inkabruce

hey, i tried to pm you my email before but maybe it didn't go through. found the group though! And yea I'm not sure about to do lists with the background checks or drug tests etc. I just paid my intent to enroll and have been emailing financial aid about a few things.

@futurerninthemakin I know they have some campus housing but I think mostly undergrad students fill those up. I am moving from the LA area so going to look at all options like Craigslist etc. It seems pretty easy. We could also start a facebook group as I know past cohorts were able to find housing with other students through that.

mine also changed to admitted! congrats everyone!!

@kalduenda hey, yea this all can be pretty nerve wrecking. So I applied for fall originally and was accepted but deferred to spring for a couple reasons. With fall acceptances the student center changed first then the day after I got the email. It sounds like your in a good spot so I wouldn't worry too much, but I know how it goes. A few people mentioned as of this week they did not have evaluations yet and that CSUSM told them they plan to have those completed by next week. So hopefully they get that done then get out acceptances by next week or the following. Good luck!

hopefully they get the evaluations out next week and acceptances shortly after :)

@SD123CA It all depends on the applicant pool, but in the info session she made it sound like they only expect it to get more competitive for spring. The evaluation sheets should be out by the end of August, hopefully!

@eastlakenurse Congrats on the TEAS! I think as long as you have the right courses completed during undergrad, you will be good. It looks like they only absolutely need those AP scores if there isn't sufficient undergrad courses to meet the requirements. To be safe, I would email them. But either way you will find out once you get your evaluation. good luck :)

@IE_Tacoma94 Nice! It took them a solid 4 weeks for me to get my evaluation, after the window closed! I had submitted my application like a month prior to the deadline as well. So unless you get lucky, expect to wait! And I have already been to an info session at the Temecula campus for the fall term, but am going tomorrow to the main campus to check it out. I also want to explore the Carlsbad area as well since I plan on living there. @mleiaa I think that answers your question too but I would say feel free to email their general nursing email with any questions on status etc. They are really good about updating you. There are only two ladies who split up the applications/evaluations so they have a lot to do. After receiving the evaluation. it took about 2 more weeks to get the admission email. good luck!

@mleiaa I think it all depends person to person, but unless you're a really good test taker or are still in class mode/just finishing up, I would spend a couple months preparing. Personally, my undergrad gpa is what was holding me back with a lot of apps but fortunately with CSUSM my TEAs score helped a lot and the undergrad gpa includes post undergrad work like our prerequisites! I scored in the 99th percentile - 92.7 score total, which is fairly common it seems like. I would just say take a practice exam early and work on what your weakest score is.

@j24og You have to keep in mind that this is nursing, not medical school. If it was medical school then yea, being at the best hospitals, specifically those that are teaching institutions would be most important. For nursing, it just matters that you're getting the training; yea if you can get into the better programs associated with the best hospitals then great! I had the same views as you when I applied for 2018 cycle and had a rude awakening. Take a look at CSULA's forum for last year, it's incredibly competitive as well. So unless you're coming in with 3.5 + undergrad gpa, 3.8+ prereq GPA, 300+ hours volunteering, AND 1 year + CNA or EMT experience on top of that, then I would apply to as many schools in the geographic area you want to be in. I was rejected by CSULA and had a meeting with the director regarding reapplying. She explained some candidates contact her years prior to applying to build their application. This is the reality of how competitive these programs are today, especially in California. I can say they do clinicals at USC/LA County , and since I volunteer in Cedars Sinai cardiac ICU, I have seen CSULA students there too. Obviously, this means UCLA's standards are even higher. They really prioritize the personal statement since they don't interview. I decided I am going to just accept CSU San Marcos for spring because I don't want to wait any longer. I actually by chance ran into the former dean of UCLA's SON when on campus and discussed all of this. To quote him, "As long as the program is accredited, then you're good. If it's a state university, even better. At the end of the day, the only difference with a program like UCLA is maybe the person who wrote the book is your professor." He encouraged me to accept CSUSM.

Yea I hear ya with starting as early as possible but I'm happy with how its all working out. Are you already local to the area? I'm excited to be able to explore San Diego a lot more now. Have a couple friends from high school and undergrad out there already too which helps. I'm sure organizing beach outings with the cohort won't be difficult to arrange as finals week passes!

