How to Get Into Your Dream Nursing Program
Getting into the nursing program of your dreams can be slightly scary when you see the long list of admission requirements.
But by tackling each requirement in a step-by-step way, you will feel much more confident and a lot less panicked by the process.
You are smart and talented, and any program will be lucky to have you as a student.
You just have to show them why they should pick you!
Here’s how to make your admissions application stand out in the pile.
Start by selecting the right school for you.
If you haven't already narrowed down your ideal nursing program, you can check out how to go about doing that here.
Not every nursing program is going to be the right fit for every kind of student.
And that is okay.
There are LPN, ADN, and BSN (even MSN) programs that will lead you to licensure. There are also accelerated, private, and night programs.
Nursing is often a second career for some people, so many nursing programs have been adapted or developed to suit a bunch of different lifestyles. So instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, try finding a square hole that was made especially for you.
Find that school’s admissions requirements
When you’ve narrowed down the school (or schools) you’re interested in applying to:
Pull up their admissions requirements.
Now turn each requirement into a checklist item (this is your game plan for admission).
Your goal now is to make sure you check off as many—if not all—of these boxes. Do they want a 3.5 GPA in all science classes and you only have a 3.4 with two classes to go? You now know what you have to do. Ace those last two classes bump up your science GPA and check off that box.
Expand those requirements into action plans to help you achieve each item.
Do this for all of the listed requirements and you’ll be well on your way to being accepted.
Begin to work on your action plan
The earlier you start with the goal in mind, the better. Obviously, this is not always possible. But giving yourself plenty of time to prepare your application to your nursing program will give you a huge advantage.
It is also a good idea to look into your ideal program’s rules on re-taking courses for better grades. Some schools will only accept a certain amount of course re-attempts—or none at all. It really all depends on the program you’re applying for.
Prepare for any entrance exams
Many nursing programs will require an entrance exam as part of their admission requirements. Usually this is either the SAT or ACT for some four-year programs or the HESI or TEAS. Take a look at what score your program requires and keep it in mind as your goal to meet or exceed this score when you take it yourself.
Now that you know what your goal score is, it’s time to create a study plan for your exam.
Again, the earlier you start this process, the better. It will give you lots of time to prepare without feeling overwhelmed.
If you want to through a steadfast deadline into the mix, you may want to find an exam date and time in your area first. This will force you to stick with completing the entrance exam in a certain amount of time and help ease the temptation to procrastinate.
If this suggestion sends you into an absolute panic attack—don’t do this! However, just keep in mind that it will be a lot easier to push off studying because you can always pick a later exam date. Totally up to you though.
Here’s a tip for beginning a study plan for an entrance exam:
Start by taking a grabbing a practice book that includes a practice exam. I know, this might not make complete sense at face-value. But what you’re doing here is assessing where you’re current understanding it. After you take the practice test, score yourself and see what areas you could use the most improvement in.
Now you have a great study plan. You’ll want to spend most of your study time focusing on those areas where you may not be as strong. Just like building any muscle.
Spend a little time each day (about an hour or two) to study the sections in your plan. Steady introduction of new information with time in between will help you better retain what you want to learn.
Cramming won’t give you the best results. And being overprepared for this kind of exam will get you a better score and improve your chances of acceptance even more.
Personal Statements
This is where you shine and stand out.
Everyone will likely have impressive academics because many nursing programs are highly competitive these days. So aside from have absolutely perfect academics, you need to set yourself apart from the other applicants. The personal statement is where you can do that if it’s a part of the admission requirements.
Personal statements are not as scary as they sound.
Find out the word limit you’re working with to start.
Then break down the prompts provided into bullet points. You will want to make sure each part of the prompt is addressed.
Next, just expand on those bullet points with thoughtful answers.
Then tidy up formatting and include transitions that make your personal statement flow more cohesively.
Finally, take a day or two away from your personal statement and come back for a final review with fresh eyes. If you still feel like it could use another revision, have a friend read it over to make sure it sounds right and hits all of the major points.
Letters of Recommendation
This one can be tough. But if you want to follow you nurse bliss and get into your dream program, your letters of recommendation can be one of the factors that locks in your admission.
Letters of recommendation are essentially other professionals vouching for the fact that you’re a smart, committed, and respectable person that would do well in a nursing program.
Some good people to consider asking for recommendations can be your supervisor, past instructors, and leaders of placed where you’ve volunteered. You can even go with someone you know more personally that happens to also be a solid professional in their field if the requirements allow.
In order to get all of your letters done in a timely manner:
Start reaching out to people a few months before the actual deadline. People go on vacation or their schedule is absolutely packed, and it can take some time to get back to you. And then if they agree to write you a recommendation, they may also take a bit of time to write it.
Build that wait-time into the process by tackling this a few months ahead of time. This way you won’t have to have that awkward conversation with them that you need them to pick up the pace on finishing your letter because your deadline is fast approaching.
Yes, this process can be a little scary and a lot daunting.
But by breaking down attacking each requirement in manageable steps, you won’t feel like you’re losing your mind along the way. Once you submit your glowing application packet, they will be knocking down your door to accept you into their program.
And all you have to do is show them why they should pick you!