Sadistic Summer!

My summer semester is going to be pretty insane. I’m going to complete Human Anatomy & Physiology I and Human Anatomy & Physiology II. Both are four credit classes, and each class will last a mere 6 1/2 weeks: half of the amount of time it would have taken if I had taken these in the fall or spring. Two for the price of one!

The bad news: There will be two 3 1/2 hour lectures a week followed by a 4 1/2 hour lab every Saturday. Oh well, we all make sacrifices, and this certainly is no exception. This will enable me to have all five “pre-nursing” classes done in August, and enabling me to apply in January for a GPA-based admission (if I bombed my ACT score).

Oh, and they’re actually making me take a pass/fail student development class. I have a 4.0 people! Do I really need to improve my study skills? No remedials: I have a 4.0 on college level courses; two 100 levels and a 200 level psychology! I wrote the Dean of Students to no avail. Have to take the course… the amount of time wasted on this could have easily been applied to other classes I’ll eventually have to take, like sociology or microbiology! Oh well… you win some and you lose some I guess and I may have lost this battle but the war is just beginning!

If you get anything from this post, it should be this: take an aggressive summer schedule to lighten your courseload for fall and spring. Also, write your Dean of Students if someone makes you mad or tells you that you can’t do something!

Getting Things In Order…

I just finished all the preparations for applying to the nursing program based on my ACT score (which, as of now, is still unknown). Had to get my high school to send some official transcripts to my school because I was admitted based my aptitude test (which I passed with flying colors; no remedial classes for me!) and not because I have a diploma. However, nursing requires that you have one; no ifs, ands, or buts. So my transcript will be sent over, and all that remains is for me to wait for my ACT score, fill out a form, and hope for the best. I went to a technical high school so I get a certificate in Environmental Science along with my diploma ! All I had to do was give up art and music that’s offered in other high schools and I get somethings that’s actually usable!

Before I start the program I’ll probably get my CPR certification… no point in waiting until it gets down to the wire.

And again… I wait for ACT to release my score.

Trying to start the Nursing Program…

Ok first post, here goes.

I wanted to chronicle my experience in (or at the present moment trying to get in) the nursing program at  Wor-Wic Community College. At the moment, it is an extremely difficult program to get into because of the highly limited number of spaces. Having looked into the matter, it’s more difficult getting accepted into this ADN program than Salisbury University’s BSN program.

But hey, I’m not a college kid who can afford to chill out for four years while working on a Bachelor’s degree. I have a wife, three stepdaughters, and a son, and not working while this whole college thing is happening is just an option. I’ll get the ADN then go to Salisbury for my BSN, or even work online for it.

So how are the spots dished out and awarded? There are 64 slots each Fall and Spring. Applicants can enter the program in the Fall two ways: their ACT score, or their GPA average from five “pre-Nursing” academic courses. Spring admission is only based on GPA.

1. PSY101 – Introduction to Psychology
2. PSY251 – Human Growth and Development
3. ENG101 – English Fundamentals
4. BIO202 – Human Anatomy & Physiology
5. BIO203 – Human Anatomy & Physiology II

**Also must complete a Pass/Fail class called Student Development.

Now that we know how you get in, here’s where I stand. I have completed classes 1-3 with a 4.0 average. If I can get an A in classes 4 and 5, well it’s pretty much a certainty that I’ve got a spot reserved for me. Each Fall and Spring there is 48 spots for the applicants with the highest GPA. But that won’t be until January because I haven’t completed my two BIO classes. I want to get in sooner.

The ACT admission track is much quicker; if I make it, I will enter the program in September. I took the ACT test on April 12th ( a mere two days ago) and I likely will know my score on April 23, or soon thereafter. Historically, a score of 25 or higher will get you a spot, but there’s only 16 spots every Fall held for ACT-admission students, so I have to be in that top 16. Not to brag, (knock on wood) but I think I nailed down a decent score but won’t know for sure until April 23.

Now I know my grades are great (so far) and I have a good feeling about the ACT test; but only time will tell if it is enough to get me into this program; I wasn’t nervous until I realized that there’s over 300 applicants (most of which are applying for GPA-based admission this Fall & Spring). No score guarantees entry; I just hope my ACT test will get me in. If not, I’m finishing up those BIO classes this summer and will apply for a GPA-based admission into the nursing program in January for the Spring semester.

Keep reading to see if I make it; I should have a pretty good idea of where I stand on April 23rd, although I know ACT will enjoy releasing my score later than that, probably making me as nervous as a nun in a cucumber patch for a few weeks!!