Life on Christmas Break

So it is Christmas Eve, and I've officially been on Christmas Break for 3 weeks now. This is something that I never expect myself to say, but I end up saying it every long break... I'm slowly beginning to miss school! It's funny because during the semester, all you can do is talk about how badly you want a break, and once you get one... you don't know what to do with all of your free time! I can't wait for next semester. I'm so excited to begin my internship in the PICU. My Hello Kitty scrubs are just DYING to be worn ;) and of course, I'm ready to be one step closer to finding out where I'm going to be going to school next fall, and one step closer to obtaining my BSN and MSN!

Throughout the break, I've went to my old dance studio, caught up with some friends, babysat, went shopping, worked out, went to a close friend's graduation party, watched TV shows on Netflix, and SLEPT! It's been pretty uneventful (aka BORING), but I think that's a good thing since next semester is going to be a VERY eventful one!

Me hanging out with my mom's new puppy, Kaylee

Watching the sunset from the beach before a workout... so pretty! Sometimes I just absolutely adore Florida.

Cherry, raspberry, blueberry and lemon yogurt covered pretzels at my FAVORITE grocery store back home!

Me with one of my best friends Sarah, at her graduation party - CONGRATULATIONS SARAH! Love you!

And finally, a collage I made for Instagram! My mom is really big on doing "themed" trees, with a color scheme, and this year's color scheme was pink, white, and gold! I wanted to get some good pictures before we took the tree down next week :)

And tonight is Christmas Eve! This morning, my family ate breakfast together. My mom made crepes with Nutella, strawberries and banana!

After this, my mom and I ran last minute errands. We had to go to Target, Barnes and Noble, and Publix. I saw so many people that I knew while I was out! Part of growing up in a small town, I guess :) Then, we came home, and attempted to bake cookies... The plan was to use cookie cutters, bake them, then decorate them. First, the cookie cutters didn't work out very well, which was a little upsetting. And then, unfortunately, the cookies came out pretty burnt :( Every batch we made came out burnt, even when we left them in for only 5 minutes! We have no idea why! After that, we ate dinner and watched Meet the Fockers! And now, I'm sitting in my bed, being lazy. Good night world, and MERRY CHRISTMAS! <3

So I haven't updated in a very long time, but I figured it was time to finally get back to blogging so I could talk about my trip to Philadelphia!

Philadelphia was amazing. I fell in love with the city, with Penn, with the nursing program, and with the architecture. I knew that it would be amazing, but I didn't realize how just how much I would love it! I had an incredible experience and I'm so excited to hear back.

Me playing around with the panorama function on my iPhone while I was waiting at the gate during my connecting flight in Atlanta... hehe

I was lucky enough to not have to deal with any delays! My flights there and back were smooth as well. Once I got to Philadelphia, I checked into my hotel. It was SO nice and was in the middle of everything! I dropped my luggage off, and went off to find the train so that I could explore Penn and its beautiful campus. I was anxious to get to my destination, as my friend Sara from school, who also was selected for an interview, was waiting for me there. And of course, I was excited to explore!

Finding the train was an adventure, but I did it! SEPTA employees aren't necessarily the friendliest, but I managed to find someone who would direct me towards the right train line (turns out that I needed the blue line), and I was on my way!

Once I got off of the train, I walked in the wrong direction and ended up on Drexel's campus! I quickly realized that I needed to go the other way, thankfully, so I didn't get too far from where I needed to be. I walked quickly, and started to fall in love with Penn's beautiful campus.

Pictures of Perelman School of Medicine, and HUP (Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania)

I eventually made my way to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania), where Sara was waiting for me. As hopeful pediatric acute/critical care nurse practitioners, we couldn't help but wander around the hospital in awe of its beauty... it was unlike anything we had ever seen before! It was like Disney, but in the form of a children's hospital!

Pictures of the inside of CHOP

After wandering around CHOP, we walked around the rest of the Penn campus. It was so beautiful! We took pictures in front of College Hall, which is an important building with regards to admissions. We also took a picture with a Benjamin Franklin statue! Pretty cool, if you ask me ;)

After doing some more sightseeing around the Penn campus and its surrounding areas, we decided to eat lunch! It was almost 4 PM, and we hadn't eaten lunch yet, so we were starving! We found a cool cafe called Caprigio. It sold sandwiches, coffee, tea, hot chocolates, and REALLY cool gelato! It had some interesting flavors, like butternut squash. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in the small southern towns I had lived in. So I got a sandwich, and eggnog flavored gelato :) Sara and I sat and ate our food, talked about life, and did some people watching (there was a gym next door to the cafe, so it was the perfect opportunity for people watching).

