I am taking classes at a local community college right now and plan to transfer sometime in Spring 2018 or Fall 2018. I am just now browsing schools in state and out of state. I wanted to know what everyone’s opinion is on USC Columbia, is it a good school? How is the social life? Greek life? etc. I am a pre-nursing student.
The nursing program is very strong at USC. Make sure you keep your GPA up because the upper division is very competitive to get into and is based on GPA. The grading scale in upper division is also more difficult than other majors on campus . My d is graduating in a few weeks from this program and as a nurse myself I can tell you that she feels like she has been extremely prepared to do well on NCLEX and to begin her hospital job and eventually go to grad school . It is a very tough program . D was used to getting A s and once you hit upper division that becomes very difficult , however that is because they really prepare for the boards well and have a pretty strong pass rate. D thought the clinical was excellent . She was able to have many hands-on experiences in many different areas these last two years . Her clinical instructors were excellent. She loves the campus and has a good social life but definitely had to work very hard in upper division ,so there has to be a balance in order to do well. She is not Greek so I cannot answer that but she knows many nursing students who are .She has enjoyed her time in Columbia .
I hope to apply to USC this summer for pre nursing as well. As a NC resident I heard that my 29 ACT could get me in state tuition. Im really concerned about the 2+2 program though. I wish there were more direct entry programs here in the south. I think Clemson is the only direct in North or South Carolina. I really want to be a nurse and my grades have always been good but the general entry criteria of around 3.9 to get into many upper division programs seems daunting.
In all honesty to be competitive for USC s upper division , prepare to have mostly As to get in (as you said 3.8-3.9) is pretty realistic. D had a 4.0 going into upper division as did many others so you can’t slack off the first 2 yrs of pre nursing at all and we do know people who did not make the cut . The program is excellent but tough to say the least . It is one of the only majors where the grading scale changes in upper division and becomes much more difficult , and there are still people who do not progress all the way through by not getting the necessary grades to stay in . The Nclex pass rare is high and d feels VERY prepared but she would be the first to say it was never easy at all ! Best to be prepared for that going in ! I actually have another d in Clemson Nursing as well . That’s direct entry but coming out of state you will need to be in top 10 percent of class( at least !), with high GPA and I would shoot for a minimum of 30 on your ACT …the higher the better . Nursing and engineering are the 2 most difficult majors to get into at Clemson ( especially out of state ). There are many more direct entry programs in the northeast but my ds really wanted to go south and have no regrets !
Thanks njmom3! My gpa is 3.9 uw and I am in the top 10% of my class. I will be applying to Clemson, Delaware, Duquesne, and Case Western. In state I will be applying to unc Wilmington, ECU and unc Chapel hill. I’ll be left with a tough decision if I get into UNC CH and one of the oos direct entry schools. I’m really confused because I want to stay close to home but also want a direct admit nursing program. I guess if I work hard and continue getting good grades in college then a 2+2 program here in NC should be fine. Clemson would be a strong contender if I got in with some decent merit aid. O excited and nervous at the same time
^^Good luck to you @ ncnrs2be! Sounds like you have a lot of great options and will be successful with whatever you choose! The schools you mentioned all have great nursing programs !!
I am just reviewing schools right now I don’t have my heart set on a University that I really want to get into. I am originally from North Carolina but live in SC. The only school that would interest me in USC Columbia since I am instate. I guess I’ll just have to weigh my options when it comes time to calculate my final gpa. The schools I’m interested in NC are UNC Chapel HIll, ECU, & UNC Charlotte depending on if I decide to go back home which I probably will. They all have great nursing programs. Thank you for the comments and advice.
I am in state for South Carolina. The only school that will interest me in SC is probably USC Columbia. I have heard about Clemson but not much about there Nursing program. I have a list of schools that I am interested in but I do not have my mind set on one particular school. They have some schools in North Carolina as well I’ve heard much about ECU Nursing program & UNC Chapel Hill’s Nursing program as well. All & all I hope it works out best for you.