Stony Brook Accelerated Nursing Class of 2015

puppylvr · Aug 29, 2013

Thanks for the post! How is the program going for you? I am applying for fall 2014. Do you have any positives/negatives about the school? Also, if you wouldn't mind sharing what were your credentials (GPA, experience, etc.). I have no clue where I stand. Thanks for any help you can offer!

bloodorange · Aug 29, 2013

Thanks, spiritedkidd! I enjoyed following last year's thread and watching you make your decision. :) I've got my heart set on Stony and would love to hear about your experience so far.

spiritedkidd · Sep 2, 2013

Hi guys! @bloodorange, thats so sweet haha. I hope both of you guys get in! Here are my thoughts and comments so far about the program, hope they help!

- I'm really enjoying the program so far. Yes its a lot of work, but everyone in my class is extremely friendly and helpful. We're one big nursing family, which is one aspect that I like. I got a positive vibe from the stony's facebook group and that's what ultimately pushed me toward picking stony as opposed to picking binghamton, my alma mater.

- My credentials: I had a ~3.5-3.55 overall and pre-req GPA. As far as experience: I interned on a labor and delivery floor at a hospital for one semester. Other than that, not much "healthcare" experience. I was basically a teacher/tutor since 16 and that was like my main/only experience. But i used that to my advantage when it came to writing the essay and getting recommendations. But stony looks at the application as a whole, so don't think youre set if you have a 3.8 GPA or don't think you dont stand a chance if you have a 3.1 GPA.

- It's an intense year. The summer wasnt so bad even though it was 19 credits. It had 2 online courses. Right now its not so bad since pathology and pharmacology havent started yet.

- My recommendation is to finish the application early/ASAP. In case there's something missing in your application or stony didnt receive something or whatever, then youll have time to get it done. The waiting time from the deadline to when they inform you of their decision (usually early January. for me it was jan 7, the first day they were responding back with application decisions ) is the hardest, so if you have a job or are still in school, then use that to distract you.

- If you're set on Stony, I would also suggest visiting the school for an info session or just to see what it looks like. The staff and faculty here are so inspiring, motivating, and supportive, which is something I really like because they're investing their time and efforts into us instead of looking at teaching as "just a job they have to do."

I'll keep this post short, but feel free to ask more questions. I'd be happy to answer them when I have time (or don't feel like doing work or studying as I should be doing right now lols). Good luck to you guys and everyone here who will soon be on this thread! :up:

puppylvr · Sep 2, 2013

Spiritedkidd - thank you so much! That was such a great/informative post. You just reassured me in wanting to attend Stony.

If you don't mind (and have time with all your work), I have a few more questions. Do you live on campus or did you find an apartment somewhere near campus? Also, do you have a car? How much driving do you do to get to different hospitals (which hospitals does Stony send you to?) I went to one of the information sessions and they said hospitals around the school (about an hour in every direction).

Thanks again, and good luck with all of your studying/work!

=)

bloodorange · Sep 2, 2013

Thanks so much, spiritedkidd. I'm glad you're having a positive experience at Stony! I did go to an info session there in May or June and liked it a lot. It seems like there's a great support network within the department. Good luck with fall semester!

spiritedkidd · Sep 3, 2013

I unfortunately don't have a car, but two of my housemates do so I rely on them to travel to and from school for classes and clinicals. It depends on when and where your clinicals are, but during the summer, everyone had clinicals on fridays 7a-7p, so I got rides from my housemates to stonybrook hospital. For the fall, my psych clinical is out in riverhead, about 45-60 mins from where I live so ill be getting a ride from someone in my clinical group. Dont worry abt not having a car cus you can carpool and chip in for gas. I'm not the only one in my class who's car-less lol. But if you can get one, get one cus its def way more convenient having it. I found a place about 10-15 mins from campus. You cqn live in a dorm on campus too, but that'll be very expensive.

puppylvr · Sep 4, 2013

Thank you =)

fkanaffn5 · Sep 4, 2013

Does Stony Brook SON have small or large class sizes? Also, are clinical rotations mostly done in the university hospital and nursing home or throughout eastern long island?

HopefulSRNA1234 · Sep 5, 2013

I was wondering when this would get started! I'm one of Spritedkid's classmates and I'd be happy to answer any of your questions as well :)

As you're going through your application or perhaps deciding whether or not to apply I thought I'd add in my two cents. First, Stony Brook has a great program that I'm absolutely loving. I came from California and couldn't be happier in the program. The professors and staff have amazing careers and I definitely look up to all of them. They are very qualified and I feel like I'm getting a great education from them. Not only theory stuff to prepare for the NCLEX but also practical information from their stories. They have a lot of experience so they are wonderful to learn both the theory and real life stuff from. As for my peers, I think stony brook picked a wonderful class for us. Like spiritedkid said, we're like one big nursing family.

As for applying, it really is true that you don't need to worry about your qualifications. I think a whole lot of weight is put on the essay. I had well below a 3.0 from the school I got my BA from and I got in (I was one if the first to find out I was admitted and wasn't wait listed). I was worried I wouldn't get in because of my GPA so I want anyone who is considering applying to know that it is possible. After my BA I did take 30 units of classes and earn a 4.0 though. I also worked in clinical research for about 5 years so I had health care experience. But what matters most is the essay.

For the essay make sure you really show your passion and pour your heart out! Don't just write that you want to help people. Get more deep than that. Emphasize why you want to be in the medical field and why it is important. They want people who are passionate and dedicated to the program and their career(nursing and medical field) so in your essay you should convey this. Most of us don't normally spend hours reflecting on why we want to do something so you may not have a well developed answer to the questions in the essay. But before you right your essay you should think really deeply about what it is about nursing that makes you want to spend your life doing it. And what it is that is unique to you and your experiences that will make you a dedicated nurse. Your essay should be really meaningful and personal so spend some time reflecting on yourself and what brought you here. Your essay should be something that only you with your experiences could have written, nothing generic that they will read in 100 of the essays.

Also, just an idea, if you don't truly know what nurses do and what roles they play in healthcare (they aren't just on the floor, they are in politics, administration, they volunteer, they travel, do research, teach, become practitioners, etc) it might help you to look this stuff up on google for a bit. It might help you get ideas for your essay and add to your passion. You don't need to show that you know anything about nursing in this essay, but you'll want to be able to really talk about why you want to be a nurse and what you want to do so knowing about the field might give you ideas on how to shine in your essay and help solidify your dedication to the field.

Lastly, if you are like me and perhaps had some rough beginnings, you can write a supplemental essay about it. If anything in your application isn't representative of you today or makes you look bad, write something that explains why this piece is not reflective of you and why it happened. I wouldn't give a sob story because that doesn't show maturity but a short explanation on how you might be different today, what you've learned, and anything you've done since that proves you won't make the same mistakes can help your case.

I hope this helps some if you! Also remember, this is just my opinion and what I think made me stand out so feel free to disagree :) And feel free to ask any questions you have :)

Tl;Dr write a deep and meaningful essay!

fkanaffn5 · Sep 5, 2013

Just a question about the essay..

How long was yours? I think it says 3-5 pages on the application. Mine is a little longer then that lol about 7 pages. I feel like i wrote a really good essay, but I don't know if I should keep it long or cut it shorter so I don't bore them. Any suggestions?

bloodorange · Sep 5, 2013

Thanks so much for the advice, GoVeg! LAGD0208, I know you weren't asking me, but I would definitely trim down my essay to 5 pages max. They get so many applications, and I'm sure they'd prefer a concise essay within their stated guidelines to one almost twice the suggested length.