BoogieScience

As a nursing student about to start school next month, I completely misinterpreted this article. I was expecting a review of comfortable shoes that I could look into for clinicals. All jokes aside, this was powerful. Great read before I start school.

In asking the same person to write your letter, simply explain to them that you will be reapplying again. They'll understand the situation. Plus, it will be easier for the recommender since they already have your letter saved.

I agree that searching for accredited accelerated nursing programs can be daunting. I remember when I decided to take my prereqs I first decided which schools I wanted to apply to. I used the CCNE site and focused on my homestate of CA. I made a spreadsheet of all my interested programs and looked up their prereqs from each school's website. I checked which schools had common prereq courses that I could bundle together. The spreadsheet you make will definitely help you, either microsoft excel or google spreadsheets. I hope this helps. Good luck. http://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp

Easier direct entry BSN programs? Define easier. No matter where you apply it will be competitive. Instead of trying to find easier programs (which I don't believe exist), make your resume stronger. I was in a very similar situation as you. I graduated in 2010 with a BS in biology with a cumulative gpa of 3.22. Nearly a decade later I decided to retake prenursing prereqs of anatomy, physio, and chem since a few of the schools I was interested in had time limits of my science classes from my undergrad. After 2 years of retaking my prereqs I got A's in all my classes. To strengthen my resume further I volunteered at a local hospital while also becoming a physio tutor for a semester. I was just accepted into the ME-MSN program at Uni of San Francisco. Some other programs I was interested in (which I highly encourage you look into if you're in Socal) were UCLA, UCI, CSULA, CSULB, CSUF, Western, and Charles Drew. I'm not sure about your situation, but these schools have nursing programs for applicants with degrees in fields other than nursing, which was perfect for me as I am changing my career to nursing. I hope this helps. If I could do it, anyone can do it. Good luck! Use this website to look into which schools you're interested in: http://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp

My sentiments exactly with the above posters in the order of taking these prereqs: I would take bio and chem, followed by a&p with stats, then micro with psych OR a&p with psych, then micro with stats. Try to avoid taking a&p with micro since they're both concept heavy. It's doable to take it together, but no need to pair them if you don't have to. Establishing your bio and chem background first will prove useful as a baseline since a&p and micro have a lot of overlapping concepts from bio and chem. Best of luck. Cheers.

Please add me to that FB group because I was also accepted to the OC campus! After 2 years of taking prereqs its finally paid off. I received an email last night to check my status. Can't wait to meet my future classmates. For those waitlisted, I've read stories where applicants were notified up until the day before the first day of class so keep pushing.

For the OC campus... I looked back in the USF ME-MSN Spring 2019 thread: and I found that the OC campus started sending out status updates (waitlists and acceptances) as of November 2, 2018. If this trend continues for this year, then we OC applicants could be receiving notices soon.

As a supervisor (in a non-nursing field) who has had to write letters of recommendations for my employees applying to grad school, the more information they gave me about themselves, the easier it was for me to write the letter. The info you provided above is all stellar and will help your supervisor with your letter.

In my opinion a C is better than an incomplete on your transcript. Some tips that could help you improve your grade: -see your professor during office hours and ask him/her on how to do better. This will give you the opportunity to address topics you don't understand and it shows the prof that you're committed to the class to improve. -if procrastination and time management is an issue, track your study time using the pomodoro technique by studying for 25 minutes, then take a break for 5 minutes and rinse and repeat. I recommend the app "Befocused". It's free and it tracks how much time you've studied. You can even break down different tasks. I like to breakdown each task as a class. -for every unit you take, you must dedicate 2 hours of studying per week, so if your microbio class is 4 units, then you should at least be studying 8 hours per week. -if there is still a concept/topic you don't understand, view youtube videos. Many channels are dedicated to the sciences so you'll definitely be able to find anything microbio related. -form study groups with other students. This offers a different perspective when another classmate gives their take on a difficult concept. Try not to form more than groups of 4 or else it's just going to turn into a hangout rather than a study session. -quiz yourself. The only way to know you really understand the material is by constantly testing yourself. I like to use another app called quizlet. I can make flashcards in the app and test myself anywhere like in line at the store and waiting for the bus. I hope this helps. Try these tips and see what works for you. Best of luck!

