lala4005

Hi there, the program is going great, as I'm sure you can imagine it's a lot of work and studying, but we're learning so much. I am thankful I'm not working very much but others do work more than I do. Summer semester started on July 31st, and we continue to have classes every day but Friday. Clinical is every other Friday for the fall. The flu shot was mandatory for clinical, and we were able to get it on campus. Hope this helps!

Thank you for posting!!! About to start ABSN program, bookmarking this! :)

I am located in CT, and have a BA in English. I am in an ABSN program at a state school, which will cost around 20k, and it only takes one year. From my research, a BSN is almost certainly required for any acute care job for new grads in CT. My previous degree was not a waste because it's greatly helping me towards that BSN which I will have in only one year! Others have recommended private loans if you have used up all of your undergrad financial aid. Would you also be able to borrow money from family? In terms of prerequisites I did them one at a time while working fulltime and paid out of pocket. You can do them at community colleges and they're pretty cheap. Best wishes to you, whatever you decide!!!

Thank you, Akrobeto! I believe most of the exams were around 50 questions, for both lab and lecture. I think the lecture exams are weighted higher than lab....

Hi Akrobeto- I believe our grades were based entirely on exams. Each week there would be both a lab and lecture exam, if memory serves. Lecture was multiple choice and lab was fill in the blank. It would sometimes be a bit confusing because we'd be in different body systems for lecture and lab. We had the same textbook for both classes, which I rented on Amazon for a good price. I definitely recommend getting the text. You will also need a lab manual for each class, which wasn't available anywhere but the school bookstore. I think those were like $70 each. Also, we were told to buy a dissecting kit, but mine was never opened, so you may want to hold off on that at first (if you don't have one). Good luck!

Hi there, will you be taking both A&P I and II over the summer? It was an intense ten weeks, but doable, even with working full time, watching a toddler and running a household. Granted, my husband did help a lot with our daughter- so I wouldn't have gotten an A and an A+ without him! I recommend printing the PowerPoint slides before class and writing notes on them during class. Also- do whatever you possibly can to never miss one class since they're so condensed! And, I believe I studied/did homework seven days a week, so if you want an A I would probably plan on that....but the good news is, it's over so fast, and the topics are interesting (unlike chemistry, in my opinion!) Best wishes to you!!!

Second career student here.... I just want to say- I love all the nurse posts, such as Tell On Yourself If You Dare, and remember the one about the way things used to be done, like crank beds, being admitted prior to surgery for a full work up, and cardiologists smoking on the floors? Loved that one!!!! So, I hope the students don't get kicked out, because I love the actual nurse posts and advice given. I felt like I wrote a better admission essay because I have already gotten so much great advice on here from reading your comments on various threads. Of course since I'm a student I also appreciate the posts that recommend helpful tools for passing the NCLEX, or tips from current students about things that they thought were helpful to bring with them to clinicals. So, I say, bring on the nurse posts and helpful student posts!!! I like the stories such as the recent home health nurse making a difference, and articles where I can learn about different specialties, as well as any tips offered to students/new nurses.

Hi, yes I was accepted into both Southern and my second choice, Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac has a great reputation as well, but is also significantly more expensive. I will be attending Southern's program for the upcoming cohort. Best of luck in your decision!

Hi there, congrats on your acceptance! I don't yet know how many days of clinical we'll have in the fall, but I saw from another post that in the spring there are three classes in two days each week with 20 hours of clinical. I have heard good feedback about Southern's nursing programs, and their NCLEX pass rates are above 90 for what you can see on the DPH website. Also of importance to me, the cost is lower than other ABSN programs, and it is the most conveniently located to my house of all schools in CT. I took A&P I and II over the summer there and was happy with my classes. I think we'll definitely find out more info on Apirl 6th, including number of clinical hours per week. I'm looking forward to learning more! See you then!

Hi Nicole! I feel the same way! I already have a pal in the program! Is it just me or have the weeks been dragging?! Just want it to be April 6th and find out more about the program and make everything feel more real! Almost one week away finally, woo! Other than being impatient I am well haha, hope you are too! See you in eight days!!!

Hi there! When I went to the info session, it was stressed to us to do as well as we possibly could for any pre-reqs we still had to take...therefore it was my goal to get As in A&P I&II and chemistry, my remaining courses. I did achieve those grades, but also had two B- from courses taken over ten years ago for my original undergrad. So, my pre-req GPA ended at a 3.53, and I had a 3.71 cumulative GPA. I have also heard the essay is very important- I had family members read mine before I sent it in, and made it as personal as possible, while still fulfilling all requirements. Hope this helps, and best wishes to you when you apply for next year!!

Hi, I think you're right- it's going to be very intense!!! I don't think I'll be working at all during the program. Thankfully it's only one year! Great to hear about the positive feedback!

Woo hoo! I was hoping we would be in the cohort together! I knew if I made it in I would see you, you rocked your pre-reqs!!! Soooo excited to be starting this journey, we made it! *happy dance!* Looking forward to connecting again in a few weeks, hope all is well with you!!

