UPenn Direct Entry BSN/MSN 2014

Lilo4 · Feb 10, 2014

Hi all!

I hope to see you guys in the ABSN/MSN FNP program this June! That said, are any of you guys concerned about financial aid and how we would be able to pay $100K just for the ABSN portion? It's about $20K per semester over 5 semesters and though I have been scrimping and saving since graduating from my undergrad years, I do not have this money. I know that loans will be available, and that we may receive grants...but, really...do you all have any thoughts about how generous they are or how you would approach this hurdle?

Thanks.

mewei · Feb 10, 2014

Hi all!
I hope to see you guys in the ABSN/MSN FNP program this June! That said, are any of you guys concerned about financial aid and how we would be able to pay $100K just for the ABSN portion? It's about $20K per semester over 5 semesters and though I have been scrimping and saving since graduating from my undergrad years, I do not have this money. I know that loans will be available, and that we may receive grants...but, really...do you all have any thoughts about how generous they are or how you would approach this hurdle?
Thanks.

Being as realistic as possible, I think that private loans are going to be necessary in order to pay for this program!

PNPhopeful · Feb 11, 2014

I'm definitely going to be relying on loans just like the majority of us. Has anybody started looking into housing?

eternalspring · Feb 12, 2014

No i haven't

Lilo4 · Feb 12, 2014

Nor have I begun looking. Probably won't start until I pay my deposit.

PNPhopeful · Feb 12, 2014

I've been trying to get a feel for the price of housing in neighboring areas. At this point I think I want to rent a 2bed, 2bath apt with 1 or 2 other girls some time in the middle of May. If anybody is interested in being roommies, let me know :) I know it's still early but I'm a huge planner and the thought of moving across the country has been quite daunting lol. But moving 3-4 weeks early will give me a chance to settle in, familiarize myself with the city, and feel relaxed before school starts :)

I don't think there's a facebook group for our cohort but I'll be happy to start one so we can all start getting to know each other!

sarahcee · Feb 12, 2014

Hi all! My name is Sarah, and I am one of the Accelerated Peer Advising Co-Chairs for your cohort and just wanted to say congratulations and welcome! We will be setting up a facebook group for you guys within the next week, and as well we will have several online chats to get all your questions answered. We'll also be posting some information regarding FAQs regarding housing, coursework, schedule, paying for Penn, etc. I know you all have TONS of questions and may be a bit nervous/excited/overwhelmed at the thought of upheaving your life to start an accelerated nursing program. It can be quite a lot to process and plan for, so please don't feel that you are alone in this! We're in the middle of a pretty busy semester, but we will get you guys connected to resources (including ourselves) as soon as we can. In the meantime, try not to stress too much (believe me, there will be plenty of that in nursing school :) ) and stay tuned. You are more than welcome to PM me on here with specific questions, but it may be a couple of days before I am able to get back to you. Hope to be in touch with many of you soon!

sarahcee · Feb 12, 2014

Hi newmy123, there are additional courses that you take in the BSN that you may be able to get out of taking with transfer credit. Many of these courses are new requirements for the BSN, as they just switched this year with my cohort to a new curriculum. The pre-reqs of course you have to have taken and gotten decent grades in for you to have been accepted, but other courses they are looking at for transfer credit include Policy, Ethics, and Research. If you can get out of those courses with transfer credit, then that either lightens up your schedule, or enables you to take other electives in the SON or elsewhere in the university.

sarahcee · Feb 12, 2014

hi PNPhopeful (and any others curious about when to plan for a move-in date). General consensus was that you should move out to Philly at least 1-2 weeks before the program starts. Some of my cohort members moved here as early as 1 month before classes started. Personally, I moved from CA so it was a pretty big transition. I also decided not to ship out any furniture, so I had furnish a place as well which can take time, especially if you are trying to save money and buy things used. It takes a week to 2 weeks to move in and get everything settled. I moved out a little less than 2 weeks early, and just barely got myself organized in time for school to start. I wished I had another day or three to get to know the city and campus as well. So with all of that in mind, aiming for a June 1st move-in date is what I would recommend. :)

sarahcee · Feb 12, 2014

Hi Lilo! To be completely honest, Penn is an expensive program. It's not necessarily more expensive than other similar programs, but it's 18 mos as opposed to 15 mos or 12 mos so that extra time means extra tuition as well. $100k is a LOT to wrap your head around. Here's the general run down on financial aid:

-Grant money is determined by financial need, which is based on either your income or your parents' income. If you are over 30 or married, you are considered an independent and only your income (and spouse's) are assessed. If you are under 30 and single, then you are still considered a dependent, and they will base your financial aid package off of your parents' income. It can be very frustrating if you fall in the latter bracket. That said, there were individuals in my cohort that got around $50k in grant money. The financial aid office really tries their best to work with you.

