Villanova BSN Express Spring 2015

arsla27 · Oct 21, 2014

Question. I, for some reason, totally read the title of the forum as Villanova Fall 2015 (Spring 2015) entry. Are you guys all accepted/interviewed for the spring 2015..??? I didn't think there was a spring term for Villanova Express BSN

sweetem · Oct 21, 2014

Technically it's Summer 2015, BSN express classes start in May after the spring semester ends. I think maybe the alternate sequence program begins in the fall

arsla27 · Oct 21, 2014

Ah well we're on the same page then. I applied to nova on sept 24 and still haven't heard back about the interview! Mayb I got rejected. wah D:

RNL0VE · Oct 22, 2014

Hi Everyone! I went to the open house last night - learned a ton of information that I think may be helpful to everyone. Tuition for the May 2015 cohort is $42,000 this year and they said to plan another $2000 for books, uniforms, etc. They get about 200 applicants for about 80ish seats. The open house had a final portion where 6 of the current students came and talked with us answering any and all questions we could think of. It was nice to get a student perspective rather than the admin perspective.

They said that their starting class was 88 and after the summer about 4 or 5 left the program due to whatever personal reasons. Expect to be in class/clinical during the summer Mon thru Fri and then Mon thru Thurs during fall/spring. Lab is 10 students to 1 professor. Clinicals are 6-8 students to 1 instructor. They have been in many different hospitals so far for clinical - Presbyterian, Pennsylvania, HUP, Paoli, Abington, Doylestown, etc.

The labs are all state of the art and very good. The dummies they have breathe, blink, talk and the infant lips turn blue, they also have a mother that gives birth, too! They hire actors to come in and simulate worried parents during pediatrics or to simulate a sick patient or even to play a psych patient. Sounds really incredible.

That's all I can think of at the moment but hope this helps! :) it sounds like a wonderful program and that the faculty really care about their students succeeding.

KAB123 · Oct 22, 2014

I second everything RNLove mentioned. I cant believe how welcoming and caring the nursing department is there! I applied to a a couple different schools in the area and Villanova definitely seems to go above and beyond from what I can see.

One thing I was most curious about was the schedule of classes. The students told us the Summer session is almost like a full time job Mon - Fri ALL DAY. They said the Fall session (which is the session they are in now) is similar to the summer session but they did say they currently have Fridays "off". By that they mean there is no class or clinical but the day really needs to be used for studying. Also there is a week break in between all the sessions! Woohoo. As for the Spring semester I cant remember but I assume similar to the Fall!

A couple of the students also said they work a few hours bartending or what not at night too. I was surprised by that but I guess some people can really fit it all in!

Driscoll Hall (The nursing building) is beautiful! Like RNLove said all state of the art equipment and the building is only 5 years old!

Hope that also helps and good luck everyone!

sweetem · Oct 22, 2014

Confirming everything already said, it was wonderful touring the building and speaking with the current students. They all seem to really love the program, and believe they are getting a great education! I see we missed each other RNL0VE and KAB, probably should have planned a little better lol. Definitely should meet up at the orientation before classes begin.

lisa15307 · Oct 22, 2014

Hi All! Finally got my transcript issues all sorted, and I have an interview set up for Nov 4 with Dr. A.S. So happy, excited and nervous. I'm going to take the train down from RI for the day. For those of you who went on a campus tour, was it useful or really just geared to traditional undergrad students? Did anyone ask about sitting in for a lecture? If so, what was your experience. It sounds like the Open House night was really useful- thank you Sweetem and KAB123 and RNLOVE for posting details- very helpful for those of us who couldn't make it.

sweetem · Oct 22, 2014

The tour was just of Driscoll Hall, so we saw the lecture room/classrooms, study areas, and labs. Also there's a little coffee spot on the second floor for those who need it Definitely tour the labs, and check the self guided tour on the website.

I did not ask about sitting in on a lecture but I think you can email someone about that. Also lectures are recorded for the class which is great! A few more things: the summer session is supposed to be the most challenging as it's very fast paced so you hit the ground running right away. They are very flexible with clinicals which start around July and it seems like you may have some input on where you can do them (though they will be throughout the city and suburbs). Also they have a carpool setup, and if you carpool they make sure you're not out of a ride during clinicals.

Also the students alluded to how they felt when interacting with the Drexel/ Jefferson students during their clinicals, almost that they felt super prepared or even...more professional? I thought that was very interesting.

Good luck on the interview lisa!

Also, to add, this link has a lot of the information that Prof. M.L and the students mentioned: http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/nursing/programs/undergrad/second/bsnexpress/admission/incoming.html

warriortac · Oct 23, 2014

lisa15307, when I went for my interview I did a separate campus tour. It was definitely geared toward being a college Freshman, but I loved being able to see the whole school and hear information about it. They didn't take us to Driscoll Hall, but when I went to the interview my interviewer let me walk down and see the SIM labs. It has been 3 weeks since my interview as of yesterday, so I hope I hear something soon!

Sweetem, KAB123 and RNL0VE, thank you for all the detailed information you posted! I wish I would have been able to make the trip again, but considering my busy work schedule I wouldn't have been able to travel there.

On a side note: For those who have been accepted, once you are, how long after do they require your deposit to be paid? Thanks!

peppymint · Oct 23, 2014

Thanks for the awesome link, sweetem!! Very useful. Did anyone else get the email about vaccines?

RNL0VE · Oct 23, 2014

Hey! So I got my acceptance oct 4th and had until nov 7th to send in my deposit (along with a picture of myself). One of the students mentioned that if you need a little more time to pay the deposit they are totally understanding, just talk to them :)

I agree with what everyone has been saying about the program. I got the vaccination email - I went on tues to have my blood drawn to check to see what I'm still immune to from the list, calling the dr next week for results and they said anything not immune to they will give me a booster.

Also - anyone take pathophysiology yet? That's my last class I'll need in the spring, nova offers 2 sections (1 face to face and 1 online) for income BSN expressers. It's really expensive though, so I'm going to look to online thru community college, however none of the ones around here offer it. Nova sends a list of many diff online options from schools all over the US but wanted to ask you which you've taken or plan to take and why

Thanks! :)

peppymint · Oct 23, 2014

Do you know what the final cost of Pathophysiology is through Villanova? I looked at the part-time study costs and wasn't sure if they charged the day rates ($845) or evening rates ($550).

I did just find an online 16 week course through University of New England for $1285, for 4 credits. The nice part about it is you can start the course at any time. I wonder if Villanova will accept these credits. I guess I'll email and ask.