mschief

Ha I can see I have a few classmates on here :) We ought to combine together and create one Pace-specific post to convince people NOT to apply.. the only way to get Pace to clean up their act. Those of you who are already in the program and are dead set on it, I'll do what I can to help you. I'm putting together all the syllabi and book lists and schedules that we've received over the past three semesters and will send that out; will also send some study materials that were useful to us. I can't PM out, but feel free to PM me your email address and I'll mail everything to you. Good luck and TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER! See you in August :)

Aw man!!! Congratulations everyone!!! Yes, you can contact them to make the switch- they mixed up my application, too. Mairayhans I'll shoot you an email, and if you guys want to add me to the FB group I can more easily help out from there (PM'ing here is tricky!) Congrats again-- you guys are gonna do great! :)

Aw the waiting game IS terrible. My fingers are crossed for you too! Hmm has it improved from past years? I don't think so; I'd agree with most of what past posts say. Primarily I feel that admin and (some) faculty have a really bad attitude towards the students. They brush off our complaints and opinions, and they know what the word on the street is, but they don't care because they know applicants will keep coming in. Don't expect anything to change on that front! However I think the cohort before us (~20ish) had an okay time, so maybe it's just a factor of Pace biting off more than they could chew with our class (our cohort started with ~70 students). As I mentioned, I don't think the curriculum is more difficult than at any other school; it's the emotional strain, stress, and lack of support that's the worst. Faculty seems stretched too thin (which goes into the whole lack of nursing faculty in general problem, but that's another thing!) and honestly I think a cohort of 70 is just too big. Let me ask: what makes Pace such an attractive school to you? As for the 2 year program, I definitely think it's easier. They seem a lot less stressed than we do, at least :) You have more time to focus on each subject, although many 2-years work part time so I think it evens out. Recommendations before starting school: the same stuff I said before about memorizing the normal lab values (electrolytes, WBC, RBC, platelets, hbg, htc, etc etc), and if you PM me I'll send you some resources that you can start to get into the stride of test-taking. (That goes for anyone!) Good luck :)

I'm in the 1 year program! I wouldn't have survived another 2 years of school, haha :) Things I wish I knew beforehand: -- Studying by doing practice questions is 10x more effective than by reading the textbook. Even if you don't know any of the science behind it, do practice questions every chance you get and read the rationales. You'll internalize. -- It's never too early to start memorizing normal lab values- your clinical instructors will be really impressed! Or at least they won't be embarrassed of you. -- PREPARE for clinicals! The more you know going in, the more you'll get out of it. And the less terrified you'll be in your scrubs, too! -- All the working nurses I've met have told me that it's better to have a little experience under your belt before going for the Master's. (I've opted out of the Master's portion, myself) It's an individual decision, but going through the program (and harassing every nurse who would give me the time of day) really convinced me to work as an RN first. -- Stress is negotiable. I know you don't want to be mean, but you'll be a lot healthier & happier if you don't hang out with people who are always stressed. As for Pace-specific things... well maybe I'll see you guys at orientation, and let you know then! Good luck & rock those interviews! :)

Aw thank you! And no problem: Undergrad: Double majored in human bio & cognitive science. Ugrad GPA was low (2.7! So have hope, haha ) but pre-req GPA was 3.9. Plenty of work, research, volunteer (hospitals, free clinics, mentorship, etc) & leadership experience. Worked in pharm/research for a couple of years before applying; didn't have any particular distinctions as far as scholarships or publications. As for competitive..? To be honest, getting into the program is the easy part. I honestly wouldn't recommend Pace CDP to anybody, and I think 90% if not 100% of my classmates would say the same. I don't think it's a bad education, just that we students pay a LOT of money to put up with a LOT of unpleasantness from the school. Overall the quality of experience is nowhere near worth what you're paying for it; administration clearly cares more about stats than the welfare of students, and the program's structure/organization leaves a lot to be desired. These things make the program a lot more confusing, stressful, and frustrating than it needs to be. So, competitive? Not per se... but difficult? Absolutely. On the plus side, if you do survive with your sanity intact you probably WILL pass the NCLEX in one go! There ARE a few professors that do care about their students, and being in Manhattan is a great way to see many different hospitals. And, whether you end up teaching yourself, learning from your peers, or lucking out and getting one of the really great profs... you will get your accredited nursing education. I definitely wouldn't choose Pace again, but haven't left in a rage yet... so take that as you will!

Hey guys! Congrats to all of you guys who've gotten in so far, and good luck to those of you who are still waiting! I'm currently in the CDP program (graduating--I hope--in August 2013) and want to make myself available as a resource to anyone who's interested. There's a TON of stuff I wish I knew before I started, so if you have any questions ask away! The FB group is a great idea; way to get a head start :) Hope this helps!!