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Getting into grad school

M

mazeroth

Golden Member
I'm currently finishing a bachelor's in business and want to go into grad school to become a nurse practitioner. I know, big change but I've put a ton of thought into this and it's what I want to do. I started pre-med years ago but changed my mind, but I've always wanted to help people. A lot of colleges offer a grad entry option where you can enter with any bachelor's, do around 3 years of grad work, and you're done. You leave with a master's of nursing as a nurse practitioner. Anywho...

I completed around 65 semester hours between 1998 - 2002 at one college. I have about 10 W's (withdrawals) because I changed my major three times and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Took some semesters off, worked instead...you know, typical idiot!

In 2005 I moved and went back to school to a different college and took 4 classes. Then I went back to the same school in 2008 and have been going full-time ever since. I should graduate next summer.

At the first college I carried an awesome 2.85 and at the college I'm attending I should finish with a 3.7, I'm guessing. The grad schools want all transcripts so my total GPA is around a 3.3. I know the withdrawals look bad but my most recent GPA should be great so hopefully they'll see that I'm a more serious student now.

I only took the ACT twice in high school and got a 32 in 11th grade without studying. I'm very good at standardized testing and think I should do extremely well on the GRE. Tonight, I browsed a practice test and most of it seemed extremely easy.

So, with that, do you think I'll have any problems getting into a master's of nursing program for a nurse practitioner? I know that's far out there, but I'm very anxious! A friend on mine is a NP and said her class only had about 10% males in it, so I am a minority. I don't want to play that game but I won't not play it, so if it does help me get in, well, I won't complain.

Thanks in advance.
 
Getting into a masters medical program with absolutely no medical background? Sorry, no. You need to go back to school and get some degree that is at least in the field of medicine.
 
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Read: "A lot of colleges offer a grad entry option where you can enter with any bachelor's"
Click to expand...

I don't understand this. Most nursing programs are bachelors. Are you saying that you'll learn the equivalent of that, plus cover the curriculum for a masters in nursing in three years?
 
You will not get into a nursing program without doing the undergrad curriculum.

A lot of the programs even require you to have worked as a nurse for a certain number of years, so I cannot imagine any of them would let you into their master's program without any previous nursing experience.
 
Guys, trust me on this. There are MANY grad entry programs to get a master's in nursing. I have two friends, both with biology degrees, that are in the program. This isn't the issue.

For instance, Ohio State, which one of my friends is going to, has a 3 year program. The first year and half you get your RN licensure. Then, the last year and a half you get your MSN. The year and a half at the front is accelerated because you've already taken the basic college classes. They just go into time and a half to make you a nurse.
 
You can do it, but you need to put in a ~ 2+years volunteering at a hospital and other types of extra curricular activities. I know a girl who has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering who just got accepted to her Nursing School of choice. Of course, she works at a medical device company so that may help things, but trust me - she probably doesn't know anything that a full BS in nursing would teach you.

If you are interested, you need to take all the pre reqs for nursing school. The crappy part about changing to nursing from a non nursing degree is that you literally have to go back and take bio classes from undergrad. NOTE: This is not the same as taking another undergrad degree. The said female satisfied her reqs by doing local CC classes, by taking online classes wherever they were available. Don't let these guys trick you into thinking that you need a nursing BS.

+ Get the required courses completed --> make sure your grades are top notch for all the classes that count!
+ Establish 2+ years worth of volunteering at a hospital and other activities --> they like people who volunteer not just at hospital, but also consistently at local community groups
+ Get fucking awesome letters of rec - this will probably come from the 2 years of relationships you build up at the locations you volunteeer
+ In the mean time, try to hold a job in a medical field, or relating to a medical field. You could be working as a sales rep for a medical/pharma company to satisfy this. You could be working for a completely different company, but act as the main liason to said companies. Just do something to connect you in some form of shape to medicine/pharma/healthcare even if you job doesn't directly relate to it.

I know I'm putting a big requirement of "2 years of experience"...but I figure by the time you finish your classes, the time you build close relationships with people that have 'powerful' titles to write you letters of rec (ie: an existing RN would be awesome), you should be coming on to about the right time. Finally, the 2 years worth of volunteering SHOWS you are serious about doing this more than a great letter of rec does.

