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mcf011, I park at garage 8 on the SW corner of Pressler & Holcombe. I walk to school from there which is about 1/2 mile and takes 10 min or so, but there's a TMC blue shuttle that you can take if you don't feel like walking - that's what I took for clinicals in the med center. I think the SON is one of the last stops so it's faster to just walk. The time/route is available online if you're interested. Price is $6/day. There might be other garages w/that price in other locations, but garage 8 works best for me! I wouldn't recommend contracts or those lots that are close to the school because they're expensive and there's no need to be paying that much money! Class is on Mon-Wed during your first semester, but you'll probably find yourself skipping a lot because the classes are recorded and uploaded online. So a contract might seem like a good deal at first, but it's really not, lol. Plus contracts are a pain to begin with!

Haha well health assessment doesn't have lecture, just lab time. Care you'll be in the skills lab until you start clinicals, and there's maybe 1 or 2 sim labs or something after that. They're switching to pacesetter only next spring. Yeah you just do all your lectures during the first 3 semesters, and I think you do care 1 and psych clinicals. Third semester you have no clinicals. 4th is all clinicals, and don't forget those awful care plans, plus you still have to take the exit hesi. I'm in the traditional program so I can't talk about the pacesetter program from experience.

Yeah it's just people talking, some of it's worthwhile and other things aren't. Navy blue scrubs. You wear them for clinical and anytime you're in the skills lab, which will be every Monday for health assessment, the first 6 Tuesdays for care 1, and a couple other dates for care 1 that will be in your syllabus.

Yeah, there's a HESI for every class. You'll take a fundamentals (for care I), patho, and health assessment HESI first semester. I think they're doing the pharm HESI in the last semester now. There's also med/surg (for care 2), psych, OB, pedi, leadership/managment, community, high acuity, and I believe the J2s are doing a research HESI now. Also an exit HESI in last semester that you need to pass to graduate. I don't think they're bad at all but others struggle with them. It just depends, I guess!

Yes, and there is a form that you will need to bring with you to have filled out. https://nursing.uth.edu/prospstudent/applresources/documents/physicalexamform.pdf

I've heard of people not receiving acceptance letters until the week before classes actually started, so you want to make sure you're as ready to go as possible!

UT Houston doesn't make you pay a deposit! For those that are still waiting, I recommend looking up what vaccines are required for the schools you applied to and get anything that you don't have yet, also get a TB test if you haven't had one in the past year. Get BLS certified if you aren't already. https://nursing.uth.edu/dotAsset/31eebe2a-f5dc-4c69-a8e3-6a378ef1eaee.pdf Also get the flu vaccine - most hospitals require you to have it.

I wouldn't read ahead because you won't be responsible for all the info in the book (and you don't need the book for pharm, btw), the instructors will narrow it down for you so that you know what to study for tests. I went into nursing school thinking it was practically impossible to get an A, but if you stay on top of things and have good study methods, it's certainly possible to get As. Yeah it's hard, but don't let people freak you out too much, have confidence in your ability to do well! Are you on the facebook group for your class?

& to those of you still waiting to be accepted, as long as you meet the criteria, don't give up hope! There was someone in my class who was accepted like, the day before classes started. Not everyone who's been accepted will decide to go to UT, or they might have problems getting classes transferred or whatever and not be able to go.

We'll see how it goes, I personally like the traditional program and find it disappointing they're not offering the choice anymore... Patho and pharm were challenging but I enjoyed both classes and did well in them. The instructors for these classes are some of my favorites. The classes during second semester weren't too bad but I had it over the summer, so time management was the biggest challenge. Pedi this semester is probably the hardest in my opinion, it might be my first B in nursing school... bleh. It depends on your personal strengths, really! Some find the tests with NCLEX style questions to be hardest (care I and II) and others find patho and pharm hardest.

Also, just as a heads up in case you haven't heard, the school sent out an email yesterday notifying us that they're transitioning to the pacesetter program only, starting in spring 2014.

Congratulations to everyone who was accepted! I'm currently an S1 (third semester) at UTHSC so I might see some of you around next spring. To the person trying to decide between UTHSC and HBU, I've met quite a few nurses during clinicals who went to HBU and loved it. And I admit, I'm really jealous of their small class size. One of my favorite instructors during my first semester at UT actually left in May to become the new dean at HBU. If it would be cheaper and closer to you, I'd definitely go there. Parking in the med center is also really expensive!

