Waiting Lists and Schools Help Please...

NightOwlGirl · Apr 14, 2010

Good luck with the application process! It can seem like a tough & confusing maze at times.

I have a previous bachelor's degree, and most of the programs in Ohio I considered (both ASN & BSN) looked at both my overall undergraduate GPA + my GPA in the pre-reqs (Chem, Micro, A&P, etc.), and considered them together. I had a 3.7 w/honors (composite) & a 4.0 (pre-requisites).

Have you thought about applying to ABSN programs? I looked at doing a traditional RN, but the wait-list time was crazy & in some cases longer than applying as a transfer student to a 4-year BSN.

Even though they can seem pricey (I'm paying out-of-pocket, too) my thought was why not maximize the credentials you already have, rather than start over from scratch. (I'll begin an ABSN in June 2010.)

Nichole43119 · Apr 14, 2010

I did look at them. Unfortunately, I am not able to just pay 20 - 30k a year out of pocket. 10 is already a stretch and with my schedule and the demands of the classes I am not able to work FT. Also, I do not wish to get my BSN quite yet. I want to work as an RN.

I am not sure yet if I can get in, but I have hope. Worst case, I know Hondros doesn't have a waiting list and I can go there.

Thanks you for your reply.

kidsnstudyn · Apr 14, 2010

CSCC is not always a 2 year wait. It is based on First Come First Served, in that the first people to apply when application opens that have all their prereqs done are the ones that get in. For the January application, they took everyone that applied @9:00 & 9:01 according to their server, that met the prereqs. I got in, my application was in by 9:00:30. A girl in my anatomy who applied at 9:05ish didn't. I'm just repeating what the lady in the nursing department told me about who got in. They also have a July application date. I don't know how much of the spring start date will be open though. :crying2: The lady wouldn't give me hard numbers, but I heard from someone else that over 300 applied for about 140 spots.

I started back to school Fall of 08 with 1 class/quarter for 3 quarters then 2 classes for 2 quarters and last quarter and this I've taken 3classes - Summer I'm only going to take 2 classes I think. by the time I start nursing I'll have gone to school for 2 years, but not full time and not waiting. It will then [hopefully] be 7 quarters til I graduate. So about 4 years for my ADN or RN whatever you want to call it... There's ways to do it without "waiting", but you kind of have to plan it that way. I could actually use one extra quarter before I start nursing just to finish getting the rest of my non-nursing courses done so while in the nursing portion I'm just doing that, nursing classes. But I'll have most of them done and I'll just cope! :)

I also did clinicals for my STNA course and we were there with some Hondros students, none of them were happy, they [ALL 9 of them] wished they'd gone with different programs but they'd paid their money and were mid program so they were all finishing it out... I think they were training for LPN though.

I really hope that helped and good luck with picking a school.

Katie

Nichole43119 · Apr 14, 2010

Thank you that really does help me. I think for CSCC edu I will have to take Medical Terminology class. I am trying to take that in the Summer. So i have Bio and Chem this qtr. Chem and Medical Term plus my STNA class ( I plan to go during the 2 week Spring/Summer break) next qtr. Then I want to apply during Jan for the Fall 2011 qtr. I am planning to apply to at least 3-4 schools and hope I get in.

I am glad to see the cscc is 1st come 1st serve. It makes my chances better. I just really want to get in during 2011. But I agree I can just take non nursing courses while I wait IF I have to wait. I see what you are saying. I had just read about people being placed on a waiting list for cscc. That's strange. I also think i will rethink Hondros it is really my last choice.

COTC & CSCC are my 1st choices as I live in Columbus.

kidsnstudyn · Apr 14, 2010

Med Term is not required for CSCC, but I took it. If you run out of classes that you need to take for your ADN, ask your adviser about classes you might need later when you want to take your ADN -> BSN or Masters, and take those if you need to go to school FT for insurance or Financial Aid reasons there are ways to keep taking courses that will eventually be needed... I did forget to say I've heard decent things about COTC, but I've never really heard *alot*. KWIM? Also the info I gave is mostly my experience with getting into the Traditional Tract at CSCC, not the online or LPN.

Katie

nursetonya1877 · Apr 17, 2010

I just wanted to let you know that I am an LPN and you should have no problem finding a job. It will more than likely be in a nursing home but there are plenty of them out there. You will definitely make more money as an LPN! It is good experience too!

Nichole43119 · Apr 21, 2010

Ok one last question. So I know I have to have my app submitted by 9:02am the day application enrollment begins. My question is this: Is the application long? Or is it a simple click to enroll and then you are submitted to the pool with a time stamp? I mean do I have to fill out an actual application? ( I know I have to go in before and make sure all of my paper work is completed.) But with the actual enrollment do I just click on the link for nursing and get put in a pool? Also can I log into both my computers and apply for the LPN and RN at the same time? lol

lurchgriffith · Apr 22, 2010

the best advice i can give you is for you not to listen to katie. if by cscc you mean columbus state, or clark state community college, they both have at least a two year wait list and they will tell you that. the first come first served is very simple, if you have 300 people apply then they get accepted in that order, 1 through 300. the only reason they would skip someone is if they didn't have the required gpa or they didn't met the pre req needed, or they just went to other school. it has nothing to do with gender, race, or if your gpa is higher than someone else’s, as long as you meet the required gpa a 2.0 will get in before a 3.0 as long as they signed up first and met all other requirements.