Ultimately as a candidate with all the bullet points included, I would think you'd be interesting...especially if your major was in business because I would want to ask, "What made you switch? clearly something affected him to cause a shift in this direction". Truth be told any candidate that meets the aforementioned criteria would be a good pick for a school - and I guarantee you that many candidates will meet those criteria.

Good luck.
 
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Guys, trust me on this. There are MANY grad entry programs to get a master's in nursing. I have two friends, both with biology degrees, that are in the program. This isn't the issue.

For instance, Ohio State, which one of my friends is going to, has a 3 year program. The first year and half you get your RN licensure. Then, the last year and a half you get your MSN. The year and a half at the front is accelerated because you've already taken the basic college classes. They just go into time and a half to make you a nurse.
Click to expand...

you don't think biology is more relevant than business? no, youre not going to get in
 
Originally posted by: slayer202

you don't think biology is more relevant than business? no, youre not going to get in
Click to expand...

You are a moron.

There are five prereqs to get into this program. Micro, anatomy, physiology, human nutrition, and pharmacology. If you complete all of those, and hold ANY bacehlor's, you are eligible. My friend said she is in class with a communication major, a math teacher and a computer engineer.

magomago, I currently work as a chemist in a pharmaceutical company and have been there for over 5 years. Yes, I got lucky and got the job without a degree but I showed my aptitude for science through 4 interviews and nailed it. So, that's a good job to have for this, I think.

I'm no certain about the volunteering need as neither of my friends had any sort of that. You mainly hear about that stuff when you're dealing with actual med school. At least, I would think.
 
Originally posted by: theflyingpig
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Read: "A lot of colleges offer a grad entry option where you can enter with any bachelor's"
Click to expand...

I don't understand this. Most nursing programs are bachelors. Are you saying that you'll learn the equivalent of that, plus cover the curriculum for a masters in nursing in three years?
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Originally posted by: theflyingpig
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Read: "A lot of colleges offer a grad entry option where you can enter with any bachelor's"
Click to expand...

I don't understand this. Most nursing programs are bachelors. Are you saying that you'll learn the equivalent of that, plus cover the curriculum for a masters in nursing in three years?
Click to expand...

Yes.
Click to expand...

Nursing programs are really only two years. You do pre-nursing for two years (biology stuff and core classes), then do two years of actual nursing.
 
it shouldn't be that hard... i mean, an accelerated nursing program can get you an RN license in 18 months, while getting a masters should take an additional 2 years. So 3 years doesn't sound like a big deal at all. however, now is a horrible time to apply for grad school because everyone and their uncle is reapplying to school in this economic climate. since nursing programs are a dime a dozen, you can easily get into one with minimal effort, but a selective 3 year MSN combined program is going to take a bit of luck.

i recommend getting your RN license first, and then working from there, as you won't be losing THAT much more time, but at least you'll be able to get the 2 years nursing experience afterwards in order to get into some of the more selective nursing programs, a la CRNA, Nurse Practitioner, etc... and it's easier to do.
 
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Originally posted by: slayer202

you don't think biology is more relevant than business? no, youre not going to get in
Click to expand...

You are a moron.

There are five prereqs to get into this program. Micro, anatomy, physiology, human nutrition, and graduate statistics. If you complete all of those, and hold ANY bacehlor's, you are eligible. My friend said she is in class with a communication major, a math teacher and a computer engineer.

magomago, I currently work as a chemist in a pharmaceutical company and have been there for over 5 years. Yes, I got lucky and got the job without a degree but I showed my aptitude for science through 4 interviews and nailed it. So, that's a good job to have for this, I think.

I'm no certain about the volunteering need as neither of my friends had any sort of that. You mainly hear about that stuff when you're dealing with actual med school. At least, I would think.
Click to expand...

i'm pretty sure you need organic chemistry and biochemistry in that list, as it's pretty common requirement for all health-related fields. if you are a chemist at a pharma company, it shouldn't be that hard to breeze through those classes at a local CC.
 
Originally posted by: mazeroth
I'm currently finishing a bachelor's in business and want to go into grad school to become a nurse practitioner.

