Apollo85

Ok all, I need help! OK mb not need it but I could certainly use it! I'm about to start NS in a few weeks and I am crazy excited. Not that I've been working towards it for a while but because it's my second career/degree after my first career choice didn't pan out. It's a new beginning that I am extremely grateful to have. One of the reasons is that I'll get to meet and make new friends (hopefully) that will last beyond NS. It's important to me b/c after I graduated from my first school I stopped hearing from my classmates. The other is b/c I've been unemployed for almost 2 yrs. and that nursing isn't/wasn't as badly effected by the economy. Nursing certainly looks like a brighter future and I hope it holds true. But I need help. I'm a guy and gender-wise, my last school was say.....90% guys and 10% girls. I want to know for my first week how to make a good impression and befriend classmates who are mostly girls. I'm kinda shy in group setting and I automatically feign disinterest when I get nervous or get put in a situation where I don't know anyone but everyone else knows someone. What do you like to talk about, what should I say to get them interested in talking to me, how do I approach a group, etc. Often by the first week people start talking to each other very casually while I take a while to warm up. I just wanted to know what tips people have so that when it's crunch time, I have a few people I can set up a study group with or call to answer questions. I'd also like to hear stories about first day of NS involving your friends (your first impressions, if you ended up being friends after NS, how you came to be friends, etc. All the good stuff):typing

decisions decisions... i need help! i need more info and wisdom from you readers so i can choose wisely: aasn or absn? i'm currently attending a community college, and i just got accepted to start their 2 yr nursing program which would give me an associates in applied science in nursing. its a very cheap and a great program with 85% of graduates passing their first nclex exam. all i need is 39 more or so credits (because i already have half of what's required) to graduate in 2 yrs so it gives me plenty of free time to have a social life and have a part time job. but i'm wondering if i should hold out if i can get into a 15-month accelerated nursing program which would get me a bachelor of science in nursing. this would cost around $35000 and be extremely intense with only 15 months. i'm told i would have no social life or time to work. they also kick you from the program if u get more than 2 c's some of the things i'm actually concerned about when making this decision are: ----which is more preferable when job hunting? r there plenty of jobs of aas graduates? i dont want to graduate and hunt for jobs only to get turned away because i didnt have the right degree. i'm told bsn get more opportunities to expand which is good but how much more do they get paid than asn? ----if i took the aas route, eventually i'd still want a bsn or msn within 4 yrs or less. are there anyone who got an associates in science, got a nursing (or nursing assistant) job, and went to school part time?? what was it like? hard to work and do schoolwork at same time? did you feel like you shouldve gotten all the school work done with at the same time? ----which is more economical? associates then bachelor's while working, or accelerated bachelors then get a job? im a lil worried if i'll be able to make it in an accelerated program, i get a's but im more like a- b+ student: smart, quick to understand, pays attention...but i hate studying and i hate hate hate reading ahead. sometimes i end up cramming the day before a test but only for a few hours n just enough to get an above average. i guess im not a perfectionist in this because i reason that theres always gonna be something i miss anyways. ive read that one of the main reasons people think nursing school's first year is hard is changing the way you think, can anyone clarify this? because im a bit worried about this too. not having a social life or time for a job doesnt bother me but im worried about the courseload, i dont wanna set myself up to fail...itll only mean months and money wasted. however, if i can do this in 15 months it seems worth it. the accelerated program would not only finish earlier but with a higher degree. ----but would 15 months of hell and torture for bsn give me a considerably higher salary than aasn??? pls help! :bowingpur:bowingpur:bowingpur:bowingpur:bowingpurim 24 and i wanna make enough money soon so i can start living on my own

Hi all! Is there anyone who is a 1st semester ABSN student at UMDNJ? Or was, recently? I'd like to know what the schedule is like: what classes on which days and for which hours of the day? I'm trying to get a picture of what my schedule would be like (if I get in) and please include what your personal study schedule is/was if you can. I'm asking because I need to join a gym and start working out (family history of diabetes - mum says I need a new life habit of physical activity so I can try and avoid it) but affording it is hard (no job + full time student = broke) and theyre insanely expensive to get a good one (if its just a small room of weights I get bored and would end up avoiding it lol). So basically I'm going to use people's responses to determine if I would be able to commit to an expensive gym. Right now I would have no problem finding time to go but during an accelerated nursing program? Hmmm. So please if you happen to know what the 1st semester schedule is for UMDNJ ABSN, that would really help. To be clear, I'm looking for something that looks like this: Monday: morning - free/study time 12:30-4:30pm - anatomy and physiology 2 4:30-6pm - study/free time 6-8pm - statistics Tuesday: morning-afternoon - free/study time 6-10pm - chemistry etc So this would basically tell me mornings are great for having a set gym schedule Thank you

17 lbs 14 ounces =/= 17.14 lbs

Sweeeet! thnx Miranda. These r just the nice lil shortcuts to life some parents forget to tell their boys. And at 23 this tip is a life saver! And yea, sitting down on "freshly ironed" clothes is one of the reasons I hate to iron - it gets wrinkled the moment I tuck the shirt into my pants D:

Wow! I never knew about taking them out of the dryer and folding/hanging them immediately to prevent wrinkles. I've always had to iron them to make it look neat, but I hate ironing so I just go with the wrinkled clothes most times. That's good advice to take in. But how do you prevent them from coming out wrinkled? Mine still tends to come out wrinkly after I take it out. Is it because I'm not suppose to put so much in the dryer at the same time?

