Dear first semester student,

First of all I would like to congratulate you for making it into the program! The University of
Arizona’s nursing programs have become unbelievably competitive and you should be so proud
of yourself. I say this because I mean it but also because you’re going to want to hold onto this
feeling of excitement and relief during nursing school. It will not be easy, but I can promise you
it will be worth it!

I strongly suggest that you become close with your cohort. I know there are a lot of you and you
may not know anyone to start, which is totally okay. I only knew 2 out of 54 people in my
cohort. However, you are going to be in every class together for the next two years. No one is
going to be able to understand what you are going through besides these people. It is going to be
so helpful for you to be able to vent about assignments or teachers or exams etc with each other,
and then celebrate accordingly. It also makes clinical experiences much more fun if you are
comfortable chatting with the people in your lab group. Similar to this, I also advise you to try
and meet someone who is in the cohort before you. It is always nice to be able to get a heads up
on what the forthcoming semester will bring you and they are proof that if they succeeded so can
you.

Another piece of advice I have for you is to try and balance school and your social life as best as
you can. Depending on the type of person you are, it is very easy for you to be pulled one
direction or another (i.e. only focus on school or spend all your time outside of school with
friends). Personally, I had a hard time during the busier semesters finding time to hang out with
my non nursing school friends. It is going to seem like there is always something that you can do
for school - study for an upcoming test, finish assignments, get ahead on some assignments, go
to bed early for clinical tomorrow, etc. However, grades are not everything and whether you
believe me or not these two years are going to go by ridiculously fast. Before you know it you'll
be planning your senior graduation photos. I do not want you to look back on this time and
realize that you were so worried about school that you forgot to enjoy your time in college
because these moments are something you will never be able to experience again. If you are like
some of my friends and you find it difficult to spend a saturday doing some homework I suggest
you find a friend to help you make sure everything is on track. If you manage your time well,
you will definitely be able to get your homework done and still have fun - especially during first
and fourth semesters.

Finally, never ever let the failures and setbacks keep you from finishing nursing school or
believing that you are good enough for this program. It is quite likely that you will feel like a
failure at some point whether that is from a test grade you get back, an experience you have
during clinical, or if you are unable to successfully pass a class. I for sure felt this way several
times during these past two years and if you do too know you are not alone. Nursing school is so
hard and I honestly believe part of the experience is making you question whether or not you are
good enough to be a nurse. The answer is you definitely are!!! Learn what works for you and
keep pushing yourself because you can do this.

I hope this letter did not scare you too much. I did not want to sugarcoat anything for you and
give you the wrong impression of the challenges you might face. In spite of this, I truly enjoyed
my experience here and I feel very confident in my ability to be a nurse after going through this
program. I have made life long friendships with people I would have never crossed paths with
and amazing memories through the good and the bad parts. If I had to do it all over again I
would. I know all of this will be true for you too!

Sincerely,

Celia Pikowski