UCSF MEPN 2018

Nursing Students School Programs

Published

  1. Which UCSF MEPN specialty are you planning on applying for?

    • 0
      AGCNS
    • 0
      AGCNS - Oncology
    • 3
      AGPCNP
    • 1
      APHN
    • 5
      FNP
    • 0
      HPN
    • 3
      CNM/WHNP
    • 0
      OEHN
    • 3
      PNP
    • 5
      PMHNP

18 members have participated

A place for individuals applying to the UCSF 2018 MEPN program to contact each other, share information, support each other, and provide advice.

Specializes in PMHNP.

Hey ya'll! Current MEPN here to offer some advice.

My goal statement was a few lines over 2 pages. Try to be as concise as possible for your goal statement and then use the mini-essays to elaborate more on your other experiences. My advice for the goal statement is to focus on why you are choosing a career in nursing and how your background informs your decision to become an RN, as well as an advanced practice nurse. Try to focus on 2-3 SPECIFIC experiences for the goal statement, and avoid sounding too broad (specific interactions/experiences are much more compelling). Also, its extremely important to talk about why you are choosing UCSF and how your career/education/volunteer experiences/etc. correlate with the mission/vision of the school.

Hopefully this helps!

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Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Hey ya'll! Current MEPN here to offer some advice.

My goal statement was a few lines over 2 pages. Try to be as concise as possible for your goal statement and then use the mini-essays to elaborate more on your other experiences. My advice for the goal statement is to focus on why you are choosing a career in nursing and how your background informs your decision to become an RN, as well as an advanced practice nurse. Try to focus on 2-3 SPECIFIC experiences for the goal statement, and avoid sounding too broad (specific interactions/experiences are much more compelling). Also, its extremely important to talk about why you are choosing UCSF and how your career/education/volunteer experiences/etc. correlate with the mission/vision of the school.

Hopefully this helps!

Hi @No_LiesJustLove! I think it has been a about two months since you started the program? so thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and giving us your insight and advice as a previous applicant. From reading the threads from previous years, I know you don't get much spare time right now in your MEPN year so we definitely appreciate it!

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I am taking my statistics final tomorrow and it has been a crazy summer (took Micro too & working 2 jobs), I'm looking at a C most likely. What grades have people got in their pre-reqs? I'm hoping maybe I can make up for it on my GRE quant scores.

Also, I have a few professors I could ask for a letter of rec but nothing stellar. Do you guys think it's better to check off all the boxes (professional, volunteer, educational) for letters of rec or have really strong ones?

I'm applying to FNP!

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I am taking my statistics final tomorrow and it has been a crazy summer (took Micro too & working 2 jobs), I'm looking at a C most likely. What grades have people got in their pre-reqs? I'm hoping maybe I can make up for it on my GRE quant scores.

Also, I have a few professors I could ask for a letter of rec but nothing stellar. Do you guys think it's better to check off all the boxes (professional, volunteer, educational) for letters of rec or have really strong ones?

I'm applying to FNP!

I took Anatomy one crazy summer so let me start by saying best of luck on your final tomorrow.

I'd suggest getting strong, solid letters of rec. I have a few friends currently in the MEPN and their advice to me was to be really strategic on who I ask for letters and to choose wisely. You will have plenty of opportunities during the application process to elaborate on your volunteerism, your professional work, and your education.

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Thanks for the response! So you are saying quality over quantity?

ie. perhaps in my case it is better to get SOLID letters from my current work supervisors etc versus a mediocre professor (academic) letter?

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Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
I took Anatomy one crazy summer so let me start by saying best of luck on your final tomorrow.

I'd suggest getting strong, solid letters of rec. I have a few friends currently in the MEPN and their advice to me was to be really strategic on who I ask for letters and to choose wisely. You will have plenty of opportunities during the application process to elaborate on your volunteerism, your professional work, and your education.

