choco80

tadams - Congrats on the scholarship, that is fantastic! That would probably tip the scales for me, though I have to say that I have a graduate degree from UPenn and I loved the school - it is an amazing place, and their nursing school is fantastic. It would be a hard decision for me (I need to stay in Boston though and didn't apply there for nursing school, however). Good luck!

Congrats - I also received good news :) FNP?

Just got this email too - will be checking at midnight!

Hi hb3an- Perhaps they have changed the "change" policy in the past couple of years, or perhaps they are saying that just because they know they cannot make any promises (they made that pretty clear as well - I believe they said that adult/gero people would have a much easier time switching to another speciality once in, and that there was only a chance to switch to fnp if someone from fnp switched out. That may not be their official statement on it either - I remember a couple of faculty saying that to students casually who were asking them after the info session). I didn't apply to BC this time around, though I did a couple of years ago. I got into BC and MGH - both were my top choices - and chose MGH. This time around I know I'd like to go to MGH and I'm hoping it works out with them - we shall see...

I applied FNP and haven't heard anything yet. To everyone who was waitilisted and offered a spot in the adult/gero track - all hope is not lost if you are committed to doing FNP. At the admitted students session a couple of years ago there were several people who were also offered adult/gero spots who wanted fnp and took the spots and were told there was a good chance they could change a semester in to another specialty, though it was not guaranteed. good luck to you guys! Nervous about hearing myself...

Hi guys - I am also playing the waiting game for the direct entry MSN program. I applied and was admitted two years ago but was unable to attend back then, so I am reapplying now. I can tell you that back then we received our acceptances via email, and they also followed up with a letter in the mail. Our due dates were a bit later then (I believe the app was due in Jan - this year it was due December 1) and we didn't hear until March or so. Good luck guys - hopefully we will all hear something soon!

Hi there - If you end up attending the MGH direct entry program, we would be in the same class! I will be starting in Sept 2012. I was accepted this year, however I deferred for a year. The application process was not that bad (although they delayed sending us results for a long time due to an increased number of applications), and the staff working there was very nice. Best of luck on the GRE and with your prereqs!

Thanks, SingDana! Sorry you had to miss the admitted students day, but there will be several events during orientation where you'll have the chance to meet everyone! As for the Northeastern student's comment, I've actually had the opposite experience. I know several graduates (more than one :) ) from the MGH program who were all able to find great jobs working as an NP immediately following graduation, and they indicated that this was the case with the majority of their class, so I'm not at all concerned about having to work as an RN. I also spoke with graduates and current students from 3 of the other direct entry programs in the Boston area to feel this out when I was deciding where to go because I had two concerns: clinical/preceptor placement in the NP portion of the program, and employment as an NP upon graduation. I already addressed the point about preceptors in my other post about the admitted students day (I actually was the one who asked the question that day about guaranteed placement for all students during the NP portion), and I really liked their answer (obviously, since I'm going there :) ). I also liked that they are very deliberately training you to be an NP, not an RN, and they said that the additional hours spent doing RN clinical work that some other direct entry programs require were largely superfluous, unless your goal is to work as an RN professionally (and if that's the case, I'm not sure why you would enroll in a direct entry program). Clearly, some people value the extra time spent in a program, and to each his own. For me, I've been a lawyer for 6 years and I can't really afford (time wise or financially) to spend extra time in a program building up RN experience on the floor, when my goal is to be an NP and treat patients in a clinic - a completely different job. Anyways, best of luck to you! I'm jealous you're getting your email addresses in a few weeks - I'll have to wait another year for mine! :)

Thanks Johanne, you too! I'll be crossing my fingers for you. As I said before, I am deferring a year, so that opens up one spot...

Hi Johanne - unfortunately, I don't remember how many psych people raised their hands. What I do remember about that part was that a lot of people raised their hands for peds and women's health. I was actually surprised that not that many people raised their hands for FNP, my area - the fnp people must not have come that day!

Hi there - no, I didn't hear anything about peds, although it seemed like there were quite a few peds people at the accepted students day (they had use raise our hands for each specialty). That may not mean much, however.

We all had different due dates to respond. Mine was April 12th. Good luck!

It seemed like different people had different deadlines at mgh. Mine was April 12, and while I accepted, I am deferring a year, which should open up a spot in the class. GL!

I love Penn! I went there for law school (I am now starting a direct entry program at MGH in Boston since I live here now), and the university community is fantastic, the university as a whole is known for being very supportive, and they students generally are a spirited bunch (I can say this for the undergrads, law school and med school - I don't know specifically about nursing, but I would be surprised if it was any different). Penn is also a very prestigious nursing school - I'm not too familiar with nursing rankings, but my understanding was that it was either the very top or very close to it? I also really liked philly - great food, affordable, nice parks, a lot of new buildings, etc. I'm coming from growing up NYC and I can say that. It definitely has sketchy parts, and you should probably walk with someone at night, but I think that comes along with living in a city. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong since they are both good programs. Best of luck!

I realize this is an older thread, but I will be entering a direct-entry program (I already have a doctorate in another field - law) and am interested in entering academia, perhaps in teaching ethics/policy related courses at a nursing school. I was wondering how many of you guys who do teach have second jobs, work in clinics, etc. to supplement? I echo the sentiment here that the academic salary is way too low, and I was just wondering how many of you take on an additional job? At my school, most of the profs seem to also work at the hospitals as NPs, etc. as well. Thanks!

I just discovered this thread now! Henry, what did you end up deciding?