@jchin1121 hey, are you planning to stay in socal? I am in a similar situation, I was an '09 grad from U of Illinois and studied Econ with a poor GPA, about a 2.7. I moved to LA after deciding to make a career change at 27 and figured why not use it as an excuse to move. 3 and half years later and I am done with the application process. I completed all my prereqs at West LA so definitely 100% do this at a community college. You will just need to look into each program and what prereqs they have, and what they accept as a transfer. Generally, they all tend to accept the same courses - if it meets a UCs standards it prob meets most others, but still double check! Also, you have to check each program bc each program may have an additional course that another doesn't. For example, UC Irvine requires sociology which UCLA does not. Finally, you will absolutely need to start getting experience now. Apply to hospitals to start volunteering and consider becoming a CNA or EMT. If you do this now, then when you are at the stage of applying and done with your prereqs, in about a year or more, you will have a good application. At the end of the day you're in a hole as it is based on your undergrad, unless you have a 3.2 and think it's bad. if it's above 3.0, you're in a good spot. I only applied to programs in southern california that are relatively close to the coast (which was naive and ridiculous of me as california programs are generally more competitive), and only got accepted to Cal State San Marcos and will be accepting. It all worked out bc now I can experience life in a beach town and get to know san diego a lot more. I would say try to decide what you think you'll want to do eventually because that can impact the program you choose as some are direct NP programs. I realized I want to be an NP in cardiology and this eliminated Western and Azusa since it is greatly preferred to be an acute care NP and they focus on primary care. So be aware of that too. Good luck!!!!

Hey all, just wondering who is applying to the Spring cohort at CSUSM. I actually applied to Fall and was accepted but had to defer to get better situated for the move. It worked out too because this is the cohort that is at the main campus, which I greatly prefer. I live in Los Angeles now so looking forward to life in a beach town, even though we'll be studying non stop haha. If anyone has any questions about the application process let me know. I had 36 points so should be good, but am considering retaking the TEAs exam.

Hi, is this meant to be for the ABSN program? Because it technically starts in the summer. I applied for the 2018 cycle but did not get in and am going to reapply. I realized how competitive it is during the application process and that I probably needed to start volunteering etc a year earlier. I did get accepted to CSU San Marcos but decided it's important to stick around LA because I have a lot of opportunities at Cedars Sinai, where I volunteer. Good luck!

I am ruling out APU and Western now since I decided the route I want to take is best suited with becoming an adult-gerontology acute care NP, which neither of them offer. So I will reapply to UCLA, CSULA, and UC Irvine; then CSU San Marcos will be the back up and eventually I would apply to CSULA and UCLA's NP program. Since it's so competitive, it's not helpful to limit yourself geographically... but I really like Southern California :)

Well in an interesting turn of events it looks like I won't be reapplying to Azusa. I've realized during this cardiac rotation that I want to eventually be an NP in cardiology, and even though it's possible as a FNP or gerontology primary care NP, it is much better preparation to complete an adult-gerontology acute care NP program. So looks like I will reapply to CSULA and UCLA for summer/fall and have CSU San Marcos as the backup. Good luck in the program everybody!!!

Cool, we'll have similar hours this for this cycle. Unless you have a 3.7+ undergrad gpa, you need to be around that much experience or more; so you should be good (for Azusa at least). With regards to your background, I don't think that will matter much, they want patient interaction roles, not necessarily involvement in healthcare in other capacities. I was an Econ major with a finance/business development background, thought it would give me some edge being from a different field but doesn't really seem to matter. Good luck man

When I applied I had approximately 186 hours; 170 were in the ED and 16 were in the cardiac ICU as i had just started a rotation there. When I applied to UCLA I had around 120 I believe of just ED experience. I realized during the application process how competitive it is out there from these forums and that I probably needed to start a year earlier. What kind of volunteer or hands on experience do you have?

