kathliz

I know that the job market for new grad RNs is extremely difficult at the moment. That said, almost everyone from my cohort (BSN/MSN) got jobs relatively easy at hospitals. I graduated in December 2010 with a BSN. I have out literally hundreds of applications which resulted in only 3 interviews! I am 52 and strongly believe that I am being discriminated against due to my age. I left a great job in finance four years ago when the schools were saying that I was "guaranteed" a job. Are there any older new grads out there who are experiencing the same thing I am?

CONGRATULATIONS!!! :cheers: I understand that last friday was the deadline for the intial acceptances to either accept or decline. I am waiting on pins and needles and checking my e-mail every 30 seconds waiting for some good news. This afternoon I sent an e-mail to nursing admissions office asking them whether they have started notifying people on the alternate list. Apparently they are. I wonder if they are notifying them enmasse or one by one. :plsebeg:

Has anyone else received any good news lately?

Hi Veruca, Thank you for the information. If you're declining admission that must mean that you accepted somewhere else. I hope that is the case for you and I wish you much success in your program and future. Kathy

I received an e-mail message on monday that I was wait-listed. I received the official letter yesterday. I should be happy, but I'm not. I have been turned down by every other program that I have applied to so CSUF is my only hope for this fall. I sent an e-mail asking them to tell me where I was on the waiting list and what the deadline was for the original acceptees to accept or decline their offers. They would not tell me the former and still haven't answered me on the latter question. They also said that last year they took everyone who was on the waiting list, but do NOT anticipate doing that this year. Does anyone know what the deadline is?

By the way NSFA08. What are your future plans?

NSFA08, Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I will have to do what it takes to get in. I cannot give up on my dream. Being middle-aged I do not have much time left and have fewer options. I really can't spend two years in an ADN program and have nothing more to show for it. I need a minimum of a bachelor's and get my career on a fast track. If I fail to get into CSUF I will have to apply to Mt. St. Mary's accelerated BSN program for next summer. However, that is supposed to be extremely competitive also. Also, Concordia University which is only a couple of miles from my home is considering adding a spring semester accelerated BSN program. I have worked at my boring finance job for 25 years now and if I end up retiring here I will have considered my life a complete failure. I knew since I was a small child that I had a calling somewhere to work in something that would make the world a better place. I had always planned to go into medicine, but that dream ended with an F in chemistry in my first quarter at UCLA many years ago. I have been wandering aimlessly since, searching for my calling until it hit me a couple of years ago that nursing was what I was supposed to be doing. Kathy

Thank you BerryGood for the information. Unfortunately, that is very bad news for me. I have not received any phone calls. Although I haven't received a rejection letter yet if this friday is the last set of interviews then I know that I didn't make it. That makes it 0 for 4. The only hope I have left is the ME-MSN program at CSU Fullerton which I will hear by the end of the week. If I don't make it in then I am completely finished. I really am too old to wait around another year and the competition is only getting stiffer each year. I can't rot on a community college waiting list for 2-3 years either. This reminds me so much of my friends as an undergrad many years ago who were applying to medical school. From what I have seen on the posts to this forum it seems that those who were accepted were accepted by most of the programs they applied to while the rest were rejected by all of theirs. Are you sure that they were only selecting 18 each for summer and fall? Out of 300 applicants those are almost impossible odds. You would have better luck applying to medical school!

Hi Everyone, Has anyone heard any news this week? Have any of you received any phone calls for interviews? This is getting rather late into the process.

I haven't heard a thing. I wonder if that is bad news. I only applied to the fall program, however. Did anyone else get a call? Kathy

I just called them and was told that we would be contacted "toward the end of the month". I asked her whether they were going to be interviewing applicants and she said yes. She sounded a bit hesitant, however.

Hi. Who were you referring to? This wait is killing me!

As far as I know UCLA doesn't have en EL-MSN NP program. They have an EL-MSN and separate MSN for NP program. I applied for the EL-MSN program and I was given the bad news the first week of March.

