@nglaw1836 S20 (#2) just finished the expansive background check for FAU on 12/3. Took him 3 weeks to complete. Visiting this weekend from PA.
@SAD1010 Would love to hear your thoughts after you visit … We are going on Jan
@SAD1010 . Congrats and we will be checking it out in Jan… Please let me know your thoughts after the visit.
Hope! Thank you!! (Although, I really like Xavier…
@nglaw1836 You may have already read it but on one of the last pages of the Class of 2023 Nursing Admissions thread, a parent did a nice write up of FAU
That background check for FAU is a lot of information!
@bigmacbeth UMass Amherst is direct only. No option to transfer in later.
D20 was admitted to the Michigan State Nurse Scholar program today. That’s their version of a direct admit. Not sure why it doesn’t qualify as one here on CC. 
@nglaw1836 just returned from our visit to beautiful Boca Raton. We took the generic FAU tour and found the campus very pretty and a manageable size. We went to visit the nursing building which was amazing. While walking inside we ran into a graduate nursing professor, who gave us an extensive tour of the building. As you walk in the building on the first floor you’re greeted with a very serene meditation area behind glass doors to the back. The classrooms were very modern and the simulation lab was very realistic and is going through an expansive renovation. There were students studying for exam week in the many study areas in the building. We saw professors sitting and talking with their students as they studied. She mentioned that nearly all the nursing professors have their Ph.D. and if they have over 60 students are assigned a TA to help them with grading papers, etc. She also mentioned that very rarely nursing students fail the program and they have a 97% to 98% NCLEX passing rate, they test students periodically every year to make sure they are on the right track. The program isn’t affiliated to any one hospital but rotations are done in many hospitals to maintain their accreditation. Rotations are difficult to find and are minimal in pediatrics and OB/GYN. We also spoke to a nursing student who said the academics are very manageable and didn’t seem overwhelmed with the workload. He also mentioned that nursing students have to have mandatory tutoring for at least one hour a week. He found this extremely helpful because he was a commuter and met other students to study with for exams. Interesting enough no one knew the minimal overall GPA needed to progress in the program. That question still remains a mystery.
Yay! Just got my first acceptance into UMass Lowell’s direct admittance program (I am in-state). I was accepted into the honors college and received the Dean’s Scholarship (~50% of tuition and fees). Honestly I’m just so happy I’m going to nursing school next year! Here are my stats:
3.7 UW / 4.2 W
1530 SAT
- Commended volunteer at local hospital
- President of volunteer club
- EIC yearbook
- Founder of non-profit that is related to helping the homeless population
- HOSA (future health leaders) member, won my category for the state last year and went to the international leadership conference
- National Hispanic Scholar
- NHS
Oh! And I want to be a nurse because of my own experience with a congenital disability and that’s what my common app essay was about.
I also applied to:
UMass Boston
UMass Amherst
UPenn
UNH
Quinnipiac
Fairfield
Villanova
UConn
Northeastern
Boston College
Fingers crossed in the weeks and months to come! ??
@SAD1010 and @nglaw1836 I think you may have already completed paperwork for FAU. But in case you have not or anyone else that is applying to Florida Atlantic and completing the extensive background check, this may be helpful. We were starting to get a little panicked about not having all the needed backup that is listed on the Castle Branch account and the Monday, 12/16 deadline.
I spoke to someone today at FAU College of Nursing. They said that only the Drug Test, Fingerprinting, Notarized Student Oath/Affirmation Form, and Background Check is required for HS Seniors applying for the Freshman Admit program. The other 13 pieces of info listed on the Castle Branch site are not required for full admission (will need to complete at a later point though if attending). Once they receive the signed VECHS form, they will send the fingerprinting card. If you are an out of state student, they realize that the fingerprinting may take 4-6 weeks to receive and complete. He also said find someone very familiar with fingerprinting as unreadable fingerprints are common and have to be redone which slows the process down.
As long as they see progress on the checklist, they won’t give your seat away. They are trying to update the Castlebranch account so that only the necessary requirements are showing.
