UCONN CEIN/BS 2018

Eglute · May 10, 2017

OK so it seems they gave us green light to apply on http://www.nursingcas.org/. New instructions are out on the page too.

tinak173 · May 17, 2017

Who's accepted to Stamford?

workforce · May 20, 2017

So if we are applying for June 30th, when can we expect the earliest response? Waiting is building a lot of anticipation for me since I applied so early

girlsmom · Jun 14, 2017

Hi Everyone out there!

I am exploring the possibility of applying for the CEIN program at UCONN. I have a BS and MS in biology/chemistry and have been working as a research scientist for the past 30 years. My big question is: are there students in this program who are 50+ years old? I was recently laid off and would need to move out of state to find a comparable job in my field. Hence, the possible career change. As I sit here I am just wondering if it is even worth pursuing or not. Thank you in advance for the info.

Jay816, BSN · Jun 16, 2017

Eglute,

Do you know how the letter of references are uploaded on the website? I tried at add my references but when I try it says "Create a recommendation request" then I complete it and nothing happens. Im so confused as to how to do this.. please help the deadline is fast approaching!

IsabelleJ1994 · Jun 19, 2017

Hi All!

I applied last Thursday for the June 30th deadline. I was super excited when I received the "congrats your application has been submitted!" e-mail from NursingCAS... until I read that it could take up to 4 weeks for transcript verification. I sent my transcripts in in May, and they were received and processed by NursingCAS on June 1st. I spoke to NursingCAS and they assured me that my transcript would be verified within two weeks, but this is still concerning. They also said that UCONN has the ability to view unverified applications; it is up to their discretion whether they will review an unverified transcript. I called UCONN and the woman who handles CEIN admissions is out all week. I think it is crazy that in the past transcripts were sent directly to UCONN for review. Now with this 3rd party system my application, which was submitted two weeks prior to the deadline, might not be reviewed. Has anyone else encountered this problem? Does it really take 2+ weeks for verification? I would have submitted earlier in May, but UCONN was not even up on NursingCAS until mid-May.

StephCST · Jun 19, 2017

I just submitted my application on CAS for the June deadline today as well. I am in the same boat, I didn't realize it would take the CAS this long to review the prerequisites. I am so nervous now.

Good luck!

IsabelleJ1994 · Jun 20, 2017

Hi there.

My transcripts were just verified. It took about 3 business days (submitted late Thursday). I would call NursingCAS. I called them and my transcript was verified the next day. I'm not sure if my call pushed my application through quicker, but it's worth a try!

colly526 · Jun 20, 2017

Hi everyone!

I'm super interested in applying to the CEIN/BS. Though my only issue is I have to retake one class (got a B- and need at least a B!!) and take another. Do you think applying for the August deadline with these classes still in process is putting me at a disadvantage? I know stops fill up so it makes me nervous! I'm hoping for the Stamford location. Any advice would be great!

Thanks!!

Karmin · Jun 20, 2017

Hello Everyone,

I am a current student in the CEIN program and I remember being so nervous and having a ton of questions so I thought I would post. I apologize for the length but there is so much to share. I put in section headings so you can skip to the section you need.

WHEN WILL I KNOW? or WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?

I can tell you Uconn's nursing program is extremely busy with normal undergrad and CEIN programs at the various locations and probably not enough staff to help process things more uniformly and in a timely manner. I applied last year in early June for the June 30th deadline and did not hear about acceptance until late August. I found out here on allnurses that some people knew as early as late July. This big time lag was due to the main person being on vacation which was stressful for many of us.

PRE-REQS

I will reiterate that the CT community colleges are a great place to take the pre-reqs. They are affordable and directly transfer. Manchester Community College has Genetics online and it was a great course. This Uconn requirement did not have a lab component so it was pretty straightforward. You can apply to the program as long as your requirements are met by DECEMBER and you may get a conditional acceptance and would need to provide official transcripts before you are cleared.

WHO GETS IN?