700 seems way too high. Other than this program I have only applied to masters entry programs and they typically get 300-350 applications. I certainly hope that CSUN didn't get 700 applications (or even 300 for that matter!). I wouldn't stand a chance. The competition to get into ANY nursing program is now ridiculous. I think I would stand a better chance of getting into medical school!

Hi, Were you in Dr. Wickman's interview group? I was in her group. I'm Kathleen. In looking at the number of units for the graduate portion of the program it is almost the same as the pre-licensure portion. I can go 18 months without an income, but I don't think that I can go three years though. In most of the masters entry programs that I have seen the first year or so is all classroom and clinical and then you take your NCLEX. Then you are expected to work as an RN while you finish the degree program. I wish you a lot of luck in getting in.

Hi, I am planning to apply to the Accelerated BSN program. I have been turned down by a few entry-level masters programs already and am waiting decisions on a couple others. I am thinking of putting a few more irons in the fire just in case. I just sent the head faculty person an e-mail asking her whether we can start the program at any time (as opposed to conventional colleges where they start only once or twice a year) and how long will it take to receive a decision. Have you looked into other programs as well? CSU San Marcos has a brand new accelerated BSN program.

Hi Caligurl, I saw your post in the UCLA program that you had been accepted, but were thinking about declining? Have you been accepted somewhere else or do you think that the CSUF program is better? What did you all think of the interview this morning? I went in feeling very nervous thinking that it was a make-or-break situation. I was reminded that the interview was just one element of the entire scoring process, so everyone was in a differerent situation this morning. I am really, really hoping that I get into this program. I have already been rejected by UCLA. This is rather a late time to ask this question, but is this program like some of the other programs where you take enough classes to pass the NCLEX and then go to school part-time while you work as an RN?

I plan to call CSUDH later today. I attended the first info session that was held several months ago. You are required to attend the session in order to apply and they charge you $50! All it was was the same info session that all other schools hold. What a racket!!! The reason why I ended up not applying was that "the portfolio" needed to be turned in 30 days after the session. Jorge said that I could turn it in late, but that it would be marked as "received late". I didn't need any of that baloney. Basically, the portfolio is a binder which contains your normal application materials (i.e. statement of purpose, resume, letters of recommendation) plus a few other items such as copies of honors that you have received at school and work. I was also told that I would have to take a couple of extra prerequisite classes that I had not planned to take - critical thinking and epidemiology. Now that I have been rejected by three MSN programs maybe I had better see if I can still apply. Maybe they will make me attend the next information session and charge me an extra $50!!! I think that Odamae should seriously consider this program though. It is a masters program and it is now in its third year of existence. I am hoping to get into Fullerton, but I need something to fall back on. CSUN is fine, but it will be a worse daily drive from Irvine than going to San Diego. Kathy

I don't believe that you need to have a degree (i.e. ADN, etc.). The reason why I say this is because many of the master's entry programs (e.g. Western Univ) give you an intense year of study and then you sit for the NCLEX. The rest of the program at Western is part-time (mostly internet) for the next two years to get your masters. In addition, the CSUF program said that you had to go to school full-time for two years. They are doing that because too many students were going to school just long enough to sit for the exam, get their RN and then quitting the program.

Don't say that! We all say that our job interviews go awfully and then get hired! I think your chances of getting into UCLA are great. I also applied to CSUN. Where do you live? Samuel Merritt is in Oakland. I have also applied to CSU Fullerton's EL-MSM program. I have an interview in two weeks. I would love to go to school in the Bay Area, but I own a home in OC and I am also a caregiver to my best friend.

Well, congratulations!!! :anpom: Several people here already said that they were going to turn down UCLA. You have a good chance. Where else have you applied?

