2Jeanne

Hello, I spoke to both the CRNA admissions at both Columbia & Albany Med. they both said my nursing experience will count more than where I get my BSN from. So, Lehman it is!!! Besides after waiting in line all day yesterday, I feel like I've already,"paid for" the NYU difference.

Hi, I'm starting nursing school in August - absn - and I truly want to be a critical care nurse. What kinds of things can I do this year to help me land a job in an ICU and be best prepared for it when I do?

Did they specify anything about registration?

Wow - very small world. I actually used to be a YWCA sexual assault counselor. I understand what you mean and LOVE - that you are going to be a SANE nurse. It may actually be a really great way to be involved & advocate for victims without being too drained. Remember, they don't want the nurses- to talk too much with the victims because they need to be able to testify on their behalf. What kind of nurse do you want to be?

To everyone accepted to the Accelerated Program. What is your story? Are you going to attend Lehman? I did Navy ROTC for my undergrad at RPI (a small engineering school in upstate NY). I majored in Industrial & Management Engineering with a 2.97 GPA. I was a Navy officer for nearly 6 years through the whole 9/11 era. I spent most of my time on ships out at sea in support of the war efforts. I was a nuclear officer which means I helped run the nuclear power plants on the air craft carriers. After I got out I spent 5 years in corporate American -- starting off as a technical project manager, ending up in HR - doing technical staffing and recruiting. I left when I was very pregnant with my 2nd daughter. We moved to NYC when my husband got a good job here. I've been a SAHM for 4 years. I did a lot of work which led me to nursing -- doula, helping a family in which a young mom was fighting stage 4 cancer, organizing a meat share in support of the local food movement, etc. I thought I wanted to be a CRNA -- but now I'm just really confused. All the specialities interest me - psychNP, CRNA, FNP - After being a doula, I know midwifery is not for me -- too much burnout. So, I"m really looking forward to clinical to really get involved. I look forward to hearing more about all of you!!

All very true Toya. Thank you for your responsiveness - you are going to be an excellent nurse!! I feel very lucky to have the option. I honestly didn't think I would get in the way they talk at Lehman. My pre-req's were a 4.0 with a 91 on the HESI. Honestly, I did get a bit disgruntled with Lehman students this past year. I thought their was a lot of laziness and whining and too much extra credit (who gives extra credit in college??) when just a diligent honest effort would have garnered a more than decent grade. I mean this as no offense to anyone. I just often felt that the students spent more time getting spoon fed. On the flip slide, I thought the professors were more than accommodating, well prepared and responsive. Again, these are students in the pre-req's, NOT in the nursing program. So, my concern is that the program at Lehman may not be as rigorous. My second concern is that I may not be looked at as closely when I apply to Grad school without a big name. On the flip slide, like you said Toya - why waste $$? I'm a veteran so I do get some help there. So, my cost for Lehman would be next to nothing for the 12 months and NYU would be $30,000 for the same BSN. So, is NYU worth $30,000 for a BSN?? I did talk to 2 NP's who went to PENN for both the BSN & MSN. One is women's health and one is a midwife who also teaches at Georgetown. One said, "get your BSN as quickly and as cheaply as you can. Then go from there." The midwife said that she often see's a difference in the caliber of student and prefers students from the more rigorous programs. It's 1 vs. 1 so far. I have a few more people to reach out to. Please continue to post any information you have about Lehman's program, students, professor's, etc. It is really helpful. Plus, it's great to build a strong Lehman community!!!

Is Bay Ridge in Queens? I'll be commuting from Chelsea. I have a car - so I'll most likely be driving. I drove to Lehman this past year to do my pre-req's. About 40 min each way is I can beat traffic.

Thank you everybody for your inputs. I'm really torn about this decision. My ultimate goal is to be a NP. I'm wondering if NYU will look better for grad school admissions. Do grad schools even care where you get your BSN? I know a few NP's that went to big name schools - so I guess I should ask them their input. I'll let you know what they say. A benefit to NYU is that I can start my masters while still doing my undergrad. However, if I go to Lehman, work my butt off and get awesome experiences & grades & recommendations - will that even it out? I was hoping to do some research at NYU. Does anyone know if those opportunities exist at Lehman? Does anyone know about the employment that the Lehman grad's are getting? I do plan to work as an RN while going to grad school part time. Is everyone working in Bronx hospitals? How many people are in the Accelerated program? Any information anyone can share about Lehman would be great!! I'll keep sharing what I know. We have 2 weeks to respond. I really want to make a hard decision by than. I know there are others waiting for my spot at either NYU or Lehman - so I want to respect that.

I just got accepted to accelerated program yesterday!! I was already accepted at NYU and I planned to go there -- this changes everything. I live much closer to NYU but the cost is so much better at Lehman. Any inputs???

It's 15 months total - but only 12 months of actual school. We have 4 12 week semesters - with a considerable break in between each. As a mom with 2 little ones -- I'm totally relishing that. Columbia and some other programs do it in 1 year, but it is non-stop. I feel like this will allow us to refresh a bit, prevent burn out, possibly work a bit during breaks. I'm excited.

Thank you. But I honestly think I'm the only engineer/naval officer turning nurse around. My story is pretty unusual - which will have both benefits and shortcomings as we start school. I'm probably going to accept my NYU offer today or tomorrow. Just got financial aid.

I applied priority and heard April 30th. I got an email from an admissions counselor saying they were missing one of my transcripts (I'm very sure I sent it in - but whatever). Anyways, I got my acceptance about a week later. I was starting to lose hope too. There could be 101 reasons. Maybe the person reading your app got this nasty virus that's been going around and lost days of work. Maybe someone lost your transcript. I personally think its better to get rolling than to release them all at once. Otherwise, we all wouldn't know until June or later. I honestly think its random - the order they look that is -- especially since I think most of us applied priority. Just try to distract yourself, except for 8-10am on Tuesday & Thursday mornings.