I woke up this morning feeling inspired. My first thought was that it had to do with the fact that as of yesterday afternoon I found myself deciding between admission offers from two Accelerated BSN programs I really want to attend. But I don’t think that’s it. I think it’s more due to the fact that despite my excitement with the news, I sympathize greatly with others who did not get in to the same nursing programs that have offered me seats. It’s heartbreaking to read the dejected posts of allnurses.com members complete with crying emoticons. Likewise, I sympathize as well with those who have been waitlisted – extending an already onerous wait for a final nod. It’s easy for me to sympathize because I too was there once before. Within the past year, I experienced both a waitlist and a rejection – from the same school. So I would have to conclude that my inspiration this morning is directed to those of you that are in the same situation. I feel today it’s my job to come here and try to bring you out of your rut … at least a tad. If that much, I then will feel that I accomplished something good today.
There’s no doubt in my mind that ALL of us have worked hard to get where we are today. Preparing to go to nursing school is not for the lazy or the faint-hearted. If the stars were aligned perfectly, there would be room for everyone to attend. Reality bites in 2011, and as it goes we must compete with one another to show our chosen nursing schools that we have what it takes to succeed in their program. Some schools only look at GPAs and test scores, while others look beyond the raw data with essays, recommendation letters or interviews. No matter what criteria a school uses, it behooves the candidate to place their best foot forward in everything they do. Nursing schools don’t have time to individually meet the hundreds of candidates that submit applications in droves every year. So paper and digital files must ultimately be our formal face to the admission committees.
I am also from the school of thought that believes that what’s meant to be for each of us will happen, and at the right time. Yes, I get nervous waiting for schools to let me know and I may have momentary freak-outs when I open that mailbox only to find store circulars and credit card bills. But quick composure dictates that my sanity remain intact. There is no point in stressing out over things that we no longer have control over. Think about it – isn’t this what we will have to help a patient realize once we become nurses? Our job will be to care for patients, and reducing stress – making them feel better – will be one of them. At some point we have to realize that we have done all that we could for our cause and now things are in the hands of others … and ultimately, the hands of a higher power. We don’t decide the right time for things, it happens in due course.
So, my friends – what is my message here (assuming of course I did not bore you so far and you actually got to this paragraph in one piece )? If you have been waitlisted, embrace it for all its worth – hang in there, they did not say “no!” The message is that you ARE worthy of succeeding in their nursing program, but for some reason they need to make room for you as opposed to taking you in right away. If the waitlist is exhausted and you did not get in, read on. If you have been rejected from a nursing program that you so really wanted to attend, make an effort to sit down and find out what in your application could make you a more competitive candidate. Will it be refining your GPA (through my prereqs, it was for me)? Retaking an entrance exam? A better recommendation (which in my case was monumental)? A better essay (yes in my case too)? Health care experience through volunteering or being a CNA? Don’t be ashamed of personally visiting the school of your choice and speaking to an advisor to let them know that you want in, and find out what will make you a better candidate the next time around.
Last night, I suddenly remembered something that happened almost 2 years ago that I had almost forgotten – understandably so because I think it was a bit traumatizing. I met with an advisor of an accelerated nursing program one day, who looked at my bachelor’s degree transcript and on the basis of that alone, told me flat out that I had a very slim chance of getting into their program because the average GPA of their entering classes was around 3.75 and my 3.2 was barely meeting the mark. Granted, I had yet to take A&P, microbiology and nutrition which were the last remaining prereqs for this program. So that year, I basically dismissed the idea of ever applying there. Yesterday, that same program offered me a seat in this summer’s class. Oh … that other ABSN program: the one that waitlisted and then rejected me last year? I reapplied and they accepted me 2 weeks ago.
People talk about programs being “impossible” to get in. I never believe that, and neither should you. People ARE getting in, why can’t you be one of them too? The two ABSN programs that accepted me within the past two weeks have these notorious reputations as well, but I got in! You will never know unless you try ... giving it your all!
If you want to be a nurse, don’t ever give up! Your desire is the path, but it’s your job to pave the bricks along the way!
I went to bing for my b.a. I wonder if I'll have a better chance there..
Honestly, I don't think it matters where you go to undergrad or do your prereqs as long as you excel in your coursework, have top-notch recommendations and a great essay. The SUNY universities don't strike me as institutions that give preference to its alumni in the ABSN admissions process.
A little words of wisdom from the Lord above. Isaiah 40:27-31.
27 Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert:
"My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my claim is ignored by my God"?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the LORD
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.
I received my rejection letter Friday afternoon and hadn't broke down till this morning and I lost it sitting in my kitchen floor feeding my puppy. I was going through my church's website and found a sermon on " Why God Makes Us Wait?" !!! Talk about a divine intervention!!! I now feel a little better after reading these words and listening to the sermon. I even make several signs with these words and posted them all over my apartment.
My only problem with the keep on trucking idea is that school is costing me close to $30,000 a year and at the rate I'm going I'll be $100,000 in debt by the time I'm done with school. My school only does one class a year for the traditional BSN. So now I have to wait another year to apply and with all my pre-reqs done I dunno what else to do. My pre-reqs are fine but it's grades from a pervious college that I was attending 8 yrs ago and the classes I need to make up are no longer offered at my pervious school or my current school. So until monday I have a big ? over my future!
