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I know that I was incredibly nervous starting. I'm a "true" returning adult student, with a small child and husband, and had left a really good job to follow my dream. It has been worth every frustration, every night with little to no sleep, every night of studying! I won't lie - it's a lot of work, but we just finished up in the ICU and I felt very prepared to handle those difficult cases. If you can get the book lists at orientation, get your books off amazon or half.com or the like. MUCH cheaper than at the bookstore. :-) Get lots of NCLEX books and start using them early on. (I probably have at least 15 - no joke - and study from all of the regularly. I feel it helps me prepare for the tests.) Yes, I ramble - blame it on the Advanced Med-Surg test today and the OB test on Monday! :-) Can you narrow down areas you are curious about?

I'm in the class that will be graduating Dec 2012. It's been a lot of work, but definitely worth it. https://allnurses.com/pa-nursing-programs/psu-altoona-2nd-677220.html https://allnurses.com/pa-nursing-programs/fall-2012-psu-673684.html Check out those two threads - I've answered some questions on those links. My tips: enjoy the summer! You will stay very busy, so enjoy the downtime now. Jump at every opportunity to learn something new. The instructors and (most of the) nurses on the floors are willing to have you observe procedures and/or help out and/or perform it (when it's within the scope of what you've been taught. Study early and often. Smile - it's contagious and the pts will really appreciate it! :-) Do you have any specific questions I can answer?

At least for us, the first semester was Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Fundamentals of Nursing, Health Assessment, and Professional Role Development I. I definitely stayed busy, but the workload is manageable. In retrospect, I'm very glad we were at the clinical site so quickly - by applying the skills we were learning, it "solidified" them in my head.

If you are going to the orientation, you might be able to meet up with some people who will also be commuting from the area. I know there are several of us coming from the Bellefonte/State College region in the class of 2012. The drive really isn't that bad. :-)

In all seriousness, relax and enjoy your summer. The program is intense, so downtime is somewhat limited. If you want to 'work ahead", consider working on medical terminology (if you haven't had a course in it). I don't know about your finances, but some members of our class worked to get some money to help them through the rest of the program prior to starting. Make sure you get all of your paperwork (clearances, physical, insurance, etc.) turned in on time. Be prepared to order uniforms at orientation. You will also need a stethoscope and white shoes (sneakers are fine). (You will need to purchase a lab bag from the school - it has a pair of scissors and a penlight in it.) Do you have any specific questions I can answer? Let me know! Oh, do you have a date for summer orientation yet? Thanks!

Were you able to make a trip to Altoona? Hope you are enjoying any down time before starting in August! :-)

You will start the same time as the rest of the college - Monday, August 27. (Your Christmas break is the same as the schools, as is your spring break. We have a different summer schedule, however.) Fall 2012 Calendar ****DISCLAIMER**** I am getting times from the schedule of courses, which is subject to change!! Our first semester, we took NURS225 - Patho (M 0900-1150); NURS230 - Fundamentals (T 0630-1330, W 0900-1050); NURS250 - Prof Role Dev I (W 1200-1450 & Web); NURS251 - Health Assessment (R 0830-1130 & 1230-1420); NURS305 - Pharm (F 0900-1150). AGAIN, this is subject to change, but gives you an idea!! Have they given you a date for the summer orientation? (A day when you can come and learn more, possibly meet our class, order uniforms, etc.) I understand your stress, I was feeling the same thing last year at this time. I know it's no comfort, but hang in there!!

Penn State Altoona - Admissions Has tuition costs. Remember that you will have classes next summer (~$7200 this summer), too.

From what I've gathered from my classmates, the area immediately around the campus has a lot of college-geared rentals and such. If you're willing to drive ~15-20 minutes, there are rentals in Hollidaysburg & Duncansville as well. We started with 31 students; currently there are 27 of us. For clinical rotations, we are in groups of no more than 10. (Often smaller, though.)

I'll have to ask around. We are not in the classroom until Friday; I'll talk to some fellow students then and get back to you.

Our orientation was in June last year and was not mandatory. If you aren't there, you will have to make arrangements with the company to order uniforms and a nametag. Hot-Ads Altoona, PA -------- a link to the classifieds section of the local newspaper. Altoona Student Housing Your Best Resource for finding Student Housing in the Altoona Area --------------- a link to housing that is off-campus but near PSU Altoona

There is a lot of off-campus housing available, too. Have you contacted housing to see if they have any single-room suggestions?

I'm in the class that will be graduating Dec 2012. There is a ton of off-campus housing available; have you looked at the local paper (altoonamirror.com) to see if anything is listed to get an idea of what is available? (I live local, so I'm not much help with off-campus housing...) Congratulations!!

I'm in the class that will be graduating Dec 2012. I'm not much help with off-campus housing as I am from the area and commute, but I know there is affordable housing in the area. If driving a little (15 minutes) doesn't bother you, there is housing outside of Altoona that is quite affordable, too. You will need a car to get to some of the clinical sites. We are at Altoona Regional Hospital for many of our clinicals, but have also traveled to Homewood (in Martinsburg) and some were placed at Nason Hospital (in Roaring Spring). We are starting our community nursing course and will definitely need to have a car b/c we are at a lot of different sites. Depending on where you get housing, you may be able to walk to campus or use public transportation. I *think* we got our packets in April last year; if you are feeling a little anxious, give Penny a call and she can let you know when more info will be distributed. Let me know if you have any other questions I can help you with. (I'm not on here a lot, but will check back to see if you have other questions. :-) )

The facebook page is PSU Altoona 2nd Degree Nursing. Let me know if you can't locate it. Did you speak with admissions regarding the deposit? I'm not sure that's something that Dr. Kuhn deals with - I would think that the admissions department does. Look forward to meeting you soon!