It’s official, I’m going to nursing school! This summer I will be starting the UCSF Masters Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) for the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty. I am unbelievably excited about this new school and career path.
This is a three-year program leading students with a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field to a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). The UCSF School of Nursing consistently ranks as a top 5 nursing school in the country and I feel extremely happy and proud to have made the cut.
Last year, when I was researching schools, working on applications, and preparing for the interviews, I scoured the internet for information and stories from students. I found reading blogs and discussion board posts to be helpful throughout the whole process, especially for a competitive program like this. In an attempt to pay it forward, I am going to try to document my journey and be a resource to you future applicants. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am no expert (yet), but I can tell you what worked for me.
Hello Donovan,
It’s almost 1am and I’ve been doing some soul searching and figuring out my plan with my life. I am in my mid twenties who just had a baby this year. I graduated college with a BS in neuroscience last year. My plan A was to go to dental school, but with the circumstances I am facing I’m leaning more towards my plan B which is nursing. I’m trying to read on to my plan and I happen to find your blog…this, especially, where you mentioned about reading blogs and discussion boards to help with the process is what I found to be the most helpful for my own stage in the process. I was just wondering which discussion boards and other blogs did you happen to find very helpful. I want to keep reading and get inspired from people like you. UCSF was my dream school for dentistry, and now for nursing.
Thank you!
That is a good question. I honestly don’t remember all of the blogs I read since that was two years ago now, but I am sure you will find several of them if you do a good google search. You can also find current students and alumni on social media. I was actively engaged with reading the forums on allnurses.com. There is a discussion forum for each application cycle. I found it helpful (at times) to read what others were doing, but don’t let any of it get to your head. UCSF is a great school and this is a fantastic program. I hope you consider it. Good luck!