liz688

The A2 is a total joke, even compared to the breeze that was the NET. If you passed the 8th grade, you're practically guaranteed a perfect score on the A2.

And btw, the Hesi A2 is waaaaay easier than the NET. I took it twice (for two different schools, neither one would accept scores from any school except themselves) and made a near-100 without even studying, while my composite NET score was a composite 88. The test change is good news for any future applicants!

I don't live north of Houston (I'm in the west area near Sugarland) but I wanted to advise you not to avoid the bus. I've noticed that everyone in this city avoids public transportation like the plague unless they have no other options, but I used to park at the Wespark Park and Ride and take the bus into work near the Medical Center, and on weekday mornings around 7 AM its full of people in business suits and scrubs, there's no one scary (as many people seem to assume!). Good luck on finding a viable transportation option!

Congrats to everyone! I just got into the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston BSN program--I am super excited!

I checked my UTlink this morning and I got into the generic program too! I was so excited! For the person that asked for stats for admitted people, my nursing pre-req GPA was 3.62, science pre-req GPA 4.0, pre-req classes taken at HCC, NET composite score of 88 (don't have them in front of me, but math was just above that and reading just below that). Also, I found the definition of provisional admission on one of the previous pages quite interesting. Mine said provisional admission--admission letter in the mail like everyone else's, but I don't meet the provisional definition as stated above because I'm still taking A&P II this semester, as well as statistics and an art credit. Strange. I hope that wasn't some kind of oversight that they'll catch later!

I'm not sure about changes for the spring 2010 application period, but I can tell you that when I looked into nursing programs in the Houston area (and there are A LOT of them, if you include a 40-mile radius around the city) at least 80% of them required that all of your pre-reqs be done before you apply, and those pre-reqs required a Public Speaking class. A few (such as UT Houston, HBU, Alvin CC, Lonestar) didn't have these requirements. Good luck!

I'm not sure who I spoke to--they called me because the letter had been returned. I was under the impression that the interview process worked like it does at most other colleges--they interview the top 25 or 50% of their applicants and choose final acceptances from that set of people. But I've never asked anyone about this, so that was just my assumption. Good luck!

I just wanted to let you know that you should definitely call. I had a crappy GPA on my undergrad degree (3.2) but a 3.65 on nursing pre-reqs and a 4.0 on science pre-reqs. I didn't receive an interview letter, and then they called me this afternoon to tell me that the interview letter had been returned as undeliverable as addressed-even though it was the same address that was on the course checklist they sent me a week ago and the address used for the letter that gave me my UTlink ID in January. Not sure why it was returned, but now I have an interview set up for tomorrow. So you should call!

Lonestar College has like 5 branches with nursing programs, I think one of them is in the general Katy area.

In the general Houston area, all of the following have nursing programs: Alvin Community College, College of the Mainland, Galveston College, Houston Baptist University, Lee College, Lamar University, San Jacinto College, UT Medical Branch Galveston, and Wharton Junior College. Some of these are more "in city" than others, of course. Good luck!

My understanding is that these programs are few and far between, and that those that still exist are being eliminated. In addition, I have been told by nurses who have graduated and are working now that people coming from the hospital programs are the last to be promoted, etc. There might be a small pay differential as well--for example, there is approximately $1 per hour difference between ADNs and BSNs in my area.

This is the website for their nursing admissions: http://www.brookhavencollege.edu/instruction/h-h-services/nursing/ If you click "Ranking for Admission" on that page, it will take you down to the area on that page where you can click a link to download a document onto your computer that explains the points/ranking system--you get a certain # of points for your GPA in certain classes, for having completed other classes, for your score on the HESI, etc. Good luck!

As far as I know, most programs that are labeled as "second degree" are deliberately accelerated programs. If you're applying to a regular nursing program and happen to have another degree, it's a 2-year program, because you only have to take the nursing classes, and none of the normal state-required classes for a degree (such as so many hours of English, foreign language, government, etc). If you don't have a degree already, it's a three-year program because you have to take the state-required classes plus the nursing classes (all on top of the pre-reqs you took). Hope that helps!

I'm not sure about the school you're applying to, but one of the 11 I'm applying to requires an 85 on the NET to even be considered for admission--so you might look into taking another math course, a test prep course, etc. Good luck!

I am going back to school starting this summer for my pre-reqs. I know that this is different for everyone depending on where they apply, their grades, etc, but in general in the Houston area, what is the average time to get into nursing school for someone with fairly good grades? I know that in some areas of the country, there are so few programs and spots available that no matter what, you're pretty much guaranteed to have to wait two or three years. There seem to be a LOT of programs in this area, though. Does a good student have a reasonable chance of getting in on the first try? Should I expect to have to apply several times? I really appreciate any advice you can give!