MsDanielle

Thank you everyone for your constructive comments. Getting another perspective definitely made me re-evaluate this essay. I wasn't intending to make it sound 'sociopathic'. As a child my intention wasn't to "hurt" my toys and brother, it was more of the idea that I enjoyed taking "care" of them after. Another point I just want to highlight, is that I never physically hurt my younger brother. I would paint on him and then clean it off. I am going to scratch this essay and go in a different direction. Thank you all for your opinions, I truly appreciate it.

Hello all! Below I have pasted my first draft for the essay question: Why did you choose nursing as a career. Please give me constructive criticism or any advice. This is one of 8 essay questions in which I must answer. I will touch on healthcare experience, volunteering, and extracurricular in other categories. My hope was that this essay would stand out amongst others. I didn't want it to be cliche. Thoughts, suggestions? I have spent a magnitude of time pondering the reasons why I have chosen nursing as a career. With many, this is a simple question to answer. They can pinpoint a specific moment in their life when nursing clicked with them personally. I, on the other hand, can not. Looking back, I struggle to recall times when I did not plan to pursue nursing. So, when I receive this question, I proceed to explain my childhood hobbies. My parents were worried. It was a valid conclusion to make, as I watched them stare with widening eyes. As a little girl, I spent a vast amount time 'injuring' my barbie dolls, stuffed animals, and my infant brother. I remember tearing limbs off my collectable dolls I had received for Christmas. I recall seating my stuffed animals in remote control cars and purposefully ramming the vehicle into walls. Then, I would proceed to fly the plastic car off a 'cliff', which typically, was the staircase. I used my mother's scrapbook supplies to artistically paint 'blood' all over my brother's tiny limbs. These actions were just the start of my pastime. After inflicting my toys and brother with fictional pain, off I would go with a blood pressure cuff in one hand, a first aid kit in the other, and a plastic stethoscope hanging around my neck. After tearing off arms, gauze would be taken from the kit to mend the breaks. Bandages helped heal the survivors of my precipitated car accident. I would clean the bloody wounds off my baby brother. My parents were never very pleased, as the first aid kit was constantly in need of restocking. As a five year old, I never understood why they found my actions to be strange. Honestly, I still don't. As a child, I strived to heal others. To this very day, that has not changed. What has changed, however, are the following two things. First being the passion to expand my knowledge of medical care past the first aid kit. Second, the desire to have two noteworthy letters following my name: ______,_______ RN. I never had that click when choosing nursing. That is not to say I have not experienced it, though. It clicks when I visit my nurse practitioner, Christi. While she talks me through the procedures she performs on me, it clicks. When I enter a hospital and fill with excitement and ambition, nursing clicks. The decision was practically innate. Regards to the debate of nature versus nurture, Plato, I would have to side with you. I do not know why I chose nursing. Somedays, I believe it chose me.

Hello all! Below I have pasted my first draft for the essay question: Why did you choose nursing as a career. Please give me constructive criticism or any advice. This is one of 8 essay questions in which I must answer. I will touch on healthcare experience, volunteering, and extracurricular in other categories. My hope was that this essay would stand out amongst others. I didn't want it to be cliche. Thoughts, suggestions?

SeattleJess, Thanks for the response! The science department and my advisors do not require or recommend either direction. My advisors say it depends on the workload I want to take on. Neither course requires each other. The advice I've been given has been from previous students. I have two semesters to finish 3 science pre-reqs which is why I want to take anatomy with physiology. I also don't have an option of taking the anatomy lab with the course, it is completely full unfortunately.

Thank you everyone for your feedback! GoodnessFlows, Anatomy requires lab, which is full for the fall so I am taking the lab in the spring separately. Dt70, The students who have taken anatomy have advised not to take it with physiology.

Hello!! My university offers anatomy and physiology as separate courses. I am on my last year of pre-reqs and I have three science courses left (anatomy, physiology, and microbiology). This upcoming fall I enrolled in both anatomy (3 credits) and physiology (3 credits). I've been receiving advice to take anatomy first semester and physiology second. While I agree that would be my best option, I'd really like to knock out two science pre-reqs this fall. Micro isn't offered in the fall so taking anatomy and micro isn't an option. I'm an A student and I work really, really hard but I'm struggling to decide if this is a terrible idea. What do you think? I'm willing to put in the effort to succeed in both classes. Thanks for your time! :)

Definitely notecards. I agree with chevyv. I'd break them into categories. I think that'd be your best bet! Goodluck!

