Okay I have searched far and wide to find a topic relating to this but have only found older ones... I mean come on guys the world isn't really going to end December 2012. So here's to the 2012 application cycle!
I have a ton of questions for those who are applying and those who have applied and those who are in the program. Any and all input will be much appreciated. Also just so you know, I will be attending the October 1st open house.
If I were to describe myself, I would say grade-wise I am not the strongest candidate for JHU's nursing program as it is considered top in the nation. HOWEVER I have great experience and recommendations to cancel that out. I am also trying really really hard to make those essays seem great but only 300 words?
So to anyone reading this post, what do you think I can do to make myself a stronger applicant?
Relating to specifically JHU, I have heard a million different things about their program. From "it really sucks and is not worth it" to "best program EVER". JHU is supposed to be a school that is the leader in research and also has a global perspective. Can anyone else tell me what is so special about JHU's nursing program? What is your personal experience with it?
As far as location and campus, I think it doesn't matter as long as the educational program is incredible.
p.s. You are awesome for reading my novel. There have been many a times where I skipped over long posts.
I too am waiting my decision and am planning what I would do just in case I get accepted. It's hard because I'm moving from Southern California and am comtemplating what I would do we my car. I don't know if it would hold up during the winter. Plus I would have to ship it across the country to use so I'm weighing my option.
I'm also looking at Craigslist and trying to just get an idea of what rent would be like. I'm sure there will be more availability as it gets closer :)
If you are by yourself, sharing a household seems the way to go and the students I talked to paid $450+ and up. They also said the neighboorhood surrounding the school is safe but further east... not so much. Other students recommended NW of the school near the Homewood campus. They also said that many students don't have a car. There is the metro, light rail, bus and also JHU shuttle. So it seems like there are plenty of public transportation options if you live near the school or near the Homewood campus.
I'll do my best to answer some questions previous posters have asked, and questions people have asked during open houses in the past. I was in the 13mo ABSN program.
Housing: Housing is always a huge topic. I would say the majority of students live in Mt Vernon, Charles Village (near homewood), Fells Point / Butcher's Hill. I would say Fells Point is probably the most convenient since you can walk to school / hospital. A lot of the people I know just shared a row house. Wherever you decide to live I would definitely see the apartment / building in person before you move. I recommend seeing the actual apartment because even though you may live in Fells Point, one part of Fells might be nice, but 1 block away it could be a little rough. Make sure you do your research. If you’re unable to check out the place in person, I would suggest moving into an apartment, a few of the student’s lived in Southern Management Apartments (there are two in Mt Vernon, the Standard and Horizon House). The Standard has a deal for ABSN / MSN students where you don’t have to pay a deposit. A few students also lived in the Waterloo apartments in Mt Vernon (right across from the shuttle stop).
Transportation There is the JHMI shuttle that picks up in Charles Village / Homewood, Mt Vernon (and a few stops in between) that a lot of students who live in those neighborhoods take. I hated the bus, it wasn’t air conditioned so cramming a bus full of people in Baltimore heat / humidity was not fun (they were in the process of getting new busses so maybe this is better); I just ended up carpooling with a friend to school.
If you have a car available I would just bring it. It’s convenient and it’s one less thing to worry about if you get placed at a clinical site away from the main hospital. I had a rotation in Columbia, MD, which wasn’t too bad; but some people did have clinical rotations as far away as Annapolis, MD. Also during your final senior practicum you can choose to be placed as far away as Washington DC or York Pennsylvania if you are asking to be placed in a highly desirable unit (i.e. ICU, ED); they generally won’t place you at those two sites without a car / mode of transportation. In the end, you don’t need to have a car, there are plenty of students with cars who can give you rides to clinical, but it just makes life more convenient. I know during my class they told us we didn’t need cars and they would place us in clinical sites accordingly, however mid-way through the year they basically told us they no longer take car availability into consideration and you are on your own to figure out how to get to clinical.
School: Overall I am very happy I went to Hopkins; like any program some professors are great, while others left a lot to be desired. There were some organizational issues during my year since we were the first class to go through the new curriculum (hopefully the kinks have been worked out for you). There will be WAY more opportunities available to you during your short time there; do your best to take advantage of them. I would suggest everyone takes Community Outreach and does a work-study job somewhere in the community, I really regret not doing it. If you are interested in midwifery / L&D (even if you're not, you might be surprised), get involved with the Birth Companions program, etc. The first summer there in the accelerated program is busy but it is doable. You won’t have much time during your first semester to really go out, but it’s a short semester so just hang in there. I had plenty of time to explore the city, take mini-vacations and visit family during the accelerated program. Some of my biggest regrets was not going abroad for public health, and not getting involved in community outreach. If you have any specific questions about the program, please feel free to ask.
