post-it

The other schools I applied to were Trent, Mac, U of T, and Humber. At Humber I was waitlisted with my fall grades and then they recalculated and accepted me off the waitlist with my winter grades. I cant say what happens with Trent because I was accepted there in February. Mac and U of T had rolling offers, and I wasn't waitlisted or rejected there until the end of June at which point they had my winter grades. So while Western is the only school that sends you an official letter to say they are deferring their admission decision, as long as you hold the prereqs I believe all of those schools wait until they have your winter grades to make their final decision.

If you have > 80% Western defers their admission decision until your winter grades released.

I was in the same situation choosing between schools last year. I chose Western primarily based on the length of the program, and also because of its reputation with employers. After a year in the program I'm not really sure what the right answer is. I am happy that I will be done soon but there has been a lot of disorganization and chaos, and am overall very dissatisfied with the program. It is undergoing some curriculum changes which we were not informed about until after we entered the program. I have looked at the new curriculum for the incoming class next year and the clinical practice has been significantly cut. You basically only get practical experience in the hospital and your final consolidation, wherever you are placed for that. The curriculum is not very well rounded, whereas Trents gives you practical experience in almost every area (with the exception of maternal and mental health which I believe you choose between). If you are looking for clinical practice then Trent is probably your best option.

Hmm yeah I guess I'm not sure! I am surprised they would have expanded since they were having a hard time finding placement spots when they increased from 64 to 96.

As I mentioned in a previous thread, looking at the posts from last year is not reliable. Last year Western found out they had the ability to increase the size of their program from 64 to 96 spaces and this was done between June and July by taking people off the wait list. This year they started out with 96 spaces and this has not changed. I am not trying to be discouraging, I just wanted to provide you with all the info! Best of luck.

I was on the waitlist last year, people started hearing back in June and I was accepted off it in July. However, last year they increased the spaces in the program from 64 to 96 after the waitlist was created so 32 people got off of it. This was a bit of a different situation so I wouldn't necessarily rely on that information or the posts from last years thread.

An awesome book! "The Makings of a Nurse" by Tilda Shalof is also similar and a great read.

No, anything they accept as transfer credits appears on your transcript as pass/fail.

If you are looking for the updated curriculum it is correct on their site now.

When I was accepted to Trent last year I also had four or five transfer credits. It is definetly possible to decrease your courseload, I think I had three transfer credits in the first semester and one or two in other semesters. I looked into trying to shorten the length of the program and it essentially not possible because the courses are only offered in sequential order according to the standard 'compressed' schedule.

I remember from the application process last year it was the same way, so I don't think it has to do with your application. Trent provided lots of info, more then any of the other programs I applied to (Western, U of T, Mac, Humber).

I am currently in the Western program, just finished up first year and starting the summer semester shortly. I was deciding between Western and Trent and ultimately chose Western for the same reason (it was significantly shorter then Trent's). Knowing what I do now, I would have definitely given Trent more thought. With the changes at Western I do not feel like we are getting a well rounded nursing experience since we no longer have a pediatric/maternal health class or placement. We had a long term placement in our first semester this year, but that has been taken out so you will only have sim lab in first semester (which is absolutely nothing like placement). I also don't feel like the Western program challenges critical thinking or prepares you for the NCLEX, so far in the program anyways. Our pharmacology was not specific enough to nursing students, and didn't even include pain medications, cardiac medications (except for those for hypertension), or several other classes of drugs. Everything also just feels very disorganized; our summer semester starts in two weeks and we don't know when or where our community health placements are yet. Considering how much we pay for tuition it often does not feel like we are being treated fairly. I am not saying don't choose Western. The school itself is wonderful, as is London. If I had the choice again I would probably still choose it for the sake of getting into the workforce sooner. The area is not as saturated with new graduate nurses either, to the extent Toronto is, so from what I have heard it is better to try and get a job here. I am just trying to offer the insight that I wish someone could have told me last year, because knowing what I know now I do not feel that I made an informed decision when I chose Western. But, as they say....hindsight is 20/20! I am not sure if that is helpful or not but if you have any other questions, let me know.

the first thing I saw when I was trying to come up with a random username!

Westerns program is 19 months (Fall/Winter/Summer/Fall/Winter) while Trent's is 27 months (Fall/Winter/Summer/Fall/Winter/Summer/Fall). After already having debt from my first degree I wanted to be out working as soon as I could, and it was also two semesters less tuition and living before I have my own pay cheque. Western is also connected to 3 major teaching hospitals (and a bunch of others) so I thought the placements would be good and also my chance of getting a job after graduation. The program also seemed pretty reputable but I am learning through experience its not all its cracked up to be. Western and London are wonderful, and I am very passionate about nursing , but the program and our curriculum are a huge mess. My top choices were actually Mac and U of T and I didn't think I had a shot at Western so I didn't even really consider it until I got accepted of the waitlist during the summer.

One more thing about job prospects, it really depends on how flexible you are. Getting your dream job out of school isn't always possible, especially in some specialities. I think in today's economy you have to be willing to take any job and/or relocate in order to gain some kind of experience and make yourself more marketable. I've heard that after your first job it gets easier to move around.