Bumblepea

It's accredited and was mentioned to me by admissions, so it should. It's also worth 4 credit hours without a lab component which I found surprising.

I actually found an online patho course at butler community college in Kansas, which was half the price of the one at UNE. If anyone else is interested, it starts on 3/23 and ends 5/15.

@Doulame I was one of the students accepted to ETP, but not for midwifery. I've had pretty extensive/honest communication with the admissions office. From what I have been told, there will be no internal waitlist for the midwifery specialty track. Those spots will be reapportioned to the students applying to the (non-ETP) master's program--this is what I have been told personally, so perhaps it would be a different conversation with an applicant they felt more strongly about. I just can't commit to an expensive, 3 yr education that does not put me in a position to practice as midwife, so I'll likely decline my spot at Columbia.

Hi folks! I'm wondering if anyone else on the waitlist knows about what our odds are for receiving an offer of admission. I've tried getting in touch with admissions a few times and can't seem to get ahold of anyone. I applied for the midwifery/WHNP track, and know that this tends to be one of the more competitive tracks at most programs. If anyone has any information, I'd greatly appreciate it. Again, congrats to everyone offered admission!

@MissesOh. I just got accepted into the same program at MGHIHP--I don't think I'll go. I've heard really mixed reviews about the program and it's pretty expensive. If it helps, I've heard that a lot of FNP's choose to specialize in repro health/family planning, and are more employable as WHNP's because of their broad scope of practice--so, I think you could definitely work in that facet of gynecological care if it interested you. Like you, I'd be moving to NYC with husband and dog in tow . . . I'm okay with moving to Jersey City or Hoboken (which are starting to get cool and comparatively less expensive than NY), but my man says if we're moving to the metro area he wants to go all in and be in Harlem/Morningside.

@ NMW1982 Columbia appeals to me more than other programs because I'd like to work abroad and within research communities re: antenatal/intrapartum care and maternal and infant health. In addition to having faculty who work in these issue areas, Columbia is also a designated WHO site for advanced practice nursing. I guess it all hinges on your specialty and what you want from practice in the future. It is really hard for me to gauge how far an Ivy League degree goes in the APRN world, or if not having one would significantly change the landscape of post-grad opportunities/job offers.

It's such a personal decision. There are definite pros to attending Columbia depending on what you're looking for in a program. It's also one of the most expensive accelerated programs out there. I'm having a really hard time weighing my options, so I decided to meet with a clinician in my intended field and get some input--if that's possible for you, maybe it would help?

Did anyone else get accepted for the WHNP track?

So, I also got into Boston College for WHNP and was waitlisted at Penn for the CNM/WHNP track. Given that I don't have a spot secured on the CNM track at Columbia, but would love to study midwifery there, I'm having the hardest time sorting through the pros and cons of attending. On the one hand, Boston College's program seems parallel in terms of quality and strength of relationships with preceptors at the teaching hospitals in Boston; it's also considerably less expensive. On the other hand, Columbia actually has a CNM track that I could potentially get into after the BS portion of the program is over, and the faculty are both impressive and well-situated in global health/international nursing which is definitely a professional goal of my own (to practice abroad). Does anyone have opinions about one program vs. the other, or thoughts?

@Bettybones. Thanks, that's really encouraging information! I'm still strongly considering Columbia with the expectation that I could find my way into the midwifery track after the BSN portion is over. If not, I guess I could leave the program and apply at NYU? Decisions, decisions.

I had a small breakdown thinking about taking on so much debt. Then I realized, there are plenty of nursing/med professionals who've done it before. The earning potential with an advanced practice nursing degree is great. You may be paying loans off for a long time if you decide to attend an Ivy League school in one of the world's most expensive cities. But, there are plenty of scholarships and tuition remission programs available--also, you will be making good money in a job that you'll (hopefully) love at the end of the program. That's priceless.

If it's any consolation, I know that Penn technically ranks higher than Columbia for nursing. This means very little by specialty, I'm sure--but either way, kudos to you for getting into Penn!

May might be a little overzealous, but September is definitely the most competitive month to find housing, Boston being a college town and all. There are plenty of places off-the-beaten-track you might have better luck in than the area directly around BC, as long as you have a car or aren't intimidated by lots of train transfers!

Honestly, my first impulse is to eat a gallon of ice cream and cry for a few days. I desperately want to study midwifery, and might be willing to do women's health as an alternative, but am not nearly as interested in a specialty like family or peds. I'm going to take some time and talk with a few clinicians (FNP, CNM, WHNP) and see if making the move to NYC for Columbia and gambling on getting into midwifery at some point in the future is worth it.

Oh, please let it be me. Just out of curiosity, DoulaMe, would you mind talking a little bit about your background in birthwork? I've been waitlisted (Penn), rejected (Yale), or partially accepted (Columbia) to the midwifery programs I've applied to, and I thought my credentials were alright: 1.5 years of doula work, background in reproductive health, women's issues, strong undergrad & prereq GPA. I guess it truly is one of the most competitive tracks.

I had the same issue and just got off the phone with admissions. You can choose any other specialty (Peds, FNP, Adult Geront/Acute, Adult Geront/Primary, Psych) that has space, just not the one from which you were denied. Also, you can wait until the BSN portion of the program is over and reapply to the specialty to which you want admission. Finally, it is possible that space in your specialty could open up if not all who were admitted decide to matriculate--however, if this were to happen, it would most likely be by the time classes start.

UGH. Just re-read my letter. Got in, not for midwifery. Crap.

I JUST called the admissions office and the person I spoke with said "within the next two weeks." That seems to conflict with previous information, right? I'm not so sure we should count on hearing within the next week, if this is indeed the case.

I was offered a spot for the WHNP track--anyone else? I live and work in Boston already, so if anyone has their hearts set on BC, I'm happy to offer some insight on housing, recreation, and Boston culture!

I was waitlisted for nurse-midwifery. Did anyone get in or waitlisted for the same track? It seems like a lot of us are on the waitlist. I looked at previous years' threads, and it definitely seems like a few people are taken off the waitlist every year--does anyone have a better handle on what those numbers typically are?

Hi folks. Does anyone have any insight into whether or not a phone interview could hurt your chances of being accepted? I do live in the Northeast, but in Boston (6 hours away). I'm about to start at a new job, and feel a little sheepish about asking for 2+ days off right off the bat. Thanks, and well done to everyone for getting that application in -- so nerve-wracking!

Hi everyone! I've been following this thread for a bit. I also submitted my app for the CNM/WHNP track. I promised myself that I wouldn't succumb to post-app anxiety, but here I am. I think what's most frustrating is that I have a really hard time gauging how competitive my application is -- my path to nursing (and midwifery specifically) was a winding one, and I spent the better part of my twenties discovering my strengths through trial and error. I attempted to convey this as well-roundedness, but my lack of formal/professional health care experience coupled with VERY average GRE scores on the quantitative and analytical sections make me worry. Does anyone feel similarly?

Hi folks, My name is Tierney and I'm a Boston-based woman. I'm currently applying to direct entry programs for CNM and WHCNP along the east coast. This would be a career shift for me, and I have been taking prerequisites for programs over the last year, as well as volunteering with a doula group at MGH. Due to the hectic nature of birth work, I've had trouble forging long-lasting contacts with the midwives I've worked with at MGH but would very much like to shadow a CNM before I send my applications off. Anyway, are there any Boston-based (or NH/RI/ME-based) CNMs who'd be interested in allowing me to shadow them? I'd be happy to send over a resume and provide references if need be. Thanks, Tierney