It has been nearly two years since I last posted. In that time I have graduated (Dec. 17, 2010) with a BA in Sociology and a Biology minor. I worked my hind end off and pulled a 3.491 Cum GPA...I was shooting for a 3.5 so I was a little disappointed. This is a seriously major accomplishment since my GPA was somewhere around a 1.0 (or lower) when I finally pulled myself together and started succeeding in school. After transferring to the 4-year University, I have a 3.82 in the last 75 units.
My BA is done. My Bio minor is done. I am taking classes at the local Community College to keep my loans deferred. I have applied to a few programs. I'm looking at Direct entry masters programs...with FNP as end result. I am getting very frustrated. Some programs have prereqs that are considered nursing classes in CA; I can't take them until I'm in a program, but they are prereqs for some programs...catch-22.
I feel I am an excellent candidate. I have overcome serious obstacles in my life, and I believe my transcripts and C.V. reflect that...IF I would be given the opportunity to talk about it. The essays don't allow me to do that. The programs want a specific question answered, or they want a goal statement in 200 words or less...no one asks for a personal statement. I'm frustrated. I did not get accepted to my "oh what the heck, I'll give it a shot" school (not particularly surprised), but I also did not get accepted to my first choice "this program and I are an absolute perfect match" school. I'm frustrated. I don't know how to make my seemingly mediocre credentials reflect how awesome they actually are.
I just want to go to nursing school...somewhere! My self-esteem was pretty good...it sucks right about now.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Well...I did it. I spoke to a Biology Department adviser and am now an officially declared Biology minor. I have to take two, three unit 100-level classes, and then I need four units of upper division Bio (with lab). That's it. I'm considering Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Virology...but there may be something else that sounds really interesting.
In other news...the two other Physiology TA's and I just finished correcting our portion of the first midterm for Physio. We corrected the multiple choice and the short essay questions...the Professor is correcting the two long essays. Good grief they did terribly! Average on the multiple choice was 48% correct...one person got 98% and one got 96%...of course this pulled up the average, so you can imagine just how bad it was. One of the questions I corrected was, "What is a goiter? How does it occur (be specific)? How can hyperthyroidism cause a goiter? Hypothyroidism?". One answer was "A goiter is a lump, sometimes in the neck. Hyperthyroidism is because there's too much. Hypothyrodism is because there's too little". I kid you not! No one mentioned TSH, TRH, negative feedback, or recepter activity; few mentioned Iodine...and one that did simply said that salt in America is iodized so no one in America gets goiters because there isn't a lack of Iodine in the diet!
Maybe more than one person will start showing up for study review sessions each week?!?
In other news...the two other Physiology TA's and I just finished correcting our portion of the first midterm for Physio. We corrected the multiple choice and the short essay questions...the Professor is correcting the two long essays. Good grief they did terribly! Average on the multiple choice was 48% correct...one person got 98% and one got 96%...of course this pulled up the average, so you can imagine just how bad it was. One of the questions I corrected was, "What is a goiter? How does it occur (be specific)? How can hyperthyroidism cause a goiter? Hypothyroidism?". One answer was "A goiter is a lump, sometimes in the neck. Hyperthyroidism is because there's too much. Hypothyrodism is because there's too little". I kid you not! No one mentioned TSH, TRH, negative feedback, or recepter activity; few mentioned Iodine...and one that did simply said that salt in America is iodized so no one in America gets goiters because there isn't a lack of Iodine in the diet!
Maybe more than one person will start showing up for study review sessions each week?!?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Overwhelmed
I am now a second semester junior. As it stands now my majors are officially Sociology and Pre-nursing. I am taking Microbiology this semester...and so far, it rocks! I am loving the class. The Professor is fantastic...encouraging, very hands-on in lab, website with lots of extra credit things to do, etc. Got a 90% on the first quiz...it would have been 100% but I misread one question and realized it right after I turned it in. *sigh* I am also TA'ing for the Professor I had for Physiology last semester. Assisting in lab 3 hours a week and will be running weekly study groups with the other 2 TA's starting next Tuesday. After this semester I will have 18 units of Biology; 20 units is required for an official minor. So I will be talking to an advisor, and possibly adding a Bio minor.
Sociology is kicking my butt. I am taking Research Methods and Classical Theory. My Methods Professor had a baby on the 5th...only a few hours after class! So our lectures were canceled all this past week and next Tuesday as well. However, due dates have not been changed for any asignments! So, I have now done 2 asignments with no accompanying lecture, and have another due Tuesday! Just lovely.
Sociology is kicking my butt. I am taking Research Methods and Classical Theory. My Methods Professor had a baby on the 5th...only a few hours after class! So our lectures were canceled all this past week and next Tuesday as well. However, due dates have not been changed for any asignments! So, I have now done 2 asignments with no accompanying lecture, and have another due Tuesday! Just lovely.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Updates
The current semester is coming to a close. 3 1/2 weeks counting finals week, and it's done. I'm feeling a little sad...this is IT at this school for me. I graduate 5/24 and head of to "the big kids school" in the fall. I'm enrolled and have registered for my fall classes...Physiology, Poli Sci and two upper division Sociology classes. On Friday I went to orientation. Part of the day was spent with an advisor in each student's major department...got some great advise. I had planned on doing a double major...earning my BA in Sociology while earning my BS in nursing. That has changed. I am still a pre-nursing and Sociolog double major...I will still complete my nursing prereqs (two remaining), but I'm not applying to the BSN program...and in about 3 1/2 years (give or take) I will be a nurse. How's that going to work you ask? I'm so glad you asked! I am now going to complete my BA in Sociology then do the Direct Entry Master's Nursing program! This program is designed specifically for people who have earned a Bachelor's in something other than nursing...but want to be a nurse. The program is 18 months long and all graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX and are eligible to enter the NP program. I'm excited about this new direction!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Updates
I am thinking I may have started this blog a little too early...I'm not even ready to apply to nursing school yet! However, I will try to continue to post here occasionally. It is probably going to be more of a "school blog" than a "nursing blog" for a while though.
