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

dorkalicious · Jun 27, 2009

GL, I'm in JR's class and please take his response into consideration. I had a friend that worked every other weekend in our class and she did poorly her first semester. You do not want to be another "C equals RN" student. In fact, that stereotype can be scarily accurate for some. It is best to devote your time to Nursing school 100%. I know of a number of people that have gotten by with C's in every class (even without working a PT schedule) and its just scary to think that they are ok with it. Nobody wants a Doc or Nurse that just barely got by with a C in school. Also, all the information that you use in your 1st semester will be needed for the remainder of your nursing school years and for life really. Like JR said, the schedule may seem manageable, but you have NOOOOOO idea until it all starts!

I'll be there at your orientation with Dr. Youngblood and with the student panel to give you a "scare" of what nursing school at UMB is all about ;-)

Graceland200 · Jul 1, 2009

Thank you both for your honest evaluations. Now I'm really worried...GPA is really important to me- I hope to continue my education. Did you guys make decent grades your first semester? Did you have an externship during this summer?

Thank you!

GL

jrbakern · Jul 1, 2009

GL -

I made decent grades this semester. One thing to caution you about is that there is no curving or extra credit. I missed an "A" in one class by the slimmest of margins but I also know people who missed a "C" by just a fraction of a point and now they have to take that class over again. I feel I did my best this past semester and am happy with the results.

UMD has one primary goal; to get its students to pass the NCLEX. They don't care how many "A"s students get - if any. A solid 3.0 in nursing school will get you into grad school. In fact a 3.0 or better after 2 semesters is the minimum requirement for the nursing national honor society. (And btw, all your grades you made before are NOT included in your GPA; they are only counted as being completed.) That should give you an idea of what's in store. If you really study and put forth the time and effort you should do well.

Dorkalicious and I both are in the first class at SG that started in Jan so we have 2 summer breaks instead of one. Because of that externships were an issue for this summer. Dorkalicious knows more about that as she has/or had an interview concerning those :yeah: (and congrats by the way!!)

JR

Agrippa · Jul 1, 2009

Question regarding textbooks - is it necessary to get all new texts or is it OK to use older editions? I have found that the older editions will work just fine in my pre-req courses, but I want to make sure that this is also the case with nursing school. Thanks all.

Additionally, what exactly is this "Communication module" ?

If you want to sell any used books, shoot me an email or a PM!

Agrippa · Jul 1, 2009

Oh and btw yall....check ur mail soon.

dorkalicious · Jul 1, 2009

Graceland and JR - Yes, I did do (and am currently doing) an externship this summer. I LOVE it! I am learning so much, and my preceptor lets me do everything under the sun! I was able to take everything I've learned and apply it clinically with a one-on-one preceptor that found plenty of trust in me to let me handle one or two patients from 7am to 7pm. I feel like this is going to be very beneficial to me in the next few semesters, as I have built a comfort level with dealing with patients of all kinds, and has learned that being pro-active is the best way to expose yourself to learning more.

I was pleased with my grades last semester. I did pretty well I thought. It seemed like many students ended up getting by with below a 3.0 average though. Like JR mentioned, you only need a 3.0 to get inducted into the honors society, and so far I'm still in the running ;-)

Agrippa- used textbooks are fine. There were a handful of students that used an edition older and didn't seem to mind the slight page difference. I'm sur eyou already know from previous experiances, but it just makes it a bit tricky to find the right pages or certain tables the instructors are specifying. I would not recommend buying a totally different book, but just an edition older than the current one being taught.... because after all, the exams are based off the textbooks as well, and sometimes opinions are different from author to author... so stick with the same title and author, but different edition is ok. Sorry if it sounds like I am repeating, I thought what I wrote may have sounded confusing...

Ahh... as for communication module..... its part of 304 (Fundamentals)... at SG campus it was held the second month of school, every wednesday (4 classes total). It is an EXCELLENT way to bring up your grade! the assignments you do are easy A's therefore it will contribute as 10% of your 304 grade (and believe me, you will NEED the help in this class). Again, this is speaking for SG campus, Bmore might be different.

Graceland200 · Jul 2, 2009

Dorkalicious and JR,

Congrats on making the grade! and the externship-dorkalicious-sounds like a fantastic experience. So, if one works hard do they have a shot at a 3.5 gpa? which is the hardest class (in terms of making that A)?

Thank you!

GL

Graceland200 · Jul 2, 2009

HI Scrub-

U have nothing to worry re:GPA. I think most student have much less-around 3.4 I'm guessing.

GL

eml2142 · Jul 2, 2009

JFraker,

I noticed you said you started at Shady Grove in January. How is the spring start? I am trying to get into to SG for spring 2010 and am completely freaking out about it. I really hope that I get it. If you don't mind me asking what was your gpa and what did you get on your prereqs. Any advice? Thanks so much for any help!

eml2142

loloterp · Jul 2, 2009

Oh and btw yall....check ur mail soon.

Hey,

Wat ya get in the mail? I have seen anything yet...

eml2142 · Jul 2, 2009

since you guys all just got accepted, what do you think is the biggest thing which helped you on your application and getting in (asides from gpa) for those who think they had lower end gpas what would some of your suggestions be?

dorkalicious · Jul 2, 2009

Graceland: IMO, they each had its own difficulty aspect! Pathopharm class is difficult because you have to remember all the drugs, both generic and trade name/classification of it/MOA, etc. You really need to know it inside and out... BUT it is also the most straight forward as far as tests go. However, because there is so much information to remember for exams that it is difficult to study for it... thats a 5 credit class.... also the same class that a handful of folks fail their first semester for!

Fundamentals (304) is difficult too. The exams are NCLEX style question, and if you aren't used to it, the first exam grade will make you cry! But with practice you can pull your grade up.... there are only 3 exams in that class, which makes it difficult to try and pull up your grade if you had a really bad start.

Also there are skills testing involved for your labs and stuff too, so don't under estimate those, because you need to pass those to pass the class as well.

There's so much more detail to get into, but I'll be there at your orientation to talk to you guys at SG next month. Until then, freshen up on medical terminology and your A&P again ;-)