Hi, I’m looking to apply to UCI, UCLA, University of Minnesota, NYU, and SFSU for nursing. I just finished my first semester at my community college with 3 A’s and 1 B. I was looking for some advice to help me stand out on my application. Which clubs should I join? What GPA am I aiming for? I just applied to a local hospital for volunteering; however, the waitlist is about a year long. Thank you!!
I’ll also apply to Loma Linda University, Washington State University and CSU-San Bernardino.
You can often volunteer for an ambulance service, and get training in the process. Working as a lifeguard for the summer will also give you some training (such as CPR) as part of the certification. My daughter had trouble getting a volunteer spot at the large suburban hospital, but then had an easy time getting a spot at a smaller city hospital.
UCLA is one of the most difficult programs in the US for admission. Most of the California programs are highly competitive.
Also, some of the programs that are direct entry throughout the US may not have room for transfers.
What state do you live in?
Most programs in the southeast US are not direct entry, and therefore may be more open to transfers.
Make a list of all the programs where you intend to apply and list their required prerequisite and any recommended classes.
You should try to get as much of the basic curriculum (such as nutrition, bio, anatomy, stats, chemistry) out of the way as feasible in your first semesters at the community college. It will increase your likelihood of being able to graduate with a BSN on time.
I live in California. But I’ll try to see if I can volunteer at any small, local hospitals! My counselor recommended for me to get an ADN then transfer to a university for my BSN. I’m still not sure if that’s the right choice. And UCLA is most definitely a high reach for me. Thank you!
Can you afford the OOS options?
Hopefully, I have been applying to many local and online scholarships. I’m also working and plan to save up (it won’t be much but it’s something).
You cannot afford OOS if you are scrambling for scholarships, scrap all of your OOS schools and work out the cheapest way forward, CSUs/match UCs after you have optimized your CCC options. Can you afford UCs?
Apply for Calgrants. You should be eligible if you graduated from a California High School and if you attended a California Community College. Go to the CalGrant site: http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=48
Make sure the application is filled out before March 2nd.
Everyone volunteers at hospitals. You want to stand out. Go the non-conventional volunteer route: volunteer at hospices, SNF’s, pediatric cancer units, Meals on Wheels, etc. If you knit or crochet, there are groups that crochet/knit hats for for premies and the elderly.
http://outofstatecollegefairs.org/western-undergraduate-exchange-wue-faqs/
There is limited reciprocity among a number of western states. That means that California residents can receive reduced tuition from some public universities in some western states. You need to read the fine print, including whether it applies for nursing. Because California nursing programs are often very competitive, it makes sense to consider some out of state choices, if they are affordable.,
http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all
A few of the universities do not offer the discounted rates for transfers, but most do. See the link.
You may also find that an out of state college has much cheaper fees, food and housing than some California universities.