CharlotteNC16

I am the biggest proponent of 'you can do anything you set your mind to' and am so thankful to have always had a positive outlook with my RA, but did want to caution you to be realistic (and it sounds like you are). Before finding a medication that worked for me after a few years of working with my rheumatologist, I wasn't able to tie my own hair back or wring out a washcloth, let alone catch a falling patient or use the fine motor skills needed to start an IV. My case is pretty extreme and I wasn't going to post at all, but I wanted to make this point: be strong and champion for what you want out of life, but also know your limits. I am going back to school for nursing so I obviously think it is possible, but maybe wait until your RA is a little more stable as others have said. It sounds like you have relatively recently developed your RA (correct me if I am wrong!), so don't despair - finding what works for you might just take a little time. Then the sky is the limit!

The bookstore says the total cost for scrubs for lab, books, and supplies our first semester will be around $1000. I've rented books on Amazon in the past and it is almost always less expensive, so I will probably price compare them with the bookstore. Also for most Amazon book rentals, you have the option of buying out the book at the end of the semester if you decide you'd like to keep it. Just FYI!

I wouldn't think so, they probably have a cap on the number of waitlisted applications. I do not have any info on that though, it is just a guess. Good luck! :)

Hi theia55, I was actually waitlisted last year for the ABSN, and was instead offered a place in the traditional 2 year program. The class size for the traditional program is a lot bigger so you'll have a good chance of getting in!! Especially if they already like you enough to place you on the waitlist :) Admissions let me know for sure I did not have a spot in the ABSN around the first week of April. I actually declined entering the traditional program for a few reasons. I love the job I have now (but can't see myself advancing in it), so I decided to work for another year before reapplying to the ABSN while taking a few prerequisite classes to boost my GPA at CPCC. That way I could save money for a full extra year and still graduate at the same time as I would have had I accepted my place in the traditional cohort. The ABSN is also less expensive for me overall, so it was a slightly risky decision to wait until the next application cycle but ended up working out. I felt that I definitely would have had a better chance of making good grades in the traditional route since the course load isn't as heavy though, so it was a tough decision! Both are great options, hopefully you will hear from admissions soon!

You are very welcome! The FELS is the only one I know of so far, unfortunately I don't qualify for a lot of the merit-based scholarships since I'm married and have a joint income. I'm going to look around a little more though, if I find anything promising I will post it! Queens has some great adult merit-based scholarships based on GPA ranges. I am unsure if those are not available for any ABSN student (since we're all on our 2nd degrees), or just me because of the joint income, but they are worth asking the finaid office about! Otherwise for the FELS, we would only receive it for the Fall/Spring semesters since the Summer deadline was March of last year. It amounts to a loan of $3500 per semester (so $7k total). What's so great about the FELS is that the loan dissolves after working as a nurse in NC for one year since nursing is a high-need profession. If you end up moving out of state before the year is up it's no problem, it just turns into a loan you can pay off with a decent interest rate. If anyone else has found scholarships or programs we can use, let me know! I know we'd all love to reduce the tuition a little :)

Congratulations to everyone who has been accepted so far! If you're planning on taking out loans (which let's be honest, the program is pretty pricey so most of us will), you'll definitely want to go ahead and at least reach out to the financial aid office before mid-April. Some scholarships and federal programs like the FELS have deadlines in March and early April, not to mention the office is super helpful with mapping out what you can expect to get from federal loans vs private. Since May is right around the corner I just felt a little more comfortable talking to financial aid early which turned out to be a good decision - hope that helps!

Congrats to those who have been accepted! I just asked PSON if any spots had opened for applicants on the waitlist yet, and admissions couldn't disclose anything. Oh well! I will keep waiting. If you are looking for apartments in the area, South Boulevard is a short drive away and has tons of options in the 28203 zip code, however rent usually starts at a minimum of $1000 for a studio. There are several communities closer to Queens on Scaleybark Road that start in the $6-700's, but the buildings are pretty old. Just to give you two ends of the spectrum! Otherwise, Ballantyne, Elizabeth, and NoDa are all areas with several apartment communities and lots of restaurants/activities to do close by. Hope that helps!

The intro English classes required for your previous degree should work, just send admissions the course description and they will tell you if the class meets the requirement. I'll be living off campus since I'm already in Charlotte... if anyone from out of town needs recommendations as to where to live, just let me know! I have been here for a few years and know the area.

I'm waitlisted too and am having the same issue with there not being an admissions tab once I log in. I hadn't considered the traditional track as an option, so I submitted my form saying I'd like to be on the waitlist for just the ABSN. I might go in to talk to admissions to see how exactly the traditional track would work if it came to that... it would all depend on how long it would take and how many of my prerequisites would transfer into the program I guess. Admissions said waitlisted applicants are notified as the spots come open, so I can only hope I am somewhere close to the top of the list! I am bummed for sure but still hopeful!

Same, nothing here yet! I've only received the same transfer evaluation letter and the email to set up my Queen's email account. Nothing I see shows degree progress.. That would be great if we started hearing decisions in the next few days, but who knows!

That's great! I hope these 6 weeks will fly by ... it sounds like we should start receiving letters the first week of March. One piece of good news admissions mentioned was that they receive a few hundred applications, however only about 150-ish are complete ones. I hope that is true!

No worries! I just dropped my check by admissions (Withers House office) since I live in Charlotte and wanted to check out campus :). They only take a check or money order, so otherwise you have to mail it in with your supplemental application. The address is at the bottom of the supplemental app - good luck!

2015-16 was the only term offered when I applied a few weeks back also. That should be fine! There is a place on the supplemental application where you can enter Summer '16, so I don't think it is a problem. :)

Good to know. Well, my application is submitted so I will just hold tight until Spring when acceptance decisions are made. Thanks again for your input, I appreciate it!

That is great you did well on the NCLEX, I do feel better knowing you had no problem passing. Without hearing too much about the program, I really just had no idea what to expect - I mostly only hear about people applying to Duke or MUSC's ABSN. For me personally, doing the accelerated program 100% makes the most sense since this is a career change for me and I'd like to get out in the job market sooner. That, and I am hoping to not be a student forever! I am looking forward to going back to school but am also not about to extend it longer than necessary. One thing I was curious about was, were you able to choose any elective clinicals? I know once I get into the different specialties in school I might change my mind, but right now I'm interested in OR nursing. Knowing I could possibly choose a surgery clinical would be huge - thanks!