Pre-Nursing Advising

Advising pre-nursing students is complicated. 

This quiz summarizes some of the detailed questions that students are asking (or should be asking!) about MC and UMB Nursing BSN Programs.  
The "So You Want to be a Nurse Quiz" - Fielding Questions about UMB-SON (University of Maryland, Baltimore - School of Nursing) - Shady Grove and Main Campus Requirements

1) The Softball Question:  where do you find the list of Nursing Course Prerequisites for UMB-School of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)?

You know this one, the MC Transfer Page - Advising by Majors - Nursing Page.

2)  UMB SON will use the Montgomery College GPA when considering applicants - that is, grades from repeated courses @ MC are not considered - true or false?

False - UMB (as well as many other BSN schools) will NOT use the MC-calculated overall GPA when courses have been repeated - they consider all grades in courses attempted and repeated.  As you know, MC's "forgiveness" policy replaces a first grade with the second grade earned, excluding the first grade from the GPA calculation.  UMB calculates the GPA on every course including repeats.  This is important for BSN-bound nursing students to realize if they repeat classes in an attempt to earn better grades.  This is noted in the Nursing Advising Page, MC to UMB, and addressed on the UMB website under Frequently Asked Questions.  Montgomery College DOES apply the "forgiveness" policy to students who are applying to the MC A.S. Nursing program.

3)  UMB calculates a separate GPA for 4 Science courses (Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II, Chemistry 1 and Microbiology) - is this GPA more or less important than the overall GPA?

UMB-SON's Science GPA is more important than the overall GPA.  Despite the fact that both the overall GPA and Science GPA minimums are published as a 3.0, admitted students typically have much higher GPA's - think 3.5 plus plus plus ...  UMB-SON Shady Grove has 40 seats for Fall and 40 seats for Spring every year for their full-time Nursing Program (BSN).  Also note that the TEAS test is required for all applicants.

4)  Students who have all four of the Science Courses finished before they apply have an advantage (Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II, Chemistry 1 and Microbiology) - true or false?

The UMB website says that students may have up to 5 prerequisite courses in progress at the time of application, 2 of which may be Science GPA courses.  They do not specifically state that all 4 Science courses must be completed - however, anecdotally – an MC student this Spring was denied admission for Fall 2014 - this student had an overall GPA of 3.79, and 3 out of 4 Science courses finished with all A's, but one Science course was still in progress (Anatomy II).   To be most competitive, having all 4 Science courses completed is the way to go. The MC - UMB Prerequisites Page  recommends a strategy for finishing all 4 Science courses prior to applying so that a completed Science GPA is available.

5)  Online or hybrid courses for the Big Four Science classes (see #4) are accepted - true or false? 

False!  The UMB site specifically states that Science GPA courses must be taken in-person. 

6)  UMB accepts AP and/or CLEP credits - true or false?

True - however, there is some fine-print - only two courses may come from AP or CLEP testing, and the Big Four Science courses may not come from AP or CLEP.  Still, CLEP is a valid way to earn Humanities credit - for example, many students may wish to take a CLEP test for language credit (French, German, Spanish).  UMB shares the UMBC List of AP/CLEP credits accepted, shown here and also on the MC/UMB Nursing Prerequisites Page:  www.umbc.edu/catalog/2012/appendices/Appendix_II.pdf 

7)  Students may bring unofficial transcripts from MC and other institutions (including WES/AACRAO/ECE international evaluations) to a UMB Information Session or make a request by e-mail to UMB-SON and they will receive a written Unofficial Transcript Evaluation showing how courses will be accepted - true or false? 

True.  This is a great service, especially for International Transcripts evaluated by WES, AACRAO, or ECE - students receive the unofficial evaluation in writing showing how courses will be accepted and can plan appropriately with this information.  Here is a link with details about Information Sessions and Open Houses:  www.nursing.umaryland.edu/admissions/open-house/

Form to request an Unofficial Evaluation:  www.nursing.umaryland.edu/media/SON/Academics/Undergraduate/Unofficial-Transcript-Evaluation-Request-Form.doc

8)  By the year 2020, all Maryland hospitals will hire only nurses with a BSN - true or false?

True!  Montgomery College's A.S. in Nursing Program has aggressively responded to the need for BSN completion by developing eight guaranteed admission RN-to-BSN transfer agreements for graduates of the AS/RN @ MC to immediately begin an RN-to-BSN degree.   An RN-to-BSN agreement with UMB-SON is in the works and others are in the pipeline.  These agreements may have some advantages for students who 1) want to go immediately to work and possibly have an employer assist with tuition reimbursement and/or 2)  others may want to pursue an RN-to-BSN that does not have a CHEM 131/CH 101 program prerequisite (about half of the RN-to-BSN programs do not have this requirement).   Many RN to BSN completion programs are fully online.  And did you know?  UMUC is one of the schools offering an RN-to-BSN program.   A full list of Nursing Programs in a 50-mile Range from Rockville (includes MC's RN to BSN Partners ) is located on the MC Advising by Major - Nursing Page on the MC Transfer Page.

9)  What other commutable BSN options exist for students apart from UMB-SON - Shady Grove and Main Campus?

This depends on the student – for some, Towson’s BSN offered at the Universities at Hagerstown might be a possibility, but for others, downtown Baltimore or DC schools may be a better fit.  The MC Page “Nursing Programs in a 50-Mile Driving Range from Rockville” is a good place to start, and students can conduct their own searches using CollegeNavigator.gov to find other possibilities (search by # of miles from Zip Code).

10)  In reality, students who earn an AS in Nursing from MC usually spend at least 3 full semesters completing prerequisite courses before entering the MC program.  Isn’t it shorter to finish 4 semesters at MC and then move directly to a “traditional” BSN?

It’s true that the most direct path to a BSN is a traditional/basic program, completing 4 semesters of general prerequisites at MC and then completing 2 years at the junior/senior level to finish the BSN.  For many students, the extremely competitive admissions requirements of BSN programs make direct admission a long-shot because the demand for spaces is so high - especially at UMB-Shady Grove.  It is for this reason that students and their advisers need to be aware of other BSN’s and RN-to-BSN options.

BONUS CASH PRIZE QUESTION:   If you had a nickel for every student who told you that he/she wants to major in nursing in the past several years, how much money would you have?

Answer:  You would have a lot of nickels.