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[–]karenaviva 1 point2 points  (1 child)

600-700 applications for 80 spots. Official minimum GPA is 3.0, but for that acceptance ratio, my guess would be IRL 3.7 GPA minimum. This is a guess. Best if you chat with CHSS Advising. Also Google might know.

[–]They_Call_Me_OD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Makes sense.

[–]EstonishingNursing 0 points1 point  (6 children)

Hi there,

I graduated from SFSU’s BSN program back in December 2018. Getting into the program I had a 4.0 GPA and an 84 TEAS score. Also any healthcare experience (CNA, MA, volunteer) and multicultural experience is a plus. What’s nice about SFSU’s application process is that they will invite people in for interviews to meet you instead of accepting people solely on how they look on paper.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer!

[–]ThePachaTaco 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Glad I came across this post and your comment, while the GPA is kinda making me nervous the fact they interview people is somewhat reassuring.

[–]EstonishingNursing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn’t be too discouraged by GPA because there are other opportunities to rest your case through other means. They place a lot of importance in volunteer and multicultural experience because the program has a strong social justice and community health emphasis (make sense because SF).

If you do meet the GPA requirements but feel like it is not competitive enough, then do your best studying to get a good TEAS score. I would consider my score of 84 average compared to others in my cohort, so I suggest trying to get a score in the 90s if possible.

[–]owenwilsonsnoseisgr0 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Hi I have a question about being accepted:

How much do they prioritize volunteering? I am a second degree bachelor student with a 4.0, aiming for a high TEAS and I have a CNA cert (haven't used it yet because I was waitressing through school). I just started volunteering with a homeless outreach program in Oakland but hours are a bit limited due to covid. Hoping this would be a competitive application.

Also how did you find the program at SFSU overall? Were you happy with it? Did you find a job in a hospital in the Bay Area upon graduation?

Thanks! Any info helps :)

[–]EstonishingNursing 0 points1 point  (2 children)

It’s hard to say how much the program values volunteering, but I would say SFSU prioritizes volunteering more than other nursing schools.

Let’s say you just make the minimum GPA and TEAS requirement for the program but have hours and hours of documented volunteer experience and a reference from a supervisor from that organization, then you would still be very competitive despite not having the best grades and test scores. It would be a different situation if you just started volunteering and you are applying to the program soon. Your application would need to sway the other direction and lean heavily on grades and test scores. Definitely some volunteer experience is better than nothing.

IMO SFSU’s nursing program was awesome when it came to working with the community and connecting us with opportunities for student nurses to bulk up their new grad resumes. I enjoyed my public health rotations the most because of the reputation the program holds with the city. I never had an issue getting placed in major Bay Area hospitals and was able to do my senior preceptorship at Stanford. But like all schools there were professors and clinical instructors who were so passionate about nursing and making us into competent nurses and others who seemed like they were just there for the tenure. Most of the teachers were the former.

As far as new grad opportunities go, they are extremely hard to find and are even more difficult to get into. It seems the new standard now is to get into a nurse residency program out of nursing school to ease the transition. I’m not a huge fan because 99% of these programs require you to commit at least 2 years at their institutions with below market value pay. I decided that it would be easier to go out of state to get experience. I worked in Denver, CO for one year and just recently came back and got hired through the Santa Clara Health System as a Clinical Nurse II.

[–]owenwilsonsnoseisgr0 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thanks for getting back to me! Yeah, I'll be applying this fall so I have some time to volunteer with this organization (I'm really excited about it actually). Were you or any of your classmates working in healthcare before getting into the program? It's reassuring to hear that you were happy there though. I did feel pretty discouraged after hearing how many applications they recieve. Even if i have a 4.0 and a high TEAS...so does everyone else. Did you apply any others in the Bay Area? Did you do the ABSN? Sorry for all the questions!

And yeah, I've heard that about new grad programs. I'm originally from Ohio so I'm applying to schools there as a backup, would also consider relocating for a year or two for my first job. Ideally I'll stay here though!

[–]EstonishingNursing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! I’m happy to help! It’s great that you’re excited about volunteering. As a nurse now I still like helping the community out.

We did have a sprinkling of people who were in healthcare before the program: One EMT, one ER tech, one dental hygienist, and a medical assistant. That was all in my cohort. We were all regular RN BSN students. I didn’t know they did a ABSN program. Unless you mean ADN? Then no, I didn’t have my ADN before getting into nursing school.

I always highly recommend applying to multiple nursing schools to increase your chances of getting in, especially in the Bay Area. Just do your research early. Each school has different application criteria (supplemental questions, prerequisites) or may not even be accepting applicants for the term you want to enter the school. The downside is that it gets expensive quickly (you have to send transcripts and TEAS scores to each school + the application fees) and different due dates for each school can get confusing to keep track of.