What is the deal with the FAU background check? Maybe I’ve been missing something but that’s the only school I’ve seen where an FBI level background check is part of the application process. I assume it’s not generally an issue for any kid applying but it does seem strange and cumbersome to me.
@Deepbreaths Yes completely agree. It is strange, cumbersome, and expensive (almost $200). It’s actually turned my daughter off to the program for some reason but I keep encouraging her to keep an open mind. Every school has it’s own rules and she would eventually have to do this anyway. The one positive thing I will say about the program is that each time I have called, I get someone at the Nursing school to answer the phone vs having to leave a voicemail. And they have all seemed very polite and helpful.
While I was on the website, I was looking a bit further at the program curriculum and did see this @SAD1010. Not sure if this answers the question about grades required. It states a C or better in both Nursing Courses AND required courses in the BSN curriculum.
"Successful completion of all nursing courses and required courses in the B.S.N. curriculum is defined as a “C” or better or a grade of satisfactory, “S.”
http://www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/FAUcatalog/nursing.php
@arkymommy thankfully finished background check and received an email saying that S20 is cleared for enrollment.
@arkymommy called FAU nursing school today and spoke to Mr. Hammond and asked what is the overall minimum GPA requirement and it is a 2.0 
Hi there question for @arkymommy , @SAD1010, and @Deepbreaths or anyone else with information regarding FAU my daughter received her FAU prelimary acceptance today via the portal with deadline of 12/27 to hold spot. Do you know if this 12/27 deadline is when all the information is due or as long as she starts background check process by 12/27 then she is okay. We are oos and we’re hoping to see campus to see if she likes it before paying for background check etc… we tried calling but staff must have left for the day. Appreciate any help ?
I’m an Asian male interested in majoring in Nursing. Can anyone give a reasonable estimation of my chances into getting into these schools?
I applied to Northeastern EA.
NYU and Boston College for RD.
University of Connecticut and Case Western for RD too.
My stats are 1490 SAT, 93.31 unweighted GPA, and only in 2 clubs (non-leadership).
I volunteered before 90 hours at a daycare location, 60+ hours (still on-going) at the libraries near me.
Took 3 AP: Psychology (5), English Language (4), APUSH (4).
Taking 4 AP this year: Calculus BC, English Literature, Microeconomics, Biology.
I would really appreciate advice!
@Melissalinymom Congrats to your daughter!! She will accept the spot first by the 12/27 deadline. Then she will be given a login to go to Castlebranch and complete all the paperwork on that site. She will likely be given about a month or so to complete all the paperwork. Here’s the timeline for my daughter:
-Accepted the Preliminary Spot on 11/14 (which she had until 11/27 to do)
-Received an email with the login for Castlebranch with another deadline of 12/16 to initiate the process
-Once you login to the Castlebranch site and start the process, it will then require you to pay around $180
I hope that answers your question.
If she accepts the spot, the next email should tell you when the Castlebranch deadline is. But she should have at least a month to complete the background check if the dates are similar to my D. Not everything listed on that site is necessary for a Senior so just see my notes above for what FAU told me is actually needed for to gain full admission. The list is a bit daunting at first.
@arkymommy Thank you so much your information was very helpful
Ugh, Castle Branch.
My daughter had to do extensive background and medical testing to start her clinicals at Cincinnati, but not to accept admission as a freshman. Castle Branch took up a lot of our summer before sophomore year, lol.
Castle Branch is a clearinghouse but, I learned, the parameters are set by the school. If you ever have issues with Castle Branch kicking back something despite repeated attempts, there is someone at the school in charge of it who can override it if necessary.
@IcyColdTea I don’t know the details around these schools nursing program stats. But they are all pretty competitive schools and nursing applicant stats are likely to be a bit more competitive than their avg school stats. I would add a couple of more safety schools to your list. Ones where you are in the top 75% of scores for the school. Your list appears to be mostly in the reach to target range (except for UConn). There are a lot of direct admit nursing options to choose from in the northeast, which appears to be where you are looking. Good luck!