This is Bryan. And I am back with another blog post!
This time I want to share some nursing program application tips. These are the tips that I used or I found it important when applying to School of Nursing 3 years ago. And now, I am a senior nursing student who is graduating soon.
The information I offer below are based on my personal experience. I can't guarantee it to be 100% accurate nor it hasn't been change since I've applied. However, I think it can give you a general sense of what to focus on and offer you a starting point if you are struggling on the application.
General Information
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| PLU Clinical Learning and Simulation Center |
Starting Fall 2021, The School of Nursing is also changing its three-years nursing program into a two-years program, which saves time for students and have a more reasonable course arrangements. Link Here.
The Nursing Center that was recently opened was also offers great opportunity for nursing students to practice.
1. Application
Student can apply on this website (Undergraduate).
Note that International students are required to submit a language testing score, and the requirement for that is higher than PLU application. (link)
In general, both Spring-starting and Fall-starting applications are submitted in the same period (Sept. 1st ~ Aug). For incoming students, students who complete their application before the priority deadline (Feb 1st) are given priority considerations. For current PLU students, 4 decision dates are set, and student who complete the application before one decision dates will be notified about the result at the next date.
I recommend to complete the application before the priority date, or as early as possible, to increase the chance of acceptance.
Be aware that you have to submit all the documents by the priority date to be considered completing your application. Having only the application form completed and not submitting the documents will not be considered completing the application and will not give you the advantage of priority deadline.
2. Complete Prerequisite Classes with Good Grades
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| (Study hard "always" works) |
I think this is the most important factor that the School of Nursing look at when making a decision. Of course you'll need to meet the requirements for application first. However, to increase your chance of getting in, you should have good grades in the the two Human A&P classes at least. This is because many of the nursing classes are based on the knowledge of human anatomy and physiology.
When I transferred from Pierce College to PLU, I have completed all the nursing prerequisites. I didn't have the best grade for all of the classes. Most of them I only got 3.0 ~ 3.5, which is not very competitive. However, I got 4.0s for both and the Human A&P classes, and I think that really helped me a lot.
If you have already completed the classes, and the grades are not ideal, you still have the chance to retake the class. The school (of Nursing) is allowing one retake for each prerequisites. so if you have a grade between 2.5~3.0 for the Human A&P classes, I recommend you to retake it for a better grade.
3. Get healthcare working/volunteer experience
Having a working experience is not required, but it will boost your opportunity for getting in by showing that you are determined to the field of nursing.
By working experience, I don't mean that you need to have a CNA working experience in a big hospital. You can be a transport personnel in a hospital or you can simply volunteer in assisted-living facility or a children-caring center.
For me, I volunteered in a hospital... gift shop... for 100 hours. I am not sure if it really helped with my resumes, but the most important thing is that you are showing your willingness to advocate for somebody else and you are really interested in getting into the field of nursing.
4. Have a good letter of recommendation
2 letters of recommendation is needed to complete the application. This is the other piece of information that you can use to accelerate your acceptance rate.
Personally, I recommend to have one letter of recommendation from your work place or volunteer place. For example, ask for one from your supervisor in volunteer job. Your supervisor can demonstrate your good work attitude, show that you are truly interested in the field of nursing, and prove that you have advocated for someone else.
The second recommendation should come from a different source to show your different side. I recommend having one from the professor in one of your prerequisite classes (Human A&P class professor is ideal). This letter will demonstrate your ability to learn new information and your study attitude.
If you can't find a letter of recommendation from your professors, ask your advisor for one. Advisors also know you well and are more willing to help you.
5. Write Good Personal Essay
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| (Stress management is huge in nursing school) |
Usually the School will give topics for the applicants to write about. The topics change every year, but there is one tip that you can use to start writing. That is to write your essay based on how you fit the essential qualifications.
If you haven't read it, Essential Qualifications are basically talking about the good qualities that a nursing student should have. It include motor skills, sensory/observation, communication, cognitive, and behavioral/emotion. You can read on this website for more detailed information.
I think it's best to focus on communication skills and cognitive (critical thinking) skills. Talk about how you have or practiced those skills based on a volunteer/working experience.
Or, if you have limited working experience, talk about how you managed stress in busy class time. Also, you can talk about how you advocate for someone else and express your interest in getting into the field of nursing.
The key is to show that you are interested in the field and express your personalities to show them that you can bring something different to the field.
For the very least, have your essays prove-read by couple other people to avoid grammar errors.
So here are the 5 tips that you can use when applying for the School of Nursing. I hope you can find it helpful and use it to submit a perfect application to the School of Nursing!
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| Stay Healthy and Stay Safe~ |
Best,
10/8/2020
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