Mrs_Mack

I think the After Degree program is largely what you make of it. I think there are ups and downs in any program and this one is no exception; however for me, being done that much faster makes it 100% worth it. I am working through the program right now and while its definitely a ton of work I have no plans to discontinue. I've also heard through the grapevine that there is supposedly a 50% dropout but i haven't noticed it being anywhere near that high since I started. They've made a bunch of changes to the program over the last few years so that could be one factor. As for CBL, it's not all 'teach yourself'. There are lectures designed to complement self-taught seminars in which you work with a tutor and your group to research topics related to real life scenarios. To be honest, I was really surprised at the number of people in my groups who have never worked in teams. They find it really difficult to have to share the workload and rely on other students to get all the information they need. One thing that CBL most definitely helps you achieve is the ability to work with a large group of people, all with differing opinions and personalities, to accomplish a common goal. This ability will definitely be reflected later in the workplace. Hope that helps, and good luck with whatever program you choose :)

Without knowing your full credit history I can't make a good guess about what your chances are. That being said, I obtained an RBC student line of credit with no problem, without a cosigner. I don't currently have a job and I own a condo. The way they are supposed to determine the amount of funding you can receive is to take into account your income currently and your future nursing salary, and compare that with your current debt load. There's a ratio of debt to income that they calculate and you must be under that limit to qualify. As for credit history and score, I don't know what their criteria is. I would think if you have a qualified co-signer that you probably won't have an issue. Hope that helps!

Are you willing to work in a smaller community within 30-1h outside those major cities? If so, there are slightly more affordable housing options in places like Duncan, Squamish, Vernon, etc.

From the UofA website, it says they calculate your Admission GPA from your last two terms of study, so for most people that's probably about the last 30 credits. I know for the last few application cycles the AGPA cutoff to receive Early admission has been about 3.3. I think if you're anywhere above 3.0 and you apply early enough, it should work out fine for you. I posted a link for you to check out - it's directly from the UofA Office of the Registrar AGPA section. UofA Registrar - Early Admission Good luck!

I believe it is somewhat competitive. The UofA website has a link for statistics on its Registrar page where you can look up the number of applicants and number accepted for in province, out of province, etc. My tip would be to apply as early as possible because they offer early admission if you meet a certain gpa cutoff. Good luck!

Hey Percy, I talked to the student advisor for Nursing way back in April/May and she said they probably won't start sending out acceptance letters until 'late summer' so you're probably fine. You could call her and ask if you're unsure though; she seemed pretty friendly. My application got mixed in with the fall ones so I received my admission in April but I'm thinking I am the only one because all the courses are still closed to registration. Have you sent both high school and University transcripts? Mine took about 1-2 weeks to arrive so you might want to double check if they have actually received them because when they do, the to do list will say completed. good luck!

This exactly. I totally agree. During my undergrad we had a few courses structured like CBL and I found it so much more interesting to research subjects and also much easier to remember the 'scenario' versus strict memorization. Did you find admissions...interesting at all? I've been wondering what's going on with my admission. I talked to one of the nursing admissions advisers before I applied and she mentioned it would be late summer at the earliest before winter 2011 letters were sent out. I applied back in March and they somehow admitted me to fall 2010 which messed everything up a bit. My course registration date was therefore in April but all the courses I have to register for starting in winter are still closed... Anyway I'm officially starting in January and I'm sure we'll get to know one another at some point. Well I'm definitely glad to have found a few fellow UofA students. I also considered UofC and received admission to ULeth but couldn't make the fall start work because I couldn't complete a missing Anat credit on time. Overall I think Edmonton is a great city, and a few of my friends are currently attending UofA. It sounds like hard work but a lot of fun at the same time, and UofA is a great school. Can't wait to start!

Has anyone else received their acceptance to UofA nursing yet? I got my letter a few months ago for the After Degree program starting in January and I'm pretty excited. I'm moving to Edmonton from Victoria and really looking forward to a change of pace and meeting some fellow nursing students. I know there are some negative opinions about this program but please don't put them here. I've already weighed all of it and UofA still seems like the best fit for me personally. That being said, has anyone personally had a great experience with this program and the CBL style? I think it sounds more interesting than the traditional lecture drone, even if it is more work intensive.

Hey thanks very much for the reply. My gpa wasn't 4.33 that's just the scale it was graded on. My actual transfer gpa is what I was trying to figure out because I know they look at the last 24 credits for the transfer agpa, and I think I had 1 A+, 5 As and 2 B's. I have no idea what it calculates out to be because I don't know how they do the conversion. On the 4.33 gpa scale, it would work out to an A- or A

Surely all students coming out of University of Alberta aren't bad; that seems a bit unlikely considering it's the largest nursing school in the country. I'm considering it because they offer the 2 year after degree program. I'm also considering UofC and ULeth but waiting for to see if my course prerequisites are adequate.

Does anyone know how long the University of Alberta takes to send out admission letters to the After Degree Nursing program? I applied to the Winter 2011 session so I'm just wondering when they give out Early Admission so I can stop worrying about it for awhile! As an aside, anyone know how exactly UofA assesses your GPA? My previous degree was on a 4.33 GPA scale but they assign letter grades, so does the assigned grade get transferred straight across? Thanks in advance, and I'd love to hear all related comments about this program and nursing in Alberta in general.