So, with that, do you think I'll have any problems getting into a master's of nursing program for a nurse practitioner?

A friend on mine is a NP and said her class only had about 10% males in it, so I am a minority. I don't want to play that game but I won't not play it, so if it does help me get in, well, I won't complain.
Click to expand...

Ok..

To start off... let me say this one thing.

YOU ARE A COMPLETE AND FUCKING MORON.

Do you think you can go from business --> Nursing overnight?
Unless you're going to graduate from business... go back to school for nursing .. graduate with a BA in Nursing.. THEN apply for Nursing... you've got a better chance of saying you grew a 2nd set of genitalia, and get into a medical program as a freak.

Secondly... just because a profession has 10% of males.. doesn't make males a MINORITY.
I think you got your Business degree from a trash can.. because even i learned what is considered a minority in my COMPUTER SCIENCE classes.

Seriously.. i think whatever school is giving you a 3.7 GPA is pulling numbers out of a hat. You common sense quotient puts your gpa closer to a 1.7


And if you think i'm wrong.. here's the admission requirements from a local masters program in nursing from an accretideted university:

MSN ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Completion of an accredited baccalaureate degree in nursing program including prerequisite undergraduate courses:
Introduction to Statistics
Nursing Research
Health Assessment
Minimum GPA of 3.0 for all course work

Curriculum Vitae documenting work experience for each program as required:
Adult NP: 1 year
Family NP: 2 years
CNS options: 1year
Adult/Geri NP: 1 year

Current unrestricted Registered Nurse license from the state where you practice during practicum rotations

 
Originally posted by: mazeroth
Originally posted by: slayer202

you don't think biology is more relevant than business? no, youre not going to get in
Click to expand...

You are a moron.

There are five prereqs to get into this program. Micro, anatomy, physiology, human nutrition, and graduate statistics. If you complete all of those, and hold ANY bacehlor's, you are eligible. My friend said she is in class with a communication major, a math teacher and a computer engineer.

magomago, I currently work as a chemist in a pharmaceutical company and have been there for over 5 years. Yes, I got lucky and got the job without a degree but I showed my aptitude for science through 4 interviews and nailed it. So, that's a good job to have for this, I think.

I'm no certain about the volunteering need as neither of my friends had any sort of that. You mainly hear about that stuff when you're dealing with actual med school. At least, I would think.
Click to expand...

What kind of work does a chemist without a chemistry degree do? Please tell me. I must know.
 
You should honestly should talk on College Confidential. The people there are really experts.

You're going to need to take a LOT of classes. Ihave a lot of friends who went into nursing but they went the same route as the pre-med and pre-pharm kids. Yes I'm Asian so I do know what I'm talking about to an extent. They all major in molecular bio and work their way into what they want to do. If you weren't one of the crazy pre-med kids who aimed to get everything done, chances are you will need to take some classes at a local state school or something to get your prereqs out of the way. Coming out with a biz degree, you're GOING to need to HAVE TO take a lot of classes to make up. So get ready for at least a year or two of school. Then go try getting into a nursing program.

Oh and wtf is a BA in Nursing? I honestly do not know. Most of my friends stuck to plain integrated bio, molecular bio, nutri sci, molecular toxicology, etc to go into a graduate nursing program....
 
Originally posted by: Mike Gayner
Originally posted by: guyver01
Secondly... just because a profession has 10% of males.. doesn't make males a MINORITY.
Click to expand...

Dont leave school, genius.
Click to expand...

wow.. you're an idiot too..

a minority when it comes to schooling does not mean "because less of one sex takes it"

In my math class...it was mostly asian males.

does that mean white males are a minority .. and i can ask the school to admit me because i'm a "minority"

NO

it does not.

The OP is really referring to using affirmative action.. and that include historically disadvantaged ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, and veterans.

just because he's a male, doesn't mean he's getting by on a "minority claim"

now if he was a black male... possibly.
if he was a retarded male... probably.
if he was a veteran male... probably.



 
I wouldn't sweat it, you'd probably be competitive even in some med schools depending on how well you did on the MCAT. I think nursing is an easier field to get into so you should be fine.
 