Don't worry about your undergrad GPA, at least with Azusa. They really do look at the whole application, and care more about science GPA than undergrad. I was surprised I got a interview bc my undergrad GPA had clearly been handicapping me with other programs but then I learned that Azusa does not emphasize it as much, especially if you're an older student (i'm 31). @tea7317 thank you and congrats! hopefully I get in and we'll be in the same cohort :)

Hey! I may reapply, I applied for 2018 but wasn't accepted. I think I needed to start all my volunteering about a year earlier to give myself a shot. I have been accepted into Cal state san marcos and interviewed at Azusa for spring but was not accepted. I realize there is too much career development opportunities here in LA since I volunteer at Cedars. I do not know if I am going to reapply 100% but am reapplying to Azusa for next summer. Basically, I realize what is waiting another 6 months in the big picture? Although UCLA was my number 1 choice originally, I realize I do want to be an NP and prefer getting the ball rolling right away upon becoming an RN, which Azusa offers. I'm going to the July info session though so we'll see. UCLA is pretty cool haha

awesome! are you applying for the SD campus then? You have great stats and experience, I think you'll be fine!! I've been active in the other forum for spring term and I'd say you are a very strong candidate based off those who got accepeted etc. I have been in the ED for about a year and cardiac ICU since Jan. a lot has changed for me during the ICU rotation and helped me define clear goals. Oh, and another thing. Make sure to emphasize you are 100% on board with the NP path. my interview went well, but i definitely said I was always interested in becoming an APRN and liked the NP path BUT also was considering the CRNA. This was true at the time and NOT what they want to hear. It could not have helped, but now i know for sure this is the path for me. Good luck!!!

It isn't timed actually, you just have to complete it before your scheduled interview time. So if you need more time, just get there earlier. And yea, I have to finish research methods which I'm taking at SMC this fall. What are your stats/experience? I was an econ major at U of Illinois, my obstacle is a poor undergrad (didn't go to class :/ opps) with 2.7 gpa. 3.8 prereq. 4.0 sciences. I volunteer at cedars sinai and am going to start at venice family clinic to get exposure to clinic setting and work w the homeless. They like all healthcare experience but prefer more hands-on roles I believe

Thanks! And yes, absolutely. The interview revolves heavily around why azusa, why nursing/NP, and they ask you to explain an ethical dilemma you've been faced with and how you reacted. I've heard they asked that specificly to healthcare, but for me it was just in general. It ends up being more conversation style, although I just wasn't really nervous to begin with. So try to stay relaxed!! You also have to complete a hand written writing prompt. The topics range, but mine had to do with discussing overcoming challenges. Have you completed all your prereqs etc? Good luck :)

Hey all, just wondering who else plans on applying to this upcoming cycle since the deadline is coming up. I actually applied to the spring term, interviewed, but did not get accepted. Hopefully it works out this time :)

Well I just got home from the gym and found my denial letter. Oh well, I kind of expected it. I was surprised to even get the interview given my undergrad performance continues to haunt me. @SomedayFNP did you do anything new to improve your application? you mentioned submitting a new resume. I plan to start at the venice family clinic which would give me exposure to a clinic setting, NPs roles there, and a different patient demographic (primarily homeless people). I also think a slip up I made was during the interview when I said I knew I wanted to become an advanced practice nurse and was interested in the NP path, but was also still considering CNRA potentially. This could not have helped. Since then I've gotten more involved in a program at cedars and realize I absolutely want to be an NP, hopefully one day in the cardiac ICU. i think this could only help me since there's no indecisiveness and I have a clear end goal. My undergrad gpa is 2.7 from U of Illinois in Economics. 3.82 prereq gpa. 4.0 science gpa. I have research methods outstanding which I am taking fall at SMC. There's nothing I can do to change my undergrad but I suppose I could retake speech or stats which I have Bs in from undergrad. Approximately 200 hours volunteering at cedars sinai when I applied - mostly in the ED and had just started a cardiac ICU program. Currently have 280 hours. I also have on my resume when I was a volunteer tutor in chicago for inner city kids, coached my hs soccer team (catholic school btw), and a trip I did to mexico to raise money for an orphanage there. I also am doing another trip through that organization this june and informed them. 2 LORs from professors and the 3rd was a fellow ED volunteer which I plan to replace with a charge nurse I know well. Any advice is appreciated!!!