Congratulations! You should be so proud of yourself and your accomplishments. You will be a wonderful nurse. Best wishes!

I'm a freshman student and will be applying to nursing school this upcoming fall. I know I need to expand my options and the more schools I apply to the better. How many though should I actually apply to? 3? 5? 8? 10? How many did you apply to? I definitely want to keep my options open. Also! I am currently a resident in Kansas and I plan to go out of state for nursing schools most likely. I've been looking into CU Denver, KU Med, and SDSU (as I've visited both before) but I don't really know how else to search for nursing schools (in places I haven't visited)? Thank you! :)

Hello! I wanted to say congrats to everyone! I am applying for summer of 2015 next fall and I was curious what you think made you stand out? And also if you could possibly share your GPA?

I am so unbelievably stressed out, anxious, and depressed. My days consist of working my a** off to get my school work done and done well, while volunteering as it is required for my top choice nursing school. Being extremely, overly anxious about grades and calculating every single possible way I could possibly receive a bad grade in the course. I can't even concentrate while posting this because I honestly feel I am losing my mind. My thoughts are so rapid and jumbled, my head doesn't know how to piece together what I am thinking or feeling. I feel so lost and I am glad the end of the semester is coming up because I need the break desperately. I don't want to give up my dream of becoming a nurse, I just really need help managing. I think I'm having a teenage nervous breakdown. Any advice? I really need it. Thank you.

I am taking 17 credit hours at my university next semester. Chem & Lab- 5 Hours Nutrition- 3 Hours Psychology- 3 Hours History Course- 3 Hours English- 3 Hours These classes I indefinitely need to be taking as they are pre-reqs (I'm a freshman currently). I wanted to take a CNA course at a community college 30 minutes away which will be an additional 5 hours, totally 22. My question is whether or not you believe this is doable? I will have a 3.5 GPA for my first semester freshman year. Volunteering also takes up a lot of my time. I am going to africa over the summer for a volunteer opportunity so I will be out of the states for 3 months, which is why I want to get my CNA schooling done now. I want to do this because I recognize it is a good opportunity to learn more about the nursing field and also I think it could look good on my resume. What do you think?

I can imagine why you feel so exhausted! I am only a pre-nursing student at the moment and I am exhausted! Just keep pushing and realize you're closer and closer to reaching your dreams each day. Break will be very nice for you, just make sure you don't schedule too much friend/family time (mistakes I consistently make)... you need your rest! Congratulations for making it thus far, your hard work is evidently paying off.

While it is still awhile until I find out if I get into nursing school, I honestly believe I will be in such a state of shock that I will just cry & cry. Also, I've missed having a social life so badly- it'd be nice to take a night off to go out, let loose, and not be worried and anxious.

So to begin I am a pre-nursing freshman at the moment. At the end of semester I will have a 3.4 GPA and obviously I am going to work very hard to get closer to a 4.0 next semester hopefully having no less than a 3.6 GPA when I apply. My science courses and math are all As, the reason my GPA isn't higher is due to my speech class which I might pull a C in . I have many, many hospital volunteer hours. Certain hours escorting patients, other hours in specific departments that I am interested in...this volunteer work is still being continued as well. I also volunteer at a sexual violence center as an advocate.. (receiving calls, hospital calls, etc). Also this is currently continuing. I also have a volunteer trip this summer to Africa working in orphanages and shadowing HIV/AIDS treatment. Lastly, I am apart of a pre-nursing club at my university. My top choice requires medical volunteer work, other community volunteer work, avg GPA is a 3.6 currently, they also want to see leadership skills... I understand I am exactly what they are asking for, but I am SO anxious and I don't even apply for another YEAR! My school (like many) is extremely competitive so I was wondering what advice you could give so that I stand out amongst the rest. Like I said, I am extremely anxious and have little to no social life, I want to be a nurse more than I've ever wanted anything..... Any advice? It is all appreciated so much.