Paco---> Thank You for these words! You just might save a life of someone who has received a rejection letter and has ideas of truly ending the "fight". I printed a copy of your post and I now have it in all my binders and several places through-out my house.
Paco---> Thank You for these words! You just might save a life of someone who has received a rejection letter and has ideas of truly ending the "fight". I printed a copy of your post and I now have it in all my binders and several places through-out my house.
That is beautiful to hear, thank you for your kindness. It is comments like these (and all that I have read so far on this thread) that make the time I spent writing my post all the more worth it. I am no stranger to hard times beyond getting waitlisted and rejected from nursing school. I have suffered sudden losses of close family members and have landed on tough financial times. Indeed, I have always kept the faith that better days were ahead, and I was never disappointed. These obstacles are part of life, and once we learn to see them as such and not perceive them as dead ends, we will move forward with confidence. People just need to remember that there IS someone up above guiding us towards the right path. We just have to stop and listen to the directions. Shamefully, not everyone does. But it's true, there is a right time for everything! So you did not get in this year ... OK, there is always next year. Be excited to find out WHY this was not the year for you. I have already discovered why I had to wait a year ... and in hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise! :)
@paco, just curious to know what made you want to change from a lawyer to nursing? not experience with malpractices i hope! :)
LOL, no not at all .. no experience with malpractice either personally or with a client. The short story of it: I started college as a pre-med student years ago (even briefly considered nursing) but I bombed my science courses and somehow sidetracked into law. Once in law school I knew it was not for me, but I did not want to quit so I finished (thankfully I went to a state university which was cheap). I ended up practicing for several years for lack of knowing what else I should do. Two years ago however, I started to think about a career in health care again and I started volunteering at a hospital. I loved it, even more than my paid job. My exposure to nurses during this time made something "click" ... I suddenly felt: This is my calling, this is what I should be doing! So I started my prereqs that summer ... the rest is history. I never volunteered or worked in the legal field before going to law school, and had I done that I am 100% sure that I would not have pursued that path. I did not do my homework with that career as I have with nursing. I am so much better prepared for what is ahead now than I was back then.
I will be applying to ABSN's for 2012. I am very new to the decision of becoming a nurse. I was wondering if anyone could let me know what factors they used in making a decision when applying to Nursing programs? I would eventually like to go for my masters in Nurse Practitioner. Do you recommend that I go to a ABSN program that already has a master's program? I heard that some master's programs requires that a new RN have at least 2-3 years of experience before applying. Is this true? Please help me!!! I am desperate in finding answers.
I will be applying to ABSN's for 2012. I am very new to the decision of becoming a nurse. I was wondering if anyone could let me know what factors they used in making a decision when applying to Nursing programs? I would eventually like to go for my masters in Nurse Practitioner. Do you recommend that I go to a ABSN program that already has a master's program? I heard that some master's programs requires that a new RN have at least 2-3 years of experience before applying. Is this true? Please help me!!! I am desperate in finding answers.
BTW GREAT post. I was truly inspired :)
Thanks! Those ABSN/MSN programs you refer to are known as Direct Entry programs. I can't speak to their quality as I have never pursued them, but I can tell you that I personally chose not to because I wanted to re-enter the workforce as soon as possible and gain experience as a nurse before pursuing graduate work - even though I know from the beginning that I would like to pursue my MSN or DNP. There are programs that provide for specified amount of time to work in the field before beginning the master's portion, but I prefer to be in control of the length of work experience I have before I start grad school. That's just me of course, this preference can differ for everyone.
when i wrote my original post, i was in the process of deciding between 2 schools. i have since decided to attend stony brook univ's absn in new york. i start this summer! :)
i have read that this is a good nursing program. i live in rochester, n.y.
what was the other school (if you don't mind me asking).
i have read that this is a good nursing program. i live in rochester, n.y.
what was the other school (if you don't mind me asking).
thanks!
univ of central florida (ucf) ... which is also a great school, but in the long run, i wanted to return to ny so stony brook became the logical choice!
)? If you have been waitlisted, embrace it for all its worth – hang in there, they did not say “no!” The message is that you ARE worthy of succeeding in their nursing program, but for some reason they need to make room for you as opposed to taking you in right away. If the waitlist is exhausted and you did not get in, read on. If you have been rejected from a nursing program that you so really wanted to attend, make an effort to sit down and find out what in your application could make you a more competitive candidate. Will it be refining your GPA (through my prereqs, it was for me)? Retaking an entrance exam? A better recommendation (which in my case was monumental)? A better essay (yes in my case too)? Health care experience through volunteering or being a CNA? Don’t be ashamed of personally visiting the school of your choice and speaking to an advisor to let them know that you want in, and find out what will make you a better candidate the next time around.
PacoUSA, BSN, RN
3,450 Posts
Honestly, I don't think it matters where you go to undergrad or do your prereqs as long as you excel in your coursework, have top-notch recommendations and a great essay. The SUNY universities don't strike me as institutions that give preference to its alumni in the ABSN admissions process.