University of Maryland Traditional BSN Fall Program: Any idea when we will hear back?

dorkalicious · Apr 8, 2009

No problem loloterp! I found this website while waiting for my reply from UMB when I applied and found some great people on here. So if anyone has questions, I am always open to answer them, because that is what the nursing profession is all about, its no longer dog eat dog anymore!

i<3u · Apr 9, 2009

Can someone please give me advice/tips on the entrance essay? I've been dealing with this writer's block for the past few days...changed my intro/approach billions of times and I just can't seem to get it together lol!

jrbakern · Apr 9, 2009

Whatever you do don't start off by saying: "When I was a little girl I always dreamed of being a nurse..." That apparently is done all the time and doesn't set you apart.

If it's any help I wrote mine from the point of view that I was applying for a job. I explained why I was qualified, what experience I had, and I was clear about my goals. If you aren't sure what field you are interested in, pick one you are comfortable with and make it your goal. (You can always change it once you get into school and discover other areas.) Learn what you can about it. I chose hospice care. I looked at several hospice websites, learned about the job requirements and experience wanted, and encorporated that into my essay.

In the package I mailed in I also wrote a cover letter explaining why I felt they should choose me for the program.

As dorkalicious said the reason why we do this is that someone helped us on this site. I expect to see you all "pass it on" when the next group comes on board.

JR

dorkalicious · Apr 9, 2009

haha.. I like your "expectations" of the new incoming juniors JR!

For my essay, I really tried to be humble about it. I explained what happened in my life that helped make my decision that I should enter the Nursing field. Apparantly most of the students in my class did the same too. Either something very very positive or very negative happened that made them decide they wanted to be nurses to help make a difference.

Something I learned in a writing class in my undergrad is that you always want to start the essay with an eye catching sentence and end the essay with a punch line that will help them remember your essay. My thing was always to start and end with quotes.... but please make sure it fits into your overall topic if you do this! Don't just throw it in there out of the blue... it has to all fit!

Bottom line, be humble and don't lie to make it sound more impressive, because I am sure a lie can come back to haunt you later!

loloterp · Apr 10, 2009

It took me a while to figure out what i wanted to write about as well. But i tried my best to incorporate my experience as a tech in my essay. I wanted to put the reader in a patients' perspective. So I started off having the reader imagine themselves as a helpless patient who is incontinent. The patient is going thru constant chest pain and needs as much assistance as he/she can get. After i set that atmosphere, I made them ask themselves what kind of Nurse would they want to be assessing them, giving med.'s, and just taking care of them period. I then explained how i would be a good candidate to be that "nurse" and why. I also included my future plans, which is to pursue a MSN and travel to Africa, specificall Nigeria, and open up outpatient clinics.

lsnow11...if you have had experience working with sick people/family members I would put that in ur essay. Also explain what you plan on doing with your degree. Be yourself. :up:

lonestar88 · Apr 10, 2009

what the nursing profession is all about, its no longer dog eat dog anymore!

oh.. if only that is as true as it sounds :uhoh3: . Sorry, had some bad experiences recently.

Anyway, as for my essay... I have no clinical experience as a tech or cna. I simply wrote about my snowboarding accident and having to spend christmas eve in a hospital 5 hours away from home. I was alone and the nurse gave me a teddy bear, lol. Be original but also include some strong (but cliche) points they want to hear which includes your fascination about the human body, making a difference, etc.

loloterp · Apr 11, 2009

So i paid my $400 tuition deposit and found out how to log in to SIMS and check my status as far as registration and residency. It says that I am not allowed to register online yet. I'm sure we have to wait until we get our regristration packets??

jrbakern · Apr 11, 2009

Yes you will have to wait. I am not sure what the date is for new students (the 20th of this month comes to my mind but I may be wrong).

You might want to try again then if you haven't received your reg info.

If you are going to SG though it really won't matter if you sign up right away or not as there is only one class to sign up for in most cases - the exception being labs and I can't see any one being better than another except for personal preferences concering time.

dorkalicious · Apr 11, 2009

Just to touch on JR's comment, registration starts at the same day and time for EVERYONE (to make it fair for everybody)(you guys will find out the date and time from the school).... this truly only applies to B-more students, since, like JR mentioned, SG students all get the same lectures, only lab is really competed for at SG. Oh, haha, I just re-read what JR wrote, guess I just merely repeated him... ha, oops!

i<3u · Apr 12, 2009

Thanks everyone for the awesome advice! It really helped...

I dont have any health care experience, which sometimes causes me to get discouraged...BUT I do have a lot of volunteer experience from health fairs to working w/ youth in "urban/inner cities". I hope I'll be fine lol...

dorkalicious · Apr 13, 2009

lsnow11

Volunteer is just as important, if not more important that the HC work experiance, so use it to your advantage. Good luck!

i<3u · Apr 16, 2009

Is there a word limit on the essay?