jamay10

During my intake year (2015), it was absolutely based on GPA - as was the year after. Our competitive GPA was around 3.5, with the average being 3.7ish. I don't think much has changed.

I'm going to be pragmatic. Ideally you should apply if you are meeting the minimum. However, application fees aren't cheap. So if you know you are only meeting the minimum, you run the risk of being told to try next year and beef up your marks for the mean time. Also, it is to prepare you for what is ahead of the program - where 88 can be (and has been) a B-. That said, I don't know how the intake gpa cutoff will look like for 2016 as they are now allowing the Honors program for the AD. Just putting my 2 cents in from my experience. I'm not quite sure of what you mean by 'self-learning'. Can you elaborate more on it? "Self learning" is something that we all do in the program, whether you are told to or not. You have to fish for information in order to supplement your learning, research, or presentation. Many hours can be spent on researching the drug and its side effects on your patient who has to take 20+ drugs and you need to know onset, peak time, and half life.

It's been a while since I last posted and it was for '15 entrance to the AD. So for those of you who are interested, here's info I know some of you are hoping to get. 1) Last year, our GPA cutoff was ~3.5 or so I heard. I have also heard that our average GPA was ~3.8. There are no guaranteed admissions unless you meet the minimum competitive average for your intake year. To be safe, aim for 3.5 if you can (get those extra points from your prereqs) 2) Acceptances can run up until the end of June (dare I say even first week of August)... or so at least from our cohort's experience. Make sure everything is lined up for your documents and your i's are dotted! Having them in order -> immunizations (get this early), HCP FA & CPR, forms, transcripts, police clearances, etc. Trust me, it will make your application process much smoother. Even if you think you have everything lined up, double, triple, quadruple check etc. Make sure you keep copies of documents you send. 3) If you have questions, CALL! Be resourceful and get the information you need! Now is a great time to start doing this especially if you are going to be in this program. This is an essential skill. 4) Once you get in, you have to remember to maintain a competitive GPA. Some of your classmates may be former Internationally Educated Doctors, those with Masters, or PhDs. You will be marked against everyone else, including them- not to say those who don't have extra credentials other than the Baccalaureate degrees are any less of a competition. Some classmates will just have an edge over the others likely due to experience. 5) It is a stressful program. During your intake, you will be given tips on how to manage your time. LISTEN TO THEM! This is pertinent information and is especially true if you have children. I know these are straight forward, but I can't emphasize how these are so important. I don't think I am able to respond to messages in my inbox so I won't be able to reply to them.

Yes they should. They will go back a minimum of 24 most recent credits to calculate your AGPA. If you only took, as an example, 21 credits, this fall, they will go back to your last most recent semester to complete the 24 credits. If they go back into your winter semester (eg. 12 credits), they will also go back into your fall semester (12 credits = full schoolyear of 24 credits). Long story short, they will assess your gpa based on the 21 credits you recently did plus the 24 credits you have done in you last year's degree. BUT, if you took a spring and summer course previous to this coming semester and they are worth 3 credits, they will only look at your most recent credits done plus the 3 credits you did on the summer to reach the full 24 credits for your AGPA. Hope this makes sense.

I guess I don't have the ability to reply to PMs yet because I'm fairly new to posting (longtime lurker). So, for the those with International Degrees this is my take (opinion only): Since you have an International degree, I would speak to an advisor, likely International Admissions (International Admissions in the Office of the Registrar at (780) 492-3113) to see if any of the courses you took match up with the course description/syllabus of the prerequisites. Alternatively you could contact the Faculty of Nursing and speak to the Student Advisor there. Depending on how competitive your Admission GPA is (I guess this year was a 3.3+, based on the last 24 credits taken), redoing courses might be a good idea to make you more competitive and in order to get early conditional acceptance. Furthermore, refreshers aren't a bad idea either especially if it's been quite some time since you've been in school. Of course there is a cost attached to this, but I would consider it as an investment. The wait is going to be long for the 2016 intake, but you will at least have plenty of time to get your ducks in a row. I hope this helped. :)

