Student Spotlight: Brianna Denney, Nursing
Brianna Denney was enrolled in the Dental Hygiene program at Mount Ida College when the school suddenly announced it would be closing. With a little research, and the help of her transfer admission counselor, she was able to transition to MCPHS without skipping a beat.
Choosing where to complete your undergraduate degree is a decision that comes with a lot of deliberation and planning. Even when it seems like you’ve considered every last detail, sometimes unforeseen circumstances arise and alter your well-thought-out plans.
Brianna Denney was enrolled in the Dental Hygiene program at Mount Ida College when the school suddenly announced it would be closing. Although this significantly impacted her planned educational path, Denney did not let this setback hinder her from continuing her studies. “Things were on the fence with what was going to happen at Mount Ida, so I explored other options and remembered that I had looked into MCPHS before moving to Massachusetts.” After considering her options, Denney realized that transferring to MCPHS was the right choice and enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.
Just like many other students, Denney’s transfer journey arose unexpectedly. With a little research, and the help of her transfer admission counselor, she was able to transition to MCPHS without skipping a beat and continue to work towards her future career aspirations. We recently spoke with Denney about what those aspirations are, and asked her to share her transfer story with us.
Tell us about your experience transferring.
My transfer to MCPHS was flawless to say the least. It was very smooth and very easy. My MCPHS transfer admission counselor was my saving grace. She always made time to meet with me and answered my emails with any questions I had. Everything I needed to do in order to transfer was very straightforward.
What advice would you give a student going through the transfer process?
Have all of your questions written down before you talk to a counselor, and once you meet with them, talk with them about any concerns you may have with the process. A checklist of tasks with the timeline I needed to turn them in by also helped me make sure I was on track.
What would you tell a student who believes transferring is too difficult or time consuming?
All things worth doing take your best effort and will consume some time, but it is very worth it when the process is over. Transferring shouldn’t be a hard process, and with MCPHS it never was. Also, along the way there are always people willing to help make things easier for you.
What is it like to attend a university where the entire student population is pursuing a career in healthcare?
It’s helpful! You get to talk to other people who may not be studying for the same career, but it’s all in healthcare so you can collaborate with them. We all study together and give each other tips and tricks on helpful ways to learn and remember things.
Why did you want a career in healthcare?
I have always enjoyed learning about diseases, what they do to the human body, and how to prevent, cure, or manage them.
How do the MCPHS faculty help facilitate success, both inside and out of the classroom?
They are readily available by email, and they will set up a meeting with you if you have questions or if you need extra help.
What do you enjoy most about your time at MCPHS? Why would you recommend it?
I enjoy that it is in the city and that I can easily commute every day. I also love that it is located so close to the hospitals where we have clinicals, so if I need to do something at school or want to study before going home, school is a short walk away.
What is the most valuable lesson or piece of information you’ve picked up over the course of your time at MCPHS?
The nursing program is very rigorous and time-consuming. With that being said, it can become overwhelming very fast. A professor I had in a previous semester told me to worry about what is in front of me and happening now, and to let the future get here before I start to worry about tomorrow. That has helped me so much in the nursing program. You want to get things done ahead of time to give yourself more time to study, and many times that doesn’t happen. Her advice has helped me with time management and how I spend my extra time while I am in and out of school.
What are your future career aspirations?
My goal is to be a labor and delivery nurse in a hospital. After completion of the program, I intend to go back to school for a Master’s degree to further my education in nursing so that my options for careers can be endless. I want to help patients and other nurses along my journey.
Thinking about transferring to MCPHS? Contact our transfer admission team today at transfers@mcphs.edu.