Aarika

Checked my status this morning, I got accepted as a provisional admit for the RN-BSN (have to take my boards and 1 summer class). Woo hoo!

Also, all of the text is within a table. There isn't an easy way (that I'm aware of, it's been a few years since I've actively done web design) to have floating text on the side of the screen, unless you made a really thin column within this table on the side and took away the borders. But if you view source code, there is no extra column to the left and the information I referenced falls within the same column as the other information: (TR) (TD COLSPAN="5" CLASS="dblabel" scope="row" >Current Program(/TD) (/TR) (TR) (TD COLSPAN="5&quote CLASS="dbdefault& class="inlineimg" />Bachelor of Science in Nursing(/TD) (/TR) (TR) (Brackets changed to parenthesis to preserve format) Edit: Well it quoted kind of weird, but basically, where it says CLASS=dblabel and dbdefault, that's where the format is outlined. For each other entry in the table the same formats are used, and this is all probably set up in the CSS to set how dblabel and dbdefault will format the text within the cell in the table. So it's really, really unlikely that there was a change in font, but I can't tell for sure because I can't download the CSS used and determine if there is a format set to font size 0 or font color white which would have given the appearance of empty boxes. But even when you would have highlighted the boxes the text entered into the cell would have shown up. Even now, I have a blank box between Date and Requirements toward the end, and when I viewed that cell the source code there is "& n b s p ;" entered, which means non-breaking space. Essentially this holds the cell open and at the size of the others (since the format is specified) without needing any true content inside of it. So basically this is what was likely in the two empty cells before where I can now see "Current Program: Bachelor's of Science in Nursing". Hope that makes sense, lol.

I suppose I could see how this might be possible. In my experience with web design, typically you do not specify the text for an individual box in a table such as that when you write the HTML code for a page. The font style, size, color, etc. will be either designated in the beginning code of a table such as the one used to hold information on that page, or more frequently a cascading style sheet, or CSS, is used and contains design, including font, parameters for all of the content on a page and you designate a specific style before each section of font. Even more likely for a website such as Maryland's, they probably use a web design program that would set a standard formatting for that entire table rather than writing out all of the code by hand. I just see no reason as to why the font size would have been altered and then later edited to this specific section. Idk!

Abby, I do not remember seeing this at all up until today. I've been checking it about once a week since I submitted my app, and only in the past couple of checks did Committee Ready come up. Today when I checked I noticed the Current Program: Bachelor's of Science in Nursing.

Yes, the woman conducting the information session told me about that. I traveled down to Baltimore for a session that was actually for the traditional BSN, so I stayed a bit after and got some more details on RN to BSN. She didn't specifically say to what degree, but she did in fact say that is less competitive. Perhaps because there are so many options, especially online ones, that there aren't as many RN to BSN applicants? @ Abby - Yep, I do!

Thanks for all the input guys! My school pays for us to have a three 8 hour days of live NCLEX content review at the end of April, so I'm really thinking that will help. We also have a fingerprinting/background check service coming at some point in the next couple of weeks, apparently this helps to speed the process. As soon as we take our final on the 15th, our director signs off on our application and faxes it in for us. Our instructors told us that they have had a few students who missed graduation because they were going to take the NCLEX. So I'm not too concerned with having to wait. I'm hoping to take it right around graduation because I need to start working ASAP (bills bills bills, lol). Some people in class have mentioned taking a month or two off to study, but I honestly don't know how much more of it I can take, lol. Again, thank you :)

Just to clarify, for those who had the "Current Program: Bachelor's of Science in Nursing" earlier on, are you all applying to BSN or RN to BSN? I ask because I am going for the RN to BSN and my Status was only changed to "Committee Ready" about a week or so ago. Perhaps the traditional BSN applicants are reviewed first before they start working on the RN to BSN pool? An admissions rep told me that the RN to BSN is somewhat less competitive than the traditional BSN program. Idk. But I am almost 100% positive that those two lines were blank before (I've been checking it quite a bit, lol). When I got accepted into my current ADN program, I actually got a letter stating that my major was updated to Nursing before receiving the actual acceptance packet to my program. So might be the same deal. Staying hopeful!

