I think this has opened my daughters eyes more and I seriously doubt she will consider UCI and UCLA now.
The chances of admission are so slim anyways- now to decide between her accepted programs
For the Mom’s- do you get nervous that a direct entry nursing program is so rigorous that you feel a bit worried?
Yes, I definitely feel that the direct-entry programs could be very rigorous, so it is important to examine whether there are support services within the nursing program such as peer mentoring, living in communities with other health care professionals, how they prepare the nurses for the NCLEX - what test prep and how soon they begin this, etc. I think it’s a great idea to look over the curriculum, and talk to other students in the program. My daughter wants to find a nursing school roommate on the admitted student Facebook page that is like minded to help support her academically and emotionally. Very good point that you brought up, @Lovemyjob
I agree about UCLA and UCI chemistry emphasis. Have also wondered about the relevance of this with regard to nursing. My daughter did apply to both even though they are extreme reaches. We spent the weekend looking at curriculum’s of the schools she’s been accepted to and I think it dawned on her that UCLA and UCI may not be the best program fit for her anyway.
I’m still waiting back from USF which is most likely my 1st choice for nursing.
However, I have already been accepted into SDSU and I believe they only accept around ~80-90 per semester.
I already live in San Francisco and feel like USF is definitely the right choice, but SDSU certainly looks tempting too.
What are the discrepancies between the two?
–> Possibly the pros/cons?
Hi everyone!
I was accepted into SDSU for their nursing program but I got a likely letter from UPenn!
I’m still waiting on UCI but I’m basically set on Penn nursing
Good luck to everyone 
Chemistry is very relevant for nursing but at least one semester should suffice or two at the most. Nurses need to be able to interpret lab results and know when to notify the physician for abnormal results such as potassium, sodium etc. In the ICU, a foundational knowledge of chemistry is even more important for understanding acid-base balance, acidosis etc. Some schools do not have a chemistry requirement at all {U. Portland is one]. One school on the east coast that my daughter applied to has no chemistry requirement but when we asked about it, we were told that chemistry principles were incorporated into other science and pathophysiology classes. I would have preferred to see at least one semester of chemistry instead of some of the electives offered.
My daughter is a senior and to give all the California folks looking into direct entry nursing schools hope, this is our strategy that has been successful. First off, my daughter wants to go OOS for school so no applications to UCLA or UCI. Playing the numbers game, I did not want to throw away $75. per app for schools with 3% acceptance rates. So far, my daughter has 9 direct admit acceptances to nursing programs in the midwest to the east coast - 8 of which gave her merit money. One state school, with merit and grant, has brought the cost down to $22,000 per year which is less than SDSU and the UCs. She picked schools where she felt she could get admitted to and not the highly competitive programs, although she would have a decent shot at some of them. Since we visited all the schools that she applied to, except for 2, they were all schools she felt could work for her in case it was the only place she was accepted to. It was important for her to be in an educational environment that felt more collaborative than competitive [ie. she ruled out Penn as ultra competitive - it did not feel right for her]. OOS flagship universities that have small in-state populations and take alot of OOS students or flagships that want a diversified student body & they take many OOS students have all offered her admission along with midsize Catholic schools. We visit relatives on the east coast every summer, so she is comfortable to go OOS for college. Since I know not all California kids want to go OOS, there are still direct admit nursing programs in neighboring states such as Arizona State, Seattle Univ, UPortand, Gonzaga which are only short 1-2 hour plane ride to CA. The Western Undergraduaute Exchange [WUE] http://wiche.edu/wue offers reduced tuition to CA residents. Although not direct admit for nursing, I think CA kids have a good chance of acceptance & getting into the nursing programs with strong GPAs at U. Northern Arizona, U. New Mexico & U, Nevada - Reno through WUE since those states do not have large instate populations & want OOS kids.
@jyao729 I think the main difference between USF & SDSU is the cost whereas has USF will be double the cost of SDSU. Both schools will provide a very good quality nursing education.
For west coast families looking at Northeastern in Boston, one thing to take into consideration is the co-op curriculum which is excellent and gives the student real life work experience in their field. But with the co-op, students only get the summer off in between freshmen & sophomore years and after that there are no more summer vacations, either school or the work co-op. We ruled that program out because we are hoping that our daughter will return to CA every summer and we did not want to not see her only briefly for winter & spring breaks. Drexel in Philly also has a co-op program.
Very good information @blueskyforever. We also ruled out Northeastern for that very same reason. Has your daughter made a decision on where she will go. Seems like she has a lot of choices!!
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Do you happen to know the difficulty of acquiring a job back in San Francisco if I choose to go to SDSU? I heard most students are offered a position at their clinical hospital which they do rotations at, but I’d prefer to be closer to family in SF after graduation. However, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about this if I were enrolled in USF.
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Do you happen to know the average acceptance rates for USF and SDSU nursing programs? If UCI & UCLA have the case of 2-3% acceptance, I’m curious if these two have a similar percentage. I’m aware that SDSU seems to be far below their overall acceptance rate of 33% because they accept 80-90 per semester if I’m correct (perhaps 10-20%?). However, I’m not sure what the difficulty of entering USF might be because none of my friends have been rejected from their nursing program despite how prestigious many claim their nursing program is (overall acceptance rate of close to 70%).
@jyao729 are you still waiting to hear from USF? I think you said you live in SF- would you choose to live on campus or live at home? I think if you plan to live at home you should attend SDSU- it is so important to get the full college experience and you just can’t get it while living at home. SDSU has a phenomenal nursing program and it seems like a great distance. I would not worry about being able to get a job back in the bay after you finish school in 4 years. Coming from either program will help you land a job easily.
@Lovemyjob Yes, I just checked the application and it is still being reviewed and processed. All my information is complete and I submitted it on December 22nd, 2015, so I am a bit unsure if the process usually takes the long since my friends seem to have been notified a long time ago. It seems like I have been speaking to others about USF as if I have already been accepted, but that is not the case.
Due to financial reasons, I will live at home because this will cut the price of Room & Board.
Transportation is extremely convenient in San Francisco.
I completely agree with you in a sense that I would really like to be a part of the true “college experience” of having a dorm, roommates, and living independently. I have a part of me inside saying that going to USF will be very boring because I will have the same habit of going to school, going home, doing homework, and not having those high school friends around.
However, when mentioning these reasons to my family and peers, they tell me that the college experience should not be a priority over the prestigious nursing education provided by USF. “Being a nursing student there will secure if not guarantee you a job in the city in the future and you need to think about long term goals rather than short term enjoyment” is what I often get. They are supportive of me going to SDSU too, but I can see that they’re leaning toward USF.
I feel extremely proud, but humbled that I am able to be a part of the small number of students accepted into the SDSU Nursing program. On the other hand, it seems like USF has a slightly better program and it happens to be just a few minutes away by car. What a dilemma.
@jyao729 I still think SDSU is an amazing opportunity for you- I would think the cost to attend SDSU including room and board would be less than USF- I hope you do what YOU truly want to do. Families can be so persuasive - I’m sure you will end up where you belong but you must have amazing stats to have gotten into SDSU and they do have an awesome program!! Let us know when you get into USF!!!
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@Lovemyjob Thanks! I do have to take into account the cost of both colleges and SDSU would definitely be the safer choice.
What I find most surprising is that I was able to be accepted into their program with mediocre stats. I am not sure if I happened to get in by luck or if there was something they specifically liked in my application… or if I am simply just the average candidate.
Weighted GPA : 4.03
SAT : 1860
ACT : 28
Update:
So far I have been accepted to CSU Fullerton and Seattle U (Direct Entry), CSU Channel Islands (Pre-Nursing), I have been wait-listed at SDSU, University of Portland, Gonzaga, and rejected at U of SF. I accepted the wait-list at SDSU only since it is my number 1, due to financial reasons. I am still waiting on UCLA,UCI, NYU, UPenn, and Georgetown for Direct-Entry Nursing. I have also been admitted to UC Davis and Cal Poly SLO for Nutrition Science. I am currently waiting on UCSB, UCB, Stanford (lol), and USC for Biology. Honestly I feel like my results so far are all over the place…
My daughter also accepted the wait list at SDSU, but has been accepted to other direct entries. I think she will probably end up going that route. You have some good choices @FutureNurse2020 for Direct Entry as well as for non nursing programs. That will have to be your big decision. Good luck with the process. It can be very trying at times.
My daughter was recently accepted into Seattle U as she applied RD there and I must say, that is one school that I’m interested in learning more about and so is she. I particularly like the comments she showed me on the accepted student Facebook page. The students seem so interesting as compared to the accepted student Facebook pages at schools like PSU and UD. I encourage anyone’s child to look on the Facebook pages to see what the students have to say as one way to gage the community. I am so surprised at how many people sound exactly alike, for example “I plan on rushing and I’m down for going out, partying, etc, but also take my studies seriously…” or something exactly like that. Anyway, it is so nice to hear from the above students/parents that everyone has many choices and in two weeks, most everyone will have all their answers back from potential colleges. Look forward to hearing where everyone will wind up.
Good advice @netter11. I’m going to pass this on to my daughter as she is trying to make her final decision.
Great advice on NE @blueskyforever. Big thing to consider as we have a pretty close family in SD and although she wants oos, we were only thinking of the positives of NE co-op- as that was big draw for my daughter. I work with a relatively new grad for NE nursing and she loved the co-op as this addition to her resume that set her apart form many of the local school graduates. We are going to see NE in April for their open house and definitely will add the idea of not coming home as much to the “Cons”. Thanks of the advice- Good luck to you and your daughter!
@netter11 I just read what you posted…" I am so surprised at how many people sound exactly alike, for example “I plan on rushing and I’m down for going out, partying, etc, but also take my studies seriously…”
My dd just shared same with me recently then I saw that you were also considering UD. Same here. haha Prob from the UD Facebook grp. My daughter is not a party type at all. This is my 3rd one thru college and what my sons tell me is that all schools have partying. One did a bit then one didn’t at all. This was a concern but when you think about it, there are only some students on FB. My dd (to my knowledge) has not posted. Are you going to UD or decide against it? We will be going back to decision day and perhaps next week if they are open as Id like her to see the nursing program again since visiting a few other schools.
Seattle is lovely (use to live there and CA). UD is just 2.5 hrs away for us. Waiting to hear on 2 more schools.
My daughter is still considering UD and we plan to go visit on April 9th, the end of her spring break. I think her favorite to date is PSU, but she hasn’t visited Seattle U or UD yet. And she is awaiting three more applications but if they are all no’s then it’s one of those three colleges for sure. She keeps telling me there is 40,000 students at PSU and not all of them are posting on Facebook haha. She did actually find one student who posted “no partying for me” and they have been talking about how nervous they were that they wouldn’t find another person who felt the same. Anyway, that is her potential roommate. I truly hope some of her reach schools will post yays or nays soon because to visit the schools from CA will be difficult on such short notice! But I guess we will just have to wait and see.
@cali60 see above!