<p>I am a rising senior and think that nursing is the career for me. I've done a lot of research and am currently volunteering at a local hospital, so I think I'm doing what I'm supposed to. I'm looking for a school that has a wonderful nursing program, study abroad opportunities, a medium-large size, good athletics (I do crew currently and hope to do varsity in college), etc. Does anyone have any suggestions, based on experience at a certain school, etc? My unweighted GPA is a 3.8 and weighted is 4.3. I'm thinking: Villanova, Northeastern, BC, Fairfield University, UConn, UMass Amherst, UMichigan, etc. Please give me feedback on these schools or suggest some other ones that I should look at, thanks!</p>
<p>I’m going to Fairfield! They gave me the best finaid package out of all the schools I applied to (which was mostly Texas publics btw). I’m going basically for free and have really enjoyed how kind the faculty from the nursing department were. </p>
<p>The only other place I applied from your list is BC. I knew they weren’t going to give me anything for aid, so I decided against them. No use accruing lots of debt just for undergraduate! Great school nonetheless.</p>
<p>I think Northeastern’s program is five years, so IDK about that. I know they give the best internship opportunities around though. And being in Boston is a huge plus. I bet you’d get lots of clinicals all over the city.</p>
<p>Another suggestion for schools to apply to is Georgetown Uni in DC. I would’ve applied but their entire application is via Snail Mail. I was late for the deadlines and was kinda disappointed I hadn’t heard of the school sooner.</p>
<p>Depending on your SAT/ACT scores you might want to consider:
University of Pennsylvania
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
University of Pittsburgh (application available now)
Georgetown
Case Western Reserve University</p>
<p>All have great undergraduate direct entry nursing programs and I would recommend all of them. Start applying as soon as their applications are available (August).</p>
<p>D got in to Fairfield and got no money ! </p>
<p>Without aid, Fairfield is very expensive. :eek:</p>
<p>sokkermom, that is super true! Without aid, I would never have even bothered with Fairfield. Flying round-trip from TX to CT is already setting us back 1000 dollars! I’m very surprised at the amount of people who are attending that are actually gonna pay a huge chunk of the 52K. It doesn’t seem smart in any way.</p>
<p>To the OP, apply to as many scholarships as you can! It will really ease your (and your parent’s) financial stress. Especially local scholarships. Those are easier to win and the organizations who fund them really follow up on you to see that you have succeeded. Big national scholarships are very helpful too. I got a free Dell Laptop from one! :D</p>
<p>How did expense or scholarships become part of this discussion? I thought the OP wanted suggestions of good nursing programs.</p>
<p>sorry ^^^</p>
<p>I’m always on tangents about debt because they scare me so much and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Also I’m out of suggestions.</p>
<p>My mother is a nurse manager (recruiter) for 10+ years.</p>
<p>If you have your degree and good recommendations from your clinical supervisors, she will hire you. When I considered nursing I was told by every soul from every hospital that the school itself held very little weight. Of course some schools may have better reputations than others, but nothing was more important than recommendations.</p>
<p>If you want to do crew, you should also research Temple. Its crew team is great. I’m not sure how crew would fit into a nursing program, though.</p>
<p>“If you have your degree and good recommendations from your clinical supervisors, she will hire you.”</p>
<p>2 Comments on the above :</p>
<p>1) If there are multiple candidates for the same position,having a degree from a more prestigious school is to your advantage…(i am not saying this should be so,but it happens quite frequently)</p>
<p>2) attending a university or college is also MUCH more then the degree you earn…It is experiences/quality of life/relationships/contacts etc…Sure you can get a very affordable college education in East Jab-Bib Iowa,but do you get the same “experience” as someone who attends a University in a major metropolitan City? simple answer is no</p>
<p>As always, pick a school you can afford to attend,but i’m tired of people whacking pricey schools as a waste of money…This is usually said by someone who can’t afford to go there to begin with…</p>
<p>FWIW,my D got into 4 of the OP’s original post…Didn’t apply to U Mich or BC…</p>
<p>OP - studying abroad is dicey for a BSN student. Start planning when and how you can do it before you even apply. Generally, you would have to stack your non-clinical classes together for a semester and it might help to have some pre-req classes taken care of already due to AP classes in high school or summer college credit before you go. </p>
<p>It may be easier also if your school has one of those short January terms and you can use that for study abroad. I know of only one school, Hartwick, where the nursing students can do clinical work abroad. They do rural nursing in Jamiaca during a January term.</p>
<p>I’d second qdogpa’s comments. Good advice.</p>
<p>Qdogpa’s comments are true in many cases. This is not true when it comes to nursing school. </p>
<p>To your comment 1 - What experience do you have with nursing recruitment? </p>
