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Hey everyone, @sunshiine: last year, acceptances were given out late March and anyone on the waitlist was notified of their rank by April. As for University vs program acceptances, I believe you should be accepted into the university first before anything else. Good luck to everyone applying!

Congratulations Solidus!!! As for the immunizations: The 2-step PPD does take two weeks to complete, and if you need your MMR or Varicella, don't take those until after your second PPD reading (they can affect your PPD results). You'd need a doctor's order first for your titers, and if you need any other vaccinations. Even if you don't have positive results for the titers, you can still submit the lab results with proof for each injection you get. Unfortunately, I've had to take my HepB over again :\ As long as you post the negative results, and show that you just had the first shot, you're good. The system we upload our documents on will just set another due date for you to upload your next couple of shots, or however many you'd need to complete the requirement. And the books: I agree with angelxeternity. The package is super expensive, and I don't use ebooks either. You can get the books in the package for cheap through sites like Amazon or eBay. Order your calculations book first though! If you want to see the PreTest and Unit 1, I had scanned it a couple of weeks ago for a friend of mine while she waited for her calculations book to arrive in the mail. Just email me and I'll forward them to you Congrats again!

Thank you ScottE for that tidbit of knowledge! I didn't know that I was pretty confident in making my decision to engrave mine, and thanks also mom2ccg too! I just got my stethoscope in the mail and tried it out. The "engraving" wasn't what I was initially thinking of. It definitely looks like etching, but the bell side's sound is nice and loud Can't wait to use it more often!

I agree with szeles23. Apply for any program that you can meet with what you have right now. Also, going through ADN programs isn't stupid. In the end, you'll be an RN just like the ones who went through a BSN program. You can always go back to complete your BSN later on. I think the only downside to the ADN is that a few hospitals (like Stanford, here in CA) are particular about what type of RNs they want to hire, and lean more towards BSN graduates. Nevertheless, you should keep trying (and apply to more than one program next time). :)

I plan on buying a Littman Classic II SE for nursing school. Medisave offers free engraving, but should I engrave it? I noticed that they engrave on the inside edge of the bell side--does this affect the quality of what I'll hear?

I called the school of nursing today and the person who answered (I'm assuming she's the receptionist) said it could be another week or two for emails notifying waitlisters

I'm a little confused about whether you thought my last post was attacking others? As with all posts, please take them with a grain of salt. I was only really shocked by how great 22flower's achievements were, and--upon hearing that someone else with quite a few Cs on their transcript alone--how she would not have at least been considered for waitlist. I was not trying to say that well rounded applicants only had great grades and test scores. I work side by side with LVNs and CNAs too, so I would never bad mouth them for the hard work that they do--especially at my facility. I just feel bad that someone with a really great application like 22flowers would be rejected when someone like me, with my mediocre accomplishments, would have gotten a good spot on the waitlist. Again, I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad.. just trying to sympathize in the way I know how, so please don't take it the wrong way. I just put my thoughts out there, but it doesn't mean I'm right. I think we all know that when we post our opinions. These are my opinions after all, and I write them without deeply probing into everything. I would never be able to write if I had to constantly think about what comes out of my mind at the time of posting.. I apologize if anything I wrote sounded offensive to anyone though, especially 22flowers, because it really was not meant to sound bad at all

Hey bella1990, I'm assuming you were replying to me. I received an email near the end of March telling me that I was on waitlist and what rank I was. I'm also a continuing student, so I'm not sure how the transfers are getting their notifications. I would try emailing [email protected] and asking about that. Sorry if I'm not much help!

I'm sort of in the same boat! I didn't bother applying to Samuel Merritt though. I'm super close to getting into SFSU as well. I'm really set on going to SFSU. From the moment I got into USF's program, all I hear is how good the program is and how easy USF graduates find jobs. I love their mission and values, and it looks to me like most of the students actually go by them as well. The classes seem pretty small in comparison to most classes at SFSU, especially those designated for nursing students only. A few of the clinical sites under USF also include UCSF and Stanford, which sounds fantastic. All around, anyone I've asked about USF always says it's a great school, great program, and you won't regret going there. HOWEVER, my main concern is definitely the tuition. That's like paying off a mortgage. I'll probably be paying that off for the rest of my career unless I can find a payment plan that lets me pay off as much as possible every month. I would love to be at USF but this tuition is ridiculous. It's kind of weird. I share their values about altruism. But if I had to go to this school, I wouldn't be able to reach my full potential in this (if that makes sense?) You see, I wouldn't want to be working abroad, earning very little, and having to pay off my loans at the same time. It just doesn't seem doable in my opinion...but that's just me! I've got my whole life planned out in front of me I don't know too much about the program at SFSU. I regret not going to the informational meetings there. However, the tuition is definitely a plus for me. I also took a look at the nclex pass rates for both schools, and a 1 percent difference is way too close to consider which would be "best". I've also attended SFSU and I loved being there. I can definitely handle the tuition there. The only thing holding me back is how nice USF is, and my second thoughts on what I may miss out on if I hadn't transfered from USF :doh:Would I be better off after I graduate from USF? Or would I end up working in the same facilities as graduates who've paid LESS than me? I personally knew one recent USF graduate at my job. She was constantly making big mistakes, and she eventually had to resign (it was that or get fired). It made me think about USF's ability to properly educate its students, but... really, it's all up to the person in the end right? These programs help guide us to be be RNs. But in the end, it's up to us to be able to deal with all the information we're given and how we are to apply that outside of the classroom. All in all, USF is definitely regarded for its name. To have that on my resume, with more than 100k in loans, and 6 years in college, I'm not so sure. The fact of the matter is that SFSU is a much more realistic choice for me. As long as I get a degree, the rest is up to me. The pass rates are too close to even consider. Again, I figure it's all up to the person right? You can be enrolled in the best school but it doesn't mean you'll be sailing by like the rest of the cream of the crop. Hope you can make your decision! Good luck with the waitlist too!