After we ate, we decided to walk around some more. Sara wanted to go into the Hillel and ask some questions, so I went in with her. The lady we spoke to was so nice, and even extended an invitation to me to come in whenever I wanted! After this, we explored more of campus. It was starting to get dark out, even though it wasn't even 5 yet, and it was getting pretty cool out!

Our walk back through campus through Locust Walk

(the main drag of campus)

Sara and I decided at around 5:30 to go towards the medical part of campus so we could find the nursing building. We ended up taking a break and sitting and charging our phones. Sara was also staying with a friend (Daphna) who was currently in the nursing program, so it was convenient so she could wait for her to finish an exam! When Daphna was done with her exam, she came out to meet Sara and introduced herself to me. She invited me to go to dinner with them, which I was so excited about. Her close friend from the program, Priscila, came with us to dinner as well! I was ecstatic to get the chance to pick some current students brains. We went out for chinese food, and talked a lot about what the interview day would be like, and what their lives were like in the program (CRAZY!). They then walked me back to my hotel, and I took a shower, laid down, watched some Grey's Anatomy, and went to bed early.

Thank goodness I went to bed early, because next day started at 6:15 AM! I woke up, got dressed, did my hair and makeup, and checked out of my hotel. I was out of the hotel by 7:15. I was supposed to meet Sara and Daphna a few blocks away at 8:15 so that we could catch a cab to the nursing school together, but I wanted to leave early so I could grab coffee, breakfast, and allow myself plenty of time in case if I got lost. I'm glad that I allowed myself some time, because I definitely got a bit confused on my way there, but not lost, thankfully! That wouldn't have been fun, especially because I had all of my luggage with me!

Philly was beautiful so early in the morning.

^^^ That's Rittenhouse Square! It's so pretty at night, especially because it was Christmas time... the park's trees were all lit up. I loved it.

Daphna and Sara met me right on that very corner in the picture above, and we took a cab to school. It was drizzling when we got to campus, which made me nervous because I was wearing my hair straight. I was very early, because we got there around 8:30, and I didn't interview until 10:30, but I didn't mind. I was just excited to be there! I figured that I'd take the extra time to read over my resume and personal statement, and help myself "get in the zone". I also socialized, and met a lot of awesome people! It was so much fun to meet so many likeminded people with common goals. I felt that Penn did a really good job of screening applicants, and putting together a group of people who would mesh well. It was a lot of fun!

My interview came around, and it went SO well! The interviewer was so nice, and we really clicked. She seemed genuinely interested in my resume and my related experience, so I was appreciative of that. After the interview, we had a tour of the simulation labs which were outstanding. They have an entire floor devoted to simulation labs, and have state of the art facilities and simulation models. They truly showed us why they were the number 1 nursing school! 

After the simulation lab tour, we went to lunch. This was a really cool part of the day, because they sat us with current students! I asked my student SO many questions... oops! She was incredibly nice though, and was really informative. She answered my many questions about housing, how intense the program was, loans, and more. I'm so glad we had that opportunity! I also learned about living with mice... hearing about that made me a little nervous, but I'm glad I got to learn about it!

After lunch, it was time for an information session. We received some pretty exciting information - they have a 50% interview rate for applicants, and then you have a 50% chance of acceptance after the interview, so about an overall 25% acceptance rate. We also found out about minoring, study abroad/outreach trips, and financial aid! We were also told not to bring a car to Philly due to the expense. Then, it was 2:30 and it was time to go on the tour of campus. It was a short, quick tour, but it was nice to hear about the buildings. And of course, I fell in love with the campus all over again. 

I brought my luggage with me on the tour, and they pointed out the train station for those of us who had to jump on the train to get to the airport. A few of us went together, and we talked some more about how well the day had went, and how much we wanted to get into the program! The train ran a little behind, but we didn't mind! I had a few hours til my flight departed anyways. When we got on the train, it only took about 10 minutes to get to the airport. 

Waiting in line at security was a completely different story. The lines were LONG - I'm guessing that's because it was a Friday night, and people were leaving to go away for the weekend. After going through security, I sat down, ate dinner, and called my mom to update her on my trip! My flights both went well, and I made it to the Orlando Airport by 12:30 AM and was in bed by 2:30 AM!