Clinical: Take advantage of your clinical rotations, and I would suggest you get exposure to other hospitals, not just Hopkins. Go check out Hopkins Bayview, Sinai, GBMC, etc. I had great clinical instructors, and had a great experience. Don’t be afraid to ask questions but most importantly if the opportunity presents itself to do a new skill, take advantage of it. Chances are if they are asking if you want to put a foley in, if you want to place an IV, place an NGT, they know you’ve never done it, just ask for help, look up the protocol and go at it. Don’t be timid, but be safe at the same time, this is your time to learn and get exposure. Honestly, you’re probably not going to remember much from clinical rotations since you might get 1 chance to do a certain skill, but getting that early exposure is important. Also, if you are able to, try to get a CAPP rotation, you get paired with a nurse on a unit and you get 1 on 1 attention from them.
Everyone always also asks about senior practicum’s, since many jobs require you have your clinical in a certain unit, and for a lot of people in my class it ended up being where they got jobs after graduation. For our class they looked at your GPA, clinical evals and we had to get a letter of rec from a clinical instructor if we wanted to be placed in a ICU, ED, PICU, Peds (pretty much anything except med-surg). For me, my senior practicum really helped me to get comfortable in an ICU setting and working with that acuity level.
Anyways, I hope this general info helps, if you have any specific questions feel free to post back or PM me.
I'm considering getting rid of my car only to go to a 1 car household. My husband will be working from home if we move to Baltimore. It is good to know that some clinicals can be fairly far. I'm not particularly interested in ICU right now (but who knows?). I do have some interest in pediatrics though and pretty excited about the new Children's hospital.
Good to know Fell's point is a good option as well. We will need a yard for our dogs which probably puts us further away from downtown than most.
ccb1, I think if you apply regular decision, they notify you in March or April.
For those of you who have already been accepted, or even those who are still applying to the program: Are the majority coming from non-healthcare careers? Or have a lot of you worked in healthcare as PCA's, EMT's, etc...?
Aggie, thank you for your thoughtful post and perspective. It's comforting to hear the advice from a wise 'veteran' of the program, so to speak! I was reading about some of the required 'equipment' (ie. stethoscope, computer, etc) and I wondered 2 things:
a.) Do most students have the Littman Classic ii? Or do some have the cardiology iii (which is more pediatric/infant 'friendly).
b.) I have a 4 year old Mac computer that does meet the minimum hardware recommendations and I'm trying to decide if I need to replace it. So, are students allowed to use their computers in class to take notes? And aside from writing 'papers' and working on word processing documents, what did you need to use your computer for?
(Sorry everyone for the double post....I'm trying to figure out how this forum works)
Hi Carolina! I currently work in Information Technology (basically Computer related work). No healthcare background but it seems like that was common among current students that I met at the open house.
If you have an existing computer, you probably don't need to replace it. From what I heard, you can take your computer to class. You'd be mostly doing papers and what not on it.
I've started my research into stethoscopes as well and plan to buy the Cardiology III. Mostly because sometimes I have difficult hearing things in general although I have no hearing loss. From what I've read, people seem to think the Cardiology III is clearer sounding.
March or April?!? I wouldn't have bothered applying if i knew it was going to be that late. For some reason I thought it was coming up in the next few weeks. Anyone else know for sure?
And yes, I am coming from a non-healthcare background.
From what I understand, the regular decision deadline is January 15th and they say they get approximately 800 applicants per year. It takes a lot of time to go through that many applications. I think it is pretty fair to say March is when we'd find out.
So here's to the 2012 application cycle!
dedicatedone
217 Posts
I too am waiting my decision and am planning what I would do just in case I get accepted. It's hard because I'm moving from Southern California and am comtemplating what I would do we my car. I don't know if it would hold up during the winter. Plus I would have to ship it across the country to use so I'm weighing my option.
I'm also looking at Craigslist and trying to just get an idea of what rent would be like. I'm sure there will be more availability as it gets closer :)