as far as taking a medical terminology class as a pre req, you better take one even of someone tells you there is no need to you better take one. nursing is a whole new langue and you want to be prepared.

i am a nursing student at hondros in fairborn which is the newest hondros (as far as i know), and i will tell you this, if someone tells you they wish they would have went to a different nursing school then you better ask to see their gpa because 95% of the time the problem is the learner. nursing school takes a lot of time devotion and people fail, but it is a very doable course if you are willing to sacrifice your time. if you don’t give 100% you will not see 100% in any nursing class you take.

all nursing schools are governed by the ohio board of nursing (bon), i don't care you your osu or bob's college of nursing, the bon is there for the students to make sure we are getting the proper education. any curriculum put together by any nursing school has to be approved by the bon, and all the schools are held to the same set of rules.

if you have a question about a particular school the first step would be go to the ohio board of nursing web site and look them up. on the site you can find pass rates for every nursing school in ohio. follow this link; http://www.nursing.ohio.gov/education.htm go half way down the page and you will see this: nursing education program nclex statistics and under that you can find the pass rates. you will see that clark state lpn pass rate is 97% (46/47 #of students) columbus state 85% (76/89) hondros 92% (264/287). the rn pass rates; (same order) 87% (72/83) 87% (157/181) 85% (29/34). these numbers were the year to date numbers. this is what you need to look at, these are the numbers that count because no matter how bad someone says a school is or how good a school is, the numbers never lie.

as far as picking a school. look bad nurses can come from any school as well as good nurses can come from any school. in your life if ever there was a time you were at the hospital and someone helped you and was just the best, did you really care what school they went to? do you think the child, adult, or elderly patient you might one day care for will care what school you went to? no. they want nothing more than for you to just know what you are doing, and the bon makes sure that a school teaches you what you need to know, and the nclex makes sure you know what you need to know.

do you really think that all 9 students from one school would tell a student from another school at a clinical site that they disliked the school they were at and they wished they went to a different school?

i really do think this allnurses site is great but never take anybodies word over what you can find out for yourself. i think hondros is a great school and i am happy i went there. i was a student at clark state and on the wait list, which was 2 years, my last quarter was summer and i started hondros in the nursing program in fall.

you are the only one who can make the choice, and you are the only one who will know what is best. if you applied today at hondros you would start the nursing program in the summer, be working as an lpn in the following summer of 2011, be in the rn program that summer, and finish rn in a five quarters. i was 29 at the time i went to enroll, and being 32 and an rn sounded better to me than being 32 on a wait list somewhere.

i hope you find your answers somewhere and you get to enjoy the experience of nursing school. it will be one of the best things you will do for yourself. just remember, if anyone talks bad about someone or something else you have to ask yourself why.

kidsnstudyn · Apr 22, 2010

As to your question.... it was fast, literally 30 seconds. Be online at 8:45am and ready with your Name, Cougar ID & SSN.

Okay, I disagree with alot of the above post - mostly the personal stuff aimed at me - for some reason, when I was NOT trying to personally say anything bad about anyone who goes to Hondros or anywhere else, I don't think Columbus State is the end-all, be-all of nursing schools... but come on, I was sharing my experiences, I didn't know there would be a litmus test....

they both have at least a two year wait list and they will tell you that

- No they won't, or at least not anyone I've talked to, they always deny a "waitlist". You might have to wait, and you might not. It is first come-first served that has their stuff done, but I wrote that in a previous post. And I didn't wait 2 years on a list. I start with the nursing school this fall, and I applied in January - The application date for the fall class - no wait for me. So??? and I'm going to be 32 when I graduate as well.

I was at a nursing home in Worthington when we met those Hondros students, I don't have a taped confession out of them :eek: - sorry- that they didn't like it... maybe they have a really awful preceptor... maybe lurchgriffith has a better campus, but they said what they said. I'm glad that lurchgriffith has had a great experience, as a really bad experience I'm sure would be horribly frustrating... I have had no other real contact with Hondros folks other than that one clinical.

I'm not advocating one program over another - really, I'm not - or didn't mean to- or shouldn't have - just giving you my experiences, and those of the people I know or have met since beginning this journey toward nursing, and I wish you sincere good luck without any malintent or wish to steer you with bad information.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. I totally agree with her about trying to find out as much as you can yourself, through people on campus or have been through where you want to go. :up:

kidsnstudyn · Apr 22, 2010

Sorry, please change all those "she's" to "he's" concerning lurchgriffith - didn't pay attention to the little sign by the name. My bad. :uhoh3:

foreverLaur · Apr 24, 2010

The July 2010 application period at CSCC is for a August 2011 start date. The January 2010 application period filled the March 2011 class. However, their online program is competitive admissions so you could apply this fall for a March 2011 start. If you go for the traditional program, you can transfer into the online program. For CSCC you need NURC 101 (STNA), NURC 102 (Patient Care Skills), CHEM 113 (organic/biochem), and PSY 100 (intro to psych). Then you have to pass the HESI A2 with a 75% or higher. Not a hard thing to do!

Sinclair CC is a pretty long waitlist.

Given the ADN programs in Ohio, I'd wait for CSCC. I'm in a similar boat to you (I have a bachelor's degree) and I'm waiting. Everyone told me to do the accelerated BSN but the tuition is 4x as high and you can't work so you lose A LOT of $$ doing those programs. This way, I get my nursing degree for free and can always do a RN-BSN at my employers expense down the road. No debt, more $$, and the same job.