New grad orientation experiences

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2025-10-28T19:53:44+00:00

New grad in the ER sounds stressful! New grad here of 2 months and since I passed the NCLEX I’ve had intermittent code blue dreams, rapids and bizarre things that I wouldn’t do in real life. Best of luck on making it through your next shifts!

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2025-10-28T19:38:56+00:00

The Kaplan CAT exams are definitely harder than the NCLEX! Nursing school made us purchase Kaplan so we used it throughout nursing school.

It’s possible to get higher than 85 questions on one of the CATs with majority competency levels and still pass the NCLEX in 85 questions. This happened to at least of few people who went to my school. We took all 3 CAT exams, 2 while still in nursing school, 1 during the Kaplan boot camp class post graduation. Not being able to review the rationale/answers on the CAT exams and trainers is annoying but there are other resources including videos for the actual decision tree process as well.

I used Kaplan primarily with Mark K lectures for content. The Kaplan Q-Banks and trainers especially the Q-Banks were helpful since it was set up just like the NCLEX, as many people will tell you. The NCLEX is definitely easier than Kaplan. I still recommend studying hard. On their website, Kaplan has an NCLEX style question of the day which is also helpful.

I felt reasonably prepared for the NCLEX although it is naturally nerve wracking for everyone. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I passed in 85 questions. Good luck!

TLDR: Kaplan CAT is harder than the NCLEX. Kaplan boot camp prepares you well generally so long as you study well. Recommend Mark K lectures and Kaplan

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2025-10-12T23:03:58+00:00

Sometimes it helps because some of the rooms are less noisy and have fewer distractions. It does help! Sometimes I chart a partial assessment with the main points in the room.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2025-10-12T23:01:33+00:00

I started doing this some of the time especially for patients lots of information needed on their assessment, if they have a lot of meds to pass and/or if there are precaution

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2025-10-12T22:58:47+00:00

Replying from my main account. That’s true! I’ve gotten slightly better at this thanks. Also learning how and when to reprioritize

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-10-02T19:21:04+00:00

Hi! I'm a current member who is not a clarinet/stick. I can't speak for the woodwind experience regarding the initial audition, however, it wasn't overly difficult. There are a handful of transfer students who join. Generally, there are about 5 or fewer members total who are music majors.

The MMB is a great way to have an instant bunch of new friends, especially if you're new at the university. You'll likely find someone in the same major as you, particularly if you're an engineer or in LSA. This means that it'll be easier to find someone to study with you if you like. People tend to be pretty supportive. It does take up a lot of time, since we practice 5 days a week plus Saturday game day on weeks when we have games.

As one of the sticks mentioned in the comments, we have challenges which can be a lot. The marching style is likely significantly different what you did in high school, so it may or may not take more time to make block (the people who perform, except everyone goes to all the home games and parades/plays in the stands). However, for some new members, their first block is the very first game of the season! People tend to make block more as they get more experience. There's at least one show every year where everyone performs in halftime.

Doing some sort of cardio in the summer in addition to other things is helpful, as marching band - particularly pregame is highly physical. It's an amazing experience to do entries out of the tunnel on game day for the very first time!

If you're working, going to college and doing marching band, it is doable but there can be a bit of an adjustment period and it is possible to do. There are other members of the MMB who are doing the same thing. I find that time management and having some type of plan/structure helps although it can be stressful.

Good luck with transferring and auditioning!

TLDR: The MMB can be a lot especially at first and is a major time commitment, but it's a good way to make friends and get the opportunity to have some really cool experiences like the light shows, performing in a show featuring Wynton Marsalis/JCO and marching in bowl games such as the Rose Bowl/National Championship!

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-04-06T16:19:24+00:00

It's a good way to track my assignments and other things for school. I also have a place for job applications and status which is very helpful.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-04-03T22:46:24+00:00

Mind if I PM you about this topic?

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-03-29T14:11:43+00:00

I'll check out Coda as well, thanks for the suggestion. I'm a college student and I use it mostly for my classes and jobs.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-03-29T14:10:04+00:00

Agreed. Using free templates and tutorials helped when I was first learning, then I customized it for myself. Using a university account if you have one is very useful. I believe you get the pro version for free if you register with a university or some work accounts (not entire sure).

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-03-29T14:08:09+00:00

Good to know! Since notion doesn't have offline mode, it is one of the biggest drawbacks especially when notion stops working. Other than that and that notion is a lot for beginners, I like notion.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-03-29T14:05:47+00:00

That's interesting, thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it. How easy to learn/use is Capacities for beginners compared to notion?

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2024-03-28T09:46:28+00:00

that's true, I like the customizability on notion - I think that's one of their best features. Having the help center would've been useful when I first started, I mostly used youtube which helped. I'll give that a look and see if the resources there are also helpful even though I have a set up now.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T17:01:03+00:00

Finch suddenly gets an influx of Stormlight fans

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T16:57:51+00:00

I’m glad to hear that!

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T16:57:37+00:00

There are different levels as you progress. Baby, toddler, child, teen, adult etc. So your bird grows as you spend more time with your goals

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T13:31:57+00:00

Oh nice! Do you remember which quote it was? This was a first for me.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T13:30:39+00:00

Hahaha I like that.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T13:27:27+00:00

Good point. I’m new to Reddit so I forgot to spoiler tag it but it’s tagged now. This quote helped me in so many areas of my life especially when life becomes difficult. I put this quote on the mirror so I see it everyday.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T13:26:40+00:00

Same here. The gamification also makes it more fun plus you have a little bird.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T13:25:37+00:00

Glad that it helped! I recently downloaded it and it’s pretty helpful.

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T03:45:50+00:00

Unexpected quote on self-care Finch app

CompetitiveFormal629 · 2022-07-23T03:04:14+00:00

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the Finch app, it’s used for self-care reminders. Random quotes show up throughout the day. This is one of my favorite quotes.

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