Rush GEM fall 2022

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Hello, 

I looked around and did not see a forum for the 2022 fall GEM program at Rush University in Chicago. I just applied and received an email inviting me to interview with the school. I was wondering if there are any other people on here applying to the program and how they are feeling? ? 

5 minutes ago, futuremsncnl said:

I was thinking commuting might not be so bad either especially if you can find a affordable place with amenities included and such. Would you have any recommendations of which places to look into? And congratulations on almost finishing, you must be excited!!

Thanks! There’s so many areas that are nice and great so I probably am missing some but I would check out websites like apartments.com or Zillow. Areas like south loop, loop, river north, west loop, old town, Gold Coast, Lincoln park, lakeview, wicker park, noble square, bucktown, Ukrainian village, Logan square. Again there’s so many more! I’d pick an area based on personal interests, proximity to hospital, and price! 

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9 minutes ago, morganf07 said:

Thanks! There’s so many areas that are nice and great so I probably am missing some but I would check out websites like apartments.com or Zillow. Areas like south loop, loop, river north, west loop, old town, Gold Coast, Lincoln park, lakeview, wicker park, noble square, bucktown, Ukrainian village, Logan square. Again there’s so many more! I’d pick an area based on personal interests, proximity to hospital, and price! 

Thank you so much for honestly everything and for taking the time to answer our questions. 

I agree with @JS_2022. How much was the program per semester if you don't mind stating that. I am trying to work and save up money but also were the loans enough to cover the full cost. Were there scholarships that were also provided and did you get any? Did you use the loans to help pay for living? It seems like a lot and I am trying to prepare myself as there aren't that many details on the website..

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1 hour ago, morganf07 said:

I am in semester 5/6 so I graduate in August. I really like the program, expensive but I think there are a lot of opportunities. I am from Michigan and don't have a car and I just take public transportation to school/hospital. Most clinical sites are easily accessed by public transit, and theyre good about giving suburb sites to people who live nearby. I live in an area that I enjoy (outside of school) because id rather commute further which is about 35 minutes. There's a lot of really great neighborhoods, I'd avoid anything south and west of the city/hospital. The professors don't tell us anything about interviews haha I will say though that I was on the wait list and I got off it and accepted! Even people who were like number 23 on the waitlist got accepted so don't let it discourage you! The program is well established and its nice having the hospital & school as one system. The courses aren't as difficult as I imagined them to be. The school also offers a lot of great volunteer and different activities to get involved in. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Hello, congrats on almost finishing! I love the values that Rush holds in their program but it is expensive. How soon were you able to view your financial aid award letter and was the aid offered enough? Also, if you were accepted to other programs how were you able to make a decision? I applied to other programs near/ in the city of Chicago including Elmhurst, DePaul, Rush, and UIC so if you have any information on them too that would be helpful! 

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17 minutes ago, futuremsncnl said:

Thank you so much for honestly everything and for taking the time to answer our questions. 

I agree with @JS_2022. How much was the program per semester if you don't mind stating that. I am trying to work and save up money but also were the loans enough to cover the full cost. Were there scholarships that were also provided and did you get any? Did you use the loans to help pay for living? It seems like a lot and I am trying to prepare myself as there aren't that many details on the website..

I think it is $1035 a credit hour so each semester it varies between 12-14 credits and the program is 72 credits total I believe. I pay for school and my apartment with loans it has always been more than enough to cover everything! There was 1 scholarship for I think $8000 but that was it. There are a couple scholarships you can apply for but I didn't do that. Starting during your 2nd/3rd semester you can work at Rush as a nursing assistant which is minimum 2 shifts a month and so many people in my program do that, as do I! That covers my extras and helps a little with rent. It is a lot of money and I think you have to be prepared for paying it back but I look at my education as investments!

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19 minutes ago, JS_2022 said:

Hello, congrats on almost finishing! I love the values that Rush holds in their program but it is expensive. How soon were you able to view your financial aid award letter and was the aid offered enough? Also, if you were accepted to other programs how were you able to make a decision? I applied to other programs near/ in the city of Chicago including Elmhurst, DePaul, Rush, and UIC so if you have any information on them too that would be helpful! 

I don't remember how soon I was able to see it but I was offered around $28,000 per semester in loans and I didn't take it all. I was accepted to UIC & DePaul but I am glad I chose Rush. I can't speak on the other programs but I know I really like that Rush is an academic teaching hospital and the school being connected to the hospital is convenient. This program is well established and the professors are amazing! Our clinical experiences have been great. The other programs I think were only a little cheaper. Rush has a great reputation, and the staff at the hospital are amazing. Also if you want to get a doctorate degree they have great programs too! 

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10 hours ago, futuremsncnl said:

I was thinking commuting might not be so bad either especially if you can find a affordable place with amenities included and such. Would you have any recommendations of which places to look into? And congratulations on almost finishing, you must be excited!!

I'm a Rush applicant, but I did my undergrad at UIC which is a 5 minute walk from Rush. I lived in the city and I absolutely loved it. My advice is to look for apartments in University Village, Illinois Medical District, Pilsen, and anything north of campus accessible by public transit like Ukrainian Village, Lakeview, Wicker Park, etc. Anything in the Loop, River North, Lincoln park, can be pricey, but you can try your luck finding a deal in those locations. I agree with a previous reply about not living west or south of campus -- especially if you're a woman living solo.

