UAB AMNP Qualifications?

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Hey guys,

I am a first generation college student (meaning I don't really have much background help) and I have some of questions regarding the AMNP program at UAB and I would really appreciate it if I could receive some input from those that are in the program now! I tried e-mailing someone from the program, but the responses I received were vague and not very helpful.

I am planning to apply for the Spring 2015 semester. I am a Senior and I will be graduating in May with a 3.2~3.3 GPA. I did really bad in Chemistry 101 and Bio 1 my first semester of college and it has really been an anchor towards my GPA; however, I have retaken those courses and have made pretty good grades after my first semester. Will my horrible first semester hurt my chances of getting in?

I am planning to take some pre-reqs at a community college this summer/fall (Inorganic Chem, Nutrition, and Microbio). I e-mailed someone from the program and she told me that they will accept CH101 (general chemistry), but my general chemistry grade isn't really that great (Made an F first semester, retook and made a C). I was planning to take Inorganic Chemistry at a community college, so will they look at the Inorganic Chemistry taken at a CC or my General Chemistry grade?

I am a research assistant for a social cognition lab, I have some volunteering hours at an outpatient clinic, and I am currently about to start volunteering at the VA hospital. Is there anything else I could do to help my chances of getting in? I feel that my GPA will really hurt my chances.

I am applying for the 2nd Degree RN at UAB as well, just in case.

Current GPA: 3.28

Major GPA (Psychology): 3.9

Minor GPA (Biology): 3.0

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BamaRN14,

I am in the program now, started in spring 2014. I wouldn't worry too much about your GPA. They selected a wide variety of students for this cohort. My GPA was not stellar but I still got in. From what I can tell, they look at everything when picking students, not only your GPA. I also applied for the 2nd Degree BSN just in case it didn't go my way, so that's good that you're doing that. Feel free to ask any questions you may have! I wish there was people I could have asked questions back when I was applying. :)

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Thank you for much for the response! I've been biting my nails over the whole GPA thing. I submitted my application early and am now finishing up my pre-requisite classes.

How has the program been for you so far in terms of work load and stress? Are there any advice you would give in regards to the interview?

Thank you so much for taking the time to help out!! :)

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The program is stressful at times but it isn't unmanageable. As far as the work load, it's just a lot of information. The concepts aren't that hard but the amount of material we are expected to learn can be intimidating sometimes. Being a part of a study group is key to making it through this program.

As far as the interview process, I don't really have much advice. To be quite honest, I don't really remember what they asked me. I do remember that the questions weren't your standard interview questions, which was what I was prepared for. Just be prepared to answer what specialty you want to go in and why, challenges you've overcome, etc. I am an out of state student so my interview was over the phone; there were 2-3 people interviewing me. From what my fellow classmates have said, they each had 2 faculty members interview them. They will give you the opportunity to ask them questions too, so definitely utilize that.

I hope this is somewhat helpful! I would recommend starting a forum for UAB AMNP Spring 2015, that way you and the other applicants can communicate. One of our classmates did that last year and it was really helpful. A lot of people had been communicating months before we all actually met. Once ya'll get accepted, I would also recommend starting a facebook group. It is very helpful, especially when anyone has any questions. And, people from the previous cohort were members and answered any questions we had.

If you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask! If you get that 2015 forum going, I will definitely get some friends involved so that you and the other applicants can have multiple perspectives. Your most valuable information will come from previous cohorts; the faculty always seemed to respond with vague answers but the students will tell you the truth! Lol! :)

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I'm in the current cohort as well!! I will join the forum for 2015 once it gets started!

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Thanks for the advice! It's definitely a lot more personal getting answers from students!

I will get a discussion started! :)

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Hey guys!

aparnell told me about this, and I thought I might could help! I am in the current cohort as well! It is such an awesome experience; definitely very stressful at times, but worth it every step of the way! I actually happen to remember some of my interview questions if you guys want some inside information. I am from Birmingham, so I did an actual face to face interview with 2 of the professors from our program as the interviewers!

I was asked things like:

Describe a time when you had to sacrifice something in order to perform better academically.

What master's track are you interested in and why?

Explain your undergraduate degree and tell me how you think that knowledge can make you a better nurse.

Why nursing? What drew you to this career choice?

Describe a situation when you struggled academically and how you overcame that.

They will definitely ask about time management and how you deal/cope with high stress levels!

It really wasn't bad though!! Let me know if you guys have any questions! I would love to talk to anyone who is stressing out because we feel your pain! You got this though! :)

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Wow, thank you! You guys are definitely helping me mentally prep for this :)

What were your stats going in? Did you have anything in your application to make yourself stand out? (These questions are for aparnell too!)

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I had a GPA very similar to yours (3.3something). Kick booty on your GRE and you should be fine!

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I had a GPA very similar to yours (3.3something). Kick booty on your GRE and you should be fine!

Did you take the GRE to compensate for your GPA? (I know a GRE score isnt required if your GPA is 3.2 or higher) I feel like the GRE only looks at how well you can take the test rather than how well it predicts how well you do in graduate school so I haven't taken it :/

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Did you take the GRE to compensate for your GPA? (I know a GRE score isnt required if your GPA is 3.2 or higher) I feel like the GRE only looks at how well you can take the test rather than how well it predicts how well you do in graduate school so I haven't taken it :/

I took it even though it wasn't required because I did very poorly my freshman year, hence my low GPA. I knew a lot of people would be applying with much better GPAs than me so I wanted to stand out any way I could, even though I agree with you that the GRE is a poor indicator of graduate school capability.

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Hi I am also applying for uab amnp any suggestions for an out of state student.

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