UCLA MECN Fall 2014?

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Hi- Is anyone applying to UCLA's MECN program for next fall?

That's probably a good idea. The speculation is driving me insane, but having no other contact with UCLA, it's also really helping me!

This is all just conjecture. I'm signing off of this forum until I get notice. It's not doing me any good to be on here anymore. Time for some yoga...
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Even though I'm not waiting like all of you, I just wanted to say that this was my second time applying to MECN. I applied for the fall '13 cohort, but I didn't even make the waitlist (in a year where they had 90 seats to fill, no less). That was pretty depressing, and I thought maybe I just wasn't cut out to be a nurse. At that point, though, I still hadn't given it my best shot and decided to at least keep trying a one or two more years. This year, I had a much better application, and I guess that effort paid off. The point being that even if you aren't accepted/waitlisted, it doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad fit for UCLA (or whatever program you want to get into).

I didn't have a lot of pre-reqs done before so i hadn't applied anywhere else but I'll be done with everything in June. What about other people? Have you looked at other programs as next steps?

I was sort of in that boat with you. For the last year and a half, MECN was the only program I had prereqs for. The last 6 months or so I've been taking prereqs for other programs as a backup plan. I was all set up to apply to National University this July if I didn't get in to UCLA. NU doesn't do rolling admissions for their nursing program, but they do have two cohorts per year (and they start pretty soon after the application deadline).

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Even though I'm not waiting like all of you, I just wanted to say that this was my second time applying to MECN. I applied for the fall '13 cohort, but I didn't even make the waitlist (in a year where they had 90 seats to fill, no less). That was pretty depressing, and I thought maybe I just wasn't cut out to be a nurse. At that point, though, I still hadn't given it my best shot and decided to at least keep trying a one or two more years. This year, I had a much better application, and I guess that effort paid off. The point being that even if you aren't accepted/waitlisted, it doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad fit for UCLA (or whatever program you want to get into).

I was sort of in that boat with you. For the last year and a half, MECN was the only program I had prereqs for. The last 6 months or so I've been taking prereqs for other programs as a backup plan. I was all set up to apply to National University this July if I didn't get in to UCLA. NU doesn't do rolling admissions for their nursing program, but they do have two cohorts per year (and they start pretty soon after the application deadline).

Thanks for the encouragement Shimage. I, too just started working on my prerequisites starting last year. There were only a handful of schools that let me apply with prerequisites in progress...a few of them random schools I've never heard of haha. If I'm rejected I'm placed in a difficult decision of whether to re-apply or attend one of the CSU's for their 3 year general BSN program. May I ask what you did to strengthen your application? Thanks.

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Hey everyone, I got waitlisted today! Did anyone else? There is still hope for you all. I don't know how many are put on the waitlist, but I'm #18 if that helps. Also they sent me the email today at 11:52am if you're curious. Crossing my fingers...I hope I get in!

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May I ask what you did to strengthen your application? Thanks.

There's nothing wrong with CSU, but since you asked ... I knew that my recs weren't that great. They all said good things about me, but that's not what makes a rec good. Two of them were from scientists (which is to say, not nurses) that knew me well, and one was from a nurse that didn't know me well. So my first item of business was to get to know more nurses well in a semi-professional setting. If I were to do it again, I would probably do this by working as a CNA, but as it happened, I was offered a volunteer internship at SM UCLA Hospital. I put in something like 300 hours in about 6 months in a single unit and got to know all the day shift nurses well (and the unit director too!). So I think this time I had pretty strong rec letters.

I know some other fellow said that recs don't matter, but I feel like they must? Last year, when I asked RF what I could do better, she said my recs and personal statement were "average". (Really. That's pretty much all she wrote.) From what they said at the info session, I got the impression that a good rec comes from a nurse that knows you and the MECN program well. The better they understand the program, the better they can target what they write to it. So in addition to networking with nurses, you may want to "coach" the ones that write your rec letters.

As you may have guessed, my personal statement was also a bit of a mess. I thought it was good at the time, but it really wasn't. It's weird, because after spending so much time at the hospital it seemed obviously bad to me. So I re-wrote it largely from scratch. On top of that, I also had a bunch of UCLA-trained nurses (new grads, RNs, NPs, etc) read my personal statement for feedback. The following is more or less a summary of what they told me.

As everyone already knows, you really need a good personal statement for MECN, because there's no interview. It's not enough to just stand out, you absolutely need to explain why you're a good fit for UCLA/MECN. The "master's" aspect (even though it has no practical impact on anything) and the CNL certification are seen as defining features of the program. You need to tie those into why you think you're a good fit. And then there's the diversity bit. It's important. Honestly, I don't have a lot of cultural diversity in my background, but I really think the key is framing whatever experience you have in a positive way.