Thanks all. I never imagined I'd need to know stats for nursing, none of the nurses i know have ever mentioned anything related to stats, even old classmates who are currently nursing students. Shouldn't be too hard I guess, I had some exposure to stats in h.s. n I IIRC it was kinda fun, like puzzles. Certainly easier than physics 2.

lol me too. my current summer chem has 16/22 posters with the words "avoid him" on their comments... i'm current trying to get a different chem instructor w/ a "5" rating all around but his class sure filled up fast! i'm waiting for someone to drop his class so i can get in there atm

Yes, its posted on the website but it doesn't clarify what kind of statistics, it only said the name. This course you took was a math course?

Nope, just you.... haha jk jk I'm red-green colorblind too. I've only had a few issues with it but nothing extreme so far. I used to think the green traffic lights were white....and the slight tint was just because of the dirty glass or something lol. It hasn't stopped me from driving but depending on the time of day and angle of the sun, I do try to be careful when crossing traffic lights cuz the red and yellow gets a bit harder to distinguish, so i just use the light's positioning on the box to tell if it's red or yellow. Being colorblind also made me go through some unfortunately choice of colors on my clothing at times... :stone My last issue with being colorblind was with microbiology when I had trouble distinguishing red from blue from purple on my Gram Stain slides under the microscope when looking at bacteria. Lots of guys have it tho, and some nurses have it as well but it doesn't hinder them from doing their job. I've read that there are certain things we can't do however, and would need a collegue to do it for us. But other than that we are deprived from seeing the full spectrum of colors, I think we're OK. Being in the military isn't pleasant anyways.

I would put some distance between us so I can block them out completely or more easily. If that doesn't work, definitely be upfront about it and mention it to them, explain the situation. It could be that they just don't realize what they're doing. If they're nice they'll stop. If not, talk to the instructor or whoever is in charge, and explain to them the issue. You're paying money to learn in a comfortable environment and most class comes with a syllabus which states consequences of disruptive behavior. Make the student realize the problem so they'll stop or make the instructor realize that it IS a problem and that they need to take action. Some instructors hate to assert their authority and a student will "run" the class and make students like you miserable. Just make sure you don't wait too long until you blow up and make a scene; or don't mention anything directly and deal with it in a passive-aggressive way, which rarely solves a problem and can only lead to more issues.

So I'm taking AP courses at the moment and while looking for good videos on youtube to help me learn visually on how certain body systems worked, I ran into Dr. Gunther Von Hagens' anatomy lessons. I thought they were a bit helpful and interesting....well until I found out he's not dissecting intricate fake human corpses but real ones. It was a little bit disturbing. I had signed up to donate my entire body to science upon my death and remember seeing something along the lines of 'treating the body with respect' but uhh...I hope I get more respect than the corpses on his show. Is that really how cadavers are treated at medical schools? I get that its for science and he's trying to work efficiently but he just seemed so blase about it. Any thoughts on his lessons? Also I'm pre-nursing so yes, I am a bit squeemish. I mean he was just ripping the skin off from the body (I thought that was only possible in movies) and then when he started chopping up a man's "favorite" appendage I just about :eek:bugged out.

Has anyone ever taken a course called Statistics? It's pre-required for the nursing school I want, so I signed up for it at my community college. But its a math course. I'm not sure if I'm taking the right Statistics course. I was looking around at other nursing schools and some had courses called "Nutrition and Statistics" so now I'm wondering if I just about wasted my money getting into a class that serves me no purpose. I asked the college recruiter but it's been a few days since I asked and I still have no response. Anyone got any ideas?

I think it's definitely possible. Aside from working hard and having good study habits, it can also depend if you get lucky and get a professor that doesn't bother with irrelevant fact and stick with the main ideas and topics. Good luck!

I love this site. I've been using it as valuable source for planning my schedule for 6 years (architecture school and then pre-nursing). The ratings need to be takin with a grain of salt b/c ppl rate inconsistently from person to person and depending on their feelings when they rated them. The comments are what I look for and I write comments in return when finished with a professor. I only wish I could write more on comments b/c its hard to fully give adivice and viable information with such few wordings and instead ppl end up over-exaggerating to get their point across.