I also forgot to mention that there are some people who have bachelor degrees in a different major wanting to go into nursing. they also have programs for that if you're concerned by your grades. it's a long route as well, but in the end you'll be a nurse just the same

There are several ways to become a nurse. You don't have to become an RN with a BS degree straight away if you think your transcript won't be palatable to the schools' nursing review. You can definitely try your best to go for a BSN in your area, but always have Plans B, C, and D! You can start off slow and steady by becoming a CNA. Then LVN, ADN, BSN. You can apply for LVN programs and go from there, or even an ADN program and just go through an accelerated BSN program. I highly suggest that you take some time to find nursing schools in your area and their requirements for their nursing program. Start off with the closest ones around you. Email, call, just contact the schools if you have any concerns and they'll be able to better deal with your issues and maybe even help you find your way through the process. It'll be difficult, but if you're really yearning for a degree in nursing, the hard work will all pay off when you get an acceptance into a program As for your last concern, I'm not entirely sure if you can just wipe your slate clean... Then again, I'm in a different state and, here, you have to transfer all your classes from previous schools to the one that you intend on going to (so of course they'll see the repeats). Just try to find the programs that can better accomodate what you already have and what you CAN do in the future to get up to where you'll need to be. I wish you the best of luck!

i know for sure that chabot, merritt, los medanos, ohlone, ccsf use lottery systems. these are community colleges with adn programs in northern ca. they have to first select candidates with at least the minimum requirements and above. then they put all the names in a lottery and select however many for their program and waitlist. they each have a different way of computing who gets to go through lottery though. some have different rules for their lotteries as well--such as putting one name in twice because they've applied once before. i can't really name any bsn programs using the lottery system, and i assume they're using grades and such to make their decisions. sfsu's selection process seems the most iffy in my opinion. selections seemed to be more random than based on what the student has achieved (grades, test scores, volunteer/work experience, etc).

I was recently put on waitlist for the BSN program at San Francisco State University here in California. The waitlist I'm on has 115 people. If your school goes by rank on the waitlist, and you're near the top of the list, I'm sure you've still got a good chance at getting in. You can contact the school too if you have concerns being on wait list. Wish you the best of luck!

I think it's a too late for programs in California, especially if you wanted to apply for this Fall 2011. At this point, we're all waiting on acceptances and waitlist updates. I would suggest looking into any schools around the area you live in first, and then search for those in other parts of CA. Then find some out of state schools. Keep in mind that several programs (especially the BSN programs) have application periods a year before the actual program start. If you were to apply this Fall 2011 to BSN programs and got accepted, you would start the following Fall 2012. I don't know of any programs without a wait list here, but maybe USF? I haven't heard of any wait list for their program. Either you get in or you don't. However, even if they do accept you for the program, it's still likely that you'd have to wait until a certain term to begin your clinicals. Technically that's a waitlist right? xD My only issue with USF is that it is private.

I'm confused on the last part about taking an RN and doing a bridge program... Did you mean an ADN (the 2-year degree taken at community colleges)? That is definitely an option regardless of gpa or other qualifications. Where I live, it's best to apply to as many schools as you can. I also think your gpa question would depend on the area you're in. Most of the schools here in California look at your cummulative college gpa (all the courses you've taken in college) and your pre-requisite gpa (only the nursing pre-requisite courses). The pre-req gpa is definitely considered. In applying, the schools always ask for all of your college transcripts. They take into account all of the courses you've taken thus far--not just the university you're at right now. But, I would advise you to look into the schools you want to apply for, since each school may have different requirements. Nursing schools don't solely look at your gpa too. They may look at volunteer or work experience, test scores, etc. In addition to that, I know many ADN programs here that weed out applicants who aren't qualified for the program, and then do a lottery for those who do qualify. There are so many other things to consider, including the stats of the applicant pool at the time of application. So don't think that just because you have a low gpa, that you won't get in, but you're for sure in a tight spot to begin with in my opinion. Anyway, good luck with your applications!