I'm not sure that was clear or helpful or even correct, but I'm going to hit "Post" because I spent a lot of time on it, and I hope it helps someone.

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@Gratefulsunshine: Right. I took all three of them though at SMC haha. Btw, I was thinking of taking the Epi class online. Let me know if you're interested.

I'm not yet sure if I'm going to take it online or at UCLA. I should know soon. If I take it online I'll post here! Thanks for the response and congrats!

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I wish we could all just go get a couple drinks and vent together lol. Really though, remember that even if we aren't accepted that doesn't mean we still won't be excellent nurses. Whether it be UCLA another year or another program. We'll find a way if it's what we really want to do! And I know it's what I want. Also, FYI there are still programs that you can apply to for this coming fall. I can give a few that I'm applying for/already accepted into if anyone wants just let me know.

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That would be nice if you don't mind sharing those programs!

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@Shimage Your post is very well written and really hit home for me. I had good recommendations, but not applicable ones. I wrote a personal statement that shared my story, but did not talk about why I was right for MECN and why MECN was right for me. And the truth is, MECN was my 3rd choice program in the LA area because I knew it was not right for me. I made sure to apply to a few programs so that I would increase my chances and I got into my 1st and 2nd choices. I keep coming back here because it sure would be nice to have a great school like UCLA even want me on their wait list. I need to let it go, move on and get ready to work hard in my chosen program. Good luck to you all - eventually everyone will get into their right program!!!

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Couldn't have said it better myself. Don't lose all hope, guys! There are always ways to strengthen your application if this round didn't work out.

I had terrible grades in my first two/three years of school, as in multiple non-A's, even some in my pre-requisites! You may have noticed that @shumage didn't even mention GPA... I honestly think that grades are not as important as everyone believes. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a 4.0, or at least an upward trend in GPA, but I think the impressing admissions is based upon so much more than this. I would suggest researching the program you are applying to very thoroughly. More often than not, you can tell even from a website what kind of background and experience certain programs look for in particular. I can't emphasize enough how helpful it was to attend the MECN Info Session. They pretty much tell you up front that the Statement of Purpose is the most important piece of your application since they don't conduct interviews. I spent months on mine, with multiple revisions after having it proofread by different people, and in the end, it still could have been improved, but it was already 10x better than my first draft. From my understanding, the Letters of Rec were probably next on the list of importance. I had 2 professors (for Nutrition and Ethnic Studies) and 1 nurse (who was a house supervisor at the program I volunteered at) write my recommendations. I gave them a list of my suggested strengths and asked them to include positive experiences with me for a more personal touch. One thing applicants may forget that I think is of utmost importance: Be sincere! Allow your true self to show through your words. Try to leave a lasting impression on the admissions counselor reviewing your application who may have read 30 other applications before yours, but do it in a way that captures who you are as a person and how you would be as a nurse.

I'm hoping this helps at least one person out there :) I apologize for the lack of coherence in my thoughts, but I'm a bit delirious from lack of sleep at the moment :dead: I really do wish the best of luck to those of you still awaiting decisions, and I hope that we'll all cross paths in the future as nurses.

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I don't know what was more frustrating today, not hearing back or not being able to write back to everyones comments (stupid hospital computers!)

1.) I give big props to the people who got in and who are on the waitlist...it's a huge deal to be picked out of so many qualified applicants so congrats!

2.) You know that ----------- and ------------ are working their tails off doing the best with what limited resources they have. You know that they have been getting called and emailed and harrassed for the past two months...that couldn't be easy so props to them!

3.) I find it weird that nobody has mentioned anything about getting in with a fellowship. Last year it seems like the few people that got a fellowship were notified after (obviously the situation was a bit different).

4.) I second the idea of going out for drinks! Haha it would be amazing to share stories and see what is next for everybody!

5.) Nothing is set in stone yet. Nobody has been rejected, so we shouldn't write ourselves off just yet. Lets see what these next couple of weeks brings!

6.) We're all so worried about "not knowing", when we are getting into a top nursing program, there are some people who don't know about legitimate problems (i.e if families will ever be found from the plan crash) #firstworldproblems

7.) Even if we don't get into a program this year...we'll learn what we can do to make our applications stronger for next year. I only applied to UCLA this year, so there is definitely a lot I have to do... a lot of holes I can fix to be more qualified for next year.

8.) My phone died twice today at work checking emails.

9.) While it would be nice to get into a program, life doesn't start when we graduate with nursing degrees. Everything that we have been doing up until now is part of the journey, and will eventually make us stronger in the future. Everything that I have done in preparing and all of the long nights of studying, it's all part of the ride.

10.) Maybe I shouldn't have written about nursing and the zombie apocalypse...

One of these days we'll look back at all of this and laugh!

I'm serious about drinks though lets make it happen!

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Totally kidding about the personal statement. Would have made for a damn good story though

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