It appears people from a variety of backgrounds get accepted. Some people have direct medical experience, worked as medical secretaries, or in HR while others have no medical experience at all. There is a decent age range but I would say the majority of nursing students are in their 20s-mid 30s, a few of us are older. It seems like more older students may be at the other campuses rather than Storrs. Overall, it seems like everyone had pretty good grades to get into the program but nobody really speaks about GPAs or specific grades. I can tell you the other students I have met are all very serious and work hard, no slackers. I also do not believe this program provides on-campus housing and you would need your own transportation to get to & from clinicals. So far I have been lucky with clinicals within 20 min of my home but some people had to drive 30-60min.

I GOT ACCEPTED...WHAT NOW?

The deposit for 2017 was $500 and some of us did not get the email with necessary information to register until much later but the program was informed so they made allowances to get everyone registered. Another note is there were several financial requirements that come up before you actually start so save up money for these things (equipment, uniforms, online programs, books- there will be reading & assignments to do before the program starts). I would say about $1000 should do it but save more if you can.

It is probable you will need to go to Storrs in October and December for 2 orientations (regardless of your campus) to help you prepare for the program. It is very important that you READ THE REQUIREMENTS CAREFULLY to make sure you have all your paperwork set before the OCTOBER orientation to make life easier. The biggest pain was probably immunization documentation and making sure you get the correct things done. For example, they required 2 separate PPD tests within a certain time in 2017 and people misunderstood and were scrambling. I chose to do the titer tests to prove immunity to just be done with it but you should check to see if your insurance will cover it because lab work is expensive. Also, some clinical sites require a specific drug test which is an additional $65 and has to be done through a specific site as well as your background check has to be specific for Uconn so don't try to "get ahead" because you may have to re-do some of the requirements.

CAN I WORK?

The program will tell you not to work because it is intense and there are a lot of things to juggle in order to meet deadlines. There have been some short notice changes that happen which make it difficult to schedule work as well. I am not working but I am juggling a family with 2 elementary aged kids while I do this and I am hanging in there because my husband is supportive and I have a wonderful babysitter. However I do know of some people who are working but it may be like 1-2 days a week, for shortened hours.

The 1st semester is toughest because you have 1 class day (10hrs), 2 clinical days (10hrs each) and a lab day (3hrs) and then you still need to find time to read & do your assignments. Several people who thought they could work scaled back or quit for semester 1 and then picked up hours again in semester 2.

Semester 2 (right now) we have 1 class day, 2 clinical days which feels better but the content is very fast in the summer session (5 wks for psych, 4 wks for maternal health and 4 wks for pediatrics- we also have a graduate Stats class that overlapped with psych and part of maternal health). And the intensive week is intense and tiring but you do learn a lot. I'm hoping it will feel even better once Stats finishes!

MISC

Dorine is awesome and she is who you should speak to if you have questions before acceptance. She is super nice so definitely be nice when you speak to her! Our professors (with the exception of 1), clinical instructors and lab instructors have been wonderful so far. They are very knowledgeable and approachable and they want to help you succeed but they do not bend the rules for anyone. Our clinical sites seem to really like Uconn students- you will see students from other universities at the same places. (I'm sure students from all schools are treated well but they have asked us if we want to work there and when we graduate, etc. or they have said they really like Uconn students)

If you are unsure about this program, I will say it IS fast, it IS a lot of work and if you don't think you can put in 100% effort, it may not work out for you. Keep in mind 100% effort means different things to different people- some people read fast & remember everything, others take longer and need to take notes, etc. I would recommend to start a study group as soon as you can if that's your learning style to help split up tasks like making med cards, etc.

Anyway, I hope this LENGTHY post helps and I wish you the best of luck as you pursue nursing in whatever program you choose.

colly526 · Jun 20, 2017

@ Karmin Thank you so much for the information this is extremely helpful! Do you think its bad that I'd have two prerequisites left? (Would have them finished by December)

I have to retake genetics and was planning on doing it online through Manchester Community College and then I have to take a research methods which I also was going to do through a CT Community College.

Thanks again for your post!!

JoannaCoords · Jun 22, 2017

Hi everyone!

I have been accepted for the UConn CEIN program for 2018 at Stamford and I thought this would be a good place to reach out. I would love to connect with you all through Facebook or on this site, so please feel free to message me. I am also looking to speak to current CEIN students at the Stamford campus to ask more campus-specific questions, so if that applies to you please let me know! - Joanna Coords