Hi guys - sorry, work has been very busy (and I'm taking prereqs on top of that) and I haven't had the chance to come here today. I think kd23 addressed the schedule points. Molls, they didn't say anything about the student ratios (and no one asked about it), but that would have been a good question. They way they were talking about the NP clinicals, it sounded like it was 1 on 1, or very close to that (I think they even used the phrase "one on one"). Regarding the number of hours - they made it clear that you will be well trained to be an NP when you leave the program, and that this is not a program geared towards producing floor nurses, even though you are awarded a BSN as well as an MSN. They said the number of hours of course meets the amount required for certification, and that their graduates fair well in the NP job market notwithstanding that the school does not go through the summers and does not have a fourth year - they said their approach was different than schools that require longer hours working as floor nurses, and they really emphasized that they didn't feel it was necessary to work as an RN to be an effective NP. They said the RN certification is what employers want to see, not time on the wards as an RN (although they acknowledged that there was a prejudice by some RNs against NPs that go through a direct entry program because they are lacking floor experience - we can definitely see that prejudice on these message boards sometimes). It is all just a matter of perspective/opinion; I think it is clear there are many applicants who want that extra floor time. (If so, MGH is probably not your first choice anyways...)

No problem! Good luck johanne.

Hi guys - they said that the merit scholarship is awarded only once, upon acceptance (the same thing with the need-based grants), and that they are generally 2 year scholarships. The need-based package (non-grants) is generally the same for most people - you qualify for the full federal direct loan amount (I believe it was $20,500 total each year, divided between $8000 subsidized and $12,500 unsubsidized - or it might be 8500 subsidized and 12000 unsubsidized, I forget), and you can take out the remainder in either private loans or federal PLUS loans. I really liked the info session - I thought one of the most informative things they said was that everyone will have preceptors/clinical placements in the NP part of the program. This was a concern of mine initially since some of the other programs I was considering in the area have had problems placing students in the NP portion, and students have had to actively seek out preceptors on their own. They said they will not do that, and that while each person may not get their "dream" position, everyone will have something. They also have a dedicated person on the staff who handles this. A couple of other thoughts on the session - I was surprised about the number of people in attendance. It was a very large group - I was expecting 30 people or so, but there were easily over 100, maybe 150 there I would guess? They had to bring extra chairs into the room several times. I also wish they structured it a bit differently and had a student panel, instead of just 1 student, to speak with us. At this point, as admitted students, we really want to speak to current students and get advice, their perspective, etc. and I think having a diversity of perspectives really helps. Some other things that were said (albeit, quickly). They said that there are generally 10-15 people in each specialty in each class. Also, I was talking with some of the faculty afterwards, and they indicated that the waitlist was very long this year, and that a ton of people applied in Family Practice, and that they offered spots in Adult/Gero to some of the waitlist people who applied in FNP (as we already knew). I heard a couple of people ask (afterwards) if it was possible to be placed on the waitlist for an FNP spot because they wanted to change their focus, and they were told you can't add yourself at this point to the waitlist for another specialty if you were accepted into another. They did say that people who wanted to change during the program could do so if there was an opening, but there was no guarantee. Also, johanne, they didn't specifically address how many students they anticipate will enroll of the 96 they admitted, but it never is 100% - it is never even close to that, usually. I am sure they have an anticipated yield, like all colleges/grad schools do, and they admit a certain number and waitlist a certain number based on that. I hope this is helpful - a bunch of people were there, and I'm sure many from this board, so I'm sure they'll have a lot more to add!

Fingers crossed with the waitlist johanne. mcphs is a great place, btw. I used to live near that area, it is such a nice location - you would be right in the midst of the longwood medical area, right next to all of the hospitals. Plus, they have added so many new buildings recently on their campus, it is amazing... My husband and I always joked that mcphs must have recently come into a huge endowment, because they had almost nothing in the area just a few years ago! That is def a good sign.

Hi Johanne! I am very excited about MGH, and I definitely plan on attending! I just have a change in circumstances with my husband's job, as well as a health-related issue, and it would make everything a lot easier to start next fall as opposed to this fall. It will be difficult to wait because I am pretty excited about starting, however sometimes life throws you curve balls :) I hope MGH will be accommodating about this. Have you decided where you will be going yet?

I got my acceptance to Simmons today! I'm done hearing from schools, which is a nice thing. I'm looking forward to the MGH admitted students day on Saturday. Does anyone know about deferrals at MGH? I thought I heard at the info session you can defer a year....

Just got my rejection letter from Northeastern - no surprise, I knew this was coming! It's all good, however - I think I know where I'll be next year!

Taw, I would try to meet with the people at MGH personally who decide these things and can speak about the applicant pool this year and see what they say about the situation (this is not something to be handled on the phone by staff hired to deal with people, or with us future students and applicants here on these boards, since we really have no power or knowledge beyond what we've heard). This year's pool might be different, and who knows, they might be flexible or might be willing to promise you something if they want you to come to the school (I've been to grad school before, and these sorts of things definitely went on...) Good luck!

This is a helpful thread - I am also looking for one chem class to satisfy the MGH requirement. My only hesitation with the ones listed above is that they can be pricey - since I will be paying a lot for the actual school, I'd like to keep the cost of the prereqs down! I also love to take my prereqs online as much online as possible - I'm taking several now through edukan, and it is great for someone like me who is also working and is a mom. Juliewoo - the class through Northern Essex Community College looks like it meets in person and is supplemented online, am I correct? Unfortunately, I think the school is a bit too far for me to travel. It is great that it worked out for you, however!