Keats717

Hey all, I am currently in a direct entry program for nursing and I went through the entire application process at this time last year. One of the girls in the year above me posted the approximate dates she received her acceptance letters to schools - I figured I would do the same! It may have changed from last year, but for those of you who are checking your email q 5 mins (q means every in nursing terms btw) like I was, maybe this will be helpful to you! It doesn't include every school because I didn't apply to everyone, but hopefully it will help a little... Columbia University = February 6th MGH = February 7th - we were sent an email the day before telling us our decision would be ready at midnight. Boston College = February 14th - Best Valentines Day ever (you can guess which school I picked) Vanderbilt = February 15th - they mailed the decisions so it actually arrived a week later, but I called and they told me over the phone because I was debating booking a flight to visit the school's open house Northeastern = Mid April I withdrew my application from Simmons and I didn't make it to the first round of interviews with Yale. I wanted to also give you guys some encouragement - I got into all those schools with a 3.25 GPA in biology and after having worked in a lab for 2 years. I had decent GRE scores, but every admission person told me those didn't matter than much. My class is pretty diverse, but for those concerned about GPA, don't sweat it too much - most of my classmates had 3.3-3.6 GPAs. If you don't get accepted anywhere - its not the end of the world, just the beginning of a different journey. If you do get in - I totally recommend visiting the schools and talking with the heads of the department to which you have applied (adult health, womens health, etc) - It really helped me make my decision. Also, live it up this summer and invest in those friends/family members who will be incredibly supportive during the first year - I promise you will need them!

Hey for all you looking for places to stay during the visiting weekend, there are a couple hostels in the area that may suite you. I don't know the names off hand, but just google hostels Nashville and you'll find at least 4, one of which is right next to the nursing school! I'm staying there at $50 a night, which is a heck of alot cheaper than the hotels in the area! They even offer a really good price ($17 round trip) for the airport. Seeing as this trip already cost me $500 for the airfare, I'm glad I could find cheaper places to stay! Good luck all and look forward to meeting you on campus!

Anyone heading down to the Vanderbilt open house next weekend?

I talked with an admissions lady at MGH and she said the only problem with not having a BSN is that it limits you in teaching. So if you think you want to teach nursing, having a BSN would be good. Other than that, it doesnt really matter too much and shouldn't limit you. She also said that most schools will write a letter stating that their student has the equivalent of a BSN and that usually does the trick when applying to teaching jobs.

Yeah I suggest calling the admissions department and asking point blank - that's what worked for me! Good luck!

I agree with your point on the nashville live music factor! Boston definitely has a city feel! There are so many incredible restaurants, bars, historical sites, hospitals (a whole area called Longwood dedicated to the major hospitals), colleges, etc, and has a lot of cultural diversity! There are so many people who live in the city from all walks of life, and I am never without places to go and people to go with! You can drive to the beach in roughly 45 mins and jump out to the revolutionary war historical areas within 20 mins. it's really an incredible city and I love it here! Honestly, I think Nashville will have to wow me for me to decide I want Vandy. Boston is just so awesome!

That's right - you mentioned that hi616... What did you think of Nashville as a city? Im used to Boston where I walk out my apartment and rely completely on public transit

No I didn't actually - I called them on Thursday and explained that I had to make a decision soon and they told me I had been admitted and they were in the process of sending out my admissions decision via mail

Hey Hi616 Just saw your message! Thank you so much for that! I totally agree with you on your points! I'm thinking of flying down to Nashville for their orientation session March 1st - were you thinking of going down then?

And Koke Why are you also considering Vanderbilt? I have this weird gut freeling about going to vandy, but I cant figure out why - so right now im trying to write down some solid reasons for both schools

Oh and hi616 - could you tell me why youre leaning more towards BC than Vandy Im a new user on this and so I cant actually write personal messages yet sorry guys - but soon I will be able to!

Yeah definitely look to those neighborhoods! You may find more safety alerts around the reservoir (cleveland circle in Brookline) because there was a BC student that drowned in there last spring - that being said, I have friends who live right in that area and they have never run into any trouble at all! Anyone got a pros and cons list started for MGH yet?

I actually called Vandy and asked on Thursday and got my decision. They said I got in, but were sending my letter this coming Tuesday. I think if you submitted your application before December 1st you can call them anytime and they can give you an answer. I live in Boston (well Cambridge) currently and I will tell you that you can get apartments anywhere from $500/month (in some of the surrounding areas like Chestnut hill, Cambridge, Brighton and Allston) to $2000 (if you want to live in the middle of the city - Beacon Hill, Back Bay, South End). As BC is a little outside the city, I would suggest looking for apartments in the brookline/chestnut hill/Brighton/allston near the school itself. You can definitely find nice inexpensive housing in the area. Check Craigslist for those listings - i am nearly positive you'll find something in a good price range - just stay away from back bay or beacon hill listings even though those apartments are very pretty. I appreciate everyone's notes about the different schools - I am currently deciding between Vanderbilt and BC as well, but haven't ruled out Columbia yet.

I got into BC for Women's Health too! Now Im debating between BC, MGH, and Columbia. I did a little bit of analysis on the tuition side of things (and minus the fees for the schools) this what I came up with for costs: MGH: $104,716 BC: $80,640 Columbia: $138,888 Vanderbilt: $93,458 Can anyone speak to which schools of these are the best? I dont know if I can really trust the rankings because Columbia ranks like 5th for family practice and then ranks 21st over all? I struggle with rationalizing the cost of Columbia because whether you come from BC or Columbia, you are still a nurse practitioner and you will probably make the same regardless - anyone want to speak to that? Congrats to those of you who got into BC and everywhere else - im sure we'll meet at one of these programs!

I can't seem to find a specific thread for BC 2013 on here either, which kinda surprised me... anyone else have anything to contribute about the admissions decisions? Good luck hi616! Did you get in anywhere yet?