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