sdrenfro32

I think I was the one from last year! :) I did freak out! In terms of difficulty, the program is very difficult. Your first semester is very stressful and exciting at the same time. In any given week you can have two tests and a mastery for nursing skills or pharmacology skills. **** is absolutely amazing with her Fundamentals lectures. I suggest you study for this class at least a week in advance for her tests. She also has medical terminology tests which are easy if you actually study them a day in advance and memorize them. They can boost your grade! Do you have **** or ***** for pharmacology? It is hard regardless, I guess. I would suggest studying at least two weeks in advance for these tests to make sure you really know the stuff. And the tests get harder as you go on. Labs are fun because you get to learn the hands-on stuff, but the masteries can be very stressful. Practice for these! They can be sticklers on them. Clinical is so much fun because it's patient interaction. Tell me your instructor and I might be able to clue you in on how they teach. Make friends with your lab group and clinical group because they will be with you every day for an entire semester and possibly throughout till graduation! Some girls can be catty...it's TCU...but overall my experience has been with nice girls. So basically, study at least 4 hours a week and more when tests are coming up, be nice to everyone because your instructors will be your references if you want a job, and have fun! Did I cover everything???

Forgot, I have been reading some of the questions y'all had and I can answer a few.... You need solid WHITE leather sneaker/tennis shoes. They cannot have any other color on them...possible silver but very minimal as your professors will be looking at your attire every time you wear them! You need socks that cover your entire ankles because they also check this! (They say it is for your own protection). So, no ankle socks, they have to be more grannyish! :) You will wear your scrubs every lab/clinical day, not lecture days (unless you go to the hospital that day to pick a patient and then it is acceptable, but that is more during the later part of the semester.) The stethescope you need will have to have a setting for hearing heart murmurs. Mine kind of twists around and clicks so that it does a complete 360 to hear both ways. That's all I can think of for now!

Hey girls! My name is Stephanie, I am going into my Junior 2 semester for Nursing at TCU in the Fall 2012. So I will be taking Maternity, Pediatrics, and Gerontology Nursing classes. Y'all are too cute! I remember how giddy I was about FINALLY being accepted into the program last year. Y'all take me back! I was actually called about an open spot days before classes started, I even missed the first orientation day because I couldn't get registered in time. It's overwhelming, but you can get through it! Anyway, I just wanted to reach out to y'all because I know you have so many questions! Ask away and I am more than happy to help with anything you need! Anything from nursing classes, books, schedules, professors, core curriculum, fees, ANYTHING! Let me know and I can try to find the answer! P.S. I owe everything to ZJ. Without her, I wouldn't be here. LOVE HER! And she is very genuine. I still go into her office just to chat every now and then. :)

I won't know until ZJ registers me at 3pm today. Which one are you in??? Maybe I could pull for that one :)

Great, I will try to find you. I'm Stephanie. I'm assuming that was orientation that I missed or something important??? Could you tell me anything that might help me out?

I GOT IN!!! ZJ told me today that they had a spot for me. :) I am really stressed right now though because I have to figure out EVERYTHING this weekend. But I am okay with that

Just wanted to let you know that ZJ told me a couple of weeks ago that there aren't any spots available for me. Sooo, I was put on the waitlist for the Spring, and if I don't get in then, I will be pushed back to the Fall for sure. Evidently they are way overbooked for their program right now, even over their max limit for some reason. Needless to say, I am crushed. But, at least I know I will get in next Fall. Good luck everyone!

I have all of my prereqs done and I have nothing else left to take, so I am hoping it works out!

I am not a transfer student. It's actually kind of complicated. I was at TCU for two years and I was accepted into the nursing program as a freshman. I left TCU because I was having a really hard time with personal things and I was having some doubts about what I wanted to do with my life. I figured it was too expensive to not know what I wanted to do. But now I know for sure that I want to be a nurse so I called up there and met with **** to discuss my options and she basically told me I would be grandfathered in because I was already accepted into the program to begin with. I got pretty lucky with it I guess... but I still have to wait and see if I can get in because I am on the waitlist.

Yes, LOT OF LOANS! Unless my FAFSA gets me more than I think it will. Do you have all your finances squared away?

Me too, me too! I am really hoping I get in. I thought about it, but I can't remember why I didn't apply there... I didn't get in to TCC I guess because there were a lot of AMAZING applicants that were better.

I just looked at my post from last night and WOW did I seem pushy for El Centro!!!! I did not mean for that, whoops!! I was only thinking cost, but since you don't just want to be an RN then TCU is the way to go. Most hospitals want you to have a bachelors anyway. That is really great that you can already register and everything! Do you have a choice of certain professors vs others? I was rejected by TCC and am on the waitlist for TCU. So, fingers crossed I can get in!! I met with ****** yesterday and she told me is was a 50-50 shot.

Yes, I completely agree with you. A BSN will be much more beneficial for your own educational purposes since you want to become a CRNA. So are you allowed to register for classes yet?

@mirc it has been a while since you posted that..... have you decided where you are going?

Honestly, I would go to El Centro BECAUSE of the cost. Without any financial aid it could cost you nearly $40,000 a year to attend TCU. Is that really worth it in the long run when you can cut the cost dramatically? Going to TCU could cost you $100,000 in loans before graduation...before you have a job. And anyway, you don't get paid more for the BSN verses the ADN. But you will have to weigh the pros and cons.