University of Washington in Seattle ?

ilovenursing2009 · Nov 10, 2009

Hi-
Can anyone tell me if the nursing program at the University of Washington in Seattle is hard to get into? I am currently a community college student in NJ and looking to transfer after finishing my pre nursing courses OR after getting my associates degree in nursing.
Im afraid they wont accept me because my highschool GPA is VERY low but if my Community College gpa is above a 3.0 or a 3.5 will i still have a good chance of getting in? I really would like to transfer to the nursing program there and Im not sure what I need to do to make up for my bad high school record. I know UW seattle accepts about 61% of applicants- but is that different for the nursing program? It seems too good to be true that their nursing program is ranked very high and they accpet so many students! I've e-mailed the school with questions and havent heard back yet. If anyone can help me out/give me some advice it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks :)

I am from that area and yes it is hard to get into. If you can though you will be set. They have been the number one school since 1985. If I had my way I would have gone there....would have paid any amount. Do what you can to make yourself very very competitive. I can't say enough about UW! Go Huskies!!!!

CorpsmanRN, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2009

From the area as well and yes, I have heard it is difficult to get into. If you get your Associates in Nursing, you can look into the BSN bridge programs at UW-Bothell & UW-Tacoma. Good luck!! And yes, GO DAWGS!

j450n, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 12, 2009

I don't know if they accept 60% of their applicants. I think it's about 96 seats for about 400 applicants. Here are some profiles of accepted students that were posted on their website a few years back. I found it searching through older threads. It seems like they don't have these posted on their website anymore. Still, it's a nice way to make a comparison and to see how competitive you may be. UW really focuses on a well-rounded student.

Profile 1

Transfer student from community college and another four year institution. Applicant completed 5 natural sciences prerequisites at the time of application with a gpa of 3.0. Resume included experience as a CNA in a nursing home, volunteering in a homeless shelter, student advisor for freshman at a 4-year university, numerous workshops in caring for elderly. Strong recommendation letter outlining maturity, problem solving skills, patient care experience and cultural sensitivity. Personal statement and proctored essay answered questions and demonstrated maturity; insight into personal strengths and weaknesses; appropriate balance between caring for clients and self; sensitivity and understanding of client needs and conditions.

Profile 2

Current UW student with transfer degree from community college. All prerequisites completed with a 3.85 gpa. Extensive CNA experience at three different long term care facilities; international experiences, community involvement with homeless populations and events coordinator for HIV/AIDS

education training. Reference from RN Supervisor reports performance above expectations, lists problem solving skills, maturity, patient care involvement and taking responsibility above and beyond required job responsibilities. Personal statement and proctored essay are articulate, well written, clearly respond to questions and list good examples to demonstrate points.

Profile 3

UW student with all prerequisites completed with a 3.30. Volunteer experience at UWMC for seven months, volunteer tutor for elementary school children, training and leadership experience in a retail facility, bilingual. Good recommendation from UWMC supervisor. Personal statement and proctored essay demonstrate maturity and insight into own behaviors and demonstrated reflection and personal growth. Applicant demonstrated ability to balance own needs vs. patient rights and needs.

Profile 4

Current UW student with transfer credits from community college. Five out of six natural sciences prerequisites completed with a 4.0. Volunteer experiences at 2 large Medical Centers and Bailey Boushay House. Extensive involvement in UW student activities, residence halls, and extracurricular activities in music and dance. Good recommendation from RN at one medical center. Personal statement and proctored essay responses are well written and respond concisely to all questions.

Applicant demonstrates cultural sensitivity, appropriate balance and insight of strengths and weaknesses and ability to see a "big picture" in relationship to others, including patients and health care professionals.

Profile 5

Current UW student with transfer degree from community college. Applicant is a re-applicant and improved application in all areas including increasing health care experience, completing prerequisites and increasing gpa and seeking out workshops, classes and involvement to strengthen cultural awareness. Natural science gpa is 3.50; applicant speaks 3 languages. Experiences in inpatient and outpatient facilities. Leadership and teaching experience in retail as well as student activities at UW and community college. Personal statement demonstrates maturity, insight, reflectiveness and sensitivity toward others in an outstanding manner.

