hi616

The schools I applied to were competitive in the sense that acceptance rates were typically between 10-20%. Like StephenAndrews said, FNP is definitely the most popular and therefore most competitive. Without any insight into one's "stats"--GPA, GRE, letters of rec, it is hard to say how competitive an applicant is. If you look at previous threads about DE-MSN programs you can usually gain an understanding of the background applicants had. (Look at my post history and you'll find threads for the past application cycle.)

I got a B- in micro and I got into a school- a good one at that. You seem to have a good background. I think you'll be okay. Deep breaths! :)

Like others have said, the class simply requires a lot of material to be learned in a short amount of time. Anatomy and Physiology were taught separate at my school. Physiology required more studying for me just because there are more complex processes where as Anatomy and simply memorizing the rotator cuff muscles and what they do. Also, the way your teacher tests you can make a big difference in the difficulty level of the class. Both of my professors used multiple choice only tests so they were rather easy. It was a class for non-science majors and I wasn't allowed to take the higher level class because I wasn't a biology major even though I had several upper-level science courses under my belt. I really pushed myself to learn above and beyond what was presented in class since I knew it would be so important for nursing school even though most of my classmates blew the class off.

I applied to 6 direct entry MSN programs (Boston College, Yale, Northeastern, Vanderbilt, UIC, and DePaul) and none of them required that all of the pre-reqs be completed by the application deadline. I was going to apply to a 7th school, Rush, which does require all pre-reqs be completed before the application deadline, but I got into one of my other schools so I didn't end up applying. Here's a list of all accelerated programs to help you research the requirements for other schools. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/research-data/GENMAS.pdf And http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/research-data/BSNNCG.pdf

I needed three recommendations for each of the schools I applied to this year (6). I felt bad to keep asking too, but each of my recommenders insisted it was no trouble-even when forms differ for each school. Once they have written one letter it is pretty easy to change things from there. As long as you present everything to your recommender(s) in a timely and organize fashion and send them a formal thank you at the end, they won't mind. In fact, no matter what they went to school for, they probably remember what it was like to be applying to schools before and needing letters. Good luck!

Yes, all specialties are eliminated. What might happen is that you will get your MSN and sit for the NCLEX-RN. Hence, why I mentioned it will be a generalist-MSN program. Then you can work or apply to the DNP program and choose an NP specialty. Now, nothing is posted on the UIC website as of yet. The info I have provided is only from information I received in my interview, so don't completely take my word for it. I don't know everything that is going to happen and exactly what changes will be made. UIC could very well be considering other options like a combined BSN/MSN program or something. Bottom line is that you can only be sure of what will happen with the program until UIC posts something on their website. All of the information on this thread came from all of the applicant's interview experiences. I highly suggest reading earlier posts in the thread if you want more info. Everything any of this previous cycle's applicants know about the curriculum change is pretty well spelled out. As for pre-reqs: I don't remember exactly what was required for UIC. But for most DE-MSN programs it is usually some combination of A&P (2 semesters), Microbiology, Statistics, Human Development, Nutrition, a couple of liberal arts electives (like History or Literature), a college writing class, and sometimes a chemistry class.

Good luck in your educational advancement. I know that it will be expensive to say the very least, and the two schools I mentioned are definitely no bargain, I just mentioned them because I'm very familiar with both schools.

I would also say don't go the ADN route. You can't bank on being able to get experience if you do ADN before you enroll in a BSN or MSN program, so why not at least go the ABSN route or Direct Entry MSN route? Then, you only have to worry about applying to one school for right now. I had a very similar background to you. BS in Psychology with several hard sciences including two years of chemistry and several biology classes. I just graduated last month from undergrad and I am going to DE-MSN route. I'll be starting at Vanderbilt in the fall. Just to warn you, a lot of posters on AllNurses are critical of the DE-MSN route and you can either do your own searches or ask me why if you are interested, but the DE-MSN route was perfect for me and I am confident in my choice. It all comes down to what works out for you. To help, here's a list of ABSN and DE-MSN programs that I found very helpful since all the info is in one place: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education-Resources/APLIST.PDF

And by CRNA, I'm assuming you mean CNA as in certified nursing assistant? It might be helpful. One school I interviewed at mentioned that it might be good thing to do over summer before the program starts if you have free time. But, most of the people I know who did CNA classes were going to PA school and needed to get clinical hours before applying... Not people applying to DE programs.