The school was advertising a $89/month contract that's supposedly a "discount" price. If I remember correctly, it wasn't even that close to campus. There's others where you can pay for the whole semester. I don't know the details but I found this w/google. http://www.tmcparking.org/files/91/ It's not worth it in my opinion.

Yeah, it's horrible. I think the garages closer to campus are $12/day(!!!) and the one across the street on Holcombe (garage 2 if I remember correctly) is like 8 levels or something ridiculous. So I can only imagine how much of a pain it is to get in and out. I definitely recommend parking further away and then walk, or depending where you park, take the metro rail or the UT shuttle to campus.

If there's a convenient metro route near you, or a park and ride or something, you might want to consider that. Or take the shuttle if you can. I don't take the metro so I don't really have much info on it. I park at garage 8 on the corner of Pressler & Holcombe. It's $6/day (you won't find a cheaper daily rate in the med center) and there's always plenty of parking, and it's pretty easy to get in & out. However it's a 10 min walk from campus. The garages closer to campus are way too expensive and probably harder to get in & out of. Some garages offer contracts if you prefer that, but I don't think there's any benefit to a contract unless you plan on studying on campus on days you don't have class, or something like that.

Try not to panic! There's people in my class with up to 5 kids(!!) and many of them have been able to hang in there, although I'm sure there's plenty of challenges. Like you said, time management is vital! Be aware of when all the exams are, when you have to have things done by, and prepare yourself accordingly. Try to break the workload down so it's more manageable and definitely don't cram. Like, for care... you might set a goal of answering 20 NCLEX questions each day (from the Saunders NCLEX book, NCLEX-3500 questions, or whatever you prefer). Almost everyone has a hard time at first, but it'll get better once you figure out what works best for you and adjust.

I posted the list of books a few pages back... just wanted to let y'all know that the Bruyere case studies book won't be used for patho anymore starting next semester, so don't buy that one! :)

You will all attend lecture together but will be divided up into groups of 10 for labs. It depends on the class. For care I and HA, there are multiple people who lecture, depending on the week. The schedule will be given in your syllabus and will tell you who is giving which lecture (I don't think that HA tells you though... this class has been the more unorganized one lol, but the others definitely do). I don't have a mac myself but I see plenty of people using them during class.

The dosage calculatons test is really easy. Seriously, don't stress out over it or bother studying for it now. It's just really basic conversions, like mL to ounces, oz to pints, or lbs to kg. Or if you have an order for 750mg of a drug and there's 250mg in a tablet, how many tablets do you give? Simple stuff like that. Most people passed it on the first try and even if you don't for whatever reason, you have up to 3 chances to get 100%. Don't stress out over reading ahead of time either. The only thing I recommend you do once you get a copy of the Saunders' NCLEX book - write a 3 page summary (can be double spaced) on chapter 5. Get it out of the way before classes start. This will give you 5 extra points on your first care I test. For studying... well, the profs all record their lectures so that you can watch them online, and I think a lot of people rely too much on this. I like to prepare a little bit ahead of time (like skim the chapter in the book or the powerpoint slides) and just try to get the most out of the lecture as I can, rather than going back and rewatching it later. Don't get me wrong, it's a great resource to have, but I only like to go back and rewatch lectures if there's a certain thing I missed or didn't understand at the time. Rather than watch a 3hr lecture all over again, I'd rather make better use of my time. I like to make outlines of the slides/reading/etc. just so that I can organize things into something that's easier for me to study and that flows better/whatever and to have everything in one place. You might have to experiment a bit to figure out what works best for you. Also, focus only on what the prof goes over in class and what's on the powerpoint slides. The patho book for example goes into a lot more depth than you need to know. Be organized, use your time efficiently, and don't fall behind/keep up with the work and readings, and you should be fine.

I'm living and going to nursing school in Houston so I can understand your fears. You really do have to drive super defensively here! It's great that you feel more confident after practicing! Don't worry about keeping up w/other drivers, go at your own pace and don't be freaked out by the people that drive 90mph. I really don't like driving in Houston, haha.