My first lease as a student I started with a 1-bed and I found it was too big, as I also had to furnish the entire place. Already paying ~$80k for Rush's program, the last thing you want to have to worry about is buying a dining table and sofa to fill the room. I ended up downsizing to a studio and it's perfect. Another mistake I made when filling out my first lease in Chicago was finding a place that was loaded with amenities that I never ended up using but still had to pay for. I found that I was out exploring the city far more often than staying home to utilize amenities. Rush also has its own fitness center available for students so no need to splurge on an apartment complex with a loaded gym if that was something you're into. 

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12 hours ago, morganf07 said:

I am current student in this program if anyone has questions! I used this page when I first applied too! 

Thank you so much for offering to help, how many students are in your cohort? Do you think being a nursing assistant while in the program has helped you network with nurses already working at Rush? Lastly, where have you volunteered? I really enjoyed how the students who were on the panel for first look seemed to be very engaged in the program.

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5 hours ago, gpad_02 said:

I'm a Rush applicant, but I did my undergrad at UIC which is a 5 minute walk from Rush. I lived in the city and I absolutely loved it. My advice is to look for apartments in University Village, Illinois Medical District, Pilsen, and anything north of campus accessible by public transit like Ukrainian Village, Lakeview, Wicker Park, etc. Anything in the Loop, River North, Lincoln park, can be pricey, but you can try your luck finding a deal in those locations. I agree with a previous reply about not living west or south of campus -- especially if you're a woman living solo.

My first lease as a student I started with a 1-bed and I found it was too big, as I also had to furnish the entire place. Already paying ~$80k for Rush's program, the last thing you want to have to worry about is buying a dining table and sofa to fill the room. I ended up downsizing to a studio and it's perfect. Another mistake I made when filling out my first lease in Chicago was finding a place that was loaded with amenities that I never ended up using but still had to pay for. I found that I was out exploring the city far more often than staying home to utilize amenities. Rush also has its own fitness center available for students so no need to splurge on an apartment complex with a loaded gym if that was something you're into. 

Yes definitely stay within your means! Also the Rush gym is not free even to students so that’s something to think about. You’ll definitely get a better deal living with roommates and there’s a bunch of facebook pages for Chicago roommates, that’s how I found mine! 

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4 hours ago, Vha27 said:

Thank you so much for offering to help, how many students are in your cohort? Do you think being a nursing assistant while in the program has helped you network with nurses already working at Rush? Lastly, where have you volunteered? I really enjoyed how the students who were on the panel for first look seemed to be very engaged in the program.

I think we started with around 72. Yes definitely being nursing assistant has helped so much and I highly recommend even if it’s not in an area you want to work after graduation. There’s so many opportunities and organizations to get involved with but for me I’ve volunteered at vaccine/testing clinics, food pantry, blood drives, the mini medical school, and the medical van. You can also become leaders in different organizations and also be on different student boards.

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On 2/24/2022 at 2:01 AM, gpad_02 said:

I'm a Rush applicant, but I did my undergrad at UIC which is a 5 minute walk from Rush. I lived in the city and I absolutely loved it. My advice is to look for apartments in University Village, Illinois Medical District, Pilsen, and anything north of campus accessible by public transit like Ukrainian Village, Lakeview, Wicker Park, etc. Anything in the Loop, River North, Lincoln park, can be pricey, but you can try your luck finding a deal in those locations. I agree with a previous reply about not living west or south of campus -- especially if you're a woman living solo.

My first lease as a student I started with a 1-bed and I found it was too big, as I also had to furnish the entire place. Already paying ~$80k for Rush's program, the last thing you want to have to worry about is buying a dining table and sofa to fill the room. I ended up downsizing to a studio and it's perfect. Another mistake I made when filling out my first lease in Chicago was finding a place that was loaded with amenities that I never ended up using but still had to pay for. I found that I was out exploring the city far more often than staying home to utilize amenities. Rush also has its own fitness center available for students so no need to splurge on an apartment complex with a loaded gym if that was something you're into. 

Thank you for the insight, do you mind if I ask where you live now? Is it affordable and safe for a woman living solo? I am looking at studios as well but since I am not from the area names like west loop and south don't mean much to me. I don't want to stay in an area that is unsafe even a block away and it seems so daunting looking at places that seem nice yet so expensive. 

Side note did anyone else receive that email from (MODERATOR EDIT OF NAME) stating that no other documents need to be sent as nursingCAS is up and running again? When I first got the notification my heart dropped LOL I thought they were sending out denials or something since its not even march 4 yet. I was so glad it was just an update on the resumes. 

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7 hours ago, morganf07 said:

I think we started with around 72. Yes definitely being nursing assistant has helped so much and I highly recommend even if it’s not in an area you want to work after graduation. There’s so many opportunities and organizations to get involved with but for me I’ve volunteered at vaccine/testing clinics, food pantry, blood drives, the mini medical school, and the medical van. You can also become leaders in different organizations and also be on different student boards.

How many people are left in your cohort now if you don't mind me asking? 

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6 hours ago, futuremsncnl said:

How many people are left in your cohort now if you don't mind me asking? 

I think we only lost a few! Mostly due to health issues, family or having kids! 

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