UCLA MECN 2021

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Hi everyone!

I am planning on applying to UCLA's MECN program for 2021 and since I did not see a thread here yet I wanted to get one going for us to share questions and concerns. Good luck to everyone!

22 hours ago, HopefulNursingApplicant said:

Hi all! I am also hoping to apply to UCLA's program this year and I am searching for a course to fulfill the Communication prereq does anyone have a recommendation? poratalearning doesn't offer a similar course and I don't live in the US so I don't have a community college I can refer to. Also, straightliner offers one but I doubt UCLA would accept it since it's not on their list of the approved courses. Please let me know if anyone knows of an affordable option for this course. Thanks!

Hi @HopefulNursingApplicant! I took COMM 200 through AMU/APU. Although it's not on the approved list I emailed the syllabus to UCLA and they said they would accept it. My tuition was slightly discounted because I am active duty but I think it would still come out to less than $1k without the discount. The course wasn't too demanding of time and I learned from it too. Hope that helps!

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Hi everyone!

It's almost application time! I was curious where folks are getting their recommendations from. I will be getting two from former and current bosses who know me quite well (neither in healthcare context) and I feel like the expectation is that we have one from an academic source but I haven't been in school for almost a decade! I was wondering if other folks have also been out of school for a while and what they were thinking of doing.

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2 hours ago, lilyrose212 said:

Hi everyone!

It's almost application time! I was curious where folks are getting their recommendations from. I will be getting two from former and current bosses who know me quite well (neither in healthcare context) and I feel like the expectation is that we have one from an academic source but I haven't been in school for almost a decade! I was wondering if other folks have also been out of school for a while and what they were thinking of doing.

Hey! So during the info session the people proctoring said that your LORs should come from people who know you very well - whether it be old supervisors, volunteer coordinators, professors, etc. I think someone asked if there had to be a professor LOR but they said no, as long as your LOR writer is not a family or friend you should be fine, they just want people who are going to speak very highly and vouch for you! I won't be getting a LOR from a professor either, mine are from my supervisors at work. Good luck, hope this helps! ?

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23 hours ago, scribeaholic said:

Hey! So during the info session the people proctoring said that your LORs should come from people who know you very well - whether it be old supervisors, volunteer coordinators, professors, etc. I think someone asked if there had to be a professor LOR but they said no, as long as your LOR writer is not a family or friend you should be fine, they just want people who are going to speak very highly and vouch for you! I won't be getting a LOR from a professor either, mine are from my supervisors at work. Good luck, hope this helps! ?

I figured as much but needed the sanity check -thank you!!

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On 8/31/2020 at 6:16 PM, lilyrose212 said:

Hi everyone!

It's almost application time! I was curious where folks are getting their recommendations from. I will be getting two from former and current bosses who know me quite well (neither in healthcare context) and I feel like the expectation is that we have one from an academic source but I haven't been in school for almost a decade! I was wondering if other folks have also been out of school for a while and what they were thinking of doing.

Hi I got accepted for this upcoming cohort starting in a month. My LORs were from my current supervisor and former supervisor (non-healthcare) and a nurse from the hospital I volunteered at. Remind your recommenders that this is a masters level degree and they should talk a lot about your leadership abilities, adaptability and ability to learn, and obviously your ability to work on a team. I think the LORs are important and you don’t want them to just say you’re a good person and you’d be a very successful nurse. They should really be quite complimentary of you. 

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On 9/2/2020 at 12:04 PM, Gb1990 said:

Hi I got accepted for this upcoming cohort starting in a month. My LORs were from my current supervisor and former supervisor (non-healthcare) and a nurse from the hospital I volunteered at. Remind your recommenders that this is a masters level degree and they should talk a lot about your leadership abilities, adaptability and ability to learn, and obviously your ability to work on a team. I think the LORs are important and you don’t want them to just say you’re a good person and you’d be a very successful nurse. They should really be quite complimentary of you. 

CONGRATS on getting in and thanks for your help!

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Does anyone know when the application will open? It says in their page that it would open after Labor Day (September 7).

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21 hours ago, opiedrahita said:

Does anyone know when the application will open? It says in their page that it would open after Labor Day (September 7).

Hi! I tried searching for it as well and could not find it. I don't think the application is available just yet. I'm going to give it until the end of this week, maybe they will post it up soon! 

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I went to an info session in July and I believe they said they weren't sure of the exact date the application would open either. It just depends on when the grad admissions department gets it up and running. Hoping for it to be up this week too!!

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Hi folks, looks like the app is now open! Happy Friday

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On 8/8/2020 at 1:05 PM, kvt1013 said:

Hey y’all. I went through the nursing application cycle this year, and I am on the other side. I was mentally prepared to get into one nursing school, especially in SoCal, where the competition is very stiff. I’m on the other side, and I can report that I got into all seven schools I applied to, including UCLA, Western University, UCI and University of San Diego (also Columbia). I am matriculating into UCLA for Fall 2020, and I am excited as hell because I’ve been on this journey for two years doing my prerequisites and volunteering, and I can’t wait to start. But I want to give a warning to prospective applicants to not only UCLA, but any nursing school applicant in the 20-21 cycle.

The WORST thing you can do to yourself is compare your stats to others, and play the comparison game. There are so many great applicants across the board, with stellar GPAs, community service and accolades that would make them a standout in any application pool. But stats do not help you see if you have a good chance or not to get into a program. The only thing they do is psych you out when you see another applicant with a hypothetical 4.0 GPA, 1000 hours of community service, perfect letters of recommendation, and their awards. Stats comparisons do not positively contribute to anyone’s successful admission to any program. I solemnly swear this. What will help you, however, is to focus on your personal motivation for pursuing nursing, and coming up with ways to describe your motivation in your statements.

Why do you want to be a nurse? What lead to your decision to become a nurse? What was your journey? What kind of person are you, and how will that make you into a good nurse? What kind of nurse do you want to be? These are the questions that all nursing schools will ask you to either write about or explain in your interviews. They will use these responses to assess your character, aptitude and fit for their program and the nursing profession. While GPA is important, most hospitals would rather have a nurse with a good personality and reputation than a bookworm who can’t have a conversation.

Focus on why you specifically are a fit for nursing, and convey that. Do not focus on your stats and compare them with other applicants. Have many people read your statements several times, and keep revising until you are proud of the documents you submit. Make sure you vet your recommenders and ensure they will give you the best recommendation possible. And lastly, provide a narrative for what kind of nurse you want to be. I guarantee following these steps will make you stand out as future nursing applicants.

As for the volunteering (or lack there of), there are a lot of people in a similar position. You don’t necessarily have to volunteer at a hospital in order to look good; I know food banks in LA are looking for volunteers to distribute food and deliver them to elderly folks who are self-isolating. There are programs to tutor high school students online, as a supplement to their online high school education. It might take a little time to find something, but look for something service-related that you personally find interesting (even if it’s not explicitly related to healthcare or nursing).

Awesome advice! Thank you so much for spending the time to write this!

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Hi all! I'll be applying for this cohort too! Currently working on my SOP and personal statement right now and I am so nervous. I am shooting a far shot here as UCLA is my one and only choice, I want to live in LA and we all know it is the best program out there. Praying so much for this and good luck to everyone! I'm excited to join all of you on this journey ?

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