simply fishing for RN opportunities right now and am finding that coming from my program has helped me a lot. Then again, I'm in a stupidly competitive market. It's relative.

Let's not pretend that a law graduate from Harvard is going to be seen as equivalent and just as desirable to hire as a law grad from Boston Night School, presuming they both pass the New York bar. They might have the same license and the same ability to practice in New York, but their opportunities are going to be very, very different. In competitive markets, you should do everything you can to help yourself. Plus going to a well established school that is affiliated with an academic medical center will help you massively when it comes to networking. NP education is highly, highly variable (unlike med school or PA school). This makes picking a reputable program all the more important.

OP - You are better than a school with a 98% admission rate (this is true, look it up on US News & World Report).

edit: I know this will probably offend people who attend Walden. Nothing I have said is untrue. Try and look at it objectively. I'm truly not trying to attack anyone or hurt people's feelings - but the reality is that for-profit education is hugely problematic (not just in the field of nursing - across the board) for many, many reasons. Also asking "for positive advice" only is not really asking for advice, what you're looking for is validation.

Almost everything you post bashes Walden...I am starting to wonder if they rejected you or something.

Fact: Don't compare Ivy League schools to anything else...that is why they are called Ivy League Schools. That is like comparing apples to diamonds. For $40K a year, you had better be getting something in return.

Fact: Many state schools have a high admission rate as well. For-Profit schools also don't have the expectation of sinking dollars into research and other "extra" programs, therefore, the more students they can accept, the more faculty they can hire and the more students they can accept. It's like any other business...you can grow as long as you have money to support the growth.

Fact: You have been asked, and have yet to post, any credible information where someone has got their NP from a for-profit school, went through credentialing, passed their exam and then had trouble getting a job. This has yet to be seen with Walden, b/c they will graduate their first FNP class in February 2014.

Fact: They have the same credentialing as my local school....however, I did not attend their FNP program (that is the only one I checked) b/c it hadn't been cleared through my state BON...38 other states, apparently don't have an issue with it.

Fact: If you finish at Walden, you can sit for the FNP exam...allow the exam to demonstrate the competency of the program.

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Fact: Graduates of an Established traditional university associated with a medical center will be hired over a Walden any day. Ivy League or not. They are diploma mills.

As for knowing anyone, I worked for a group while in nursing school (worked as LPN) who were bringing on 2 FNP's. I remember they were graduates of The University of Utah, U. Of Colorado, marysville and a Texas state school I can't remember. All but the guy from texas were new grads. The group passed up on the guy from Texas and the Maryville lady. Why? The others were reputable schools, and employers do take it into account. I remember the guy from Texas was just awkward...

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Fact: Graduates of an Established traditional university associated with a medical center will be hired over a Walden any day. Ivy League or not. They are diploma mills.

As for knowing anyone, I worked for a group while in nursing school (worked as LPN) who were bringing on 2 FNP's. I remember they were graduates of The University of Utah, U. Of Colorado, marysville and a Texas state school I can't remember. All but the guy from texas were new grads. The group passed up on the guy from Texas and the Maryville lady. Why? The others were reputable schools, and employers do take it into account. I remember the guy from Texas was just awkward...

You missed the point, you shouldn't compare any school, Walden or any other, to an Ivy League school, reputable or not..that is why they call them, duh, Ivy League Schools.

I am not saying that school doesn't matter..my point was, did your friends EVENTUALLY find jobs? The Dean of my old nursing school is a graduate from Walden as well as most of the professors in Nursing Education.

I never said that it wouldn't make any difference...ever...I just said that the above bashing poster, seems to have a blanket assumption that if you graduate from Walden that it automatically equals no long....Myelin has yet to post proof otherwise.

I'm not saying that Myelin is incorrect...he/she very well could be...however, I would prefer to see evidence of it, rather than post something as fact, when it remains to be seen, because Walden has NEVER graduated an FNP class as of yet!

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Um, well first they call them Ivy League schools because of the sports conference they were part of many years ago. It has nothing to do with being prestigious, though all eight schools have become some of the top schools in the world. And many people don't spend 40K a year to attend unless they have it - I went on full scholarship, as Ivy League schools try to ensure no one is burdened by debt to attend. Furthermore, there are MANY schools you can compare to Ivy League schools. Stanford, MIT, Duke, etc. - they can easily be compared to Ivy League schools, so to say no school should be compared to an Ivy League is also false.

As for Walden - I do feel as though it may hurt graduates, as would any online, for-profit university. I understand the content may be the same, and I truly believe Walden students if they say their program is tough and they feel they are receiving a great education. The problem, however, is that we live in a world of perception. Almost anyone would choose Gucci over K-Mart - even if they were the exact same article of clothing. I once saw an episode of a Penn and Teller show where they charged outrageous amount of money for "special bottled water" that they filled using a garden hose. People thought it was the most amazing water they'd ever had. It's all perception! When an employer has two candidates, one from Columbia and one from Walden, the Walden grad will start out way behind the eight ball. People recognize that top schools have higher standards (vs 98% acceptance rate) and that the students who graduate from there have proven themselves. That is not to say, of course, that NPs who have graduated from online for-profit schools don't find a job eventually, but it is severely limiting. A Walden grad might find a job somewhere where there is a desperate need for NPs and few applicants, but that degree will not help in attaining a very competitive job in a good specialty where 8 or 9 other NPs apply.

Passing the watered down NP licensing exam (which many people say they could have passed as an RN) does not mean two people are equal, so please don't expect that to be the determining factor.

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hi didrun

How are things going for you. I am scheduled to begin on Sept 3.

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