I have read many threads on this board where people were able to support a family while still going to nursing school. It's not impossible, it's all based on time management and juggling different hats (mother, student, worker, etc.) As for actually pursuing nursing, you'll really need to assess why you want to go into the profession and if it's really worth the time, money, effort and stress. If you're unsure of the job duties, then try working part-time as a CNA or volunteer at the local hospital. These avenues will definitely give you a glimpse of the work that nurses do.

I'm in a very similar situation as you where my schools of choice had different pre-reqs. I've applied to the school that I've already fulfilled most of my pre-reqs. If I do not get in then I'll move on with taking the pre-reqs for the other schools. Best of luck!

I keep telling myself not to check this thread until after Nov 14, but I can't stop myself. I need to turn off email notifications, LOL.

Prereq GPA: 4.0 Cum GPA: 3.22 Volunteer hours: 750+ in 2 hospitals I believe there was a delay last year and notices weren't sent out until late November/early December.

No response is usually a "no" in my book. I recently asked a professor for a letter. He initially said yes. I emailed him my statement of purpose, resume, and unofficial transcripts so that he could get a better idea of who I was. I followed up with him with a few weeks later, but he didn't respond. I sent him a few more emails and a call to his office, still nothing. Two days before my app was due I just accepted that he had completely flaked on me. Fortunately my program accepts professional LOR's so I asked a former supervisor to write me in. Yes, it's quite frustrating.

Try emailing/calling the program and ask if they accept professional LOR's. Wouldn't hurt to ask. There wasn't any other professor where you had prior rapport during your undergrad? Try going to a professor where you got an A in their class, meet with them in person and ask if they'd be willing to write you a positive LOR. The worst they can say is no, and you can move on and ask someone else. Another option requires you having to take a pre-req you haven't taken yet for the ABSN program. Take the class, build rapport with that professor, and ask for a letter once you've aced it.

Hey guys! I was just about to start a thread so I'm glad I found this one. I applied to the OC campus. My undergrad degree is Biology. 10 weeks couldn't come sooner. Is it November yet?

I'm 31 as well and I'm in a very similar situation as you in choosing nursing as a new career. I started searching for all the different types of nursing schools in SoCal. I used the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to find these schools: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) > Students > Find a Nursing Program. The types of programs I'm looking into are either an ABSN (accelerated bachelor's of science in nursing) or EL-MSN(entry level master's in science of nursing) since I already have by BS in Biology. I suggest you make a spread sheet of all the schools you're interested in and then list the prereqs you need to take for each school. Just as other people have stated, be aware of which science classes you'll need to retake since some schools require that some science classes must be taken within the last 7 years, other schools do not have a limit so it's best to check. Best of luck, hopefully we'll be applying to the same programs with the next few years.

Studying for the MCAT is no easy task; it will take time and practice to study for it, both of which you could use to focus on something else before starting your program (vacation, time with friends, family, work, etc.). I've had friends that have taken MCAT prep courses, bought supplementary materials, and hired tutors just to give them a slight edge, and all of which cost money. Taking the MCAT also costs $300+. To some, this might not be much but it's also not cheap. klp2006 pretty much summed it all up and I agree with those statements. Also consider that the responsibilities of both physician and nurse are completely different, different roles, and different interactions with patients. Lastly, the fact that you've already been accepted into a nursing program should be enough to assist in your decision of taking the MCAT. Best of luck in your decision-making. Cheers!

In California the labor laws heavily favor the employee. I would imagine it's similar to other states. It's not the end of the world to receive a PIP. Use it as an opportunity to improve on what you need to do. Hope everything works out for you.

Not a nurse YET, but I'm pre-nursing. Looking to complete my pre-reqs. For fitness I do Crossfit. Been doing it for 4 years. It's been fun!

First time poster here! Everyone's story is making me feel like I have nothing to complain about. I'm 30 y.o. Recently got married with no kids YET. I have a full time job in the human services industry, but finally looking into a change of career. I have been looking into nursing for the past few years. Received my BS in Bio 7 years ago and am looking to take my pre-reqs in Spring of 2018, granted I get into classes at nearby CC's in the surrounding area. I live in Socal/LA so science classes are always impacted plus I'll have low-priority since I already have my degree. My goal is to get into an ABSN or EL-MSN program hopefully somewhere in Socal. But my "hardship" is nothing compared to mostly everyone who has posted. Thanks everyone for sharing! I look forward to sharing my journey and learning of everyone's here as well. Cheers!