Smaller class is what I'm looking for; nurse career - VCU ESSAY PROMPTS - PRIMARY GOAL - WHY VCU

As you start your college career, what is your primary goal as a student and how have you prepared to meet this goal, how do you plan to succeed, how do you feel you will do at VCU?

As an intended nursing major, VCU's nursing program will allow me to join a competitive and successful program. With an eighty-nine percent pass rate on the NCLEX exam, I will be given the quality education that I strive for. Entering as a student at VCU I hope to succeed in my education in my courses and I feel like I am prepared for this challenging major by the classes and effort that I have put in during high school. I have prepared myself by taking advantage of the many AP courses that my school offers. I am currently taking AP Biology, which is a very challenging course, but by getting exposure to this subject now I will have more knowledge on the subject when I enter college next year.

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Cat, your primary goal should be to complete your course using the various academic and extra curricular opportunities available to VCU students. Don't lecture the admissions officer about their class size. Instead, explain how you are confident that the smaller class size will help you learn your lessons better due to the more concentrated attention of the professors towards the students. You mentioned taking AP classes in preparation for your VCU education. Mention more than just biology. Talk about how you feel that Biology and your other relevant AP classes have prepared you not only for the course load of your major, but also for the demands and requirements of a college degree in such a complex field. Your essay still has room for improvement. The rest of my improvement suggestions will depend upon the additional information you present in your revised essay :-)

Here is my updated verison:
I was initially drawn to VCU for their competitive nursing program. As a student at VCU I am prepared for the challenges that come with the nursing program. I have prepared through the classes, that I have taken during high school, and the effort I put in to achieve my grades. I am currently taking AP Biology, and though it is a very challenging course I wanted the exposure to a subject that is essential to my intended course of studies. Other AP courses I have taken closely match the course load and demand that I expect from college classes. By taking these classes I feel prepared and that I will be able to easily transition from high school into college.

Twenty-eight percent of VCU classes are between twenty and twenty-nine students, which are smaller than most of my classes at my high school. I am confident that with these class sizes I will achieve more concentrated attention by my professors and be able to reach out to them more directly then if they were larger classes. By forming study groups with peers and taking advantage of my professor's office hours I plan to understand all the material and not to be afraid to ask questions. I also plan to take advantage VCU's writing and learning centers which provides me with extra assistance if I find any material challenging. By spending the next four years at VCU I will be given the tools and resources to reach my goal of becoming a nurse, which I believe makes VCU the best fit for me.

A few suggestions for you Cat.


- When you mention other AP courses that mimic a college course load, you should make the effort to mention some of those classes in order to prove your claim. Just mention the classes, you don't need to go into a detailed explanation of the course.

The statement that you have written is quite strong and thoroughly responds to the prompt. Aside from the extra information I am suggesting you provide above, the essay is quite ready for use already. At least that is my opinion :-) If you want to work anything else into the statement, just do so and I will help you blend it in to work with the rest of the paper.