one phoenix rising

Thanks! I bought the manual. :-)

Hi everyone! I am starting my specialty graduate program this fall and in looking at my class's required textbooks, our professor recommends either the DSM-5 PDR or Manual, and I can't find much information on how they are different, or which one would be best for a student. I know the Manual is double the number of pages and about three times the weight of the PDR, so I was thinking the manual might be more useful for citations, is that accurate, or should I save my money and just buy the PDR? Thanks in advance!

We started with 72 students-largest GEP cohort ever! Last year it was around 50. I think the biggest specialties are Family, Acute, Midwifery, and Mental Health. Hmmm... I don't think I'm going to be of much help to you. I didn't even know there was such a specialty. Do you mean doing the non-NP route of a specialty? (I forget what that abbreviation is at the moment.) If so, there's only one person in our class doing that and they regret applying for that specialty and are going to apply to switch to NP. If you are having trouble finding volunteer positions, maybe try thinking outside of the box? There's one member of my class who volunteered at an animal hospital and he got to see the coolest things and had a bunch of practical knowledge on techniques. Also shadowing can be useful. Good luck everyone! :)

Hi y'all! I was in your shoes a year ago, and I just finished my second week of the UIC GEP! *takes a deep breath in* Hopefully I can offer some insight into some of your questions. Angelala-I'm living solely off of financial aid this semester (and yes, there are GEPers who work while in the program and there are even some moms with newborns!) and at our orientation, I'm pretty sure they said that the average amount of cost of living expenses given to GEPers is around $1,900 per month. Now, keep in mind that those will usually be in the form of loans, so you will need to eventually pay it back. But unlike my undergrad loans, the non-Stafford (subsidized and unsubsidized) loans are PLUS loans, which are also from the government (instead of a private lender). One thing a lot of GEPers do in their 2nd or 3rd semester is become a TA or research assistant and get a tuition waiver. (It doesn't waive the tuition differential, etc, but every bit helps, plus you get experience!) Also, if you are going into specialty that's in need (such as becoming a PMHNP) there are programs to help you pay back your loans if you work in an under-served, approved, site. On the DNP issue, I'll say that I've been concerned about that as well and when I asked my mentor about it (she's in the 2011 GEP class) she said that she's going to apply for the DNP program in the last semester of her MS program (yes, UIC gives you a MS, not an MSN-the difference is that MS degrees have to be approved by the university as a whole whereas MSNs are awarded by nursing colleges alone) she'll apply to UIC's DNP program and apparently some of the credits from her MS will count towards the DNP and she estimates it will take her two more years to complete the DNP. On GRE scores, the best advice I've ever heard is, "no one ever got into a graduate program just based on their GRE score" I think they mostly want to ensure that you have a basic competency in those general ed areas. On pre-reqs, I just needed A&P and Research Methods, and I did all 3 classes after I was accepted. I think just finishing A&P in the fall of 2011 has actually given me an edge in patho because the material is fresh in my mind. So if you need to finish pre-reqs this year, don't sweat it! :) Also! Malcolm X (a City College of Chicago) got dissed in previous years' GEP threads, but I took A&P there anyway because it was a fraction of the cost and convenient. I had a *phenomenal* prof for the second semester (Dr. Sheila Wicks) and I have other classmates who had another prof at Malcolm X and they had good experiences as well. The first semester... Well, at least at CCC, that's just route memorization so don't be surprised if you get a pretty dry and boring prof no matter where you go. Oh, and I would recommend steering clear of the Research Methods in Psych class offered at University of Washington (Psych 209). It's an independent online course, which means that you need to have lots of self-motivation because you have no cohort. Yes, it is cheaper than the other options, but from discussions with my classmates who took it at UW versus University of Phoenix, University of Phoenix is completely worth the few extra $100s. Also, it's a total pain in the butt to find a proctor. The Chicago Public Library doesn't do it anymore, neither does Loyola, or CCC, or.... Basically you can go to UIC's testing center (and pay ~$80!) or pay Sylvan Learning Centers $200 to have your two tests proctored. (A third option is throwing yourself at the mercy of another prof you have at the time and asking if they'll proctor for you personally.) Interview season-for our class that seemed to run from very late March through April. Going full-time through the whole program-I think UIC would prefer if everyone did that, but from what I've heard from older students is that getting some real-life work experience on your resume is pretty much invaluable for when you are starting your career. Some people are able to do both (work and go full-time), it just really depends on what you prefer. I hope this helps, and good luck to you all! I'm sure I'll meet some of you later this year or next spring. :)

The UIN given on my application isn't working. I'm going to have to dig up my acceptance letter and see if there's a different number on there. Thanks, promise003, for that explanation.

Wait-how are you guys setting up your .uic account? Am I out of the loop yet again? I haven't received my snail mail package yet, was that info in there?

Ooh! Just got an email confirmation that my deposit was received. It looks like we should expect to receive course evaluations next week.

No apologies needed!! :) I'm just glad you updated us before I started the whole app process for their school. BTW- sjj & rachel - Do you guys know of a secret password or something that makes sure you actually get a reply from CON?

Oh no!! I was planning on taking that option if I needed to take that pre-req. For the record, I sent an email to Julie on April 28th asking about my transcript review as well as what course(s) at CCC now meet the Research Methods pre-req requirements, (if I need that pre-req). I followed up with a phone call (and left a voicemail) on May 3rd. It's now May 11th and I haven't heard a thing. I'm really tempted to try the squeaky wheel method, but I don't want to annoy her. Hence the plan to stop by in person. :-/

Arguh. This is incredibly frustrating. I'm tempted to stop by the office in person (which I realize probably isn't an option for most of you) just to make sure my spot is secure and find out which pre-reqs I'm still going to be required to complete. I can understand the office being overwhelmed during the late application season, but I'd think they'd be more responsive to at least the accepted applicants at this point in the game. :-/

Ohhh... Now I see what you mean. Yeah, I'm almost certain what you're remembering them talking about is the transition from classroom hours to clinical hours. Maybe my mind is fooling me and creating a fake memory, but now that you phrased it that way, I think I remember something about that. What I do know for sure, is that on the class syllabus for the first 15 months, there are more and more clinical-based credit hours as the program progresses. No, I haven't. Has anyone else? Did anyone receive confirmation that your deposit was received? Misspriss - Thanks for explaining about the physiology seminar. Since I work during office hours, I wouldn't be able to attend anyways, so I guess it'll be a good thing that I'll be fresh out of A&P when we start in January.

Wait, what seminar? I thought Swimmer was referring to the physiology & anatomy coursework..

I didn't hear anything like that at the session I attended. The way you phrased that question makes it sound like the program is 7 days a week, but I remember the current students (in response to questions about working while attending) saying it was like a 9-5, weekday program, but that they didn't recommend working even on the weekends at the beginning.

Swimmer- I am taking a&p at Malcolm X (City Colleges of Chicago) over the summer and fall.

I still haven't heard from Julie. I left her a voicemail this morning because I know she prefers not to receive multiple emails on a topic. Summer classes at CCC start in a month, so I'm getting worried that I won't hear back in time. :-/ (I'm hoping my research experience means I can opt out of the research methods course, but I haven't heard one way or another.)