Published Jun 20, 2005
SeekingNur
96 Posts
Greetings all,
I'm just now taking pre-reqs after very recently deciding that I wanted to be a nurse. I am very, very interested in attending UofT Houston's BSN program. I have not been able to find any info. on how competitive it is. Does anyone have any info. on GPA cut-off and how many they usually accept vs. how many apply? The info. on their website made it seem as if GPA is the most important factor in admission for them followed by how well you do on the interview. Any information you could offer would be appreciated greatly.
Thank You.
mrigas
73 Posts
UT-H is a competitive school. When I applied, there were 1500 applicants for 130 seats. I think my previous degree is what helped me get in as I do not have as high of a GPA as most of my other classmates. I am not sure how they weigh things now because they no longer do the formal interview. They now have you come in and write essays in place of the traditional interview.
DO NOT give up hope...whatever this information means to you! I did not think that I would make it in, but I did. Also know that I have heard of stories where 4.0'ers were turned away.
UT-H is a competitive school. When I applied, there were 1500 applicants for 130 seats. I think my previous degree is what helped me get in as I do not have as high of a GPA as most of my other classmates. I am not sure how they weigh things now because they no longer do the formal interview. They now have you come in and write essays in place of the traditional interview. DO NOT give up hope...whatever this information means to you! I did not think that I would make it in, but I did. Also know that I have heard of stories where 4.0'ers were turned away.
Ok that's even scarier than I thought lol. I have a 4.0 thus far and I'm working hard to keep it. I know I'll be at a disadvantage because I have no healthcare experience. I won't give up hope though I'll just keep doing my best. What else can we do other than our best? Thanks for responding.
Don't worry about not having any previous health care experience...most of my classmates had never stepped foot inside a hospital, short of visiting friends/family. Just continue to work hard and remain confident in the knowledge base you are attaining now. Be proud of yourself...you are on your way to being a nurse!!
ENP-wanna-be
18 Posts
Don't let the fear of competition keep you from applying. I got accepted for the Fall 05 BSN program and will start in August. Mrigas is right about the number of applicants, but I got in with an overall 3.6. I truly believe that the reason I got in was b/c they knew I was serious by looking at my first college transcript (full of F's and a 1.5 GPA) then looking at my most recent transcript (retook classes and got a 3.9 GPA). I was also involved in just about every campus organization that I could handle. Honors classes, Phi Theta Kappa, SGA, volunteering, you name it. They probably want people who have proven that they can handle the load and still make good grades. My advice, work your tail off to keep your grades up and get involved on campus. Even better, try to start volunteering at a local hospital. I've been doing it for the past 4 months and love it, only 4 hours per week! THis will look fantastic on your application, especially since it's not required! Above all, be CONFIDENT in yourself and your abilities. You'll do great!
~ENP-wanna-be
Thank you so much ENP. I have two small children and one on the way, I don't have time to do anything outside of child rearing BUT study. My whole family is rearranging our lives so that I can do this. Hopefully that fact ( I think it demonstrates some serious dedication) in combination with a solid GPA and whatever else I can get going should be useful. Your post made me feel much better.
I'm glad I could give you some encouragement! I have a husband and a 3-year old who are also rearranging everything. I can't tell you how much their support has meant to me over the past year. Honestly, the hardest part of going back to school is keeping your priorities in order. "Family comes first." I've truly learned the meaning of quality time. I'm incredibly nervous about starting UT mainly b/c of how I'm going to remain a good mom, good wife, and good student! I met one of the UT professors a while back and her words of encouragement were "Just don't give up. Whatever you do, don't give up. Oh, and go to a movie once in a while!" She made me feel alot better. I was beginning to think nursing school was full of studying robots! I also heard (not sure if true) that the average age of the students in the Fall 05 class is early 30's. I'm excited about meeting other people who are dealing with the same feelings.
It's great that you have a family that supports you!
Blessings,
EricTAMUCC-BSN, BSN, RN
318 Posts
"most of my classmates had never stepped foot inside a hospital"
this concerns me a little
TXAshley
14 Posts
EricTAMUCC-BSN-"most of my classmates had never stepped foot inside a hospital
this concerns me a little"
Yeah, it concerns me too, but I think it is very true. I volunteered 3 semesters at a local hospital but I was very surprised when applying to nursing school b/c most nursing schools never even had an area in the application where you could mention that you had ever worked or volunteered in a medical setting. From what I have seen of the nursing students at my school, many have never been in a hospital, which I think is a very important thing to do. I remember being a little overwhelmed the first time I took a tour of the hospital I volunteered at, and if I was in nursing school and that was my first experience with one I think I would possibly change my mind about the whole nursing school thing.
Not sure why it should be of concern. Most medical students have never stepped foot inside a hospital before they begin the academic portion of their training either, most lawyers have never served on a jury or clerked for a judge and so on and so forth.
Actually, at my college most serious pre-med and pre-PA students did volunteer at a hospital or did some kind of medical research internship over the summers. It is a big part of their application process, as medical schools want to be sure that their new students are not going to take one step in a hospital and drop out because they can't handle it. I'm sure there are a lot of nursing students out there that don't need to volunteer because they are sure they can handle it, but if I had not volunteered I don't think I would have even considered being a nurse and if I had gone to nursing school without volunteering I would have been overwhelmed at first. I had never been in a hospital before I volunteered, and when we were shown around the ICU visiting hours were ending and all the families were leaving. I knew that I would see some upsetting things, but I was surprised by the emotion I felt when I saw the families sobbing as they left. I'm just glad I had a wake up call before I jumped into it all. Considering that it is taken into consideration when applying to other types of health professional schools, I was surprised that it really wasn't important when applying to nursing school.
Of the friends that I have known who applied to and were successfully accepted in medical schools in different parts of the country, none had ever worked or volunteered in a medical setting. I guess it depends on the school etc.