I have to agree. U of A would need to take a look at the course description for the courses you've previously taken and compare it to the prereq courses. I would suggest talking to the student advisor for course equivalencies sooner than later. I have a minor in Biological Sciences and took Microbiology as a requirement for my minor. However, I still had to take the Medical Microbiology prereq the program needed. Good news is that 2016 applicants still have a lot of time to take prereqs if needed and do some academic upgrading if your AGPA (admission grade point average - w/c at U of A is the last and most recent 24 credits taken) falls below the minimum. I wish all of the 2016 applicants the best of luck. If you guys have some questions on the U of A application, PM me. I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge and abilities :)

That really depends on what your GPA was and maybe on a few factors. Have you tried contacting a student advisor at the Faculty of Nursing? They would have a better insight on what you should do. But be prepared to take extra courses to boost your AGPA to get your marks competitive enough for ANY application cycle. Also, if you are an Internationally Educated Nurse, have you looked at what steps are necessary to practice in Alberta/Canada?

@rolanpriela 'not competitive' would mean that while you meet the minimum AGPA, your GPA doesn't meet the GPA cut-off that UofA has. Since there are only so many seats (I believe approx 150, don't quote me on this), they have to consider the GPAs of all the applicants and rank them from highest to lowest and establish a cut-off (which may be ~3.5, again don't quote me on that). If after the conversion, your GPA is below the cut-off, then they would say your GPA is 'not competitive'. Your high school has no bearing whatsoever on your application (assuming you've applied to the After Degree Program), because all they will look at is the last year of your degree and your GPA for that year.

@candicej yes, sorry, I meant call the Faculty of Nursing and speak to the advisor there. I think that if it says decision pending on your application, the Reg Office would have already submitted all your documents to the Faculty. I'm glad I called because there were a few things that were missed (ie prereqs I took at U of A 8 yrs ago) by the RO and noted as 'not taken'. I was worried about the hold-ups to my application due to the document deadlines. I made sure I told the advisor (she was so helpful) my concern and that I met all the requirements needed. Essentially I just made it easier for the Faculty to make the decision by gving them some more info that they needed (AGPA, prereqs, Grad date). If youare set set on possibly going to Macewan, they take first come first serve, so apply as soon as it opens (i think you'll find out your UofA status beforehand).

@ candicej When I spoke to the advisor, they said that they are completely backed up. Couldn't tell me what the GPA cutoff was, but I think the competitive GPA might be the same as previously mentioned (3.5). I would call and follow up to see what the status is of your application. Don't call the Reg Office as they are limited in what they could do. Besides, the Faculty of Nursing makes the decision anyway. I am rooting for you! Age is just a number and is irrelevant next to skill, knowledge, and experience. Good luck!

Oy! So I finally heard back from U of A, of course after a few phone calls. My status went from 'decisions pending' to 'requires action' in a week. Turns out they needed a set of transcripts that said I earned my degree. That's the only thing they are waiting on now and is thankfully on the way. My conditonal acceptance is finally going to be cleared by Monday or Tuesday. Anyone else hear back regarding their application?

Unfortunately for me, U of A is the only school I've applied to because I can't really go anywhere far (kids, home, hubby's work). I was pretty confident I'd get my acceptance last April or so because I meet the req and with my AGPA... but since it's taken this long, it's surely taken the wind out of my sail. If I don't get in this year, I'll be ok with waiting for next fall. The time will certainly help with me finding a suitable caregiver for my kids (4 & 6). Notwithstanding, an acceptance or any decision for that matter, would be appreciated. The wait is killing me.

I applied Feb 6. I had to call the Reg office to follow up on my transcripts and they didn't get it until a few days ago (OMG). That said, I did just finish my prereqs (anat, physio, & MMI) last April. I called Reg office again today because it now says on my bear tracks "Decision Pending". I can never seem to get a hold of anyone on the Undergrad Nursing Dept. so I don't know what the status of my application is, considering that I've waited so long. My AGPA is 3.72 and I'm worried that because of the length of the process so far, at least for my application, the quota would be filled. Is that how it works? They take all the applications that are completed first and meet the cutoff to fill their seats? Im so stressed!