sml14

Did you get the message? It isn't showing up in my sent folder but sometimes the private messages are weird like that

I just sent you a PM!

I can't speak to acute care (I am NMW), but the length is something I have thought about. When I asked my program director what she thought some of the main challenges for students are, she said that some do find the fast pace very challenging, though others find that they are more prepared. I've also talked to some current students who do say is is very intense and the most difficult thing they've ever done, but that they all agree they are having a lot of fun and learning a ton. The sentiment I have gotten from all of them, though, is that you come out very prepared for practice, and they all manage to get through it and learn a ton. One very real thing that I am considering is the fact that graduating 6 months earlier than some programs means 6 months more time to work and earn money. Hypothetically let's just say you get a starting salary of 80k - 6 months is worth an extra 40k that you wouldn't have earned had you still been in school. That also means you start paying your loans faster and may take out less for living costs. Just food for thought... That being said, for people who have kids and families, the slightly slower pace may be more important for you. Everyone gets through the programs with excellent preparation, so just depends on what feels right for you. But I hear you! The pace does make me nervous...

I can't speak for other specialties, but I am pretty sure that at least for nurse-midwifery, Vanderbilt and Yale have the same number of semesters in the program. The difference is that Yale does not have a summer term in between year 1 and 2 and thus finishes after the second spring; however, Vandy does have a summer semester and finishes after the second fall term. So while it could be valuable to have the summer to decompress, volunteer, work, etc., both programs have the same number of semesters to learn the material. Something to consider about getting out a semester earlier is that you can start working that much sooner and earn money to pay back loans

For those of you still waiting to hear, students who have already been admitted in the first round have until March 7th to put a deposit down, so I would expect that it may be at least until then before you hear anything so that they have a better gauge of how many spots to fill? I know the waiting is hard, but I'm sure admissions gets dozens of calls a day, so try to be patient! :)

Ok now that I have heard back from a couple more schools, I think my decision is down to OHSU and Vanderbilt (CNM). Any of you have any insight?? For a long time my first choice has been OHSU, but now that I've been learning more about Vanderbilt and talking to current students I almost find myself leaning towards there. I'll have a pretty tough decision to make in the next couple weeks...

Nevermind, I have the answer to my own question! Got a call this morning that I've been accepted!! Now decision time comes...pretty much deciding between OHSU and Vanderbilt (CNM). Anyone have thoughts on the two?

Has anyone heard anything yet? Seems it should be this week right?

I think you may have done the math wrong 6*18,414 = 110,484 + 14642 = 125,126 I don't know what Columbia costs, but yes that is WAY cheaper than Penn, which is insanely expensive. That's more than in-state tuition for UCSF, but comparable to Vandy and OHSU

Yes I'm pretty sure the full scholarship is different. Everyone was offered a partial scholarship in the amount of $3000-11,500, but no one has heard about full scholarships yet. So I assume if you are offered the full scholarship then that would take the place of the partial amount for the year - or maybe you'd get to keep that for living expenses?

So the wording on the website was changed recently, though I am still not totally clear how many of the 3 first-year scholarships are for pre-specialty vs direct-entry students. Here's what it says: "The School of Nursing offers 6 full tuition scholarships each year as well as partial scholarships...For first year students, consideration for one of the three full scholarships and the amount of partial scholarship awards are based upon an individual's GPA and GRE, GMAT or other standardized test score. Scholarships for 2nd year/returning students are based on a student's GPA for their first two semesters in the nursing program. We offer three full tuition scholarships for students who will be entering their specialty year and to be considered for one of the three full tuition scholarships, the student must have earned a 4.0 in their first semester and a 4.0 in their second semester. The student must have entered the program as a PreSpecialty student." I also just called, and they confirmed that there is no essay this year, and they are making decisions based based on GPA/GRE and goal statements. Recipients should hear within 2 weeks (before the deposit deadline), and if we don't hear anything then it means we didn't get it.

I emailed them about it when I received my acceptance letter and was told that they will notify eligible candidates in "3-4 weeks" (this was 11 days ago). Didn't say whether or not there is an essay or what qualifies as "eligible". Would be great to know before I have to decide on a school, because getting a scholarship would pretty much make the decision for me!

Didn't get in either :/ To those of you who didn't get in but had your hearts set on UCSF, pretty much everyone I've talked to who has gone there has said they had to apply more than once. I have heard this more so for UCSF than other programs, so even if you didn't get in, there is probably still a good chance you could get in next try. I think they really want to see that you are committed, so it seems like it's almost a requirement to have applied before

I agree - even though I know a lot of people do phone interviews (and get in), 4 days is still not much time. They seem to have totally dropped the ball in communicating with me. I applied because I wanted it as a backup in case I didn't get in elsewhere, but since I've gotten into Vanderbilt I would easily choose that over Seattle. Congrats on your acceptances, btw!

