D was just accepted into Nursing at UVA and we are looking for any feedback (positive or negative) on the program. We did visit the school for a Nursing Open House last spring and were very impressed but of course knew it would be tough to be accepted coming from OOS. We cannot remember if they covered this at the open house, but are the sciences taken with just Nursing students? D is also wondering if she would be able to pursue any extracurricular activities at all as she is very involved in the arts. We know it would be limited once clinicals start but wonder if the possibility exists at all. She has worked so hard in school and finds herself in a fortunate(but very confusing) position where she will be choosing between several good programs. She has also rec’d some very good merit aid to all of her other schools so that will of course be a major factor as well. We are interested in any information that present students or parents can share about their experiences as a student in the College of Nursing at UVA. Thanks in advance!
Congrats @NJMOM3 my D is currently a 1st year student & she said she likes it.
They have their own science classes for nursing/health sc students so the class size is relatively small. She said the classes are hard.
Activities: she finds time to do lots of things so I am sure your D will be able to do whatever she likes.
Ask me any questions you may have. I can tell you only what she told me & from a parent’s point of view.
^^ Thanks @FlowerMom! D was very excited to be accepted and has a lot to think about now. I am glad your D is happy there. That’s good that the classes are small…I’m sure they are very hard! We both loved how close the nursing building is to the medical center. I am assuming that the majority of the clinicals are right there? I’m also wondering does UVA take AP exams and/or dual enrollment credits for things like Eng 101/102, social sciences, Calc, etc? D has a lot of credits coming in.I’m sure I’ll be asking you more questions as they come up! Thanks!
^^ I did just find the info about AP credits…looks pretty tough…and it looks like everyone is required to take the First Writing Requirement as well. She has a ton of dual enrollment credits so I guess I need to see if any of them would transfer.
Hi, my D does not have to take the Eng / writing class.
The same professor teach both the A&P ( part 1) and MicroBio class.
She is taking A&P ( part 2 ) & Chem this semester.
At the info session/open house, they had briefly mentioned that some students had a lot of AP credits / Dual enrollments credits & those students were able to do a minor. So that’s something to think about & look into.
We were told they’ll do most/ majority of the clinical here at the UVa hospital.
1st clincial, Spring semester 2nd year.( half day )
I wish I know what my D does each day LOL but she seems to be able to fit in the time to study, do homework/long writing assignments, eat, sleep AND be involved in lots of other things. So I am sure as long they know how to manage their time, they will be ok.
^Thanks for that info!! Passing it all on to D…and she is definitely interested in a minor so that sounds great! Glad to hear there is still time for other things too.
Congrats on the acceptance NJMOM3! My daughter is going through the same dilemma… Worked hard, applied to all direct entry “reach” type schools hoping to get into at least one. And hasn’t been rejected yet. Great problem - yet excruciating. It’s hard to justify $65000 a year for BSN… Let’s keep bouncing our thoughts on here… flowerMom has wonderful insight and suggestions…
I’ve 2 in nursing, one in this Traditional BSN program & one will be starting an Accelerated BSN program this summer.
^^ Thanks @go4fan56 and congrats to your d as well!! I hear you on that…if we were in-state, decisions would be much easier. The other merit offers are going to make things much more difficult…and wow @flowermom you will be an expert by the time your girls get done!
As a matter of background, I have a son at UVa (not in nursing) and a daughter studying nursing at a different college.
UVa’s AP policies are online. They are tougher in granting credit than some colleges, but (as of a couple years ago), they didn’t have a maximum on the number of credits you could earn. I’d try to find out which semesters are the hardest, or during which semesters a student plans to emphasize a time-consuming activity, and try to use the AP credits at that time. My daughter was able to adjust the order of the non-nursing non-science classes to reduce her schedule in the fall semesters when she was playing a varsity sport. She also took a summer class and used those credits to reduce her schedule during the semester when she had the hardest science classes. (Note - check the policies - UVa may not let some courses be taken at another college).
Yes, the nursing school is very well located. There also is a tall upper-class residence hall named Bice that is very convenient for nursing students. A large amount of private housing is also within an easy walking distance of the nursing school.
UVa has very good need-based aid for out of state US students. The difficulty is that the formula assumes that an OOS will do $4k a year of work study, which is not practical for most students and is particularly difficult for nursing students during many semesters… My son was able to avoid doing any work study because he had very good full-time summer jobs.
^^ Thanks for all the info!! @charliesch
Congrats NJMOM and GO4fan! My daughter was also recently accepted as an OOS Nursing major and is very excited. So many concerns about finances on my end, but this is an incredible opportunity. It didn’t seem like UVA has “livng/learnign” communites for students with like majors. Does anyone know if there are such opportunities? Very glad to hear that there is time to participate in other activities as my daughter was very involved with service and other actiivities at school and she would like to continue. Thanks for the info.
Congrats artistintraining! I’m also curious about living / learning communities as well.
There are foreign language residence houses, and a complex that primarily serves international students (but is open to US students). The Brown College generally attracts people who are more arts oriented, and have a resident faculty advisor. You can apply first year or later, I believe. There was an attempt of a residential college in the Hereford complex, but I don’t think it was real successful. 'I think the Bice residence hall comes the closest to a nursing-oriented living arrangment, although it is not limited to nursing students. A large percentage of the upper class population lives for a year in a fraternity or sorority - usually third year, unless they have not yet made living arrangements for 2nd year when they pledge…