TLR03

I graduated from UMD this past May. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal and was hoping to have some international or domestic volunteer experience while in nursing school. Although I didn't have time because of working, studying, etc... there were opportunities at Maryland. The school of medicine is actually trying to recruit nursing students to apply for their Fogarty grant which funds students to do international research (mostly in Nigeria) as part of their course work. I have a friend who went this summer for 2 months. Let me know if you have any more specific questions!

Hi MEO82, Well, there are several reasons why I decided not to do the CNL program after I had been accepted. 1. The CNL program was a brand new program that started the year that I applied. That meant that the students in the year I would have been in were guinea pigs as UMD worked out the kinks in designing their curriculum. 2. CNLs are not recognized by many hospitals or universities because it is a new category of nurses. Many do not even know what they are or what they are suppose to do. All the CNL students therefore had to to do all their clinicals as UMD where as BSN students can go anywhere. This may change as they become recognized by more hospitals. 3. When you graduate, CNLs and BSNs are hired for the same positions (as they should because the CNLs and BSNs have all the same classes and get the same clinical training) and therefore they earn the same amount and do the same thing that BSNs do, BUT they pay A LOT more for the their education. I think the idea is that once CNLs get a couple of years of experience, they can apply to become nurse managers and the like, whereas BSNs can not until they get their masters. 4. I knew that I wanted to go back for a masters in nursing in a specific area (the CNL program earns you a generalist masters degree in nursing) and I did not want to pay for two masters degrees. You can get a certificate in a specific area if you already have a MSN, however, these are just as expensive as masters programs. I think the CNL program is a good choice if you know this is your terminal degree and you want to go into administration or management. If you want to become an NP, I would consider the BSN route because it will give you more time to absorb what you are learning and will cost you less in the long run. These are my reasons for choosing not to do the CNL program. If you can find someone in the CNL program, I think it would be good for you to talk to them about their experience and whether or not they would do it over again to get their perspective. I have heard mixed reviews from them. Let me know if you have any other questions!!! Good luck!

I would say it is not too difficult to get in the 3.0-3.3 range. If you want to get a 4.0, yes, you are going to have to study A LOT! Nursing school is A LOT of memorization and then applying that knowledge (i.e. critical thinking) to different situations. All of our tests at UMD are NCLEX format. They do this to prepare you the best they can to pass the NCLEX. It takes practice to know how to answer these types of questions. My suggestion to you is to go purchase an NCLEX review book (I like Lippincott's) at the beginning of school and start practicing. The various sections will correspond to the different classes you are taking in school. Nursing school is not easy! If you want to go into one of the more competitive areas of nursing (ie critical care and L&D) you are going to want to keep your GPA up. The practicum placements at UMD are competitive. I have done really well in school because I study a great deal (more than some of my classmates, I am sure). I don't have children and I only work 12 hours a week, so I have a good amount of time to study. The trick is to learn how to study and what to study. For example, the professor may assign you six chapters for one lecture. It is nearly impossible to read every word and still prepare for your other classes. You can skim the reading to get the main points and focus on the lecture notes. ALWAYS GO TO LECTURE!!!! There were 120 students in my pscyh class. By the end there were about 20 of us attending lecture. There were only about 6 of us who got A's in the class and I believe it is because we attended lecture. If you do all this, than you will do well in nursing school! Good luck and feel free to ask me more questions! I wish that I had more guidance before going to nursing school, so I am more than willing to help others. ALSO, GET YOUR APPLICATION IN ASAP!! They say it is rolling admission (or at least it use to be), but I really think you get more consideration the earlier you apply!

Did I mention that I am in the traditional program? I am glad that I did that instead of the CNL program (the accelerated masters that replaced the accelerated BSN). I have been really impressed with the program at UMaryland. I have had some phenomenal professors (especially Adult Health and Health Assessment) and I have had one or two mediocre professors. I think you will find that at any school. Things are not always organized, but the administration and professors are open to constructive criticism and trying to improve how things are run. We do not have any interaction with students from the Shady Grove campus so I can not speak to the situation there at all. Have you visited the Baltimore campus to see the sim lab, etc...? It might be worth the trip!

