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@hanabiwabi, I don't mind answering your questions! - I'm not sure what the admissions committee liked about me/my application exactly, but I guess I can just tell you a bit about my "stats" since applicants tend to be concerned about this (I known I was when I was applying! lol). I graduated from UCR in 2013 with an overall GPA of 3.3 and a last-90-unit GPA of 3.7 in Biological Sciences (really not that impressive, if you ask me!). I had about 400 hours of hands-on hospital volunteer work through the Clinical Care Extender (CCE) program, which was an amazing first hospital experience. Throughout college, I also worked a part-time job and became involved in a number of campus orgs and leadership. After school, I took a year off and worked as a medical scribe in an emergency department while working on my application. I'm not really sure how great my LORs and SOP were compared to others, but I did make sure to ask for letters from people who could attest to my "nursing qualities." I was told during the info session that the SOP was the most important piece of the application, so I spent months writing and rewriting my SOP, making sure that I showcased the little clinical experience I had, along with whatever leadership and life experience I felt was relevant to prove that I had a real passion for nursing and that I would be able to take on the role of a CNL. Honestly, if you can show admissions that you are passionate, driven, and well-rounded, you will get in! I know it's easy to get caught up in comparing "stats," but I think UCLA looks past the numbers and considers each applicant holistically. We have people from all walks of life in our class right now, so don't lose hope just because we may have different "stats"! - Though I was not wait-listed, I know many people who were and ended up being accepted even up until a month before the program started! - Decisions were posted via the online application system. We then received an e-mail from Graduate Admissions, then the School of Nursing. I would suggest checking the online portal. I'm not sure if it was an anomaly this year, but decisions were not mailed at all. I hope I was able to thoroughly answer your questions! And I hope this helps at least one applicant out there :)

No problem @snailszy! I remember being on the other side just last year with a billion questions, so let me know if there's anything else I can help answer!

HEY Pat! It's Jess! I'm a 1st year MECN student also, and I'd be happy to answer any questions, as well! To answer your questions, @snailszy: 1. We're only in our first quarter, so it may be too soon to tell. But so far, my impression is that UCLA is a great school with amazing opportunities for local and global outreach, research, and networking. However, since it is a public school and there are at least 70 students in each class, the professors are not there to hold each student's hand through each class and through to the NCLEX--it would just impossible. I think their philosophy on it is that it's an individual exam, so studying should also be done on an individual level, as well. I believe they just started using Kaplan a year or two ago (?), so they are still working on incorporating this resource into the classes. So far, I think it's a great tool for individual studying, but like I said, they will not hold your hand through everything. 2. Tuition and fees altogether cost approximately $8,000 per quarter (including university health insurance, which is $1,000 per quarter), so about $24,000 per year. For books and supplies this past quarter, I probably only spent about $600 since I use a lot of PDFs from online, but I know people who bought all the required and recommended books and spent about $1,000. It'll probably be less from here on out since we were starting from scratch. I accepted the max amount of scholarships and loans offered to me this year, which came up to about $45,000 and has been more than enough to cover tuition, books, rent, and living costs. The financial aid guy is very nice and helpful, so I would recommend talking to him about your options. I hope this answered your questions! Hang in there guys :) Decisions will come soon enough! Hopefully earlier than it did last year!

@biglittlev I just received an email today from the Financial Aid Director offering me a fellowship. It was a complete surprise since I didn't apply for anything! But I read up on it, and I guess it didn't require an application. Also, I liked what you said about life not starting with our nursing degrees. So true! It's crazy what we've all done in preparation for our future, but I'm sure all the hardships will define us as nurses and will make us more appreciative of our career.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Don't lose all hope, guys! There are always ways to strengthen your application if this round didn't work out. I had terrible grades in my first two/three years of school, as in multiple non-A's, even some in my pre-requisites! You may have noticed that @shumage didn't even mention GPA... I honestly think that grades are not as important as everyone believes. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a 4.0, or at least an upward trend in GPA, but I think the impressing admissions is based upon so much more than this. I would suggest researching the program you are applying to very thoroughly. More often than not, you can tell even from a website what kind of background and experience certain programs look for in particular. I can't emphasize enough how helpful it was to attend the MECN Info Session. They pretty much tell you up front that the Statement of Purpose is the most important piece of your application since they don't conduct interviews. I spent months on mine, with multiple revisions after having it proofread by different people, and in the end, it still could have been improved, but it was already 10x better than my first draft. From my understanding, the Letters of Rec were probably next on the list of importance. I had 2 professors (for Nutrition and Ethnic Studies) and 1 nurse (who was a house supervisor at the program I volunteered at) write my recommendations. I gave them a list of my suggested strengths and asked them to include positive experiences with me for a more personal touch. One thing applicants may forget that I think is of utmost importance: Be sincere! Allow your true self to show through your words. Try to leave a lasting impression on the admissions counselor reviewing your application who may have read 30 other applications before yours, but do it in a way that captures who you are as a person and how you would be as a nurse. I'm hoping this helps at least one person out there :) I apologize for the lack of coherence in my thoughts, but I'm a bit delirious from lack of sleep at the moment I really do wish the best of luck to those of you still awaiting decisions, and I hope that we'll all cross paths in the future as nurses.

Thank you everyone!!! My last name starts with an "S" as well. Maybe they're doing it backwards alphabetical? Haha I don't know. But I also got an email within 5 min of seeing the letter online. So I must've checked just as they were posting it. Hang in there you guys! Can't wait to hear about all your acceptances :)

MECN!

OMG.... I GOT ACCEPTED AHHHH! I'm so shaky right now. Can't believe it! Just checked online and the letter is there! I hope you guys find out today too!!!

Ugh, my heart dropped when I saw that. Hopefully that means it's coming soon!!

Hi @matthewandrew, where did you hear about decision letters coming out this week?

@wheems you're not the only one. I personally turned Western down because of the ridiculously high tuition. I'm sure it's a great school with awesome professors and clinical experiences. Every student I've spoken with has loved the program, but the other ELM program I was choosing from would ultimately be $50,000 cheaper, and I decided that I just didn't want to be in that much debt after graduating. If Western were the same price as the other program, I most likely would've chosen Western. But the cost was a huge thing for me, especially since I already have a loan from undergrad. @mysunshine5 congrats on getting into both schools! I'd suggest making a pros/cons list and considering every little thing before making your decision.

To those of you who are eagerly awaiting a decision letter... I attended the 2nd early acceptance opportunity day and heard back within 2 weeks. My deposit was due by today (2 weeks within receiving the letter), but I've decided to decline the offer. Hopefully this will free up another seat for one of you :) best of luck to you all!

I received my acceptance letter after attending the 2nd early acc opp day, as well. They told us we would hear back in 2 weeks, and sure enough, we did! The deposit for acceptance is due within 2 weeks of your receiving your letter. I received word through an e-mail attachment. Good luck to those of you still waiting!! :)

I don't think there was a specific prompt. I pretty much just answered the Western U & UCLA prompts and modified my answer to better fit APU.

@TLeeM thank you! I know, I was pretty surprised because I hadn't heard from them at all until now. @thatsmile I guess I'll see you on Wednesday! :)