I agree Oda Mae. She should have at least put on at least a "veneer of altruism". However, I will bet that her talk of $$ resonated with a lot of people. Let me play devil's advocate for a moment. Why is it almost impossible to get into nursing school these days? There are hundreds of programs across the country yet there are thousands of people trying to break it. The waiting lists at community colleges are now 2-3 years and the advanced degree programs are becoming ultra-competitive. I would venture to guess that only a tiny minority of today's applicants are applying to nursing programs to make a difference in this world. I meet so many young people in my CC classes and very few of them seem to be excited about healing the sick and serving the community. To them it's a job opportunity. For me nursing is entirely about altruism. Quitting my job is a totally losing proposition to me financially. My initial nursing salary will probably be less than I am making now. I will have to support myself for two years while not making an income and have to eat into my nestegg. I will have tuition costs to pay. I will lose all of my seniority, pension and benefits at my present job. A few of my friends have been honest and told me that they thought I was being foolish. However, money doesn't mean much to me anymore. I am now on the downhill portion of my life. I cannot bear the thought of retiring at my present company or lying on my death bed feeling that I have not done anything meaningful in my life. I have not brought any children into this world. I had this burning desire when I was a child to be a doctor or nurse. Better late than never, but I am going to fulfill that dream now. I hope to "serve" for the rest of my life and die a nurse!

Masaemasae, I have seen your posts on the CSUN thread. I really hope that you get into UCLA, but if for some reason you don't I am sure that CSUN will be a good program. If I am LUCKY enough to get in it will be a 130 mile roundtrip commute for me each day, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. If I were you I would submit an app to MSMC. They have an excellent reputation. If you're applying for this fall, however, you had better act quickly because according to their website I believe that the deadline for the accelerated BSN is this Friday. I was considering applying a couple of weeks ago, but I just couldn't get myself to bug the same three people to do another round of recommendation forms for me. I applied to five programs so that is 15 letters. I had very few people to choose from. Toward the end I was being terribly apologetic to them. After last night's rejection I had considered again, but I think it would be impossible to get the transcripts and recommendations done by this Thursday. I think for everyone here, the sooner you start your degree program the better. Not that it is entirely my fault, but I kick myself for not having considered nursing at least a few years earlier when the application process wasn't so competitive. Every year the number of applicants is jumping "exponentially". It will only be worse next year. I felt resentful when I attended UCLA's info session last year. The dean was giddy and almost couldn't contain her excitement that as more and more qualified students applied they would be able to pick the cream of the crop. We lose, but at least the public will gain. IMHO, the sooner you get into a nursing program the better off you will be. Kathy

Hi everyone, I got home about an hour ago after working very late. I knew there wasn't going to be good news waiting at home for me. I opened the mailbox and there was the thin envelope right on top. Although I knew what was inside it still felt like a knife in my stomach when I read the words. This hurts much more than the previous two rejections. This was my alma mater and I had dreams since I was 14 years old when I would spend my Sundays doing research at the biomedical library that I would be going to school one day in that vast medical center. However, I sealed my fate over 30 years ago when I got poor grades in my first two years. I have one last shot at a master's program when I interview at CSUF in two weeks. Hopefully, I'll have at least a 50/50 chance at that point of getting in. Oda Mae I am terribly sorry that they didn't accept you. You are right. It was a cold and impersonal form letter. I would have expected them to at least offer some words of encouragement in pursuing our dreams. What probably saddens me more than anything is that I won't be able to spend my days with the wonderful people that I have met here. Although we haven't met in person I feel that I know most of you already. I wish everyone great success at UCLA and in your careers as nurses. Kathy

Have you applied to other nursing programs? Hopefully you will get into a good program for this fall. What bothers me is that many of the schools that I have applied to say that if you aren't admitted this year then you have to submit your application package again from scratch. That itself doesn't bother me, except getting the letters of recommendations. Each school requires three letters. If you apply to several schools how often can you hit the same person up? I found out that Mt. St. Mary's accelerated BSN is still accepting applications (until sometime mid-March) for this fall. I just don't see how I can go back to the same people again. Many of these forms require a lot of thought.