The new classes of students enrolled in the College of Nursing undergraduate programs, as well as the cohorts in the School of Medicine (SOM) Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant programs started classes Monday on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

For the nursing students, the new students spent most of Friday meeting faculty, getting to know each other, touring campus, gathering information and having a bit of fun.

This class of 180 includes undergraduate students pursuing their bachelor of science degree via the traditional pathway (two years) and accelerated pathway (15 months). Students entering this program have completed at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate work, and many of them have previous bachelor's degrees.

Students in this year's nursing class were able to secure spots amongst tough competition. There were more than 800 applications. In the end, 150 students were admitted to the traditional pathway, and 30 students were admitted to the accelerated pathway.

"Students selected into this nursing program have strong academic backgrounds and have demonstrated the skills and desire to be great nurses and future leaders," said Amy Schlueter, assistant dean for Student Affairs for the College of Nursing. "The students are excited to start this new journey and become CU nurses."

As part of the introduction activities, students were welcomed by students who are juniors and seniors in the program as well as representatives from the Health Science Library, Student Life, Campus Police and others. There were tours, lots of information – even team building exercises.

To inject a bit of fun in the day, nursing orientation leaders staged skits, including one in which a senior portrayed an enthusiastic, if somewhat 'green' student who was sure that she was prepared with a very large tote bag full of every item any student might ever need – or not. The crowd of incoming students laughed and applauded.