Where to take the BN degree. Mount Royal or University of Calgary

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Hello all!

I currently live in Calgary and I'm doing academic upgrading in order to get into the Bachelor of Nursing program either at University of Calgary or Mount Royal university.

I'm wondering which University is better for this particular degree? I want to know about clinicals and the size of the classes.

I have never been to university before and right now I'm taking my upgrading classes at Bow College which has fairly small classes (10 - 20 students per class)

I might need to talk to my potential teachers often and I don't want to have too much of a shock either. (is this too much to ask? heheh)

Also, I would like to know how competitive each program is. Currently my average is around 88% in Math, Biology and Chemistry.

Thank you for replies, they will be greatly appreciated! :)

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Are you direct route? I did the same thing but through MRU for upgrading. I was accepted to U of C so that's where I am now. U of C has a different structure where you'll be in open studies for 1 year prior to doing any "nursing". I would encourage you to meet with someone in the faculty or UNS to get more info. I'm in my second year now and am really enjoying it. I'll admit though, first year was rather blah.

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I am currently in my second year of nursing at MRU, but I have heard good things about both MRU and UofC. I think it just depends on your learning and which school you think will help you achieve your best.

My classes usually have between 20-35 students, and I think the most a nursing lecture will have is 40.

My nursing lab this term had 16 students.

My clinical group had 8 students, but we were split between two units (one on either end of the hallway), so we had 4 students on each unit.

Since the classes are small, you have the ability to see your professors out of the classroom. Every professor I have had in the past have been very approachable and will work with your schedule to find a time to help you.

MRU has two main rotations for nursing: N1 and N2. I am in N2, so I started my clinical in the fall of my second year (so I just finished last week), but in the N1 rotation you would start in the winter term of your 1st year. So I am just a term "behind" right now, but by the start of the third year, everyone is together and taking the same courses.

I think nursing is pretty competitive, but once you are in the program no one seems to care much about each other's grades. We all struggle with the tough courses, and laugh about the easy ones. We become a tight-knit community and help each other, regardless of rotation or year.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask...I am new to this site so I am not too sure if/how private messaging exists/works...but I am open to answering any questions or concerns you may have :)

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You need to apply to both schools. There are no guarantees in life.

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