Hi Angela, Yes, that does sound like a spot to be in. Just based on what you said, it does sound like traditional BSN is faster. It generally takes 4 years and you might be able to shorten it with summer classes (depending on wether UMSL has a strict sequence in which courses must be taken). It's also the most straightforward and seems the most secure. With the other option, there are many factors to consider: deadlines to sign up for a class, finishing the prerequisites on time, applying to ASN on time and getting accepted, getting your RN, applying for BSN and making the deadline, getting accepted into BSN program. You also need to consider the time between when you'll be qualified to apply (to ASN and BSN) and when the programs starts. For example: I'm not eligible for my choice school until I finish my prerequisites, but by the time I'm ready to apply, the deadline could be past or the program doesn't start for another 6 months. If you add up the 1.5 yrs, the years it takes to complete ASN (2 at my comm college), the time to finish BSN (around 2 i think)... it can definately add up. If you take the 4 yr program (could be shorter depending on if you have general education credit hours) it might not be so costly with the hospital pitching in and probably you can get some financial aid. Hope this helps (and wasn't as confusing as I think it is)

I checked out Duke, I'll certainly think about it. Their application deadline is July 1 for the starting Spring semester in 2010. This would leave me with a month and a half to complete their application, scrounge up recommendations, and study/pass GRE (is 1000 hard to achieve? I tried some sample questions, math seemed basic and I read frequently but some verbal/definitions comparisons escaped me). Getting that application done real fast is doable but I'm not sure if I'd want to go to NC (I hate humidity, how's everything else there? The people, and culture? I've never been to the South with the exception of Orlando and New Orleans so I'm not sure how I'd fit in, I'm very liberal. That tuition fee is also a hurdle, +$45k I think I saw. I'll have to see where my other options are. I might have to spend Sept-April just doing odd-jobs (I suck at finding these, for some reason I have a hard time landing a job to even work in a department store. Is there a trick to getting jobs at stores?) What do people do when they're waiting for their nursing program to start and have all the prerequisites met?

I have no problems relocating, I'll even go across the country if it fits me

roxychic0910, you said they pushed your application back because you were taking too many pre-reqs when you applied. How many were you taking? I'm going to apply for Fall 2009 but I have yet to finish AP2, stats, and chem this Summer. I'm worried it might be too many. I went to their info session n they confirmed that applying while taking atleast 2 pre-reqs was ok and could still get accepted with the condition that you pass those remaining classes with a certain grade. nurse4shore, the woman in charge of recruitement said during the information session that less ppl apply for the ASBN which starts during the summer than the ASBN which starts on the other seasons (Fall, Winter/Spring). resulting in less applicants and smaller classes for the Summer. it also means ppl r more likely to get accepted if they apply for the program starting on the Summer. she also said that the ppl in ur class r gonna be ur BFFs haha. u'll b stuck with em for 15 months, 5 days a week, 12 hrs a day studying cramming and griping :imbar so u pretty much got it when u said everyones gonna b doing everything together. I for one am super jealous, I havent applied yet but i wanna get in soooo bad. Other options r practically 10x harder or involve more prereqs, more money, and more waiting waiting waiting for months...who wants to wait a year to start their nursing school??? i mean seriously? i really hope i can get in too!

hi all! my professors suggested i not put all my eggs in one basket no matter how good a student i may be because nursing school is competitive. quite frankly i agree but my other egg baskets means i'd need to wait for months doing nothing. i'm currently finishing up my pre-reqs to apply for the accelerated program at umdnj starting september 2009. this is plan a and other than the last pre-reqs, i think i *should* be able to get accepted. the problem is i won't be able to finish the pre-reqs until the end of july, leaving only a month, by which time the 56 available seats could be likely filled up. if i wasn't able to get in for fall 2009, then i go to plan b: apply for the program starting @ winter 2009-10. if i get rejected all-together from umdnj or also don't get accepted for the winter program, i need a plan c. plan d is applying to any number of other schools offering an accelerated program starting either in spring 2010 or summer 2010 (omg wait a whole year to start nursing school???). but i was wondering if anyone knew of any schools offering accelerated bsn which 1)starts winter 09-10 and 2) has an application deadline that hasn't passed yet or won't pass until around fall. i saw a link on this site earlier to allnursingschools.com which listed a bunch of schools offering accelerated programs but i'm positive that it wasn't a complete list (umdnj wasn't even in it or other schools offering the asbn in nj, ooooh burn!!!). so it would be great if anyone can help me fill in my plan c: find an asbn program which starts this winter. i would hate to resort to plan d because it would mean months wasted waiting, i would hate to do that because i just wanna get going on my career already. if you're wondering if i have a plan e, the answer is yes: attend a 4-yr bsn program.... which i cannot even fathom resorting to right now....helllll nuuuuu:angryfire ....not after 6 yrs of architecture school so hopefully plan a or b works but just in case i could really use help with plan c. thank you x10! as a little side note info on what i've got so far: chemistry with laboratory (4 credits)* human anatomy and physiology i & ii with laboratory (8 credits) ** microbiology with laboratory (4 credits) psychology (3 credits) sociology (3 credits) statistics (3 credits)* this is the pre-reqs for umdnj and i only have apii, chem, and statistics left to finish this summer. this is the least amount of prerequites on an absn program i've seen so far so other schools will probably need me scrambling to pick up another pre-req:sniff: