For those nursing majors doing campus visits as part of the selection process - how are you evaluating each nursing program? Do you have a list of key questions for each school? What else should we be doing on these visits?
Where are the various clinicals (beyond just one example). What kind of simulation lab do they have.
Keep in mind that you probably will not get to see the nursing facilities during a regular admissions tour, but often can arrange a tour on an admitted student day or otherwise after you are admitted.
We have a list of questions (a literal list that I whip out much to my son’s chagrin…good times)! 
In addition to the questions about clinicals, I ask the following:
- How big is the nursing Freshman class and how does that number change by graduation (retention maybe)?
- Do they test or prescreen for progression and/or NCLEX?
- What GPA is required for progression?
- Employment rate after graduation
- Is there anything unique about their program that they think we should know?
I have found with my son that beyond the nursing facilities/campus, the community itself and what it has to offer has been a big factor, so we drive around the city/town/countryside to get a feel for the area. Turns out college towns or rural colleges hold zero appeal to him as he definitely prefers an urban college. And if you have a tour guide who is a nursing student or run into one during the tour, I like to again embarrass my son by trying to get a feel for how they like the program…the students tend to be pretty frank with pros and cons.
Good luck!
This is great information. Thanks @Charliesch and @wildfelix1
My D has emailed the schools requesting nursing related resources and activities (speak with nursing students and faculty, see nursing lab, sit in on nursing class, etc.) for her visits. Some schools have been very accommodating.
Students often have to go to clinicals late at night or very early in the morning. Therefore, security issues and driving distances become more important.
Agree with also looking beyond just the nursing program and make sure the general campus environment is a great fit for your student. Nursing is such a stressful major . It’s important to try to get involved in at least one other activity whether that be sports , the arts , community service , a religious group , Greek life ,etc. Your kids are going to find that by junior year they are starting to be with the same nursing students over and over and it’s nice to have some other interests outside of nursing too.
Ask if they have a 4 year curriculum, whether available right then to have or if there is one on-line. It is good to see exactly what classes they will have to take and how they generally fit over the 4 years.
Ask how they catch up if they fail to get a high enough grade for a class. In daughter’s school there were 2 or 3 students that did not achieve the B needed for Anatomy I this past semester. They can move onto Anatomy II, but must retake Anatomy I in the summer.
Ask what classes can or can not be fulfilled with AP credits. My daughter had to take both college writing classes and college algebra even though her AP scores would have gotten her out of them in other majors. Her AP Psych got her out of her Psych class and she got credit for AP Calc that counted for an elective, but didn’t get her out of algebra.
Find out if there is any possibility for study abroad. Villanova was the only college we came across that had space carved out for nursing students to take a full semester abroad. Her current college has opportunities, but they are during break or late spring/early summer short trips.
Ask if there are any fees for the nursing classes (think lab fees.) One college we came across has significant fees (up to $800 a class!)
Ask if they have a nursing club, if they have any set study groups, etc.
Important: Ask if the program fills up before May 1st and how advisable it is to decide ASAP. Some programs fill up and even though you were accepted, you can be put on a waiting list.
Good suggestions above. Yes, some colleges require a student to put down a deposit early to save their spot in the nursing program. If the nursing program runs out of spaces, they are accepted only as a liberal arts major and not a nursing major.
My daughter’s program required 128 credits vs. the standard 120. That meant some rough 17 credit semesters for some students. Fortunately, she had some AP credits and took some online community college classes over the summer to keep her workload manageable during the school year.
For bio, her college gave her AP credit for a basic bio class, but still made her take the freshman bio class that was designed for nurses. That was a challenging class, and it worked out well that she took it.
Some colleges are more generous in granting AP credit than others. You can find that info on their websites.
My daughter’s college had a 4 year track and a 4.5 year track. That was beneficial because if a student needed to retake a required class, they could drop down to the 4.5 year track without having to wait another year to take the class.
@Charliesch Do you think the colleges that run out of spaces in their nursing program would let students know that they should put down a deposit early? None of the schools I have been accepted to have said anything about a required deposit.
The only reason this worries me is I haven’t received the financial aid info for most schools. So I can’t bring myself to commit just yet.
The acceptance letter would mention if a deposit were needed to secure a spot. So far thankfully none of my D’s acceptances have required a deposit either.
Hemingsway: The ones that require an early deposit usually inform accepted students. However, it wouldn’t hurt to email admissions and double check. In the case of my daughter’s college, they wanted a nursing deposit by Dec, but most was refundable if you change your mind before May 1.
I would send an e-mail to the nursing departments. Ask if your spot is guaranteed through May 1st.
@Banker1 Hi
I remembered a few years ago I was in your position & I had a long list of questions to ask. And my D already have one college she wanted to attend so I guess no matter what they tell her during the visit, she has her mind made up already… so our visit to that college basically just re-inforced her ( & our ) mind to put down a deposit.
Since you have done your research before you ( your D ) applied to these schools, you probably may have these acceptances somewhat or vaguely lined up ( 1st choice, 2nd choice etc etc ) based on both reputations & the cost of attendance.
In the end, it all boils down to:
Does she like this college?
Does she want to go to this college? not just this nursing dept but this college?
I don’t want to say forget the " facts " such as pass rate, lab fees, how easy/or how hard the classes are, security issues around area, cost of apartment/living in that area, cost of transportations ( maintaining a car, taking a bus, etc ) where the clinicals are etc…all these are important facts but once you & your D visit the schools,
1 or 2 schools may jump out as your top choices…she may say she wanted to go there like right now…without needing any facts to back up.
If possible, talk to as many nursing students as you can. Do they look like they actually like going to school there? or are they the " volunteer " that day?
Good Luck !!!
( I have 2 D, both in nursing )
Hi @Angela220 she’s kept her preferences close to the vest so far. I’m trying not to try to sway her because that usually results in the opposite effect. And she’s still waiting to see if she’s admitted to nursing program from a few schools. Thanks for your helpful pointers. I expect her experience and feedback from campus visits will greatly influence her selection.
With my kids, I set up a weighted scoring system for their accepted colleges. Each criteria was rated 1 to 5 points. Net cost was weighted to be more important than some other factors. It helped to rationalize the process.
This week my D will be touring northwest colleges that have accepted her into their direct entry nursing program. I appreciate everyone’s input.
We visited two programs so far and we are not any closer to a decision. My D felt she could do well at both. Only consideration is location so in the end that might be the deciding factor. The problem is that if the programs are reputable all the hard factors will be there so choosing is a matter of personal preference not that a program will be objectively better than the other. Anyway, that’s what I am thinking now.
@MomOf3DDs it’s interesting you mentioned to check for a 4-year curriculum. Yesterday’s visit to Gonzaga has revealed that half the nursing students elect to take a 9 semester option. 40 students take the 4-year track and the other 40 the 9-semester track. The extra time is to provide opportunity to have a minor, study abroad and pursue other interests without feeling rushed. Both sets of students may participate in the same graduation ceremony. Any merit scholarships are applied to the extra semester.
My D liked the warm welcoming people, the spacious residence hall, the campus beauty and architecture, the basketball arena. The nursing lab looked small but capable. Clinicals start Junior year. Overall she liked this campus and program but is interested in being able to compare it to other schools.
@Banker1 I’m glad that your daughter has had a positive visit! I am also really interested in Gonzaga and would love to hear anymore feedback/opinions that you may about the school. (also happy to hear that merit scholarships carry over to the extra semester, that’s a big relief!)
Hope the rest of your visits go well!
@Banker1 Oh and also, I was wondering if you knew how conservative Gonzaga is as a whole? I’m from CA and was raised in a primarily liberal area, so I wanted to know how big of a culture shock I’d receive. I’ve never been to Eastern WA before.