For anyone trying to decide between programs, check out this thread that someone else started. It's great to hear people's thoughts on various programs, as I'm sure many of us have applied to the same ones! https://allnurses.com/online-nursing-schools/direct-entry-2016-1031450.html

Yes Seattle does do phone interviews, and yes they are incredibly unorganized. I am currently trying to arrange a phone interview, but their lack of communication is not scoring them any points! I've already been accepted to another program, so honestly at this point I don't have much motivation to pursue them anymore. But I would definitely inquire about a phone interview (they also told me there is an option on the online sign-up form to indicate a phone interview).

Oh okay I didn't realize there was another group this week. Good luck to anyone still interviewing!!

Thanks!! Is that two weeks from the last set of interviews, or two weeks from now? Getting nervous just thinking about it...

Don't give up, I have heard that often applicants who were rejected the first time will get accepted when they apply again! Also, did you interview? Just curious if people who interviewed are already hearing back. Also, did anyone who interviewed happen to ask when we would find out?? I forgot to ask that!

I agree. I have already had some communications issues with the interview process, and when I mentioned it to the recent SU grad I know, her response was that it basically sounds typical of them. She did give me the impression that finding a job was more tricky than she expected (at least in the Bay Area), but she did get a couple jobs (outpatient & inpatient) within the first 6-12 months. I have also heard that it can be hard to get a job right away in the area of the school for other programs (UCSF & OHSU), though not sure exactly how the numbers compare. Also, I think a pro for most of the programs I listed is the city in which they're in, so I didn't mention that part! I grew up near SF so the city is a little less appealing to me personally, but SF, Seattle, Portland and Nashville all seem like really cool cities. What are your thoughts on the distance program that Vandy has vs. programs where you stay more local? On the one hand it could be very valuable to be able to learn skills in a lot of different settings in different places, but I also worry that I could get placed in a less-than-ideal learning setting (e.g. the laws and culture around nurse-midwifery seems to differ quite a bit depending on where you are, so I worry that I could be placed in an area where CNMs don't necessarily have a lot of autonomy or scope - not sure if that worry is well-founded though)

Noticed that @FutureNPisMe started a great topic on comparing programs here (https://allnurses.com/online-nursing-schools/direct-entry-2016-1031450.html), others should check it out and chime in!

Thanks for starting this thread! Hopefully more will join and share their thoughts. What specialty are you? I'm sure that each school has different pros and cons depending on specialty, as well. I am CNM, so here are a few thoughts, at least for a few of the programs I applied to: UCSF: Pros: top-ranked program, many midwives in Bay Area, many opportunities to work with underserved populations (esp. Spanish-speaking), broad range of clinical sites throughout Bay Area, small cohorts, less expensive (at least for in-state tuition), offers WHNP in combination with CNM Cons: housing insanely expensive and competitive, have to deal with commuting all over Bay for clinical sites (& associated commuting costs), parking tough around campus, for CNM specialty CA physician supervision laws limit midwives' scope somewhat (this may be changing if legislation can be passed in the coming year), a current MEPN student I talked to mentioned there is one prof in first year that students had major issues with (apparently program trying to address this), no BSN OHSU: Pros: top-ranked program, Portland more affordable than some cities (SF and probably NYC), great public transportation in Portland & around campus, clinical sites more central to campus minimizes stress of commuting, Oregon has some of the best laws for practicing midwifery (full autonomy & independence) and has very high rates of midwife-attended births, hospital allows water births, small cohort, awards BSN, each student paired with faculty mentor (in addition to an academic advisor) Cons: rainy weather, Portland more expensive than some cities (maybe more than Nashville?), possibly less-diverse patient population (though they still offer opportunities to work on reservations & w/Spanish speaking communities) Vandy: Pros: top-ranked program, broad range of clinical sites & experience all over US (they deliberately try to place you at very diverse types of sites), Nashville more affordable than some cities, shorter program by a semester, offers full-tuition scholarships, everyone gets some scholarship (=more affordable than many programs), built-in time for entire CNM class to go to ACNM conference Cons: have to travel up to 3.5 hours away for clinicals one semester during specialty year, traveling to placements may add expense & added stress of finding housing, no BSN, larger class Seattle U (don't know too much) pros: heavy emphasis on social justice, Washington/Seattle very midwife friendly, affordable, also shorter program Cons: not ranked in top 10, I know someone who just graduated from their CNM program and said it really lacked organization and that she experienced some issues Penn: major con is extreme cost compared to others - enough reason for me not to apply (thus I don't know much else about it) Yale: applied but still don't know too much about it (towards bottom of my list) Columbia: didn't apply

I am also curious everyone else's thoughts on UCSF. I have applied to other programs I'm very interested in (CNM), and a downside I see of UCSF is how difficult and expensive it is to get housing in SF and the bay. However if anyone has any thoughts on pros and cons of UCSF and any other programs I'd be interested to hear!!

I think everyone was asked the same list of questions, so we all had to answer that one!

I already sent an email asking about the scholarship, and whether the amount we already got is per year or one-time. I will update when I hear back but if anyone else has insight feel free to share!