Application Essay
The purpose of the application essay is to demonstrate to the Nurse Pracitioner Admissions Committee your understanding of the nurse practitioner role, justifications for the nurse practitioner role in delivering high-quality and cost-effective healthcare, and how the WGU nurse practitioner programs might prepare you to meet the healthcare needs of your local community or population of interest. This is an opportunity for you to communicate directly with the admissions committee, highlighting how your life and professional experiences have prepared you for the transition into your new nurse practitioner role.
Directions
As part of your application, you will be required to provide written responses, in your enrollment portal, to the following questions:
- How have your work and life experiences prepared you for success in this program?
- What healthcare issue are you most passionate about, and how do you envision contributing to solutions as a nurse practitioner?
- How will you use the knowledge and skills gained through this program in your desired practice?
- How would you schedule 30 hours of studying into your weekly routine? Please provide a sample breakdown of how you would fit 30 study hours into your weekly schedule (e.g., Monday: 3 hours in the afternoon, Tuesday: 4 hours in the evening). Keep in mind that the NP program requires at least 30 study hours per week during didactic coursework, increasing to 50 hours weekly during clinical internships.
- Significant life events are common during your NP program journey. What strategies would you implement to stay on track and ensure your success in the NP program? Please outline a mitigation plan, including time management, support systems, and any necessary adjustments to your study or clinical schedule.
As you answer the questions above, we will examine your application essay to ensure your writing meets the following criteria:
- Plagiarism will result in an automatic decline during the competitive selection process.
- Originality and uniqueness are expected. Writing is self-reflective, creative, innovative, and diverse.
- Writing directly addresses all five application essay questions.
- Writing is clear and appropriate for the purpose of the assignment.
- All evidence and examples are used effectively and are specific and relevant.
- Ideas are coherently and logically organized with well‐developed paragraphs and effective transitions.
- All sentences are well written with varied sentence structure and are free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- Maintains appropriate tone, diction, and vocabulary for various modes of writing.
- Work demonstrates clear understanding of the target audience.
CV/Résumé
The purpose of the CV/résumé is to directly tie your previous and current life and professional experience, as noted in your résumé or CV, to the WGU FNP program.
CV/Résumé Criteria
- Audience and purpose of the résumé are strong and clear.
- Format of the résumé is clear. Each major section includes required information (names, dates, locations, etc.).
- Résumé shows a very professional appearance, tone, and style.
- Writer follows all guidelines for spelling, grammar, usage, mechanics, etc. Sentences are strong and have a varied structure.
