<p>Hello, All!</p>
<p>I've been reading a lot in the nursing major forum, and I had a question. Some folks are saying to make sure you apply as early as possible if you are going for direct entry nursing.</p>
<p>When people say "early," how early is this? My daughter is done with her common app, except for finalizing the essay, and we have to assign people for recommendations. However, we were going to wait until September when her school has a "college prep" night to get any additional info. Plus, her teachers will not fill out her recos until Sept (except for one), so the colleges really cannot review her app until then anyway. Should she submit her common app before Sept anyway to let colleges know she is interested, or should she wait for the school info night/recos?</p>
<p>Also--I noticed that someone mentioned that community college is very competitive, so should she apply now for that as well? It is her backup plan if she does not get into the colleges she wants to.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If the school(s) that your daughter is applying to require letters of recommendations then I don’t think they will consider her application until she provides those letters. Therefor I don’t think it would be beneficial to apply until she has all the required documentation. </p>
<p>If you are considering community college then yes I would also apply as early as possible.</p>
<p>The reason people often recommend that students apply to nursing schools as early as possible is because the schools usually have far more applicants then openings and will generally fill up quickly. Providing her application is “ready” then your daughter will usually stand a better chance of being accepted if she applies at the beginning of the admissions cycle when all the nursing spots are available and hopefully there are fewer applications, then at the end when the situation is reversed. An early applicant may also (IMHO) subtly be sending a message that s/he is organized, knows what s/he wants and is interested in a particular school. JMPO…</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your daughter!</p>
<p>Do everything you can now to start the process - such as emailing a teacher to ask for a recommendation, starting to write essays, etc. That will leave time to finish up the missing pieces when school starts. </p>
<p>Don’t assume that your guidance counselor will get everything out instantly. If you make your guidance counselor’s job as easy as possible, it is likely to get done sooner. That means providing all of the needed papers, and noting with stickies, etc. what they need to do. I also provided addressed envelopes for each college for stuff that wasn’t being sent electronically. </p>
<p>My daughter submitted the easier applications in late September and the harder applications in early October. </p>
<p>Many colleges give preference in financial aid to students who submit applications early. One of the reasons is that they feel early applicants are more serious about their college. Also, they run out of money to give out.</p>
<p>I believe a community college is more likely to be “first come, first served” than some other colleges in their admissions.</p>
<p>Some nursing programs will stop accepting nursing applications sooner than their deadline for other applications.</p>
<p>You don’t need to wait for updated test scores - they can be sent later. Many colleges will base your final merit aid offer on a better test score that comes in later.</p>
<p>Thank you aglages and charlieschm!!! Very helpful comments!</p>
<p>aglages–if she is accepted to comm college, will she be able to wait until March/May to accept or decline their offer–the same as other 4 yr colleges? She really wants to go to a 4 yr, but nursing is so competitive, she needs a plan B, so this would be a safety.</p>
<p>Yesway777: Yes. If I recall correctly most schools use May 1st as the last date when most will notify you of whether you are being offered admission. Of course many will tell you earlier. Many students apply to a number of programs and then wait until they hear back from all their schools to decide which one they will attend. The idea is to apply early to as many schools (plans B,C,D…) as you are interested in and then wait/pray for the acceptances and FA that you want and can afford. </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>