btlejoos

to add to the BSN debate - at a columbia info session i attended, we were told that new york requires a BSN in order to enter an MSN program, so that's why they offer it. i don't think it necessarily says much about programs overall, whether they offer it or not, and i doubt future employers will care either way.

congrats biddy! it's such a relief to make a decision. i decided this weekend to do yale over columbia. the financial aid package isn't great, but at least we're starting out as grad students and are eligible for more loan money. oh, and re the scholarship, i only got $5,000. it's so irritating that they take the expected family contribution into account, seeing as how that contribution is going to be zero come august. i'm having that problem with a lot of scholarships i've looked into; if your EFC is above a certain amount, you can't apply. ugh!

calalilly - i believe they said we would get about 20,000 in stafford loans and an additional 7 or so in perkins. i've heard that the perkins loan has some sort of loan forgiveness program if you work in public health for a certain number of years. they didn't specify how much they would be able to give in scholarship money, so the amount we will need in private loans isn't clear yet. i'm just quoting these numbers from memory as i don't have my notes in front of me, so i might be a bit off.

i'm debating with columbia, only because i could be working as an RN as soon as next summer. it certainly isn't much cheaper, given cost of living. my gut is pushing for yale too though. i mean, it's YALE! ugh, and i thought the anxiety would end once i got into a program...

i'm hoping to find a place with fellow nursing students. i currently live alone but don't want to pay that kind of rent if i'm not going to be working! plus, it seems like it will make the transition easier/funner if living with people going through the same thing. my only issue is that i have two cats and know that a lot of people aren't crazy about living with pets. kind of wish yale had some kind of pre-orientation over the summer for people to meet and network.

i did stumble across this site, but there aren't many listings and i don't think it was what the guy from student affairs was referring to. http://www.yale.edu/livingnh/community/rental.html

i remember at the student affairs session the guy said that once we're admitted, they give us access to a website where people can post housing ads. does that ring a bell to anyone else? after the interview i drove around the neighborhoods that he recommended and they all looked very quaint and the homes were surprisingly really nice looking.

calalilly - i understand what you're dealing with. i have a background in psychology and was accepted into the psychiatry specialty. i'm extremely excited but definitely have had some worries in the back of my mind that during the first year, i'll find that i really love working with other populations as well. what's also difficult with psych is that we have to choose to work with adults or kids, and get certified for that specific population. because i've enjoyed working with both adults and kids, having to choose one over the other was difficult. for this reason i have been leaning towards columbia, as they made a point of saying during their visiting day that we can switch specialties during our first year. they understood that since we're new to nursing, it can be difficult to predict what population is going to interest us the most. from speaking with several MD's they also thought it odd that we would have to "know" at the time of application what our specialty would be. that said, i understand that yale has its reasons for wanting people who are firm in what they want to do. after coming for the interview, i was sure that i would attend if i was admitted. i felt that the faculty was so committed to its students, and that there was an even mix between clinical experience and providing research opportunities through the praxis. it's going to a very difficult decision, to say the least! i wonder how many of us are torn between yale and other schools?

hi all! i got in for child psych! seems like a lot of us psych people found out today. congrats to everyone who found out, and i hope everyone else hears soon!

congratulations lillyb! what a perfect ending to the week!

hmmm no clue. i'm sure angela could tell you the number of people who got accepted in acute once letters go out. that might give you an indication of how popular it is.

jnd - i asked angela this very question and she said it's highly unlikely if you want to switch to a "popular" specialty like family or pediatrics, but that if you want to do geriatrics or oncology, for example, it's a possibility.

the wait continues! just buy a bottle of wine so you have it ready when you open the letter. you'll need it regardless of the decision!

dohzen...the deadline on my financial aid package is 2/20.

planet - i received $5,500 in subsidized loans and $7,000 in unsubsidized. you may want to contact oscar if you didn't receive the $7,000 as i was under the impression that we all would receive that amount (which is the max for undergrads - i double checked with oscar). one of the attachments in the financial aid email he sent had a link to private loans that columbia recommends: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sfs/pdfs/2008-2009_undergrad_private_chart.pdf. are any of you confused by the deadline they want us to accept the award by? since this occurs before the deadline the admissions department gave us for deciding if we want to attend, i'm wondering if there's any type of penalty for accepting the award and then deciding on a different school??