UPENN BSN-MSN 2022

Hello y'all! Did anyone else apply to Emory or any other programs? I am currently torn between choosing UPenn's BSN-MSN program vs. Emory's MN-MSN program. I have been accepted to both for their FNP speciality. Any thoughts and/or advice? Thanks! (-: 

18 hours ago, jassssy said:

Hello y'all! Did anyone else apply to Emory or any other programs? I am currently torn between choosing UPenn's BSN-MSN program vs. Emory's MN-MSN program. I have been accepted to both for their FNP speciality. Any thoughts and/or advice? Thanks! (-: 

I am in the same boat with both schools as well, so any advice/thoughts would be helpful too!

I didn’t apply to those schools, but am waiting to hear back from UT Austin and have an interview with UCSF next month. For me personally, if I get in anywhere else I am not attending this school and that’s due to cost. 

I am in the exact same boat with Emory and Penn so far. Might need to visit cities as I am very torn and both would be a big move. I can't get a sense of exact difference in cost.

Also, I heard someone mention that there is a long break between finishing the BSN and starting the MSN portion at Penn, not sure if this is true, does anyone know anything further about this? 

13 minutes ago, Hopefullyfuturenp1 said:

I am in the exact same boat with Emory and Penn so far. Might need to visit cities as I am very torn and both would be a big move. I can't get a sense of exact difference in cost.

Also, I heard someone mention that there is a long break between finishing the BSN and starting the MSN portion at Penn, not sure if this is true, does anyone know anything further about this? 

I think that it might depend on the specialty you’re in because I believe that they start at different times in the year (Summer vs fall). So I think if we graduated in December and sit for the NCLEX before the Summer or fall we can start. This could be wildly wrong though haha just trying to figure it out myself 

25 minutes ago, Hopefullyfuturenp1 said:

I am in the exact same boat with Emory and Penn so far. Might need to visit cities as I am very torn and both would be a big move. I can't get a sense of exact difference in cost.

Also, I heard someone mention that there is a long break between finishing the BSN and starting the MSN portion at Penn, not sure if this is true, does anyone know anything further about this? 

As long as you come back within five years to finish the MSN portion. So you can get work experience if you choose… 

1 hour ago, krimpet267 said:

I think that it might depend on the specialty you’re in because I believe that they start at different times in the year (Summer vs fall). So I think if we graduated in December and sit for the NCLEX before the Summer or fall we can start. This could be wildly wrong though haha just trying to figure it out myself 

This is true! I was accepted to the FNP program and was trying to get a better sense from the director about why there is such a large gap. The hope is that you get work experience before starting the MSN, but I’m not sure if that’s something I want to do. Is there this big of a gap with other schools? I guess I was under the impression that this program was more continuous. 

12 hours ago, df18 said:

This is true! I was accepted to the FNP program and was trying to get a better sense from the director about why there is such a large gap. The hope is that you get work experience before starting the MSN, but I’m not sure if that’s something I want to do. Is there this big of a gap with other schools? I guess I was under the impression that this program was more continuous. 

13 hours ago, krimpet267 said:

I think that it might depend on the specialty you’re in because I believe that they start at different times in the year (Summer vs fall). So I think if we graduated in December and sit for the NCLEX before the Summer or fall we can start. This could be wildly wrong though haha just trying to figure it out myself 

Start time depends on each program. The website says all grad students in clinical require licensure in PA, NJ, and DE. Some of the programs also require actual working RN experience, not just licensure. I'm wondering if the time between passing the NCLEX and actually receiving a license can vary? The website says the students graduating in May (traditional BSN) don't qualify to immediately start Women's Health/Gender related NP Program due to licensure requirements, so there has to be a reason the timing is set up that way. 

16 minutes ago, Luca said:

Start time depends on each program. The website says all grad students in clinical require licensure in PA, NJ, and DE. Some of the programs also require actual working RN experience, not just licensure. I'm wondering if the time between passing the NCLEX and actually receiving a license can vary? The website says the students graduating in May (traditional BSN) don't qualify to immediately start Women's Health/Gender related NP Program due to licensure requirements, so there has to be a reason the timing is set up that way.  

Yes this is correct! I believe the purpose of the gap is to give us time to complex/pass our NCLEX and begin working in a unit that is similar to our NP speciality because I think all NP licensure requires typically 1 or 2 years experience before you can apply for licensing. My plan at least is to work in the NICU part-time while completing the MSN portion part-time, and then by the time Im ready to graduate I will have met the 2 year working requirement for Neonatal NP licensing. 

Side note**: This is one of the reasons I chose NP over PA because NPs are specialists and their license is more valuable than a generalist (PA) because of the specialty education/experience. 

4 hours ago, Chloe H said:

Yes this is correct! I believe the purpose of the gap is to give us time to complex/pass our NCLEX and begin working in a unit that is similar to our NP speciality because I think all NP licensure requires typically 1 or 2 years experience before you can apply for licensing. My plan at least is to work in the NICU part-time while completing the MSN portion part-time, and then by the time Im ready to graduate I will have met the 2 year working requirement for Neonatal NP licensing. 

Side note**: This is one of the reasons I chose NP over PA because NPs are specialists and their license is more valuable than a generalist (PA) because of the specialty education/experience. 

Oh interesting, I thought the experience requirement was for starting the MSN program, not to get licensed in that NP specialty. 

On 1/16/2022 at 1:32 PM, eeee4 said:

Waitlist people—does anyone know if you will be told either way if you’re off the waitlist or rejected in March? 

I think we will hear back if we are off the waitlist by May 1 the latest. 

On 1/18/2022 at 2:11 AM, jassssy said:

Hello y'all! Did anyone else apply to Emory or any other programs? I am currently torn between choosing UPenn's BSN-MSN program vs. Emory's MN-MSN program. I have been accepted to both for their FNP speciality. Any thoughts and/or advice? Thanks! (-: 

Congratulations on both acceptances! That is a huge accomplishment. 

Personally, I would base my decision on a few things:

• feel of the program (what kind of vibe did you get from the open houses, staff/students/faculty, school values? Can you see yourself fitting into this school well?)
• location (both Philly and ATL are great cities with a lot of connections to other places. However, they are also very different cities. Where can you see yourself long term? Consider lifestyle of each city, proximity to family/friends, etc.)
• cost/return on investment (If money isn't a factor, then do you. Both programs will get you to your end goal of being an FNP so I personally would go with the cheaper option to accrue less debt)

I hope that helps! The decision is ultimately yours, so choose the program/pathway that you will be most satisfied with ?

Congratulations again on your acceptance to both programs! What ever you choose will be the right decision.