I agree with @acires because from what I understand reading the old threads. UCSF looks at the entire process holistically so it is better to have strong letters of recommendation then to try and tick the boxes which I don't believe UCSF requires anyway. Below is the quote from the website:

"All recommendations should be from individuals--not relatives--who are acquainted with the applicant's work or community experience."

So at least for UCSF, it is not required that they be academic LORs just that they are not relatives or anyone related to you. But I know that this is not the case for other programs which require at least one academic recommendation. For those, I would submit the strongest academic reference that I have so that my application at least passes the initial screening and will be seen by the admissions committee. My concern is that if I didn't do this, the application might be rejected as incomplete or marked as not meeting the requirements set out by admissions committee and it just gets set aside and thrown out. Then all the time spent submitting your supporting documentation would have been for naught since it got rejected before it was seen by anyone.

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Hi Everyone -

Could really use some info on pre-reqs. I'm having a hard time finding open sections and am wondering what your experiences with specific pre-reqs were in the Bay Area. CCSF requires Chem 32 before taking Physiology and Microbio. Yet Berkeley Extension just recommends a chemistry background. Has anyone taken courses at Berkeley Extension, and if so, do you believe a chemistry course prior was necessary?

Thanks a million!

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Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.
Hi Everyone -

Could really use some info on pre-reqs. I'm having a hard time finding open sections and am wondering what your experiences with specific pre-reqs were in the Bay Area. CCSF requires Chem 32 before taking Physiology and Microbio. Yet Berkeley Extension just recommends a chemistry background. Has anyone taken courses at Berkeley Extension, and if so, do you believe a chemistry course prior was necessary?

Thanks a million!

I can't speak to UC Extension as I didn't take my pre-reqs there but generally chemistry is a pre-reqs because you will need to understand the elements and the chemical reactions inherent in the human body that allows use to utilze energy. Examples, will be the voltage gated channels and the interactions of the ions. So chemistry is important and why I most of these classes require that you take a chemistry class.

Additionally, you will need to have taken a certain number of science classes to be eligible to sit for the NCLEX. For someone like me that comes from a non-science background by taking the biology and chemistry pre-req it both gets me into Micro and Physio and helps me satisfy the science component for licensure. Hope that helps.

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Hi Everyone -

Could really use some info on pre-reqs. I'm having a hard time finding open sections and am wondering what your experiences with specific pre-reqs were in the Bay Area. CCSF requires Chem 32 before taking Physiology and Microbio. Yet Berkeley Extension just recommends a chemistry background. Has anyone taken courses at Berkeley Extension, and if so, do you believe a chemistry course prior was necessary?

Thanks a million!

I didn't take my pre-reqs at Berkeley Extension, but have you considered challenging the Chemistry requirement at a CC? This is what I did before Physio as I had already taken Micro and Anatomy and really wanted to avoid the added expense of a class that wasn't specifically required by any of the MSN programs that I was interested in applying to.

You will need to have an understanding of Chemistry or at the very least the ability to relearn (high school) or learn some concepts very quickly and on your own if you do go this route. However, if you have an undergrad already and can prove that you are ready, I am sure your challenge would be granted. Doing it this way for me did require footwork, paperwork, and talking to the Physio prof myself (don't let the college email them on your behalf, go and speak to the prof yourself), but it was worth it after I got my challenge approved.

Good luck to you.

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How is everyone doing? Got a reminder email from admissions today about applications being due in three weeks! I've been trying to keep calm in-between GRE, statements, and LORs.

Sending everyone positive vibes.

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Hello @acires ! I got the email too. I was nervous to even open the email haha. Good luck everybody :)

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Specializes in Midwife, OBGYN.

Hi @acires and @abbybetty. Same for me, I received the e-mail today as well. I was just excited that they see my application floating in the digital ether and sent me an e-mail with a reminder. It means that the end goal of finishing my applications is in sight. Good luck to everyone!

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