<p>To comment 2 - Contacts with nursing? Since when does getting a job as an RN require contacts? Hospitals often only recruit new nurses from schools within their region. This is why most new nurses get 1 to 2 years experience within their region and then have free range to go wherever they want to work after. And who are you to say what experiences a person considers the “college experience”? Since when is an experience a universal concept?</p>
<p>Question and answer - Is it worth it to pay ridiculous money to go to a pricey school for nursing? No. There is no other career or degree where the school matters as little as it does for nursing. The ONLY thing that matters is that the school is accredited and that its students pass the NCLEX.</p>
<p>Your comment about people whacking pricey schools because they can’t afford is ridiculous. I can do the same thing “People who bash others that say pricey schools aren’t worth often have made the mistake of thinking the school matters when it comes to nursing and have spent 100s of thousands of dollars on an education that could have received for $25,000 at a state school.”</p>
<p>If you have passed the NCLEX you are certified to have sufficient knowledge to work as a nurse. After that, the school means SO LITTLE, that the difference in cost isn’t worth it. Pay for your kid to study abroad, give them a fantastic vacation the summer before nursing school starts.</p>
<p>I looked up University of Scranton, a Jesuit school in Pennsylvania</p>
<p>[The</a> University of Scranton Programs of Study: Nursing](<a href=“http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/ac_pgm_nursing.shtml]The”>http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/ac_pgm_nursing.shtml)</p>
<p>It says they have an option to do study abroad their sophomore year. It doesn’t say where though.</p>
<p>I just read up that Fairfield offers study abroad specifically for nursing students to Ireland and Nicaragua (the latter offered during spring break).</p>
<p>I’ll look up more. I just found out one of my friends are interested in nursing.</p>
<p>^ D is headed to orientation there this weekend. That is one of the questions on her list. ;)</p>
<p>Scranton did provide merit (we don’t qualify for financial aid). Money was actually only one of the many considerations, but it was a factor. Scranton has three hospitals within walking distance of campus. The NCLEX pass rate was as good as most others in PA. The classes (including intro) are small, and the program is very well respected. She is happy with the choice, and so are we.</p>
<p>scatamacchia,</p>
<p>I have much more insight to nursing programs then your Mom being a Nurse Manager(recruiter)…I never said a State school is a waste of money, as a matter of fact i’ve said numerous times that i believe U Pitt is the best program in the NE dollar for dollar…What i won’t back away from is my comment that third rate schools are just that, 3rd rate…AND contacts/connections are significant…</p>
<p>But to say a pricey education is a waste of time is ludicrous,but if you can’t afford it, and need to take loans of 200k to do so, i’d agree with you,it would be foolish…</p>
<p>But let’s also understand there are many positions and career paths in nursing,and just becoming a nurse is fine for some, and not for others…To each their own…</p>
<p>You get what you pay for, whether you an education ,automobile,or home…Following your logic,buying a Lexus would be a waste as a Kia does the same thing,gets you to your destination…</p>
<p>As always ,choose a school you can afford,…</p>
<p>I asked about studying abroad at U of Scranton last fall. They said it would involve some schedule reshuffling, but is often done. I believe the program is in Ireland. </p>
<p>What I can’t remember is how tuition is handled. It’s almost always less money to pay tuition to the foreign school rather than your US home school. Some schools let you do that, some don’t.</p>
<p>Quote: “What i won’t back away from is my comment that third rate schools are just that, 3rd rate…” 
</p>
<p>I am not familiar with the classification of a “third rate school” for nursing. Which schools would fit that category? Are you talking about Community Colleges, Tech Schools, or what?</p>
<p>Nursing school rankings are very subjective. There are no undergraduate rankings at all. US News looks at Graduate Nursing programs, often by discipline.</p>
<p>I’ve been an RN for over 25 years and have worked in several different institutions, in several cities. I agree with most of what has been said here and would add that many hospitals hire from within if they can, so a summer job or part-time job, while going to school, in a hospital you would like to work in, will certainly be of benefit to you when you graduate. Go to the school that is most affordable for you that will provide you with the type of college experience you are seeking, but it would be foolhardy to take out large student loans just to say you graduated from “one of the best nursing schools.” That being said I would suggest to OP to look into the 4 year BSN programs in her target area. Visit the schools, talk to the students and faculty as well, check the NCLEX passing rate, determine if the school is accredited, check out what institutions they are affilitated with for clinical rotations etc. Knowing all these things will give you a good idea of which programs will best suit your needs. Good luck!</p>
<p>I wasn’t referring to Nursing programs, but schools in general…And most State schools would NOT be 3rd rate,particularly “flagship” State schools, which are on par with many private schools…You get what you pay for with an education,though admittedly,there is a point of diminishing returns as you approach tuition levels of 45K+…</p>