-Many people (myself included) had to take out private student loans to cover remaining costs.

-Almost everyone in the cohort gets some kind of scholarship. There are a few scholarships that you have to apply for once you've been accepted, so keep a look-out for those as they have a quick turnaround time.

-Overall, I found Penn to be more generous than other competitive schools with how much aid people typically got, but it is more expensive. Most people get jobs though starting after the first summer, and so are able to offset some costs that way. The majority of my classmates have some kind of part-time job, with research being the most popular type of job.

sarahcee · Feb 12, 2014

Here's the official academic calendar: Academic Calendar Fall 2013 through Summer 2016.

Keep in mind though that ABSN students don't always have the same amount of breaks. If your cohort follows the same schedule we have, you will have thurs/fri off for July 4th, and at most a few days off between summer and fall (some people only had the weekend). In the fall, you will have off Labor Day, get a 4 day weekend in mid October for fall break, and just the thurs/fri for Thanksgiving. Classes typically wrap up the 3rd week of December. You will have anywhere from 3 weeks to nearly 5 weeks off for winter break! In the spring, you follow the same academic calendar (MLK day off, one week for spring break). We're still waiting to hear about our summer schedule.

sarahcee · Feb 12, 2014

Yes, you will freeze! But that is only because us californians are so pampered by the good weather. I am a baby when it comes to the cold, and even in LA, I would wear my uggs and a thick jacket in 60 degree weather. So when I moved out to Philly two years ago, the winters were so cold and the summers were so humid. You do get acclimated to the weather though, it just takes a little bit of time to get used to. Your scarves become a necessity, not an accessory, and you'll buy jackets with down. It is nice to see the different seasons though, but at this point, I am ready for winter to leave!
As for moving out here, it was tough on my husband and me too. We came out here two years ago so he could attend medical school here and we selected a place without physically checking it out. Since, it was our first year, we wanted to make sure we had a somewhat comfortable living arrangement and be located in a safe area. Now that it's going to be our third year here, we're more open to moving to other areas since we know what's safe and what's dangerous.
Honestly, if you end up going to Upenn, I'd recommend just finding apartments in University City. Upenn is located in university city and it's a pretty safe area since there are a lot of colleges there. Unless you plan on commuting everyday, university city is where all the students live, and you'd be walking distance to school. If you want to be in center city, expect to pay more than anywhere else. There are a lot of suburban cities near upenn, but if you choose to live there, expect to drive to school or take a train (which can get costly). If you only plan to get your bsn, then I'd recommend just living in university city and hope for the best that the place you chose is alright. If you plan on doing the bsn/msn, then you can always find a better place that is more suitable to your needs after you situate yourself for the first year. I've lived here for 2 years and we don't need a car (I live in fairmount area). I think most clinicals are close by and you don't need a car, but there might be a few suburban areas that you'd have to take the train out. Parking is also kind of hard to find when you're in university city. If you live slightly farther from the schools, but still in that area, parking is easier. Hope this helps. Here is also a map of the general safe areas in philly, green is good to go, I wouldn't even try for yellow! https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=S+13th+St+%26+Ellsworth+St,+Philadelphia,+Pennsylvania+19147&t=h&msa=0&msid=103914503513450622647.0004857e74b887234a62f&ll=39.928596,-75.170603&spn=0.018627,0.045447&z=15

Thanks cchun for chiming in! With our cohort, about half of us live in University City and half in Center City. In general, many of the older students (late 20s, 30s) live in Center City, whereas many of the younger students live in University City. Places tend to be more expensive in University City, but newer and nicer as well. It's really individual preference. I live in Center City with a couple other girls, and it's about a 30 minute walk to school for me. The walk is pretty much the only exercise I get with our crazy schedule, so I typically enjoy it. This winter has been ridiculously cold though, so I gave in and bought a bus pass for the semester, which cost $327 with the Penn student discount. Individual bus fare is $2.25, or $1.80 per ride if you buy tokens.