I'ved applied to VCU's 2015 accelerated BS program and now am waiting for January to come...3 months is going to go by too slowly but I'm so excited too!
I'm reaching out to any current applicants to learn about you and your background...please share! :) I'm currently an Athletic Trainer and have been working in this field for the past 11 years but have decided to take a turn in my career and become a nurse! I'm hoping my experiences will be in my favor.
Also reaching out to previous & current students to ask you your tips for success in the program. Please share anything that works for you!
NFC - that sounds about right from what I've heard and looked up myself. Where is everyone from? I live in Harrisonburg about 2 hours away. VCU is a great school and Richmond is a nice city. Anyone know if we should be prepared for phone interviews? I didn't go o an orientation so I'm not sure what to expect over these next few months besides waiting for a decision.
I also got my "complete and ready for review" email! Anyone else notice that it says decisions will go out Early February 2015?! Such a long wait!
I am from Maryland but I graduated from VCU with my undergrad degree. I would say that living in Shockhoe Bottom is probably most convenient. You can walk to MCV from there and it's basically part of downtown Richmond. Plus, most apartments in that area havve all utilities incuded which is amazing for the price and convenient. The Fan is nice but you would need to utilize the bus system to get back and forth from the MCV campus. ( I lived in the Fan for undegrad!) Also, the museum district (area above Boulevard) is nice and similar to the Fan but again it is quite far from the MCV campus. Church Hill is another area where you could find a well-priced place and depending on where you live there are some awesome views of downtown and the surrounding area BUT certain areas are a little more "up and an coming" than others.
I'm a current tradition VCU nursing student in my junior year. Just some background - I got wait listed the first time I applied as a freshman, tried again and got in the following year. I applied with a 3.6 GPA my first time but got wait listed due to a incomplete/late application (due to a "no submission" from one of my references). I got accepted my sophomore year, having completed all my pre reqs around that time with a 3.4 GPA (I got a C in anatomy!). I honestly think my GPA is a little low and people are surprised when I tell them I got a C in anatomy...but I think I got in also based on other factors, i.e. improved personal statement, better references, completed pre reqs, volunteering, and the fact that I was wait listed the first time and they considered me. It's different for everyone.
Anywho, the program is great and I'm learning a lot. Majority of your clinicals are at Main Hospital which is a few min walking distance from the School of Nursing building. The nurses are great teachers, well a majority of them (some nurses have bad days lol). First year classes are easy...but then when you get to your second year in the program (junior year, the year I'm currently in), it hits ya hard and you don't think it's not so easy (well not for me at least)! Adults, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology are the hardest classes for junior year I think. You have to be proactive and make sure to review the material each day and not put it off the night before the exam. Always come prepared and just stay on top of the material and you should be fine....the grading scale is kinda crazy where a passing is an 80 C...Ideally I want A's and B's but I've learned so far in the program that I'm just grateful to have a passing grade sometimes on exams. Especially for Pharmachology, you have to make sure you are PASSING or else you will get dropped out of all your clinical courses that semester and be held back - this is a new policy they made so make sure you stay on top of everything! Sorry if this sounds scary but it's totally do-able if you do what you're supposed to be doing as a student. It is hard but will be worth it :)
Since you applied for accelerated, your group should be going through all this material within...a year and two summers? If that makes sense, so it will be back to back classes. Same thing - stay on top of the material. I'm actually in classes with accelerated students (they mix accelerated and traditional students during the second year of the program) and they are super friendly lovely people.
That's all for now, just thought I'd share. Good luck!!
Thanks for the info roczn! It is very helpful to hear an insider's viewpoint. I completely understand your feelings on the 80% pass criteria. I am currently in an LPN program with the same criteria. My freshman semester was no problem, however, I am in my sophmore semester now taking Pharm, Med Surge, and Psych and it is much more challenging - especially going from Fundamentals to Med Surge. I am passing, however, you are correct in telling us all to stay on top of it. Nursing school requires stamina and being proactive with studying, for sure!
I have a question on the nursing manuals/programs that VCU uses. Do you have Evolve Elsevier books and test with Hesi? I believe that is what I saw when I was at the info session but just want to make sure.
Hey I'm in the same boat. I applied and had everything submitted. Not sure what the application preference means. I did get an e-mail from them saying thanks for your interest, please send any unofficial transcripts with grades for any classes taken this semester. Not a whole lot more than that.
Does anybody have approximate tuition figures for in-state students? I know I used the sample curriculum they have online and added it up myself. It came to about $25,000 for the whole 5 semester program. This did not include books, housing or other charges for the program.
Does anyone see an Application Status link when they log into their app to see everything that has been submitted?
I was reading one of the message boards from last years application process and many of them stated that they have an application status on this part of the application that said "complete and ready for review".
I have only got the email so far.
I also know from an info session that logging into the VCU VIP page to check your application status will not work for nursing applicants....Can it just be Jan/Feb already?!
I applied to the program as well. I am a VT student graduating in December. I am from Richmond and can't wait to find out about admissions decisions because VCU is my top choice!
twinkletoes22 - i don't see anything on mine other than what you have so don't worry. i'm sure if you got the e-mail from the office of admissions, everything is okay.
Hey all! I wish I was joining you guys this summer, unfortunately VCU only received 2 of my 3 references therefore...no review. Very disheartened about that.
bboy45
59 Posts
NFC - that sounds about right from what I've heard and looked up myself. Where is everyone from? I live in Harrisonburg about 2 hours away. VCU is a great school and Richmond is a nice city. Anyone know if we should be prepared for phone interviews? I didn't go o an orientation so I'm not sure what to expect over these next few months besides waiting for a decision.