I am considering applying to all of these schools this fall as a nursing/prenursing major and was wondering if anyone could compare the nursing programs and learning environments?
Some things I am looking for in particular are:
-how hard it is to continue as a nursing major from pre-nursing (2+2)
-campus and surrounding city environment/ vibe
-respectable professors and students
-any last minute advice/ things i should do before I apply this fall?
-my chances in the above colleges + CSUF and SDSU
my stats:
csu gpa: 3.91
csu eligibility index: 4407
SAT cr + math: 1280 but I’m planning on taking one more before applying and i should at the very leas be over 1300 by the time I apply
Honors / AP classes: -(9-11) Eng 9H, Eng 10H, Eng 11H, AP Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Macro Econ, AP Bio (I got an A both semesters and a 4 on the AP test),
-(12th grade) AP Stats, AP Psych, AP Lit, AP Spanish Lang
Extracurriculars: -Roots and Shoots officer for 2 years (1 year secretary, 1 year president)
-Red Cross officer 1 year as director of activities
-Crosscountry my freshman year
-I’m trying to volunteer at a local clinic but it won’t be like an internship, I’ll just be getting as many hours I can in
-I’m definitely going to sign up for CPR certification class with red cross
Here is the link to the California NCLEX passing rates for the last few years with 2013-2014 the last reported year.
http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/passrates.shtml
Sonoma has the highest NCLEX pass rate followed by Sacramento, SDSU, Fullerton, Long Beach, and LA. Fresno has the lowest NCLEX pass rate.
Sonoma is a very small program with only 18 taking the 2013/2014 NCLEX and Fullerton had only 38.
You should try to visit all the campuses that you are interested in. Housing is limited on the Cal State campuses which means you may only get housing for 1 year then you would need to find an apartment. Cost of living would be higher in LA County [LA, Long Beach, Fullerton] & in and around San Francisco.
You may also want to consider East Bay [111 with 88.3% pass rate] and San Marcos [144 with 95.8% pas rate].
San Marcos is in north San Diego County. Their pass rates have been consistently high [90% or greater] since 2010.
SDSU is the only direct admit BSN program - all the rest are nondirect admit. I would make SDSU your 1st choice since your stats are competitive. Some of the Cal States are very impacted so if you can’t get all your classes each semester, it could take 5-6 years to graduate.
You may want to consider UCLA & UC Irvine - both direct admit schools.
If you are willing to look out of state, Arizona State would be a direct admit program for you since your math & CR are above 1100. Their program is not as impacted as the Cal State schools.
SDSU offers on-campus housing for 2 years and you are a competitive applicant. I would try to go for the direct admit programs.