I had an awesome trip, and I am absolutely in love with Penn... but even if I don't get in, at least I got invited for an interview and had the opportunity to see their gorgeous campus! I'm so excited for what the future holds and can't wait to see where life takes me after this semester. :)

Hi everyone!!!!! This is my excited face (don't mind that I'm not wearing any makeup, or that my hair looks kind of crazy... I woke up at 5:15!). I'm waiting in the Orlando Airport for my flight to Philadelphia. I love traveling, and I'm kind of obsessed with airports, but there are a few things that I really dislike about traveling that I never remember until I'm actually at the airport....

1. TSA. I know that it's a necessary evil, and I'm grateful that they keep us safe, but I HATE standing around barefoot waiting for my shoes to pass through the machine.

2. Being by myself in an airport. I actually really enjoy traveling by myself until I have to get up and go to the bathroom, and take all of my things with me because nobody's there to watch any of it...

3. Weird ladies who have their makeup and hair completely done at 6 in the morning, complete with red lipstick and blush. Enough said...

4. Feeling rushed when I'm at the airport. I arrived 1.5 hours early so that I didn't have to stress about getting to my gate on time, so don't make ME feel like I have to rush to gather my things after I go through security!


Andddd that's about it. I'm so excited to get to Philadelphia and explore! It's going to be a nice two days, haha. Thanks for reading!

I know it's been awhile since I've updated, but...

I GOT AN INTERVIEW TO THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA'S PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE BSN-MSN PROGRAM!

I leave Thursday bright and early in the morning, and I will be back very early on Saturday! I can't wait. I hope it's a wonderful, life-changing, enlightening experience and that I learn a lot from visiting!

I GOT AN INTERVIEW TO THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA!

I will be leaving the 6th and will come back home the 8th. I'm so excited to interview, and visit the campus! This week I am hoping to find a good outfit for the interview.

SO EXCITED!

I'm still anxiously awaiting the news of whether I got an interview to University of Pennsylvania or not!

With my luck, if I get one, I may not hear until Friday :( ahh! So stressful. I'd rather just know already!

I hope everyone has a great Wednesday! I'm off to run a few errands at school and then pick up tickets for my last home football game at the University of Florida as a student. This is so weird, and honestly, kind of sad.

I'll update more when I know more later :)

Hello! My name is Caroline, and this blog is about my journey through the application process for nursing school, and (hopefully) throughout nursing school, as well!

I'm currently a senior completing my undergraduate degree. I am applying to seven nursing schools, and six out of the seven are direct entry masters in nursing programs. You may be wondering, what exactly does that mean and how is it different from a normal nursing program? Well, it basically means that when I graduate from one of these programs, I will have my BSN (bachelors in nursing), so I can practice as an RN (registered nurse). I will also have my MSN (masters in nursing), which means I can practice as an NP (nurse practitioner). What makes these programs different from normal nursing programs is:

1. You must already have a bachelor's degree in something other than nursing
2. You can get your BSN faster than if you had done a regular two year program (typically 16 months, as opposed to 24)
3. You typically don't have to take time off to work as an RN during these programs - instead, you work as an RN while you are in the masters portion and studying to become an NP
4. There's also only one application you have to fill out, and if you are granted admission to one of these programs, you're guaranteed to get both degrees!

These programs are pretty cool, especially if you already know you want to work as a nurse practitioner and what specialty you want to work in. I want to work in pediatric critical/acute care, as I feel that it is my calling after spending a significant amount of time volunteering in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Next semester, I will be doing a full time, 40 hour a week internship in the PICU as well! I'm really looking forward to it. This internship is a requirement for graduating with my undergraduate bachelor's degree (health education and behavior).

The schools I am applying to that are direct entry masters in nursing programs are University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, Northeastern University, Marquette University, University of South Alabama, and New York University. I am applying to one regular accelerated BSN program, which is actually Duke University's nursing program. This means that I would only graduate with my BSN degree, so I would only be able to practice as an RN. However, Duke has the option of continuing on to the MSN program after graduation, and working part time while studying to become an NP - it's just not built into the program. So it's almost the same thing as the other programs!

I have already received an interview for Johns Hopkins, and it was last week. I felt that it went well, but now it's completely out of my hands and I must nervously await the admissions decision! I have no idea when I will be hearing back, but I do hope it is sooner rather than later.

This week, I'm supposed to hear back from University of Pennsylvania regarding whether the faculty has decided to invite me for an interview, or not. I'm so nervous and anxious, but I know that it is out of my control and that God has the perfect future planned out for me!

Anyways, that's the story of my blog in a nutshell. I'm excited for this crazy ride, and I can't wait to see where life takes me!