Hi. I’m going to be a freshman Fall’22. I was accepted to University of West Florida and Florida State University under the major of nursing. But I also got into Florida Atlantic University Direct Admit program for nursing. I’m confused what the difference is. Does it mean if I go to UWF or FSU that after my first 2 years I then have to apply for their nursing programs? And what happens if I don’t get accepted, do I have to change my major and career plans??? I assume if I go to FAU, they are basically saying I’m guaranteed for all 4 years and will graduate with a nursing degree. I’m pretty confused and trying to pick between the 3 schools. My top 2 were FSU and UWF, but I really want to be a nurse and I’m afraid if I don’t get accepted after my 2nd year, then what???
And you’re right that if you don’t get accepted into nursing that you’ll have to change your major, or transfer to a different college, or find a different path to nursing. It doesn’t mean you must change your career plans, but it sure can be disruptive to those plans.
It sounds like you need some basic information from 2 of these colleges, i.e. what is the rate of acceptance into nursing among students in the university who apply? If it us 98%, you’re probably pretty safe. If it’s 50%, you’re taking a pretty big gamble with your future.
I hate that universities do this. My State U does the same thing. I’m more familiar with students who go to State U with the intention of becoming teachers. Perhaps surprisingly, that is one of the most competitive majors on our flagship campus. I’ve run into any number of students who were closed out of their intended major in this field. Elementary teaching prospects, who’ve suffered this fate, major in something innocuous like Family Studies instead and then pursue a master’s in elementary ed after graduation. With student teaching, this usually takes a year and a half and the extra cost of more college before they can start earning any money.
if you did want to attend the other 2 schools that are not direct admit, an option if you didn’t get into the program in your 3rd year is you could get your BS in something else and do an accelerated BSN at a number of different schools. It will take you an additional year to do this but you do have options if you dont get into the program.
@RNmomof4 if I had to, do you have any recommendations on majors I should change to for my last 2 years to be best prepared for a 5th year for an accelerated BSN program? Is it just as hard to get into those programs as it would getting into a nursing program after 2 years? I should probably check if UWF or FSU offers a 5th year accelerated BSN.
Good thinking. I assume that FSU and UWF are considerably cheaper than FAU? So, I’d check on the cost of an accelerated BSN program. Even if it can be done in a year, it might also involve summer(s) and therefore cost more than the typical annual tuition. I’d then add that to the total cost of those 2 universities and compare that to the cost of FAU.
I’m also thinking of the fact that the better investment of your time in a 5th year for professional purposes would be to invest it in a nurse practitioner program.
Looks like there are 12 schools in Florida that offer this type of program.
Here in CA I have heard that some do nutrition? The most important thing is to have all the nursing pre req done when graduating. Best to speak with the schools directly to see what paths they have. Ask them “what other paths are there is I don’t get into the program?”
We initially looked at this for my daughter because she wanted to study deaf studies at CSUN. She has her AA in deaf studies from the community college through dual enrollment. That means she could have finished her bs in deaf studies in 2 years. CSUN offers an Accelerated BSN to a student that has their bs in any area. (Mind you all prerequisites need to be completed in addition.) That is why people get their bs in something that matches more with the prerequisites. She could have finished the Accelerate BSN in 15 months after her first Bachelors. The program at CSUN would have cost us 50k for the Accelerated BSN. Really, if you are pre nursing, all the prerequisites that you need, you will have completed.
These are the most common prerequisites along with a BS in just about anything.
Anatomy and Physiology I & II with labs
Microbiology with lab
College Algebra or Math for Liberal Arts
Statistics
Chemistry with lab
Nutrition
English Composition I & II
Introduction to Sociology
Introduction to Psychology
Human Growth & Development through the Life Span
You can do an accelerated BSN, but I would first do your research because there are prerequisites, and sometimes they differ depending on the program (one program wants this, another wants that instead, etc). Doing the prerequisite research now will make it “easier” if you apply later on to an ABSN program. You can complete the classes now for the programs that might interest you.
Is there a reason why the direct admit school is not a top choice for you? IMO this is a good choice (if it’s affordable).
Accelerated BSN programs are competitive, but some are “easier” admits than others. There is a lot of useful information out there for you to reference. There are also accelerated masters level programs (MSN for non-nurses) and direct entry NP programs for non-nurses. They are very competitive ( I am not familiar with Florida).
Comparing costs is a good idea (direct admit versus the possibility of a non-nursing major followed by ABSN or direct admit masters/NP).
Keep in mind that these programs can be costly, and for the ABSN you are limited as far as federal loans go because it is considered undergrad. Can your parents cover the cost or co-sign a private loan without financial hardship? Would you be willing to work first and save some money? A direct entry masters/NP will allow for federal loans, should you need the assistance.
My advice is to attend an undergrad direct admit program when possible. Good luck!
For us, we only applied to direct admit BSN programs. (minus U of Arizona as they are not direct admit)
I would always choose direct admit unless a non direct program admitted all or most of the students that meet the requirements. What are your costs for all 3 schools? We are very cost conscious and wont receive any need based aid. Our goal was to stay under or around 25k and we have been successful with that.
Here in CA, in a non direct admit school, you could have a 4.0 in all your pre-nursing classes, meet all the requirements and still not be admitted due to impaction. We are a bit of a mess with nursing schools in CA. Our direct admit schools admit about 3 percent of applicants. We will likely end up in PA, Washington, Utah, or New Mexico.
Thank you everyone. I’m going to call FSU and UWF tomorrow to figure out how hard it is and likelihood of me being accepted after 2 years. All 3 are state schools, so the cost is about the same. The drawback with FAU is I just don’t like the campus or location. So if FAU didn’t have the direct admit part of it, I really wouldn’t be considering it. Honestly I didn’t even know the difference when I applied. I didn’t have a lot of help or guidance, so that’s on me. But at least it seems like I have some good options. Before last night I was pretty sure FSU was my choice, but now doing all this research I actually think it’s my last choice. It just seems super hard and it was a stretch for me to get into there, so I probably will struggle. And they require a 3.4 and a B in all required classes and that includes chemistry!!! Yikes. Thank you again so much for the information and advice!!!
My advice is to think about your future . . . long term. College is not a destination; it is a stop along the way. The purpose of college is to get you to where you want to be. You want a career in nursing. Only one of these 3 is a sure thing. Take the sure thing!
Since cost is about the same at all 3, this seems like a no brainer to me.
I understand your reluctance based on the campus. I really do. But can you put up with it for 4 years to have the career you want for the next 40 years?
“they require a 3.4 and a B in all required classes and that includes chemistry!!!”
Some of the pre nursing classes are brutal. IMO a 3.4 is too high of a weed out GPA. Make
sure that this is really the case and be sure to understand the requirements.
Also, just because a school is direct admit doesn’t not mean its easy to keep the spot over the first 2 years.
VERY IMPORTANT to ask FAU “how many students start in direct admit and how many finish?” Dont commit to anything until you fully understand your options.
This is why I would not send my daughter to ASU. They have a 3.5 weed out GPA.
My daughter currently has a 4.0UW in highschool and has done Anat/Physio/Stats and many other classes by dual enrollment with straight A’s. This semester she is taking dual enrollment Microbiology and Chem. She is doing fine in Chem but has a 78 in Micro right now. She only needs to have a C to transfer that class to 5 of the 6 schools on her final list. Our college doesn’t do - and + so its either a 4.0= A, 3.0= B, 2.0= C. In other words, is she gets a 79 in the class she will get a C. That class has been brutal. Another thing to think about (not to be a negative Nelly) is that you might not have the “best” teacher for a difficult class. I have found that the teacher can make or break those science pre req classes. The teacher my daughter has for Micro is fair to partly cloudy and if she had gotten in with one of the higher rated teachers, I would guess that she would be in a better spot. She is pushing through because that is life.
The students I know from our HS who did not make nursing (after 2 years) were provided with a list of ABSN programs (from their college advisor).
I can’t speak for Florida, but the ABSN programs by me differ in terms of acceptance. Our public university programs are harder to get into- they tend to be very, very competitive. Some (not all) of the private schools are less competitive, but very costly.
Once again I would look at finances. An ABSN degree is considered an undergraduate degree- financing may be more difficult due to very limited loans that you can take by yourself (if you need). Can you afford 4 years of college plus a 12-15 month ABSN?
Many here who are accepted to ABSN programs are getting A’s in the prerequisites…which include classes such as microbiology and labs.
I would attend the school that offered you direct admit, and I would work hard to succeed (not suggesting you won’t). I would not turn the school down because you don’t like the campus. The four years go fast.
If you decide to go the riskier route and apply for the RN program after 2 years, you’re not obligated to only apply at the school you’re currently enrolled in. It’s more work but I’d definitely apply for any nursing program that I qualify for and can afford. If you were my kid I’d have only let you apply to direct admit programs or with the understanding that if you don’t get in you’d finish your degree in anything so long as you have the prerequisites and try for grad school like OT, PT, PA. Good luck!
Direct admit is best, but thank you for pointing out that this student can also send applications to other schools after 2 years if he/she does not attend a direct admit school. I did a little research and learned that you can transfer into nursing at some schools. I had no idea!
While in theory it is a good idea to have PT, OT, PA etc as a backup so that the student can apply to grad school if nursing does not work out, in reality it is hard to do. Those professions really cannot be thought of as a backup for a BSN. PA requires hundreds and hundreds (some students have thousands) of hands on patient volunteering, PT and OT have other prerequisites including physics (this student expressed anxiety with chemistry) volunteering etc and acceptance into these grad school programs is highly competitive.
I think direct admit is the way to go. If he/she attends a non direct admit school, I would focus on nursing and only nursing. If that does not work out then he/she can do ABSN or think about other fields and complete those prerequisites and volunteering. This would mean taking time off after college to complete the requirements and apply to schools. There is nothing wrong with that- it happens all the time.