Hi! I see you are deciding between Hopkins and Maryland. I got accepted at both. They were the only two schools I applied to. I actually decided to go to Maryland because I could get the same quality of education for much less than at Hopkins. I talked to several Hopkins grads when making my decision and the majority of them told me that they would have picked Maryland for their BSN if they had to do it over again. Just food for thought! I applied to the traditional program at Hopkins. It is hard to say what my overall GPA was because I have a prior bachelor's and a master's. I am not sure what they calculated to get the GPA they used, but I would say it was around a 3.7. My science pre-req GPA was a 3.9. I think they contacted me (Hopkins calls to tell you you were accepted before you get the letter) at the end of March/beginning of April. I work 12 hours a week (I graduate in May). If you want to do really well at either of these schools, it will be challenging, but not impossible if you work full time (depending if you are applying to the traditional or accelerated program). I have a friend who works over 20 hours a week and she does well. Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thanks for the info! I wish UMD had explained it a little better in their acceptance letter. They were very vague in the description of the program and they made it sound like all you could do after you graduated was be a CNL. I realize this is the first year that they are implementing this new program, and that is why they probably are not being very specific at this time. Because I want to be a CNM, I think that doing the BSN program first is still a wise choice for me, however, I think that people who are considering all other types of NP specialties should seriously consider doing this program and then the post-masters certificate as you suggest. Thanks for your wisdom! This is great advice!

They only forgive 15% of your perkins loans, NOT all your federal stafford loans. Take it from me, loans from my MPH piled up with interest while I served in Nepal for 2 years! The government did not help me pay any of them back.

Hi Jonathan, I actually lived away from my now husband for two years while I served in the Peace Corps and he finished medical school. I think we actually grew closer to one another during that time because we had to communicate through the written word. Do you and your girlfriend plan to marry before you apply for PC? Just wanted to let you know that I don't believe they will place you together unless you are actually married. We had several married couples in Nepal with us. They all had some pretty cool posts! Good luck!

I served in Nepal as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2000-2002. I was a community health volunteer. Our main focus was to provide health education to our community and improve the practices of the health staff we were assigned to work for. I have a BA in Biochemistry and a MPH. However, one of my friends that served with me was a NP. There were lots of BSNs in the Peace Corps too. They were mostly assigned to nursing education. They would train Auxillary Nurse Midwives (Nepals version of an LPN, but with more responsibilites). So, they did some clinical stuff, but they functioned more as an instructor than a nurse. That is the whole point of Peace Corps (ie cultural exchange and exchange of techincal skill to host country nationals). If you are looking for a way to get experience in the world of international health, which is hard to come by, this is a great way to get it! It is a truly an amazing, once in a life time experience that I highly recommend.

http://www.jhu.edu/gazette/ Check out this link. It is an internal Hopkins magazine that has posting for apartments and roommates by students and employees. Also, Canton, Fells Point, Bolton Hill, and Federal Hill are all places that are pretty popular places to live among graduate students. Good luck! TLR03

The problem I found was that most Masters in Nurse Midwifery require you have a BSN to be considered for admissions, unless it is a direct entry program. I just don't want to pay for a masters I am not going to use (the masters program is $10,000 more than the BSN program). I think that some applicants are excited about this new program, which is great! I just don't think it is for everyone, and I don't think Maryland should have assumed that we would have all been excited to have been offered "an apple instead of an orange." When I called them, they were understanding and offered me a spot in the traditional program. I figure what is an extra 6 months in the big scheme of things!

Hi SummitK2, I did only apply to the two programs because I have to stay in Baltimore. I have not had a chance to talk to Maryland yet since I got my letter last Friday night and immediately left for a week's vacation out of the country. I am planning on calling the school first thing Monday morning. I did e-mail the admissions director and did not get a response. I hope this is not an indication of the response I will get tomorrow when I try to talk to someone about this mess. From the breif description they sent with the acceptance letter, I thought they awarded you a master's after the 16 month program (the cost is for master's credits for the 16 month program)? I am definitely not accepting after reading your description of the program. I think I will probably go to Hopkins since I can't say I am at all impressed with UMD after this stunt. Has everyone heard about Merit Schlarships at Hopkins yet?

I want to become a CNM, so I just don't see what good it would be to get two master's in nursing. Not to mention, from the research I did, it seems like a lot of employers prefer you to have a BSN along with your master's. I guess I really annoyed that Maryland did not notify me before sending me the acceptance letter.

I just got my acceptance letter from the University of Maryland. I had applied to the accelerated BSN program, but got a letter that they have replaced the Accelerated BSN program with a master's level Clinical Nurse Leader Program. Has anyone else gotten accepted into this program? I was quite surprised to hear about this for the first time now given that I sent my application in December! They hardly included any information about the program itself. Does anyone know anything about the program? If you have been accepted are you planning on going even though you applied for the BSN? I was planning on going to Maryland if I got accepted, but after this surprise I am thinking I might just pay the extra money to go to Hopkins. At least I know what I applied for there.

Tamm1 - Did you apply to Maryland for Fall 2005? Have you heard from them yet? I called yesterday and they said that I would not get a letter until after April 1st. I sent my application in back in December and thought I would have heard by now.