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I'm still feeling hopeful and hopefully my experience will give you all some too! I applied for the explore externship at UCSD and people in my cohort heard back right away that they were accepted to different department, probably within a week or two if I remember correctly. I felt nervous at first, but each department goes at their own pace. then probably a month, possibly more later, I found out that I got into my top choice department! so I am hoping the same translates to these applications as well. it is not too late, don't give up hope! departments are still looking though all of the many applications and just cause we haven't heard back yet does not mean we won't at some point, we got this guys!! :)

During simulation, clinical, and labs I would say for the most part yes. Depends on the instructor but it has gotten more strict since I have been in. I would say it's more so focused on safety like for instance no more jewelry than one pair of studs or long nails/chipped nail polish. During class time I would say it's pretty relaxed. I hope that's helpful for you! If you have any other questions feel free to ask away!

Hello All! Current 4th Semester student here at SD. if you have any questions/concerns/or otherwise please feel free to email me! rschoeben @apu.edu. its all combined but sometimes allnurses gets funky about sharing emails so I put a space in-between my name and the @ . Wishing you all the best of luck! Im almost wrapping up and its been a challenging but absolutely incredible experience so far! ?

Hello! I wanted to start a forum for the UCSD Explore Program. For as many students apply to this program and go through it there is little to no information about it concerning people's real life experience of the program. I applied in January for the Summer 2026 cohort. If anyone has any information on the application process beyond the initial application such as what the interview process/ program was like I would really appreciate hearing any information you have to offer! Also, if you applied lets form a little community and hopefully we can cheer each other on! Best of luck to those who applied and thank you to anyone who has done this program and is able to offer some information about it!

Hello, I was accepted to the Spring semester last year and we found out whether we got in around the beginning of November. Best of luck to you all!

If you didn't get in please don't give up!! I didn't make it in my first time and now I have 3 weeks left of my first semester! I recommend working on your interview questions for next time, I 100% believe that is what got me in my second time. I was also wondering, when is your guises orientation scheduled for SD? do you know yet?

Hello, when I reapplied I did not change almost anything on the application itself, I think I changed maybe two sentences out of my whole essay. I think the big difference for me was the interview. I don't feel like I did very well the first time, it was also online. it being online will not effect the probability of you getting in whatsoever but I think I am more nervous over the computer and have a hard time keeping eye contact so I looked very nervous and insecure vs when I interviewed in person. the second time I interviewed I made sure to sit tall and seem confident (even though I didn't feel it) and I practiced the common interview questions A TON and that I believe is what made the difference for me the second time. My experience so far has really been amazing! The courses themselves are no doubt challenging espically in the first couple of weeks when you have no idea what youre doing or how to plan everything out, but then it does get easier and more manageable. of course just when you think you have it down then something else gets added but then you get used to that. it is hard at times for sure since it is a graduate level program but it not at all impossible. the instructors so far are all amazing! you really get the sense that they care. I know many schools can feel like they want you to fail or are trying to weed out students but I don't feel that here. the people who work here to me really seem to have a passion for what they do and want to make the best nurses possible. I chose Azusa because I had a bachelors and wanted to do healthcare but wasnt sure what to do next. I decided I wanted to do nursing but didn't want to start at square one with an associates level program when I knew that eventually I was looking to be an NP, and Azusa was the perfect fit for me. I moved to the area a couple of years ago and just happened upon this program and I feel so blessed! Again good luck to you all!

Congratulations to all of you who have been accepted so far! its easier said than done, but if you havent gotten an update yet that is normal, it takes awhile for everything to get processed. the first time I applied I did not get in and I think I got a "rejection letter" on my student portal. also they have saved seats for classes, so yes we did just register for Summer semester, but if you are accepted they will be sending more information soon to get you ready for when you start. I think we had signed up for all classes and done a bit of required university training and other things all before we even had orientation. best of luck to you all! and I didn't make it in my first time so don't get discouraged!

hello, I am at the san diego campus. During the interview I let them know that this was the only location I was interested in and luckily made it into this one ?

I believe I got an email, I don't think they called me. when I got accepted they sent out an email first and then I got a call later. don't be alarmed if some people get theirs before you, all of my group of people I found on this chat got their acceptance hours if not a day before me on the second go around.

Hello, Im not 100% positive what my prereq GPA was, I think overall and prereqs were both around 3.3... I worked as a CNA since about 2020 in an Alzheimer's/ dementia unit, Medsurg, and floated to ER, CCU, PCU, rehab. so I had a good bit of medical experience. but I didn't get in my first interview/application. I think the thing that made the biggest impact the second time was preparing and rehearsing the interview questions. look up common questions theyre all pretty similar and relate an experience youve had to that and prepare what you will generally say. they will present you with a question, talk about how you handled it, how what you did was received (good or bad) and what you would do in the future. Also, medical experience is nice but at the end of the day they will be teaching you everything you need to know. don't feel like youre behind or imposter syndrome if you get in and have little or no experience in health care. there are SO MANY of my fellow cohort who worked for years in completely unrelated fields and they are doing amazing! again, if you are one of those people just brush up on anatomy and medical terminology. I forgot to mention, if you do get below an 80% in a class they as far as I know will not kick you out, but it will set you back a semester for graduation and you will most likely be moved into the next cohort below the one youre in.

