You’re passionate about becoming a nurse, and you’ve found the perfect nursing program for you — one that will instill in you the knowledge, skills, and values needed to be a leader in today’s complex healthcare environment. However, as enthusiastic as you may be to answer your calling of a nursing career, you might not be familiar with how to apply to nursing school. The application process for nursing school can be challenging even when pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree — but especially so when vying for a spot in a highly competitive, top-tier program like Johns Hopkins University. To help you get into your dream school, we’ll be looking at what you need to do before you can begin the formal application process, as well as what makes a strong nursing school application
- Graduate high school and complete all nursing school requirements
- Research which nursing program is best for you, It’s important to decide what kind of nursing program you are interested in. Ask yourself the following questions as you compare institutions:
- Are you interested in a large public university in a major city or a small private college in a rural setting?
- Do you have the ability to live on campus or do you have to commute?
- Are you planning on going to an ADN or BSN nursing program?
- How will you pay for school?
- Do you want to move away from home?
- Do you already have an LPN or LVN license?
- Do you prefer an online program vs an in-person program?
- Talk to an admissions counselor
- What you do before you apply is as important as the application when it comes to your nursing school application. The admissions process begins with talking to an admissions adviser to determine a good fit and to find out what, if anything, you need to do to meet the program requirements
- Determine how you are going to pay for nursing school
- Prepare a strong nursing school application
- Once you’ve talked to an admissions adviser, created an academic plan and fulfilled any unmet requirements, it’s time to begin the formal application process. Your application will be made up of several elements, each an important step toward your admittance into nursing school.
- Official transcript from high school and other college-level coursework
- Standardized test scores (TEAS)
- Admission application
- Personal essay or statement letter
- Letters of recommendation
- Volunteer experience (preferably in healthcare; ideally with duties connected to patient care)
- Application fee
- Once you’ve talked to an admissions adviser, created an academic plan and fulfilled any unmet requirements, it’s time to begin the formal application process. Your application will be made up of several elements, each an important step toward your admittance into nursing school.
- Submit your nursing school application