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Oh and wtf is a BA in Nursing? I honestly do not know. Most of my friends stuck to plain integrated bio, molecular bio, nutri sci, molecular toxicology, etc to go into a graduate nursing program....
Click to expand...

I know a BS in Nursing lets you get a higher position. I didn't even know that a BA existed.
 
Originally posted by: guyver01
Originally posted by: Mike Gayner
Originally posted by: guyver01
Secondly... just because a profession has 10% of males.. doesn't make males a MINORITY.
Click to expand...

Dont leave school, genius.
Click to expand...

wow.. you're an idiot too..

a minority when it comes to schooling does not mean "because less of one sex takes it"

In my math class...it was mostly asian males.

does that mean white males are a minority .. and i can ask the school to admit me because i'm a "minority"

NO

it does not.

The OP is really referring to using affirmative action.. and that include historically disadvantaged ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, and veterans.

just because he's a male, doesn't mean he's getting by on a "minority claim"

now if he was a black male... possibly.
if he was a retarded male... probably.
if he was a veteran male... probably.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. The entire nursing field might be interested in attracting more males into their workforce so they might be more motivated to admit male applicants. The same thing is happening in OB/GYN residencies. Male applicants are a bit more competitive just because they're male in a field that slowly becoming predominantly all female. It wouldnt make or break an app but its a factor
 
Originally posted by: guyver01
Originally posted by: Mike Gayner
Originally posted by: guyver01
Secondly... just because a profession has 10% of males.. doesn't make males a MINORITY.
Click to expand...

Dont leave school, genius.
Click to expand...

wow.. you're an idiot too..

a minority when it comes to schooling does not mean "because less of one sex takes it"

In my math class...it was mostly asian males.

does that mean white males are a minority .. and i can ask the school to admit me because i'm a "minority"

NO

it does not.

The OP is really referring to using affirmative action.. and that include historically disadvantaged ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, and veterans.

just because he's a male, doesn't mean he's getting by on a "minority claim"

now if he was a black male... possibly.
if he was a retarded male... probably.
if he was a veteran male... probably.
Click to expand...

Technically he is a minority in terms of class makeup, though he does not qualify for any minority benefits that I know of so you are right there.

You are both arguing different points.
 
"YOU ARE A COMPLETE AND FUCKING MORON."

What you said doesn't even make sense. Here, let me clear it up for you. You are a complete, fucking moron.

Now, here's why. Here's OSU's website and guidelines for the grad entry option, dumbfuck:

http://www.con.ohio-state.edu/Display.aspx?code=153

Originally posted by: guyver01
Originally posted by: mazeroth
I'm currently finishing a bachelor's in business and want to go into grad school to become a nurse practitioner.

So, with that, do you think I'll have any problems getting into a master's of nursing program for a nurse practitioner?

A friend on mine is a NP and said her class only had about 10% males in it, so I am a minority. I don't want to play that game but I won't not play it, so if it does help me get in, well, I won't complain.
Click to expand...

Ok..

To start off... let me say this one thing.

YOU ARE A COMPLETE AND FUCKING MORON.

Do you think you can go from business --> Nursing overnight?
Unless you're going to graduate from business... go back to school for nursing .. graduate with a BA in Nursing.. THEN apply for Nursing... you've got a better chance of saying you grew a 2nd set of genitalia, and get into a medical program as a freak.

Secondly... just because a profession has 10% of males.. doesn't make males a MINORITY.
I think you got your Business degree from a trash can.. because even i learned what is considered a minority in my COMPUTER SCIENCE classes.

Seriously.. i think whatever school is giving you a 3.7 GPA is pulling numbers out of a hat. You common sense quotient puts your gpa closer to a 1.7


And if you think i'm wrong.. here's the admission requirements from a local masters program in nursing from an accretideted university:

MSN ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Completion of an accredited baccalaureate degree in nursing program including prerequisite undergraduate courses:
Introduction to Statistics
Nursing Research
Health Assessment
Minimum GPA of 3.0 for all course work

Curriculum Vitae documenting work experience for each program as required:
Adult NP: 1 year
Family NP: 2 years
CNS options: 1year
Adult/Geri NP: 1 year

Current unrestricted Registered Nurse license from the state where you practice during practicum rotations
Click to expand...

 
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