University of South Florida Accelerated BSN

erwhite · Oct 5, 2010

Thank you very much for the information. So do they break your class schedule down by semester (i.e. you and your cohort are taking these specific classes this semester, next semester you and your cohort are taking these specific classes) or is it up to you to schedule your classes in such a way as to finish on time? On the USF website it has a listing of all the classes you need to take but no break down of how they are scheduled over the four semesters. I really appreciate the info.

NP Sam · Oct 5, 2010

Yes, they don't break it down until you are accepted and attend orientation. Heres my schedule with graduation date of dec 2011.

Fall 10- Patho, Pharm, Fundies, Fundies clinical, physical exam

Spring 11- Psych, Psych clinical, Med Surg 1 and clinical, Med Surg 2 and clinical (22 creds)

Summer 11- Ethical/legal nursing, nursing inquiry, community and clinical (12 cred). They do give the option to go out of the country for community clinical. Next year its Panama. I am really recruiting for USF here aren't I?

Fall 11- The rest (18 cred)

Try and get in some healthcare experience any way you can. Take patho if you can. Any other questions just let me know.

erwhite · Oct 5, 2010

Thank you so much. That gives me a good idea about what to expect and that is really interesting about the out of country opportunity. I am currently a nursing assistant (taking the certification test as soon as I get my sit pass). Thank you again for the information. Good luck on the rest of your study.

Mel328 · Oct 9, 2010

Are you sure that's how they decide? I had applied to start this year, but deferred because my grades for Anatomy 2 and Micro wouldn't post until after the deadline. I still had Chemistry to complete as well as my writing sample, but I received an acceptance letter for next May. Still trying to decide if I'm going to go... FAU is my first choice. After FAU, it's between USF and UM and I figure both would end up costing me about the same since I'd be in school longer at USF and have to come back to Miami to visit my family and boyfriend at least once a month. But anyway... I got my acceptance letter in July without even finishing the application so I guess if you have a really good GPA, that's what trumps all (mine is a 3.5 overall with a 4.0 in my sciences).

Caitlynndavis · Oct 12, 2010

Hey! I am trying to get in for the ABSN in fall of 2011! What did you write about in your sample and how much exp did u have? How was your first degree GPA and ur prereq GPA???

Thanks a lot!

Caitlynn

Mel328 · Oct 12, 2010

I actually haven't sent in my essay yet... that's why I was shocked that I got an acceptance letter. I have no meddical experience except an internship at the morgue when I was 16. My background is aviation and teaching ESL. My undergrad GPA was 3.4, I have a masters with a 3.6 (when I called them last year, they said the credits aren't averaged, but they take into account advanced coursework) and my pre-reqs were a 4.0.

NP Sam · Oct 14, 2010

Caitlynndavis,

-My sample was about me, what nursing is to me, and what my ultimate goals are (examples: phD, msn, to rule the world, etc.). Don't be boring and generic... be different so you get noticed. Make them want to pass your sample around the room.

-Experience: 1 yr CNA, 1 yr pharmacy tech. It has helped me tremendously in both pharmacology and fundamentals.

-GPA: 3.4, but many of my peers are 3.7 and above! Prereq gpa: all A's one B.

Mel328, wow an acceptance letter without writing sample? Congrats! I recall that for general acceptance you get a letter in the mail. After that you go through SOAR online with a separate application and you have your application status change to "accepted." Is that how it happened for you? I'm so curious!

kristykat, BSN, RN · Dec 6, 2010

Questions for those of you who started in the Summer:

How hard was it to get accepted? I think they accept less students during the summer right?

How tough was it taking 17hrs in a shorter semester?

I'm finishing up my last pre-req so that I can apply for Summer 2011. :)

Gator Girl 2000 · Dec 11, 2010

Questions for those of you who started in the Summer:
How hard was it to get accepted? I think they accept less students during the summer right?
How tough was it taking 17hrs in a shorter semester?
I'm finishing up my last pre-req so that I can apply for Summer 2011. :)

Taking 17 hours was pretty crazy, but we made it through. :) School will be your life during that summer semester. This fall, the 2nd degree students had to take 22 credit hours. Everyone warned us that it would be our hardest semester. For me, summer was harder...hands down.

atakes · Dec 14, 2010

Does anyone know how much emphasis USF places on the writing sample and/or resume? I have a high GPA (graduated summa) , all 'A's in my prerequisites, and I do very well on standardized tests (99 percentile on TEAS). I feel pretty confident about my chances of getting into programs that are a straight "numbers game" (like UCF) but much less so when it's subjective. While I can write fairly well from a grammar standpoint, I am not "creative" at all. Also, my background is in computer science (former programmer) and then over 10+ years of being a stay at home mom. I really have no health care or even volunteer experience. Although I am applying to the ABSN programs at UCF and USF, going to UCF is a long shot financially and logistically. I really need to be in the Tampa area.

kristykat, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2010

From the info session I attended in August, this is how everything is weighted:

#1 cumulative GPA on ALL undergrad work (Spring 2010 range was 3.1 - 4.0)

#2 1st attempt grades for A&P I &II, Stats, Micro

#3 Resume (most wgt given to healthcare settings either paid or voluntary)

#4 Academic Writing Sample

A blind admissions committee assigns point values to each and then ranks everyone according to how many points they have. The top 24-36 are accepted into the program.

FYI - the most weighted factor is #2. They use your grades in these specific classes to predict how well you will do in their program.

atakes · Dec 14, 2010

Thanks for the response. I wonder if I have a shot at all with my resume or lack thereof...