So I checked my app status today, and before now there were two blank lines beneath "committee ready". Now it says "Current Program" in the first line, and then "Bachelor's of Science in Nursing" on the second... It doesn't say "accepted" anywhere but this wasnt on there before if I remember correctly. Could it be???

Hi all, I'm in my last semester of nursing right now. We took the HESI exam at the beginning of the semester and are about to retake it again at the end. It doesn't count as a grade this semester, so I didn't study for the HESI so that I could get a general idea of where I stood with my knowledge. Mind you, we took it before getting through much of the med-surg material for this semster. I scored a 1020, with a conversion percentage of 91.56%. Our instructors told us that scoring above a 900 on the HESI is correlated with a 98% pass rate for the NCLEX-RN. I'm looking to take the NCLEX asap after graduation, possibly the week after classes are done. Idk, with my score I'm not sure if it would be a good use of time to try and study for the NCLEX. I just want to take it and pass ASAP so that I can start working. Anyone have an experience where they did well on the HESI but failed the NCLEX or just went into the NCLEX without extra studying? Thanks in advance.

I told the admissions rep at the open house but I also included it specifically in my essay. Honestly, it might be a good idea to send a short note so that it is documented in writing and it gets added to your file. I wouldn't worry too much since it does say Complete, Ready for Review. Glad I could help :)

When I went to an open house down in Baltimore, an admissions rep said I needed to emphasize that I did not yet have my license but I was planning to obtain it and include when I will take the NCLEX. Might be something they're still processing, it just was changed for me within the past couple days.

@ Nurse999 - I have my app in for the RN-BSN program. I've been lurking this thread for a while as there doesn't appear to be a similar one for RN to BSN apps. I did just notice that my admission decision was updated to "Committee ready". I feel like an underdog, I'm graduating this May with my RN. Good luck to you!

Hello! I just started nursing classes after a year of doing pre-requisites. I'm enrolled in a 2 year ADN program, so my experience might be a little different from everyone else's... This is just my first semester (Nursing 120), but so far I think the sheer amount of material is more challenging than the actual content of the material. Not to say the stuff isn't difficult, but man, there is a lot to know! Plus, we were in class 4 hours a day, 5 times a week until last week when we started clinicals. Now, we have a 4 hour lecture on Mondays, 5-6 hours of clinicals at the hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday, 2 hours of lecture and skills evaluations (things like bed baths, setting up a sterile field, catheters) some Thursdays (when we don't have any evaluations, it is 4 hours of lecture), and 4 hours of lecture again on Friday. After you factor in studying time (about 1-2 hours per night for myself, I know other students do more), and any other classes you have to take (Nursing 120 only counts for 9 hours at my school, which is ridiculous), plus any other obligations and responsibilities, it is a bit overwhelming at times. I have a one-year-old, so it's tough that I don't get to see her as often as I like. However, I still have time to go to the gym 5-6 days a week for an hour, and have a few hours of personal time through the week. So, to answer your questions: One thing I was very glad to discover is that I love the nursing curriculum! Then again, I always enjoyed anatomy and physiology. Also, all of the not-so-pretty aspects of nursing (wounds, drainage, poop, etc.) haven't bothered me at all. Actually working in the hospital is my favorite aspect of the program. Though, this week when I took care of an extremely nice and funny patient that a lot of very serious medical issues, I left the hospital feeling very saddened. I'm trying not to let things get to me personally. Not enjoying? The way our tests are, I find them very difficult. They're styled after the NCLEX, and it's all critical thinking, which I hadn't really had to do since high school. Half of our class is failing lecture (which in our nursing program means getting a 76% or below on an exam). Well, I have to hurry and go study now, good luck and I hope this helped!

Try http://www.gettextbooks.com, I recently found the site and it searches most of the major book websites and gives you a page of results, including shipping costs in the total. Also, it includes the condition of the items listed, and it compares what would be your best option (ie a used book for $90, but a brand new one for $100, it highlights the new book to you as the best option). The only problem I have found is that it pulls up eBay buy-it-now, but not traditional eBay autions. So, when I went to buy textbooks, I would search at gettextbooks.com and eBay at the same time. Good luck!