Hi Nicole! I'm Lauren- Did you by any chance take A&P I and II over the summer at Southern? If so I think we were in class together, I have a toddler and if you are the same Nicole, you have two daughters? I am so glad your daughter was with you when you found out, Thursdays I normally work from home while my mom watches my daughter, and I brought in the mail and yelled "MOM! IT'S HERE!" I was shaking as I opened the letter, and thinking it was not a good sign that it was thin....I opened it up and all I saw was the word "congratulations" before I sagged to the floor, then my mom and I were both hugging and crying while my daughter was freaked out because Mommy was crying- I told her they were happy tears! I had been waiting for this letter for so long, as I'm sure you have as well. So wonderful to be able to share the moment with family. I hope you have a great weekend as well, cheers to us! See you in a few weeks!!! ~Lauren

Hi everyone, I also received my acceptance letter yesterday, hoping for good news for all!!!

Yay!!!! Congrats!!! I got my acceptance letter too, I was thrilled!!! I already mailed in my letter accepting my spot- see you on April 6th? Congrats!!!

Thanks for posting Sturge! That would be wonderful if we hear in the next ten days- it's so exciting to now be in March!!! I also heard the essay counts for a lot, so I hope that's what gets me through, since I have two prereq B- from my original undergrad from ten years ago I'm so glad to hear from another applicant, and hope to meet you in person as students! Best of luck to you, hopefully good news for us soon!!!

Thank you for posting this- I went through almost the exact same experience as your wife, and was so thankful my husband understood what I was going through, and supported me! Our daughter was born SGA two years ago, and she would. not. latch. While she did get a small amount of formula after she was born to improve her blood sugar, the lactatation consultants were adamant that she should only be breastfed. While that had been my plan from the beginning, I had no idea of just how hard that would be. Thankfully one nurse taught me how to use the pump, and in fact encouraged me to give my daughter pumped milk if that was the only way we could get her to feed. I successfully used the pump for eight months; try as hard as I could, I just couldn't get my daughter to latch, which resulted in many tears, me not eating, and lots of anxiety. I was so, so thankful for that one nurse, Hannah, for supporting me and helping me figure out how to give my daughter what she needed, and not feel ashamed about it. Thank you, Hannah! I now have a thriving toddler, and Hannah was one of the reasons I decided to pursue nursing as a second career- I hope to be able to bring the same support to others in need.

Thanks for your post! I applied as well, hoping we'll know in March! I noticed on the ACE website that it says "to check on the status of your application, please use the Application Status Check system," but I haven't noticed any changes since my last transcript posted in December. Good luck to everyone!

What a great thread! I hope to be starting an accelerated BSN program over the summer, and also have been middle-of-the-night second-guessing the decision to go back to school a bit lately....my life is (hopefully) about to change in a big way in just a few months, and all of you have reminded me of why I decided to switch careers! Thank you OP and thank you to all the great comments!!!

Hello! Anyone else out there that applied to the 2017 SCSU ACE cohort? Applications just closed on January 1st, so now all there is to do is wait! Eeek! For anyone else who has applied, can you please share your stats? Also, any former/current ACE students, care to share your stats? Here are mine: Cumulative GPA: 3.71 Prerequisite GPA: 3.53 A&P I: A A&P II: A+ Chemistry: A Microbiology: B- Statistics: B- College Algebra: A Psych: A- Lifespan: B Good luck everyone! Hopefully we will hear before April 1st!!! Please also post when you hear! Thanks! [TABLE=width: 148] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Thank you for asking this question, I am waiting to be accepted into an ABSN program and other than joining AORN wasn't sure if there was anything else I could do at this point to hopefully get into the OR after I graduate.... Sounds like I may not get to shadow until capstone, if that's even an option! Thanks again for the great question and feedback!

I am a certified physician coder and chart auditor, and can tell you that most companies want three years of experience coding for the particular specialty you are applying for, especially when it comes to working from home, as you already have to be an expert since there's no one sitting next to you to help you with questions. Coding is great in that once you're experienced you can work from home with flexible hours, but I get very bored sitting at a desk all day, thus I am applying to nursing school! (It's a dream I've had since high school, but didn't really feel ready until I was almost 30). Also- coding is not great money unless you can get experience as a facility/inpatient coder. There are some companies out there willing to train newbie coders, but you would need to be certified and complete a formal training program first, and then sign a contract to work for them for a certain period of time at like $10 an hour or something like that.... I would personally recommend looking at different insurers who are looking for nurses to telecommute for case management, etc. Good luck to you!

Thanks for your post, I am applying for the ACE 2017 cohort as well! I have a 3.7 overall/cumulative GPA, but have a B- in micro and a B- in stats from taking them both for my undergrad 10 or so years ago...really hoping I don't need to retake! Got an A in A&P I and A+ in A&P II this summer. In chem now and hoping for a B! Good luck to all who are applying, it would be fun to find out who gets accepted!

As a "pre-nursing" student on the chart-auditing side of healthcare, I want to thank everyone for their honest comments in this post- I am excited to be (hopefully) starting an ABSN program next summer, but my eyes are opened as well!! I can totally appreciate that I'm going out of the frying pan and into the fire with moving from being behind a desk doing chart audits to patient care, but this is what I've wanted for a long time. Thanks again for all the different perspectives!