Hello, I am currently in the program as well. I didn't make it in my first application and interview but I made it my second try. I would personally say that the courses arent extremely hard per say, but the amount of information and the time management is/can be very difficult. like the other person said, the first couple of weeks the hardest part is just getting adjusted to the program and its organization, but it doesn't truly pick up till about the 5-6th week. you have to maintain an 80%, as long as you finish the semester with that you will pass onto the next semester. if you have a 79.95% you will not move onto the next quarter and they are very strict about that rule. it is a lot of material in a short amount of time, but its completely doable. if you have a job it would be best if you could get it down to one day a week, the first 2 semesters are definitely the hardest from everything I've heard. by the third semester a job of somekind at a healthcare facility you may be interested in is actually a good idea to get your name out there and your foot in the door. if you want to prepare for school now definitely brush up on your anatomy and medical terminology if thats not your strong suit. all of the professors so far are great and happy to help however they can. best of luck to you all! hopefully we will get to meet in person in a couple of months from now!

Sure! Could you send me an email? Seattlereighn @ gmail.com then from there we could exchange phone numbers and stuff ☺️

Yes! I asked about that and she said they are going to try to start sending out letters beginning of November because class registration begins around mid November I believe she said.

Hello! I interview this past Monday and the professor who interviewed me said that this is their second week of interviews so far. It went really well, we took up basically the whole half hour time slot. My interviewer was (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME - DO NOT POST NAMES/IDENTIFYING INFO ABOUT OTHERS PER THE TERMS OF SERVICE) and she was so sweet! I know it's easier said than done but try not to be nervous, they genuinely want to see you succeed, I mean no body would enjoy watching someone else struggle because they're so nervous. I have interviewed once before this as well and both times the professors were incredibly kind and supportive. Make sure to practice some basic questions such as why APU, and NP, why are you ready, what was a time you faced (blank) and how did you overcome said situation, etc. you will do amazing and best of luck to you on Friday! ?

I just had my interview this week and the professor who interviewed me said that this is their second week of interviews

I also got an email today, so excited! Congratulations everyone

Hello, congratulations on making it into the program! I would love to hear some of your tips/tricks/things we should know before going into the interview. I think that's where I may have messed up last time. Did you do it in person or zoom last time? And if you're uncomfortable you certainly don't have to say but I was wondering what your overall GPA and pre req GPA's are like. I feel like if that was the reason why they didn't pick me last time then they probably wouldn't have even asked for an interview but I'm not sure, I'm bummed that they wouldn't tell us the reason(s) why we were not accepted but oh well, it is what it is and with such a competitive program I'm just happy they liked me enough to do an interview last time. At least I can gain more experience and learn more before starting. Thankyou so much! And again congratulations!

He and no. They do ask those basic questions but they also delve pretty deep into what you wrote in your essay and question why you said some of the things you said. For example I said that I would like to work in the NICU after the first portion of the program and they asked why I want to work in the NICU and how this would benefit me since NPs can't work in the NICU. Which fun fact the other day I was looking at job openings at Rady children's hospital SD and actually saw an open position for a NP in NICU. But anyways, another question they asked is how you would handle conflict with others since we will all be together in the same cohort for so long, what are the advantages and disadvantages of that. That's all I can remember right now. I asked multiple people at APU if they could give me a reason as to why I was not chosen or what I could improve on for next time and they said that they do not disclose that information so unfortunately I am not exactly sure what I wasn't up to par on but if they liked my application enough to interview me then I have a feeling that it was because of the interview. I am definitely more of an introvert so this time around I am going to go in with much more confidence and try to be more outgoing and focus on maintaining good eye contact.

Hello, I applied last cycle and unfortunately didn't make it that time. I did the interview online which I think for me wasn't the best because I have a hard time keeping eye contact with the camera but make sure you study up on what this school, how you are preparing to be the most successful student possible, what your plans are with this career and how your past experience has made you prepared for this.

Hey I was just researching and preparing to apply again. Does anyone know the total cost of the program? Both for the BSN portion and the post licensure portion? Thank-you for your help!

I first received an email that said there was a status update in the application portal and they provided a link to go to the portal on that email. For clarification I applied only to the San Diego campus.

I just got my application decision. I unfortunately did not make it in this round. I am disappointed but my husbands deployment just got extended so not being in school when he gets back will at least be a blessing. I found out from the online portal. The only thing is I wish it said what I could do to improve for next time. I am so proud of everyone that made it and so happy for you all. I will be here and make it next application cycle for sure! Good luck to everyone ♥️

Hello, I also applied to the San Diego campus as well and have not heard anything back yet. I am hoping they come out this week! Best of luck to everyone, it should be soon!

I just had my interview today and here are some tips I would offer to people getting ready to interview. The interviewer was so sweet, and they want to see you succeed, so although it is nerve wracking just know that they aren't out to get you. It's OK if you need them to repeat the question. some things I would focus on in preparation are to go over your application essay, and resume. All the questions she asked me were very tailored to my application packet. know exactly why you are choosing this career path, and how this program is specifically going to help you succeed. think of things you may not have had room to put in your application (any volunteer, work experience, or hobbies) that help prepare you for this, and make you a good applicant. Think of all of the challenges that come with this program and career path in general and think of how you will remedy any challenges that come up. I feel like I personally could have been better with making eye contact with the camera (it was a zoom interview) so be aware to keep that eye contact. have your resume, essay, and notes with you so you can draw from those if you're blanking on what to say. If you cant think of anything to say for a while a good tip I personally use is to 1. ask to have the question repeated if you forgot what/how you were going to answer, and 2. I like to say 'that is a great question, I need a second to think over this'. I of course dress professionally and test your computer before hand if you are going the Zoom route. If in person show up 30-45 minutes early, you never know when traffic or a wreck on the highway may be backing up traffic. Good luck to everyone, you will do amazing!!