UIC GEP Applicants 2015

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Hi everyone! I just applied for Fall 2015 entry to the Graduate Entry Program at UIC! Anyone else apply? I'm hoping to talk to some other people who are also excited/nervous about hearing back! :-)

I think my application was strong academically and in terms of the essays and recs, but I started my prereqs right after graduating last spring so I haven't had time to get any hands-on health care experience, which I hope won't be too much of a negative on my app. Does anyone know what kind of GPA and experience they look for? Also- does everyone have to interview?

Good luck guys! I hope we all make it in!!

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Hi! I just applied to the program as well. I'm so nervous! I was told they usually receive over 200 applications a year, and they have 52 seats for the Chicago program. I'm not sure if the 200 is for the Urbana program and Chicago program combined, or just the Chicago program. Which one did you apply to? Also, they did extend the application deadline, so maybe less people applied than they originally anticipated??

I'm taking A&P II and Micro right now, plus I work full time and volunteer, so hopefully May (or April, if they do interviews!) comes quickly!

I don't know how much they consider health care experience, but since this is a program designed for non-nursing applicants, I don't think it could make or break an application. I'm sure it would be a plus though! I only have a small amount of experience (volunteering since March).

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That's wonderful! I'm sure it will be a big help to your application :-) So then the acceptance rate could be as low as a 26%. I would imagine that's the right number since you can only apply to one campus with your application and the pools are likely totally separate when they evaluate them.

Thanks for responding! Sometimes forum posting feels like throwing words into the ether, haha. Good luck!!

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Oh and I applied to Chicago. What about you? And yes, I was thinking the same thing when they extended it! Hopefully that will help us! :-) I wonder who they'll ask to do interviews, if it will be everyone who's application looked good to them, or if it will be only people who they're on the fence about, or some other combo! I saw on an earlier thread from when the curriculum was different a couple of years ago that they ended up not interviewing anyone, they just made their decisions based on the applications.

Did you have the chance to go to an info session? I wasn't able to because my fiance and I temporarily relocated to DC for his work, so I haven't been in Chicago. Did they mention anything of note that wasn't on the website? Particularly when it comes to what GPA etc they're looking for in candidates- I'm trying to calm my nerves because now through May is a long time to wait! Thank you :-)

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I applied to the Chicago campus as well. I didn't have a chance to go to any of the info sessions because of my work and class schedule, but I did go last year to get a feel for the new program (it had just switched over, so I was really curious). I wasn't eligible to apply that year though because I had a few prereqs left.

Anyways, the only thing I can remember is that it seemed important to demonstrate why you're going this route into nursing, rather than going for an associates, 2nd bachelors, general entry in NP, etc. I think I also remember them saying how important it was to communicate why UIC and what about the program will help you achieve your goals. Sorry, I wish I had taken notes or something! But those two points did stick.... Maybe someone who went to the info sessions recently will chime in.

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Hi everyone! I also applied to the Chicago campus and have received an interview invite. Does anyone know what to expect? Do they just interview everyone that meets the basic requirements?

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Also, the invite says that the interview is a required part of the interview for all applicants being considered for admission this cycle. I wonder what determines whether they do interviews each cycle. Anyone else hear back yet?

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I got the same email! Judging by the number of interview slots (which was like 160ish or something) I'm guessing they're interviewing everyone who met the requirements. But we should still be happy! One step closer to our goal :-). I'm not sure what to expect, though I'm very curious too! They look like 30 minute time slots, which really isn't so bad. Good luck everyone!!

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Lol I roughly counted the slots as well! So it's looking like around a 30% chance of acceptance after the interviews. It also looks like 30mins for a group interview with 4 people... I've had one on one job interviews longer than that, so I'm really curious what the format will be. When my husband was interviewing for med school, it included tours of the campus, writing samples, group interviews and then one on one interviews, so this seems really short.

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Oh gosh! I was imagining that the four spots per time slot were for interviews with four different interviewers and therefore individual. But I bet you're right!! That would make sense. I've never been in a group interview before, I wonder what they can possibly ask...

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Ya I just noticed 4 spots for each time slot in one room and the ones with 8 spots said 1 of 2 rooms. Unless they end up sending different room #'s or have the rooms sectioned off, it looks like a possible group format and 30 minutes seems really short for that! I'm just making a guess though.

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hi everyone! i just got an email today about the interview and I'm going to be interviewing this friday the 20th! I just had an interview at Rush, and it may be possible that they're individual interviews. Although, the way its formatted, they may be group interviews. Maybe they just called everyone in at a certain time but will be interviewed with different faculty members. Because 30 minutes is really short for group interview. Thats scary!!

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