AEP1209

I'm sure the law school grades won't matter too much! I'm sure they'll be impressed by the fact that you have a legal background. I would definitely start volunteering at a hospital as soon as possible. That will show them that you've seen firsthand what nursing is all about, and that you know, based on those experiences, that it is the right career for you. It will also provide some great material to draw from when writing your essays! I would also suggest shadowing in a physician's office or hospital. Do you have a good relationship with anyone who practices medicine (a friend, or even a personal physician)? If so, contact them and see if it would be possible to shadow a nurse in his or her office. It's a quick, fun, and easy way to beef up your health care experience! Good luck, and let me know if I can be of anymore help!

Undergrad GPA: 3.7 (Vanderbilt) Prereq GPA: 4.0 (NOVA) HESI: 94% As far as background goes, I think my biggest asset was having worked in health care policy. With health care reform (and more recently, the regulatory phase of HCR) being such a hot-button issue in the industry, I think GMU, and other schools (including Gtown), liked the fact that I had a strong understanding of the policy issues that affect our health care delivery system. Also, I think that writing strong essays is an important key to success in your applications. Lastly, I'd say that some volunteering in a health care facility is an important facet of anyone's application. Let me know if you have any more questions! Best of luck!!!

I finally got my letter and got in! Now I just have to decide whether to go to GMU, Georgetown, or Marymount... Decisions, decisions.

I was accepted to Georgetown, but do not plan on applying for the WHC scholarship. The scholarship program is not an option for me, because there is a good chance that I'm going to have to relocate shortly after finishing the program. I have been accepted at some other, less expensive schools in the area as well. While they are pretty well-respected programs, they don't seem to have as great of a name as Georgetown. If I had a money tree, I would choose Georgetown in a heartbeat! Since I don't, I'm just wondering if it is really worth shelling out $70K... Does anyone who didn't do/is not doing the WHC scholars program have any insight on this?

I still don't know yet whether or not I was accepted to Mason... I recently moved to a new apartment, and the post office botched my change of address request, so my mail is in limbo. I spoke with admissions yesterday, and they're sending me another letter ASAP. Hopefully I'll get it at my new address sometime in the next couple of days. Regarding the other schools, I did get accepted to GW, but I declined their offer of acceptance for two primary reasons: 1) It's a very long drive from where I live now, and I'm not in a position to relocate, 2) Considering the fact that they have yet to graduate their first ABSN cohort, I don't really feel comfortable putting that much money, time, and effort into a program that isn't necessarily a "proven product", you know? I was also accepted at Hopkins, Georgetown, and Marymount. I'll have a big decision to make once I hear back from Mason. I really don't know what to do! I've heard from numerous people to attend the school that gives you the best value... To me, that means a great education at a well-respected school for a reasonable cost. Still not sure which school fits that description haha!

Since I'm in the area, I guess it shouldn't take too long for the letter(s) to arrive! Does the general admissions letter come at the same time as the ABSN admissions letter? Hopefully we'll find out by early next week. Good luck everyone!

The HESI was the application requirement that I was most worried about... My overall score was good (94%), but my A&P score was low (84%), because at the time that I took the exam, I was only about 2/3 of the way through A&P I. Now I'm almost done with A&P II. If I could retake that section now, I bet I'd get a lot more questions right! I think this is the first year that they've used the HESI (before they used TEAS). Does anyone know how much weight they put on that? I'm having a ridiculous amount of anxiety over this!!

In addition to Mason, I applied to Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, GW, and Marymount. Because of proximity and cost, I think Marymount is my #1 school right now, other than GMU. Has anyone heard anything about what the GMU program is like compared to some of the other schools in this area? I know that it is somewhat shorter (12 months, instead of 14-15 months), but that's the extent of my knowledge. I wish we could get feedback from current or former students! Feel free to weigh in if you know anything about the program specifics!

I hope you get your birthday wish! I hope we hear back in mid- rather than late-April. Fingers crossed!!!

In the information session, I believe they said we would hear back about admissions decisions in mid April (approximately). They have the longest wait time of any school I applied to! I'm just trying to forget about it until then.

Way to go!! Sounds like you did very well on the HESI! I ended up getting a 94% as my overall score. My A&P score was my lowest (84%), which I thought was pretty decent, considering I'd only finished just over half of A&P I when I took the HESI. I'm really hoping they don't put all that much weight on this test. Hopefully they'll put more weight on the prereq grades, undergraduate record, and the application essays. On another note, has any one had the chance to speak to any current or former students in the ABSN program? I went to one of the information sessions in November, but I didn't get the best feeling about the program. It just seems very institutionalized, and I kind of got the sense that the people running it don't know what they're doing. It would be nice to be able to hear feedback from someone who has been through the program.

Ughh I know... it's very pricey. I had to reschedule mine too because I had previously made travel plans that I'd totally forgotten about. Even after taking the test, I really have no idea what Mason considers to be a good score. My problem is that I started my first semester of prereqs this past August, so I've taken less than half of the Anatomy and Physiology requirement. The test definitely covers A&P material from part II of the course as well. I scored a 94% on the test overall, but A&P was definitely my weakest section (84%). I hope that doesn't hurt my chances too much... I was thinking about writing a brief letter of explanation to the admissions committee to explain that I've only taken part of the course. Any thoughts?

Hi Ellie! Glad to finally hear from someone else applying to Mason! I think I can shed some light on your concern about making sure you take all the required HESI sections. I took the exam at a Prometrics testing center in Falls Church, VA. Once you've gotten your registration confirmed, all you need to do is show up to the testing center on the day of the test. Show up about 30 minutes or so before your appointment time, as they tend to get pretty busy (they offer many, many different types of tests there). They'll get you checked in, assign you to a specific computer, and pull up the test for you on the computer to which you've been assigned. The exam proctor will lead you to the computer and there will be a menu screen on the test. The menu will list all the different sections on the test (including the ones that you don't need to take for Mason, like Chemistry and Biology). From that menu, you can go through and take each required section of the test in whatever order you'd like. So, bottom line, registering for the test enables you to take any and all sections of the HESI. Regarding the timing, you will have 4 hours to complete the required sections, but it really doesn't take that long. I think I finished in about 2 and a half hours. Good luck!!!

Hi everyone! I'm applying for fall 2011. I took the HESI A2 this week, but I realized that I have no idea what is considered a "good" HESI score (i.e. a HESI score that would help me get into GMU!). Has anyone else taken it yet? If so, what were your scores? Thanks everyone!

Hi all! I just took the HESI for the first time the other day. I was pleased with how I did overall (94.3%)! My lowest score was in the A&P section on which I scored an 84%. Is that an acceptable score? Considering that I'm not even finished with A&P I yet, I thought it was pretty decent (taking A&P II next semester). But, that being said, "decent" doesn't cut it for really competitive accelerated BSN programs like George Mason University... Does anyone know how an 84% on the A&P section stacks up? Thanks, in advance, and happy Thanksgiving, everyone!