Indiana University Bloomington sophomore Ella Springer witnessed firsthand how nurses can make a difference in patients’ lives when her grandfather was treated for a heart condition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I saw how the nurses were so hands-on with him,” Springer said.
She decided she wanted to make the same impact on people’s lives.
“I just want to be a light in somebody’s very dark time,” she said.
Others in Springer’s family, including her parents and her brother, attended IU Bloomington, making it one of her top choices when applying to colleges. The direct admission program alleviated the stress of her application process.
While students traditionally apply to the nursing program in the spring of their freshman year, students who apply to the university by November 1 and have a high school GPA of 3.8 or higher are invited to apply for direct admission to the School of Nursing. Direct admit students have guaranteed placement in the program beginning their third semester if they maintain eligibility, which includes finishing prerequisites with a grade of C or higher and maintaining a prerequisite GPA of 3.5 or higher.
“When I heard I was a direct admit, I thought, ‘Thank goodness,’ because I really wanted to go to IU but it’s scary not knowing if you’ll get into the nursing program,” Springer said.
As a direct admission student, Springer says she was better able to focus on her classes because she had already been accepted into the nursing program. And despite the large class sizes in Bloomington, she felt supported by her professors.
“I think that the professors do a great job of making it feel very personalized while it’s still a 200-plus seat lecture hall,” she said.
Springer has also found support through the Student Nurses’ Association, which connected her with mentors. Those connections gave her assurance during her first year.
“It’s helpful knowing that people went through what I was going through and were willing to give me advice to make it easier for myself,” she said.
Springer hopes to do a summer study abroad program in London or Italy. While she likely won’t do much hands-on nursing, she’ll get to learn a lot about healthcare in different countries, something she said has been interesting to learn in her U.S. healthcare class.
Springer plans to connect her passions for nursing and travel and become a travel nurse. Specifically, she wants to work in labor and delivery or surgery. While she has her sights set on travel, she feels at home in Indiana and would love to continue her nursing career in-state.
“We’ve got some great hospitals in Indianapolis where I’d love to possibly work, so I feel like IU will set me up very well for getting to these goals,” she said.
