Question about applying to nursing programs

Apply to several colleges or programs. Nursing school is competitive so you should apply to several programs.

Yes you are correct. You first apply to the school, and then apply again for that specific program.

It's a little less confusing if you think of a nursing degree as two separate parts: 1. Pre-requisites (academic courses) and 2. Clinical Program. You have to complete part 1 in order to be eligible for part 2, but it is not an automatic process. You have to re-apply for the Nursing (clinical) program even if you are trying to stay at the same university. Admission to the nursing program is very competitive, so you probably need to have some secondary plans in case you are not accepted to your first choice.

Got it, thank you! I just don't want my first choice (the college I'm in now) to reply last. Then I'll have to accept the offers of the other colleges because they'll probably have a deadline

Got it, thank you! I just don't want my first choice (the college I'm in now) to reply last. Then I'll have to accept the offers of the other colleges because they'll probably have a deadline

I know what you mean. Just have to apply to several so you do get in. Cross your fingers. Sometimes colleges do give preference to their own students.

OP, one comment that hasn't been made yet - there are some nursing master's programs with no prerequisites, like Yale. Also, there are some direct-entry 4 year programs that admit students straight out of HS. Otherwise the advice you've gotten is solid.

Extra question to tag on to this... when do you apply for nursing programs? I am doing my pre-req's now (if only I wouldn't have "known it all" 10 years ago and gone to school) and I'm curious if you can apply as you are taking the last of your pre-req's even if you don't have final grades for them yet.

Thanks in advance!

This applies if you complete your pre-req's at one school and try to apply to another schools program. For most CUNY schools you have to attend the instituition for atleast 1 semester before you are eligible for the program. For instance you are a student at Hunter College you do all your pre-req's at this school and find out you did not get into the nursing program. If you then wanted to transfer to another CUNY school for example City Tech, you would have to be enrolled in the school for a semester and then you can be eligible to apply for the program. I go to a CUNY school too and previously looked into this for myself!

Thank you everybody!!! :) I'll double check to make sure of course

And madelynsmom, it depends on the school. You have to double check with them. For example my school (Hunter College) only accepts people for the Fall semester each year. The deadline is Feb 1st of each year. Other schools however accept people fall and spring. And about applying before finishing your prereqs is possible for my school as long as you have 3 or 4 left and you're currently taking them.

^ Agreed. At my school, you needed to have 4 of the 7 prerequisites done by the application deadline, and you needed the rest done by a later deadline. At a different school I considered applying to, you needed 6 of 7 prerequisites to be completed OR in progress and you needed the last one done by a later deadline. It really varies by school!

All schools have different policies about this. One of the schools I plan to apply to allows you to apply as you finish your last prereqs. They count the amount of points they would award for a c in the unfinished classes. The other two programs I plan to apply to make you finish your prereqs first. My current school makes you complete them before aplying. I will finish my pre reqs this spring and apply this spring for fall semesterof the one program. If I amnot accepted there I will apply to all 3 programs in the fall for the following spring semester. If that makes sense