The Fall semester is over...I passed Anatomy. Everyone in my study group passed. Thank heavens because that is one class I REALLY would not like to repeat!
The Spring semester starts the 14th. I have no core sciences this semester. I decided to hold off on the two remaining and to focus on the GE I need for the State University (which I will be transferring to next Fall). So the coming semester consists of Speech 1A (yuck), Statistics, English 5 (critical thinking, instead of Philosophy), Chemistry 42 (to boost my Chem grade for pre-nursing transfer requirements) and weight training. I am taking the weight training class so I have a set time when I will exercise...if I just try to say "from this time to this other time I will exercise"...I won't! This way, I'm getting a grade...have to show up and participate. I also decided to take the 1 1/2 unit class instead of the 1 unit class. This gives me an hour and a half each class session instead of an hour...enough time to de some cardio AND weight train (elipticals, stair steppers and various style of stationary bikes in the gym).
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News on the State University front...
I got my official acceptance letter at the beginning of December...contingent on a couple classes I am taking this Spring. There is of course a bunch of stuff I have to do to get ready to go there... send a deposit, attend orientation, visit Disabled Students, a counselor, Financial aid, apply for scholarships, get my immunization records etc! Gracias mucho to my npdoc who pointed out a few weeks ago that I should look into scholarships immediately (even though Anatomy wasn't over) because of deadlines! She was absolutely right!! The two big ones I am applying for had January deadlines...one of them was January 2nd. That app. went out on the 2nd...minus official transcripts since campus was closed. I did include a note about campus being closed and will go order official transcripts to be sent directly, tomorrow. The other scholarship has a deadline of January 15th...I will get that one out this week...just have to finish up the essay.
The Fall semester is over...I passed Anatomy. Everyone in my study group passed. Thank heavens because that is one class I REALLY would not like to repeat!
The Spring semester starts the 14th. I have no core sciences this semester. I decided to hold off on the two remaining and to focus on the GE I need for the State University (which I will be transferring to next Fall). So the coming semester consists of Speech 1A (yuck), Statistics, English 5 (critical thinking, instead of Philosophy), Chemistry 42 (to boost my Chem grade for pre-nursing transfer requirements) and weight training. I am taking the weight training class so I have a set time when I will exercise...if I just try to say "from this time to this other time I will exercise"...I won't! This way, I'm getting a grade...have to show up and participate. I also decided to take the 1 1/2 unit class instead of the 1 unit class. This gives me an hour and a half each class session instead of an hour...enough time to de some cardio AND weight train (elipticals, stair steppers and various style of stationary bikes in the gym).
**********
News on the State University front...
I got my official acceptance letter at the beginning of December...contingent on a couple classes I am taking this Spring. There is of course a bunch of stuff I have to do to get ready to go there... send a deposit, attend orientation, visit Disabled Students, a counselor, Financial aid, apply for scholarships, get my immunization records etc! Gracias mucho to my npdoc who pointed out a few weeks ago that I should look into scholarships immediately (even though Anatomy wasn't over) because of deadlines! She was absolutely right!! The two big ones I am applying for had January deadlines...one of them was January 2nd. That app. went out on the 2nd...minus official transcripts since campus was closed. I did include a note about campus being closed and will go order official transcripts to be sent directly, tomorrow. The other scholarship has a deadline of January 15th...I will get that one out this week...just have to finish up the essay.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
My Anatomy lab has gone from 25 students (completely full) to 14. People dropped like flies the first two or three weeks and then there was a lull...now people are disappearing and never returning again. I wonder what those people who have dropped recently plan to do. We are way past the "drop without a W" point. Both of the nursing programs in my area look at how many W's you have in core sciences as well as how many times you repeat a core science. It's part of the selection criteria. What am I doing?!? I don't have time to wonder and worry about people I don't really know...how sad is that?
Anatomy is kicking my butt! This class is the hardest class I have ever taken. I don't understand why it has to be this hard...I really don't. I don't understand why I have to be able to look at a slice of a brain (prosection) and be able to identify the corpus collasum, intermediate mass, the basal nuclei as well as dozens of other structures! Seriously...how exactly will I be using that as a nurse? I am so ready for this semester to be done.
Anatomy is kicking my butt! This class is the hardest class I have ever taken. I don't understand why it has to be this hard...I really don't. I don't understand why I have to be able to look at a slice of a brain (prosection) and be able to identify the corpus collasum, intermediate mass, the basal nuclei as well as dozens of other structures! Seriously...how exactly will I be using that as a nurse? I am so ready for this semester to be done.
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