UCLA MECN Fall 2011

Incudal · Mar 8, 2011

I just got my mail, and it's a YES! Congrats to everyone who was accepted be it fully or wait-list wise... I am sure I will be seeing at least those first 20-something in the fall

Congratulations curlyq! hope to see you in the fall!

ocennia · Mar 8, 2011

looks like I'm waitlisted YET again

this sucks. I'm not high on the list and so now I just wait and wait and wait some more....

congrats to everyone who made it- you deserve it!

SCNP2B · Mar 8, 2011

Waitlisted as well. #36, ha! Don't think I'll be moving too far down the list. Good luck everyone with your endeavors!

zwang21 · Mar 8, 2011

ocennia - what # on the list are you? My heart goes out to all my waitlist buddies...UGH! Do you guys have other schools lined up?

ADEcstatic · Mar 8, 2011

I'm so happy I got in! Yay!! The USD closed its doors and UCLA open theirs. :yeah: Now I just have to trudge through Physiology, sign up for an epidemiology class and start saving $$!! (or paying off debt, as is the case with me.)

Honestly, I'm not sure what got me in. Grades wise, I wasn't competitive. I had an overall gpa of 3.17. Last 60 units was probably around 3.55. Got A's in most of the prereqs but I was still missing Physio & Epi. Rec letters were from science professors and current supervisors. I've been working for a medical device company as a development scientist for 5 years. I got certified in phlebotomy about 3 years ago (although I didn't get a chance to renew it last year). I think it might have been mostly from the personal statement. UCLA doesn't have an interview process so I think maybe the personal statement may have weighed heavily. Amidst very competitive applicants, the personal statement is one thing that makes you stand out. That's my theory. :) I think someone here mentioned you can talk to someone from the school and discuss what area(s) to work on the next time you apply.

For those who have yet to hear or are waitlisted, good luck good luck!! :up: :up: :up:

stacemarie · Mar 8, 2011

I e-mailed that faculty member everyone told me about to check up on how i can improve.... have yet to receive a reply...

goguemah · Mar 8, 2011

Hey everyone, congrats on being accepted! I wish I was amoung you all!!! Anyway, I was hoping you all would share what you think made your app stand out amoung the rest of us. UCLA is my dream school and I would totally appreciate your thoughts!

Of course, a decent gpa and at least a year of direct patient care are necessary.

However, I think what made a different in my application was my essay. I wrote about my work experiences and told a story about a dying child cancer patient who made a difference in my life. It was through that experience and relationship with her that made me desire to become a pediatric oncology NP in the future. I also wrote about my research experience in consenting and recruiting cancer survivors for a study. My younger brother was also a cancer patient when he was little (he is doing well now =). ) but I wrote just one or two sentences about it because the application was not about my brother.

If you fail to elaborate what exactly it is that makes you want to become a nurse, your application may not reflect what UCLA is looking for, no matter how strong your background is. Remember that they don't have interview and that this program is a "Second Career" program. If you have so much experience in healthcare, then why nursing? Couldn't you have stayed in that path and still make a difference? If you are making a drastic overhaul in your career, then why? Of course, money, stability, or just to "help other people" cannot be the answer.

I think this makes it unlikely for people with inadequate healthcare experience to get into this type of program. And this is why I had to gear my work experience towards healthcare exp and research for the past 3 years (UCLA is a big research school). Anyhow, I had a weak GPA, but I think that my essay+experience (they go together) got me in.

Remember. No pain, No gain.

I'll pray for all of you who did not get in this year. I know that more experience and determination will lead you to where you ought to be.

God bless you all!

curlyq28 · Mar 8, 2011

Of course, a decent gpa and at least a year of direct patient care are necessary.

I will agree that a strong GPA helps... however, I have to respectfully disagree that one needs to work in the health care field as a job to become accepted. My health care experience was all volunteer stuff.

For me that meant 300+ hours through my medical magnet HS curriculum (graduated in '97, so that's not too recent), volunteering at CHLA since June 2010 and from undergrad, perhaps they also considered another 400+ hours of shift volunteer work as a Rape Crisis Counselor for our campus hotline. I have also worked as a K-3 educator since 2005 and had some experience in obtaining services/caring for my students within my capacity as their teacher. My hope was to vividly convey the fact that I have an immense desire to be able to do MORE for them and wish to serve the pediatric population as an RN.

I am happy to share more with some of you (not in the public forum) if you feel it may help, but I don't feel comfortable sharing the private details in this medium. If any of you wish to talk via phone or something, let me know via PM or out here and we'll try and make it happen! :heartbeat

curlyq28 · Mar 8, 2011

Congratulations curlyq! hope to see you in the fall!

Thank you! I am pretty sure you will :)

spiced_chai · Mar 8, 2011

Congratulations to everyone who was accepted! I wish you all the best!

If it could be of any assistance, I am a graduating senior from UCLA and would be more than happy to provide any information about the University in general, moving to and living in Westwood, and anything else that can help you transition to this awesome program better! :heartbeat

rjplummer · Mar 8, 2011

I got in too (I was celebrating from the time I got home yesterday). Like curlyq28, I'm willing to share details via private message.

Also, I don't live a commutable distance from LA. While it would be great to meet some of you in Epidemiology over the summer, I'd prefer to take epidemiology online. Anyone know if there's an online class this Spring or over the summer that's acceptable?

Sandman2855 · Mar 8, 2011

It has been great following this thread! I am a current first year MECN student and I vividly remember what you have all been going through. At least you KNOW now, but I am sure there are still some tough decisions to be made for some of you. To those who did not get in, if you want to be nurses, you will be. Remember that and if you read this and similar threads you will see that people get in on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th tries. To the waitlisted, congratulations, because that in itself is a big accomplishment. I talked to the director of the nursing program the other day and she told me that for my class they accepted about 18 people from a 40 person waitlist... so almost half. So Ocennia, lisapett, julsie, and zwang have hope!! And a HUGE congratulations to Incudal, gogue, mikomay, nadianana, curlyq, ADEcstatic, and rjplummer!! The program is amazing and I feel I am getting a good education, but by FAR the most valuable part of the program is my fellow classmates. I am sure your class will be no different. I hope I have a chance to meet some of you later this year. The program is challenging but it is very doable as long as it is a major priority in your life. Any of you, please feel free to ask me any questions you have either publicly or privately and I will do my best to answer. Again, congrats to all of you waitlisted or accepted :) Ok... back to studying for finals & paper writing...