Feels like the past week has gone by at hyper speed! Bored and want to feel exhausted?
- 12/11/16: I drove to SD at 5:30AM
- 12/12/16 (AM): I had orientation Day 1for the ELM program in LA
- 12/12/16 (PM): Appointments to see apartments in SD
- 12/13/16 (AM): Picked up a used uniform and books from a previous student
- 12/13/16 (AM): Orientation Day 2 at the SD campus (my campus)
- 12/13/16 (PM): Rush to get a cashier’s check and take it with the apt. application to the prop. management’s office
- 12/14/16: Drove back to Sac
- 12/15/16: Best friend’s graduation from SMU’s ABSN program
- 12/16/16: SF trip with my boyfriend
- 12/17/16: 3 graduations for friends
- 12/18/16: My other best friend’s birthday plans at the PACE gallery and then a visit to Santana Row in SJ
I AM BEAT! However, I have zero obligations (except the 4 chapters we were assigned at orientation *eye roll*) until this Friday, which will be my bittersweet, going away/26th birthday dinner. =] For those of you possibly looking for nursing school answers, I go into depth about orientation below.
For the rest of you, happy holidays! My PACE gallery pictures will be coming soon!
APU Orientation:
It was half what I half what I expected and half an eyeopener in itself. I keep hearing about how this program will not only test me as a person, but test the sincerity of the friendships/relationships of those around me. Some “friends” will not stick around to endure the hardship with you, and the true friends will be there every step of the way dealing with possible ignored texts/calls (not intentionally of course), missed events, etc. I can already tell which ones will be weeded out by my journey. Although, it hurts me… apart of me knew who they were all along.
Day 1 8AM-3PM at the Monrovia Campus (LA):
Staying in SD with two of my best friends so myself and another student in the program carpooled together. We left super early (5:45AM) and hit very little traffic. We had actually been told in an email it started at 8:30AM by mistake (or type) by our program coordinator. Each location has an assigned coordinator to help them through the process of what is needed to be cleared to work in the hospital, books to buys, equipment to buy, etc. Luckily, we left so early because we showed up right at 8AM. Most of our other cohort came in late tho… want to make the SD look too laid back *eye roll*. They went over our Strengths from the Strength Finder test they have us take, go over registration, financial aid, study abroad opportunities, go over our learning strategies, and some material about the upcoming semester, the pre-licensure portion of the program (BSN/RN) and the post-licensure portion (MSN). We also had breakfast and lunch provided, which was great =]
Being me. I had already researched and contacted resources to know pretty much everything I needed to know about registration and financial aid. I really think the rest could have been squeezed into Day 2, but oh well! I guess it was good for those who were still not sure about the technicalities. I think the only things I took away were the study abroad info. (Cape Cod I might be coming for ya!) and the scholarship list.
Day 2 11AM-4PM at the San Diego (SD) Campus:
We started with a tour of the campus, meeting all the faculty, and got our pictures for our IDs. We filled out some paperwork and then got to meet with students and ask them anything we wanted. We took a break for lunch and got to eat with the students as well. We literally asked every question imaginable. We also got to mingle with our cohort a little. This is the cool part! They had the IT guy (who is there every Monday) come in and had everyone connect to WIFI and the 3 websites (ATI, Kaplan, and SAKAI) we’ll be using. This way anyone who had a problem could get it solved right then! Next, we went over what the semester would be like and preparing us for the hard days ahead. Lastly, we got to meet each member of the cohort (via a 5 picture slide show we sent in and present), then did a team building exercise. Overall, I am really happy with the process so far, and I definitely like that I decided to attend APU.
Feel free to ask any questions about orientation, tuition/bills, applying, etc!
Hi!
you have stated you can ask any type of questions at this time. I was wondering what kind of questions would be best to be prepared to ask at this time? Can you give me some example? And you blogs are very helpful btw!! I start in fall 2017.
Congrats! You’ve chosen an excellent career path.
You can ask anything you are wondering about at all! It could be questions or concerns about the APU program, about NPs in general, about being a nursing student, or maybe some questions you have about certain books, assignments, or classes once you’ve already started the program.
I try to post things related to questions I had when starting that, but if I am not covering something you are wondering about… Feel free to ask! I can try to answer the best I can or if I don’t know the answer I will try to provide a resource for you!
Dear Bri Im so grateful for you amazing page it has been so resourceful through my entire journey. I was just recently accepted into APU’s ELM N program as well. I currently trying to gather as much information as possible about the tuition billing and financial aid process. I know by completing your fast you may qualified for subsidized fedloan and or graduate loans, did you find the financial advisors for the program to be very helpful. What were some other resources you looked into to financial assistance? I am also curious to know what outlets your recommend for those getting ready to start the program and possibly wanting to buy used books and uniforms as well from past students. Im sorry for so many questions.
Sorry for the delay. I just go back from Africa! To be honest, some are better than others. I have had a relatively good experience, but I know some who have struggled because they have very specific request regarding their loans. As long as you stay on top of you to do list (in the apu student center webpage), you should be fine! My cohort used our financial aid advisors as much as we used each other.
I solely relied on financial aid (loans) to get me through the program. Some people also had part-time jobs, and others applied for scholarships. Since it is a graduate level program, you should receive more than enough support yourself if you choose not to work.
I would contact previous students! They should provide you a list of students selling uniforms once the start date gets close. I would contact those students about their used books as well. That is what I did! I also rented many of my books from Amazon! I currently have offers on my uniforms, but if for some reason they fall through I will let you know! Don’t hesitate to ask questions. That is what I am here for!