I got into a DE program with less experience than what you had. I had some, but I think what really made me stand out were my grades and letters of rec. BostonFNP is right, those are great activities, but don't do them at the expense of your grades. DE programs realize you aren't going to have tons of experience. And something to keep in mind, you are never asked how many hours of experience you have-at least I never was. Just duration (months and years) when you put it on your résumé. Don't spread yourself so thin that you do a ton of activities, but never get any quality experiences because you can't devote your full self to them. Sharing those quality experiences will be helpful in writing personal statements.

Marquette has a program as well. I know it's not in Chicago, but Milwaukee is still pretty close. I think Millikin has a program as well.

Human Development and Abnormal Psychology were two of my favorite psychology classes. Spanish is definitely a good idea though.

I am entering Vanderbilt's pre-specialty program for non-nurses this fall after a spot on the waiting list opened up for me. When I applied I had only a few of the pre-requisites finished. However, I also had several biology and chemistry classes listed on my transcript with good grades so I think that worked in my favor. I had six months of volunteering experience with direct patient care at a major hospital. (It was only 4-5 hours per week). I also had two years (200+ hours) of volunteering at a hospital (no direct patient care) from four years ago. I did okay on the GRE, nothing spectacular. My undergrad grades completely made up for my average GRE scores. I'm also going straight from undergrad into the Vanderbilt program, so I have no outside work experience except from my part-time job currently. After having interviews at two different schools, I think the biggest factor that made me a good candidate were my positive letters of recommendation and that I did well in my hard sciences even though A&P and microbiology were not completed by the application deadline. I know someone earlier mentioned that ELM grads are generalists. This is not the case at Vanderbilt. You choose an advanced practice specialty when you apply and are admitted to that specialty. I am doing the FNP program. If you are interested in a generalist Master's, DePaul and Rush located in Chicago offer those options. But, I did not want to go the Clinical Nurse Leader route myself so these two schools were backup for me. You will find a lot of people on here that do not approve of these Direct Entry nursing programs that allow you to be an NP after no bedside experience aside from your RN clinicals. That is a valid point and I respect the opinions of those that feel that way, however, for me this was the best route. I already have a Bachelor's degree. I don't want to spend the money on another Bachelor's degree when I could spend a little more time and money to get my master's and become an NP. There are several people on this site who have gone through these DE programs that had no problems getting jobs and felt extremely well-prepared. Additionally, from what many of these grads have told me, if you are going into something like primary care (as I plan to do as an FNP) you just do not really utilize the RN skills program. Acute care is a different story and obtaining the BSN might be better for that route. I've messaged many of the people on AN that have attended these programs myself and have received very positive feedback. Also keep in mind that many of these programs are offered by extremely reputable schools--Yale, Vanderbilt, Boston College, and UCSF to name a few. They aren't going to want to throw new grads out into the market that aren't well prepared and sacrifice their reputation. If you want more specifics from me about my background, let me know and I'll PM you.

I am just a student in anatomy right now so I am no expert either. But, I do agree with you. The only positive feedback systems I can think of are ovulation, childbirth, and blood clotting. I've never had a teacher explain it the way your teacher did and I've taken several biology classes. For example, why would our body use a positive feedback loop to regulate blood sugar levels? It is regulated by negative feedback; if it had a positive feedback loop you would have diabetes, right? Unless he means that in this case the positive feedback loop is when you eat and your blood sugar continues to go up?? But I don't think you could count that as positive feedback because your body isn't automatically eating; you decide when you want to eat. Maybe he's not completely wrong, but at the very least confusing. I'm not sure, just trying to help you think through it. Good luck!