Profile 6

Community college student with 3.75 cum gpa and natural science prerequisite gpa of 4.0. Health care experience as CNA, in assisted living facility and through client home visits. Extracurricular activities

including athletic coaching, communication training, training classes through employment. Very strong recommendation from RN supervisor. Personal statement and proctored essay demonstrate personal growth, ability to look at complexities and come up with solutions demonstrating caring for self and others in a balanced manner as well as sensitivity to others.

Profile 7

Current UW student with transfer credits from community college. Prerequisites are all completed with a 3.20 gpa. Resume includes volunteering in a variety of positions including escort, unit volunteer,

two nursing homes, needle exchange, overseas mission, fundraisers, and outpatient activities. Extensive teaching and training experience through church activities, community festivals, youth camps for disabled young adults. Very strong recommendation from clinic supervisor. Personal statement was insightful, articulate, demonstrates extensive cultural awareness and sensitivity as well as applicant's motivation to learn from new environments, embrace challenges and stretch comfort zone.

Profile 8

Community college student with a 3.50 gpa in natural sciences prerequisites. Health care experience as medical assistant for 5 plus years, community involvement through sports activities, church functions, and organizing community events. Very strong recommendation from Nurse Practitioner. Applicant's personal statement demonstrates ability to overcome obstacles by turning them into opportunities for personal growth and character strengthening. Applicant demonstrates leadership, ability to balance own needs vs. needs of others as well as caring for others in a sensitive manner.

SeaNurse03 · Jul 4, 2011

As a graduate of the BSN program at UWSON, I can tell you that the vast majority of my class felt very dissapointed by the education they received at the school. Apart from their learning experiences, students felt, almost without exception, that their teachers were not at all interested in being teachers, and viewed their classes and their students as chores. In addition, many studnets felt mislead by the SON's marketing materials which tout a globally-focused and even "holistic" nursing program for globally-minded individuals. These claims are revealed to be jokes within the first couple weeks of instruction. The various complaints regarding teachers who havn't actually nursed for decades are deffinitely true. Many teachers receive the exact same complaints from class after class, but because they bring the school money in the form of research grants (for globally-important subject matter such as IBS and restless leg syndrome...) and must teach in order to maintain a tenured position, are pawned off on unsuspecting undergraduate nursing students. Some teachers, a prof. Cunningham in particular, cross the neglectful teacher line over to the side of mean/passive agressive teacher. A previous commenter stated that they were treated as an intellectually mature individual, which made me giggle. I heard time and time again by lazy teachers who couldn't justify their lack of interest or skill in their job that they are simply treating their students as "capable adults", deflecting their deficiencies onto their students. UWSON was the worst two years of my life. Having been a nurse for a year, I feel like the school ruined me for the profession before I even got started. I came to the UWSON an idealistic student with designs of working in the field of global health, and left a rather cynical individual with a very bad taste left in his mouth for his new profession: nursing.

In specific response to your question, it is hard to get into and not at all worth the trouble. While I got a job before graduation, this was not due to being a UW student. Some members of my cohort are still applying, almost a year out of school. I would suggest any local community college, where teachers are there to teach and there are no conflicts of interest betweent he school and their student body.

babyNP., APRN · Jul 6, 2011

If I'm being fair--yeah a UW teacher came to my school (not UW) to teach clinicals at UWMC for my rotation during a particular quarter and she pretty much left us to our own devices even though it was our very first days in clinicals as nursing students. We even didn't really know how to get ahold of her...the nurses didn't really know what to do with us either and said that most of the patients didn't want a nursing student anyway so we couldn't do assessments.

I didn't know what to make of it back then as a spanking brand-new nursing student, but looking back on it...seriously. I'm pretty disappointed in that experience.

NicoleRN707 · Jul 21, 2015

Yes, I missed a date entry on my application and was not accepted. Just make sure to check and double check your application.There are many other nursing school in Seattle that are easier to get into. In the end it really doesn't matter.

NicoleRN707 · Jul 21, 2015

Wow, that is horrible teaching. I am so glad I got into a smaller school, where they care.