NolaRachel

I just started CARE this semester and you sound so much like me a year ago. My undergrad degree was in Theatre and my GPA was around a 2.3, so I feel where you're coming from. My prereq GPA ended up around a 3.7 and I had a decent professional resume by the time I applied. So, while I'm not saying don't sweat it, it's certainly possible to get in with a less than stellar academic history. As for the interview and essay, just looking at the type of people in our program, everyone seems distinctively committed and serious about being here and I think those two factors have to be the driving force behind that. My interview went well because the students I had interviewing me knew I was nervous and tried to make me comfortable and focus on the questions they were asking, so I'm grateful for that. Jaime pretty much gave the run down on how the rest of the process goes. Be sure not to freak out when it's been a few months since you submitted your application and you haven't heard back. Admissions letters seem to go out at different times every year. As for class credit, they have historically taken credit for Abnormal Psych, 8 credit hours worth of A&P (lecture and labs) for Anatomy credit (they make you take their Physiology course no matter what), Pathophysiology, Research, and Genetics. That being said, you should definitely check in with the CARE Program Director before taking a class for the purpose of getting it out of the way in advance. Good luck getting through the application and waiting game. It's totally worth it.

cpkrn, you seem to have a really good sense of what's going on so I hope it's not too forward to run my situation by you and ask what you think: I took A&P I and II lecture and A&P I lab last year at Delgado. A's in all three. I'm holding a big event (my wedding) five weeks into the fall semester (the weekend around which the first set of exams will probably occur) and am considering taking either Abnormal Psych or A&P II lab over the summer to slightly reduce my load in the fall. I think I would benefit from working with the cadavers cause I've lost some of my memory of anatomy for lack of recent use, so I'm more inclined to get Abnormal Psych out of the way over the summer if LSU is willing to take Delgado credits for it. What do you think would be my best bet?

I got my meningitis vaccination at Concentra last year - I think it cost around $60 bucks at the time. Not sure about where to get the TB test.

Mine is June 23rd, as well.

Totally forgot about checking my mailbox until I checked this thread today...I'm in!!!! Crossing my fingers for everyone who hasn't gotten their letter yet and looking forward to meeting you guys in the fall! Woo-hooo!

Eep! Yes, early MAY, not mail. Perhaps she meant she would hear back by May at the latest? Looking at earlier posts in this thread, it would seem they historically sent out letters during the last week of April. Crossing my fingers for everyone in the meantime!

They said we could expect to hear back in early mail via snail mail.

I'm interviewing this Saturday. :)

For those of you who have already had your interviews (and congrats on getting through that part of the process!), can you give some idea of the questions you were asked and let us know about any that were 'out of left field', as Lilli209 put it? I'm expecting to be asked how I came to nursing, how I'd deal with the intensity, high stress, and not making the kind of grades I'm used to, but I'm really not sure about anything else. Did it seem to you that your interviewers had seen your application or personal statement?

Haven't heard anything yet, so I'm guessing they're just working through applications in the order they received them. I think I started mentally freaking out a little when people started posting that they were getting interviews and I've had nary a call. The perspective I'm trying to keep is that I know I put together the absolute best application package I could, so I just need to be patient til they find my envelope, realize I'm exactly the kind of student they need, and pick up the phone to demand I come in for an interview.

I also applied to the CARE program and the waiting is killing me, too. I didn't get my application in until the first week of January (waiting on a former boss to actually send me a recommendation, instead of just saying it had been sent) , so I'm hoping that doesn't effect anything big. CARE is definitely my first choice, but I also applied to OLOL's accelerated program at Tulane and Charity, as back-ups. As for the scheduling questions, when I spoke with the admissions counselor for the program, she said almost exactly what cpkrn said - only the first and last semesters will have "normal" schedules. For all the other blocks, days and times are all fair game and will probably be pretty crazy for some blocks. I'm depending on that being true since I'm getting married the second weekend of September, though I'll be back in class come the Monday morning after. :) Good luck to everyone who applied and thanks to the folks who are posting as they get interviews scheduled and such. It really helps to know what's going on.

It's application season and I'm running up against the ASN vs BSN question. I'm lucky to live in a city that offers multiple accelerated programs for someone like me, who already has a bachelors (in theatre) and is coming to nursing as a second career. My undergraduate transcript is pretty bad looking, but I've made straight A's since I returned to school to take prerequisites this past summer (11 classes down, 1 more class in the Spring). I'm hoping my academic turn-around is obvious to admission committee people. As for the programs I'm looking at, the accelerated ASN program runs from July 2011-May 2012 (10 months) and the accelerated BSN runs from August 2011-March 2013 (19 months). I've tried finding NCLEX pass rates to compare the programs, but it seems the state only keeps track by school. My questions are: Will the accelerated ASN really be able to prep me for nursing in 10 months? I know how diligent of a student I can be, but I imagine a lot of nursing is on-the-job learning, so the 10 month time frame is concerning. Will the BSN make me that much more employable? I was speaking a with a family friend who runs an ED and he said that they definitely prefer RN's with a bachelors. I don't know how much of a difference it makes that I already have a BA. Since I'm planning on going back for an MSN anyway and many offer RN-MSN bridge programs, will it make a different in the long-run, anyway? Thanks in advance for your help!

Have they told you what you're schedule is going to look like? I am applying for the Tulane program starting in July. Thanks!

I would really appreciate the notes, too, please! I am applying for the Tulane program starting in July (I have met with the woman there to go over my transcripts twice and have high hopes) and I only have one prereq left to take in the Spring - chem. So I'd love to start studying for pharma and anything else after Fall finals are up. Thanks!