UPenn Direct Entry BSN/MSN 2014

Nursing Students School Programs

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Hi there,

I was surprised there wasn't already a thread for those applying to UPenn's direct entry program since the threads from previous years were so active, so I thought I would start one where this year's applicants could gather. :)

I'm just hoping to get to know some other applicants so we can support each other through this nerve wracking process! My name is Michelle and I am applying for the Nurse Anesthesia specialty, I'm in the process of working on my personal statement. Any others out there?

Hey everyone, got directed here by Ames after starting another thread after not finding this one. Got my FNP invite, but like some of you am debating between phone/in-person due to being on the west coast... Congrats peeps!

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Specializes in Pediatric CICU.

Congrats to everyone! I will be flying from the West Coast. tbp1015, any recommendations on places to visit/great places to eat? I will have a whole day to roam the city before my interview. How is the public transportation over there? Also, how should I prepare myself for the weather? I've lived in California my whole life so I don't want to freeze to death before my interview!

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Hollysf... Congrats on the interview. Any insight into how to prepare for the interview or why you think you didn't get in the first time?

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I'm in the same boat. Did not receive an invitation for an interview (for the CNM speciality). I'm not interested in only getting my BSN for now, and I also don't live near Philly, so I'm not bothering to continue with the interviews for the accelerated BSN portion.

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tbp1015 which hotel would you recommend staying at that is closest to Penn?

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Was anybody ever able to access the portal save for the first couple of weeks we gained access to it? I've been getting errors pretty much since November hit...

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Chloerose, I would suggest getting a firm grasp on why you want to go into nursing, why you chose your specialty, why you want to go to Penn specifically and I'd brush up on current events in your field. I definitely did not feel like my interviewer was trying to trick me with obscure questions or anything. I wish I could remember some specific questions I was asked, outside of the obvious!

I'm not certain why I didn't get in last year. My interviewer didn't have my most relevant letter of recommendation when she called me to interview, and I always wondered if that negatively impacted me, or if that letter was missing from my application the entire process. To be honest, Penn attracts some of the most well-rounded, academically impressive and interesting applicants. I felt like my application was strong last year, but I was up against some seriously impressive competition. You just never know! I was accepted into a different program last year (but opted to not go at the last minute for a variety of reasons) and so I never directly inquired about why I was denied.

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mewei -- there is a lot to do, see, and eat here so it really depends on what kind of stuff you like! it would probably be easiest to chat about this using a pm, but i have not yet earned my right to do that :) feel free to shoot me an email if you'd like. my email address is [email protected]. public transportation is okay, but not fantastic when compared to other major cities. it's a very walkable city though especially in the penn area and from center city to penn. also, if you're somewhere near the two subway lines, then it's really easy... as for the weather, it's kinda hard to predict in november and december. sometimes it feels like a beautiful fall day and other times it's snowing. like today, it was high in the upper 60's and sunny and earlier this week it dropped down to the 20's and was really windy. usually, it's not too bad early in december, but i would recommend looking at the weather a week or few days before to see which of the weather versions we get. and if it's cold, bundle up! i'm a hat, gloves, scarf kind of person myself, despite living in the northeast my whole life.

newmy123 -- there are a few nice hotels near penn, but it really depends on your budget. the hotels near penn are often used by visiting parents, penn alums, etc so they're not exactly student budget hotels. feel free to email me if you know what your budget is or have some places in mind and i can tell you how the neighborhood is and whether you'll have any difficulty getting to penn from there.

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Hi lizbit. I also did not get invited to interview for the CNM specialty but am going to continue with the interview process. I just wanted to let you know that, as I understand it, all of the ABSN students are able to apply to the masters program after one quarter (I believe) of the BSN program and then submatriculate. At the info session in SF last month we were told that the acceptance rate for BSN students applying to the MSN program is somewhere around 95%. So being accepted to just the BSN portion still leaves you with a really good chance of going straight through with the masters!

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Hi crudy! I am also continuing with the accelerated BSN interview process due to the reasons you just mentioned.

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Hi crudy & JustD16! I'm in the same boat as y'all, but for Family NP. I have my accelerated BSN phone interview tomorrow. Best of fortune to you both!

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How did it go, Ltmalli? I have mine tomorrow!

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