There’s a lot you need to know before starting nursing school, and our ABSN program admissions counselors are ready to see you through the process. In fact, they’re willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to champion your future in nursing.
As a prospective Northeastern ABSN student, you’re assigned a counselor whose job is to provide you with highly personalized support and guidance throughout the entire admissions process. You could compare the role of your admissions counselor to that of a personal assistant.
“If you’re assigned to me, I will be the person you speak to every time you call in. I will always know your back story. I will always have your information. I will always be able to pick up where we left off,” says Kelly Jackson, ABSN admissions counselor for Northeastern University.
In order for your counselor to be able to streamline your admissions process, here are 10 things you need to know and/or consider while working with him or her.
1. You are inquiring about a second-degree bachelor’s program.
Our ABSN program is for students who have a bachelor’s degree in another field of study. (In other words, you need an undergraduate degree to qualify.) The program builds on this education so that it’s possible to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as 16 months.
2. You should be upfront and honest during the admissions process.
Your admissions counselor is not here to judge you. Everything your counselor does or says has your best interest at heart, so it’s a good idea to be upfront and honest with him or her at all times. After all, it’s not your counselor’s job to determine whether or not you get into the program. It’s his or her job to make sure you submit the most competitive application possible.
For example, if there are discrepancies with your transcripts, tell your counselor at the beginning of the admissions process. These discrepancies will eventually come up in conversation, so it’s best to tackle them head-on, allowing your counselor time to create a plan for addressing these hiccups.
“Things happen,” says Kelly. “Maybe your grades slipped because of an unexpected family emergency, and you had a bad semester. Let’s talk about it, so I can help you navigate through it.”
3. You need to provide your admissions counselor with relevant personal information.
As mentioned above, your admissions counselor is committed to helping you put together the most competitive nursing school application possible. But for your counselor to be able to do so, you need to be open to sharing relevant personal information with him or her.
“I may ask you how many children you have, and how you plan to juggle nursing school and family life―but there’s a reason,” says Kelly. “Our ABSN program is rigorous and time consuming, and I want to make sure you have the right support resources in place so you can achieve nursing school success.”
4. You’ll be on the phone with your admissions counselor more than once.
Given all of the variables involved with our ABSN program, your admissions counselor needs time to get to know you before he or she can best address all of your questions and/or concerns.
“This is an in-depth process, which makes it virtually impossible to address every question or concern someone has about the program in a single phone call. By taking the time to get to know an individual, we’re able to provide him or her with the best support possible,” says Heather Hudson, ABSN admissions counselor for Northeastern University.
5. You should expect your admissions counselor to follow-up with you often.
Whether your target ABSN program start date is this year or next year, you can expect your admissions counselor to call you on a regular basis to make sure you have everything you need to keep the process going smoothly.
“Given the support I received from my admissions counselor, I was confident I took all the right steps for getting into the ABSN program,” said Shaelyn, a 2017 Northeastern ABSN program graduate.
6. You need to have a sense of urgency during the admissions process.
While we have a higher enrollment capacity than most nursing schools, it’s still important to maintain a sense of urgency during the admissions process. By keeping the process moving forward, you’ll have an advantage over other students applying for the same term.
Unlike most nursing schools, we review applications as they come in rather than waiting for the submission deadline to pass (also known as rolling admissions). Because we don’t evaluate applicants all at once, we’re able to provide you with an admissions decision within a few weeks of applying. Rolling admissions also gives you the means to secure your seat for a particular term before other students have even applied.
7. You need to live within driving distance of our ABSN program site.
While you’ll complete much of the ABSN program online, we still require you to come to our program site and/or healthcare partner sites a few times a week to participate in nursing labs and clinical rotations. Therefore, it’s important to live within close driving distance of these locations. Based on what we’ve heard, one-way drive times longer than 90 minutes tend to be taxing on students.
8. You’ll probably need a co-signer to finance your nursing education.
Most ABSN students rely on both federal and private loans to finance their nursing education. If this is how you plan to pay for nursing school, be prepared to have someone co-sign for your loans.
9. You need to be willing to make sacrifices while in nursing school.
Because this is an accelerated nursing program, it requires a lot of time and energy to be successful. Therefore, it’s probably best if you don’t work while in the program. After all, you might need to commit up to 60 hours a week to your studies, making the program a full-time job in itself.
10. You’re not committed to us during the admissions process.
It’s no secret prospective nursing students look at different schools before choosing a program. We understand you need to do what’s best for you. If you’re weighing your options, don’t feel bad about telling us. We might be able to assist with the decision-making process.
At no point during the admissions process are you committed to Northeastern. We just ask that you maintain open lines of communications with us. “If you get into another program, just tell us. We aren’t going to be mad. It lets us know to stop calling you,” concludes Kelly.
Ready to accelerate into nursing? Contact our admissions team today! We’ll be ready to tell you what you need to know before starting nursing school.