Sure! Buy as many of these used as you can, except the NCLEX books. Many of the upperclassman will be selling their textbooks. Health Assessment: Physical Examination and Health Assessment 6th edition by Jarvis Student Laboratory Manual for Physical Examination & Health Assessment 6th edition by Jarvis (Definitely hold off on buying this until after the first day of classes because some lab instructors won't require you to use it. If yours does, go ahead and buy it, otherwise save the $25 or so.) The school also includes the Jarvis pocket guide in the required books. Definately don't bother buying this. Pharm: Pharmacology for Nursing Care, 7th edition by Lehne (Do NOT buy this, you def won't need it. The prof is very good with his powerpoint slides and all the test questions are based on the slides.) Patho: Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children, 6th edition by McCance 100 Case Studies in Pathophysiology by Bruyere (make sure your copy comes w/the CD because that's supposedly where the test questions come from) Care I: Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 12th edition (This comes in 2 volumes and that's how the bookstore sells it as. Try to find the combined volume if you can because it's somewhat cheaper. It's huge, but it's not like you'll be carrying your books to class anyway. I bought the combo version used off of amazon). Fundamentals of Nursing, 8th edition by Potter & Perry (I kind of regret buying this one because I've barely used it and just read Brunner & Suddarth. Whether or not you buy this one is up to you) Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Exam 5th edition (make sure yours comes w/the CD for practice questions!) HESI Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination, 3rd edition (I haven't used this one yet but maybe later on in the program it will be useful?) Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care, 9th editon by Ackley (great book for the careplans you'll be doing for your clinicals) Mosby's Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests, 4th edition A nursing drug handbook is also good to have. I don't remember which one the school tells you to buy, but just get whichever one you want.

The school doesn't actually give a complete list. The upperclassman were very helpful in telling us ahead of time what we need to buy though. For clinicals/labs - navy blue scrubs w/UThealth patches sewn on, white shoes, watch w/a second hand (not digital), stethoscope, pen light, bandage scissors, and a blood pressure cuff. The school tells you to buy a white lab coat (hip length w/UThealth patch sewn on) for clinicals, but most clinical faculty members don't actually require you to wear it (mine unfortunately does... lol). Also you have to order name tags from the bookstore but you'll have a chance to do that during orientation. You might want to hold off on buying books because a lot of upperclassman will be selling their copies. I don't remember exactly how much I spent on books but it was way more than I wanted to spend. The good news is that many of the books will be used for other semesters. Don't bother buying the pharm book or the Fundamentals of Nursing book for care I. I can post a list of books if you want to look up prices and get an idea of costs, just let me know. Since your first semester is shorter than ours, I don't know exactly what your schedule will be like. We have class 3 days a week and clinical one day (starting the 6th week into the program) but things might be different for you. The work is manageable if you plan your time right, study efficiently, and don't slack off. Don't let people scare you too much because most of them stress too much to begin with. But don't expect it to be easy either, you definitely have to put a lot of work into it. A lot of people don't know how to study well or have a difficult time getting used to tests in nursing school. Buy a good NCLEX book and practice these questions throughout the program (the school tells you to buy Saunders. I also like Med-Surg Success: A Course Review Applying Critical Thinking to Test Taking and NCLEX-3500 questions).

I'm not sure if there's any restrictions. I'd just get the double sided. Most people seem to have either a Littmann classic II SE or classic II lightweight (both are fine depending on how much money you want to spend... I have the lightweight because it's cheaper/not as heavy). I wouldn't bother w/anything more expensive than those ones. We have to spend way too much on books/supplies/uniforms as it is. :)

They have to be navy blue. Some brands label the color as indigo (I know Grey's anatomy does at least). Shoes are white. They're not really strict about shoes, just as long as they're mostly white, and sneakers are fine. I didn't buy my supplies from the bookstore except for name tags (you can just order these at orientation) and the UTHealth patches that you have to sew to your scrubs. The bookstore does sell scrubs w/the patches already sewn on if you prefer that and if they carry your size. I'd recommend buying your stethoscope online because it's cheaper and some sites will engrave it for free.

Congrats, glad to see you were accepted!