mac05032

There are several students with children in our class....a few even with children

Most students do live relatively close to the campus...I'd definitely recommend within a 45 min driving distance. You only have one class day a week on campus, but they try to make it so all clinical rotations are within an hour in any direction from the campus. I've been lucky and have had a 30 minute drive or less for all rotations (I live in Ellington + go to the Storrs campus). Some students have had bad luck and have had 1hr 30 min drives to clinical...that definitely gets tiring! Many clinical rotations begin at 7a and they do have some as late as 10p so keep that in mind.

We weren't given any real education or materials on how to do these kinds of questions either, but I did find a book on Amazon that was very helpful with all the med math you'll encounter. Henke's Med-Math (Dosage Calculation, Preparation, and Administration) helped me pass all my med tests the first time....I'd definitely recommend it. Buy a previous/used edition (same material!) and save some money :) Good luck!

I'll be taking mine in December or January so I'm trying to get started now :) Anyone have any thoughts on where to start/how many questions to do a day?

They would probably change editions if a new one came out, but honestly, the books are 95% the same between editions...I've only ever had a single chapter missing when I had a different version. I'll definitely be happy to sell books and supplies (including uniform if the right size) to someone who wants them in December/early January. Melissa

Sadly, there is NO financial aid for this program (at least for this year) because it is not an undergraduate degree (or a graduate one for that matter). All they really offer is loans (that may not cover all the costs for some students); the majority of scholarships are also reserved for undergraduate nursing students. It's tough :***: They do give you a list of books, scrubs, supplies, etc. you need to buy either at the orientation or soon after. There is a MONSTROUS list of books they have you buy for the first semester, but they offer a bundle they claim will cost you less than if you bought them all separately - but do your research first. Also, a bunch of us from this year's program are already itching to sell all our books and supplies! For those of you wondering, here's this year's schedule - they keep it pretty much the same every year: Jan 9 - classes begin March 11-17 - Spring break April 21 - 1st semester ends April 22-May 4 - break May 7 - 2nd semester starts Aug 11 - 2nd semester ends Aug 12-26 - break Aug 27 - 3rd (final!) semester starts Nov 19-25 - break Dec 8 - 3rd semester ends Dec 9 - pinning ceremony Dec 17-19 - NCLEX prep class We had Martin Luther King Jr. day, memorial day, July 4, and labor day off (but they do sometimes make up a class day later on that same week).

If there is no space in the 2013 cohort you WILL be automatically enrolled in the 2014 cohort. If there are no spaces at your preferred location you MAY be offered a spot for 2013 at another campus if they have room - this is what happened to me. Melissa MEIN student 2012

To my knowledge the entire file has to be complete for them to review your application - every last grade has to be in. It's certainly worth a shot to ask about it - I'd recommend calling, not emailing, as they are either slow to respond or may lose your email (UConn's email system is pretty abysmal) Melissa MEIN student 2012

The disorganization of the admissions definitely runs into the rest of the program...but it is manageable. It's tiring and confusing at first but you learn how to deal with it. It seems like a lot of the faculty involved do not communicate or don't do so well - so it's best to ask a lot of questions!

My admissions process didn't go so well either - I had originally been accepted for the 2011 class but they lost my acceptance of their offer to join the class...so I got shunted to the 2012 class. Not the end of the world but very distressing and disappointing at the time. My advice is to keep on them - definitely call rather than email too - and make sure everything has been received and reviewed. They just finished remodeling the School of Nursing building so hopefully they will be a little more organized going forward. It's been a good experience over all - it's just the program's disorganization that gets irritating after a while. They also tell you to buy an incredible amount of books, uniforms, supplies etc etc etc so you are hemorrhaging money all year - better save up . It is really intense and it will be your life almost 24/7 for the whole year - but you learn a lot. I'd be happy to tell you what you do and don't actually have to buy once they give you that terrible list towards the start of the program. -Melissa MEIN 2012 student, Storrs

I'm a student in the current MEIN class at Storrs. Glad to hear some of you have been accepted :) It's a good program but always keep in mind they are very disorganized - we didn't get the year's schedule till close to the start of classes. For those of you wondering, here's this year's schedule - they keep it pretty much the same every year: Jan 9 - classes begin March 11-17 - Spring break April 21 - 1st semester ends April 22-May 4 - break May 7 - 2nd semester starts Aug 11 - 2nd semester ends Aug 12-26 - break Aug 27 - 3rd (final!) semester starts Nov 19-25 - break Dec 8 - 3rd semester ends Dec 9 - pinning ceremony Dec 17-19 - NCLEX prep class We had Martin Luther King Jr. day, memorial day, July 4, and labor day off (but they do sometimes make up a class day later on that same week). Any questions feel free to ask!