Life of a Nursing Major

So you're about to go to College and you are trying to choose a major...Well, I am not here to scare you away. Instead, I am here to let you know what a Nursing Major is all about...Welcome to my life.

Phase 1: The Prerequisites
Getting accepted to PLU is one thing, getting accepted to the School of Nursing at PLU is another thing.
I was psyched the day I got the e-mail from Hiro saying that I got accepted to PLU. 2 - 3 months later, I got a letter in the mail saying that I've got the Provost's Scholarship and boy, I was so happy I could die.

But months and months and I still didn't get any email or letters from the School of Nursing. For me, it doesn't mean anything if I get accepted to PLU and not to the School of Nursing (SoN). Nursing is what I want to do and I do not want to change my major whatsoever.

The reason why I was freaking out because of the requirements for Nursing. PLU SoN requires TOEFL, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology along with many other classes that could give you a headache just by looking at the name of it. I was a straight A student and my TOEFL was decent enough, however, grades and scores were not everything the SoN wanted. Unlike others, I didn't not have a lot of volunteer experiences since I had two jobs prior to SoN and according to a lot of people whom got accepted to SoN, volunteer experiences is one of the most important factors to make your application stand out.

My advice to you.... GET GOOD GRADES YET GET SOME VOLUNTEER HOURS

Phase 2: The First Semester at PLU
And so I got accepted to PLU and  the SoN.
Since I went to a community college prior to this, I was way beyond excited for this real college experience. I was ready to get involved, to hang out with friends from my dorm, to stay up late to watch a movie or play video games...

Reality hit me and none of that happened...
I am not saying that my life was a living hell. Oh no, don't quote me on that.
I am saying my college experience is awesome, it's just not awesome in a stereotypical way.
Right from the beginning, I was advised not to work during the school year since the Nursing program is quite intense. However, I still got 2 jobs: Admission Intern and Bookstore Sale Associate. Working on campus allowed me to get to know a lot of people as well as the culture at PLU. I am glad I applied to those two jobs.
However, the SoN is  right. Working while doing the Nursing Program is intense. I had to organize my time carefully every single semester in order to have time for both. It was hard.

I ran for ASPLU Senate position and I got elected as a Senator for the Academic year of 2011-2012. So yeah, I did get involved. I hung out with my Nursing friends and my roommate from Pflueger (the name of my residence hall). And I also stayed up late to watch How I Met Your Mother, and by late, I meant 11pm.

Want to know why I said reality hit me and none of what I expected happened the way I wanted? Then you would have to wait for my next entry...
 This blog entry is getting long and I need to do this to keep you all interested in what's coming up next...

Stay tuned....
Henry Tieu

First Semester at PLU

Hi, this is Loana! I started classes three weeks ago at PLU, and though they have been challenging I've been having a lot of fun! I'm currently taking HIST 260 (Early Modern European History), MUSI 103 (History of Jazz), and PSYC 335 (Cultural Psychology).

HIST 260 is really cool because the professor really enjoys what he teaches. So far, we've learned about the Renaissance printing press, impact of gunpowder in Europe, and the impacts of humanism on current education. We also get to look at Renaissance art once in a while during classes, and that's a lot of fun :)

MUSI 103 is taught by the jazz band director. He's a piano player, so he uses the piano to demonstrate different key ideas in jazz. I've also gotten some education outside of the classroom; there was a required gig at The Swiss in downtown Tacoma. It was really cool to be able to apply what I learned in class to actual music!

PSYC 335 has been really interesting. Since the professor is Japanese, I've been able to relate to some of the example that he gives of Japanese culture. It's been challenging because most of the students who are taking that class are juniors and seniors, but it's been a learning experience for me to rise up to the challenge. I'm really hoping that this class will help me grow.

Besides studying I've spent a lot of time practicing music and spending time with friends. I've also gone to Seattle the last two weekends. During my first trip, I went to the EMP (Experience Music Project Museum). I definitely recommend it! During my second trip, I visited the international district, and bought a lot of Japanese food and drinks! Well, I'm excited to be here, and hope everyone has a great week!

 

 

Excitement!

Man oh man, has this been an exciting week!

The first week of actual classes here at PLU kicked in this week, and I’ve been nothing but busy!
I’ve had all of my seven classes so far, some I like more than others, but all in all, I think this is going to be a great semester!

All of my five Communication classes are going well, so far. One is particularly challenging as it is a class concerning communication law within the United States. Interesting stuff, but it’s all new material, so I’ll have to encourage every single brain cell in my brain!

Another class I’m taking this fall semester is Ballroom Dance, a P.E. class. To be honest, I hated it at first, but with a little effort and showing up every time with a smile on my face, and it ain’t so hard after all!
My other P.E. class, Swing and Salsa Dance, is also testing my patience as to whether or not I actually want to continue taking the class. However, both of the dance classes are one credit-classes, and the professor said they’re an easy A as long as you show up every week (we only meet once a week for each of the dance classes), so I think I’ll just stick with them!

Classes aside, I’ve had the pleasure to meet some amazing new people aka the incoming international students for this semester, and I am so excited to get to know them better! We all met during International Student Orientation a few weeks ago, but it will be fun to get to know them in a new environment without having the orientation as an excuse! :)

New International Fall 2012 Semester students!

Best,
Lina.