Where I Got In; Where I Didn't; And, What I Learned

PNPplease

Let's be real, it will never be stress-free, but if you have a game plan 1 or 2 years in advance, you can really direct the process in a way that suits you and your goals. I applied to a heck of a lot of schools, probably more than necessary, but at my age I wasn't willing to take the risk of not getting in anywhere, as many students on this site have experienced (never give up!).

As one does after a long, strenuous, tedious application cycle, I have been reconciling with the schools I didn't get in to, and obsessively analyzing which to attend from among my accepted options.

Where I got in:

Emory ABSN, Johns Hopkins Master's Entry, Columbia MDE/DNP, UCLA MECN, Vanderbilt Prespecialty/MSN,
Where I got waitlisted:
UPenn BSN/MSN (offered interview), Duke ABSN

Where I got rejected:

Azusa Pacific Master's Entry, UCSF, University of Florida ABSN, OHSU Master's/DNP

How To Get Into An Accelerated Nursing Program:

STEP 1: Make contact with the schools, admissions departments, professors, in ways you wouldn't think other students would.

Reach out by email, phone call. Attend an open house the year before you apply, and then attend again the year you are applying. Go to seminars or lectures being held at the nursing school. If you attend a conference there, put that on your resume. The more they see your face, hear your voice, and know who you are, the better.

STEP 2: Make sure you emphasize that your top choice school is your top choice.

Put it in your essay (albeit a bit subtly), tell them over the phone, and mention it in your interview. But always be sincere. Getting accepted to schools is like getting recruited to play a college sport or getting drafted to play professional baseball. If they think there is a good chance (for whatever reason - over qualified, they think you want to go elsewhere, etc) that you will turn them down, they may not accept you even if they really like you. If they know you would say yes in a heartbeat, they're likely to at least consider you, and that's the first step.

STEP 3: Pick schools that match your interests. It's your career, after all.

My 3 loves in medicine are pediatrics (children's hospitals make my heart race), global health (I earned a graduate degree in this), and sports medicine (I played sports my whole life and interned in the athletic dept during undergrad). As such, I picked schools like JHU, Emory, and Columbia that really value global health. I also picked UPenn and Vandy because of their strong peds programs and and close proximity to children's hospitals (both have a children's hospital on/next to campus). Finally, I applied to Duke because they offer the only orthopedic/sports med NP specialty in the country. It's a post-grad certificate program, but knowing the competitiveness, I thought it could be a good way to get my foot in the door. Lastly, I also wanted a school that coordinates closely with a medical school because I want a research and science heavy degree in nursing, and I felt that these schools would have this focus.

STEP 4: If you are years from applying, develop, tone, and really focus your resume. These schools want to see a story.

Everyone's story is different, no matter who common or cliche you think your interests, and therefore your essay, might be. I have known people on application committees personally. When they say they look at you holistically, they really do. What that means is that they take everything you have offered them, and they paint a picture. They might value certain qualities or experiences over others (I.e. the points system) but they still want to have an idea in their mind about who you are. For example, my resume focused on my academic achievements, leadership, and non-profit work. Many of my jobs related to each of these - founding a philanthropic student group, international medical work, my teaching experiences, my cultural background. I then wrote my essay focusing on the experience that was most influential in my life and in my quest for this rewarding career.

STEP 5: Tie in your future goals with your past experiences and how YOU will CONTRIBUTE to the school.

Let's face it, schools are businesses. Like any company, they want to know how you will help them achieve their goal just as much as how you will achieve yours. In my essay, I designated a few sentences to my dreams as a nursing professional and how those roles will benefit the school long term (I would like to be a professor eventually >> potentially benefits the school).

STEP 6: Be Real.

Don't pretend to be something you're not. Seriously. If we are applying to accelerated, graduate level, professional nursing programs, then every single one of us has something real to offer. It's just about how you sell yourself. Give your entire application packet to a friend or family member that you know will give you honest feedback. Give it to a colleague you trust. And find someone who doesn't know you too well, because they can ask you questions similar to the questions an admissions committee would have. You don't want to leave any holes.

STEP 7: Lastly, stay confident and pat yourself on the back once in a while, even if you don't feel like you deserve it.

You worked so hard for these applications. And you submitted them! That in and of itself should make you feel accomplished. My first 2 rejections (and the first 2 schools I heard from) were UCSF and Azusa Pacific. You can imagine my feelings when a top school and a lesser known school both rejected me. Then I didn't hear from another school for 2 whole months. I was sure I wouldn't get in anywhere, especially since I was applying to so many extra competitive programs. But in the end it all worked out.

I will be attending Vanderbilt for their Prespecialty/PNP program and it's actually the most perfect program for me that I could have imagined. And it wasn't even my first choice for a long time.

If anyone is interested in hearing about why I chose Vandy over the other schools, feel free to reach out! All of these programs are amazing and will put you in a position of being very successful in your career. It doesn't have to be an Ivy League or a top ranked program. In the end, you make your career what you want with what kind of experiences you allow yourself to have. It's all about how much effort and commitment you put in and how involved you want to be.

Good luck everyone in the coming months and years! Never give up!!