@CollegeMom98 - we are going to the accepted students day in Feb at Saint A’s so we plan on asking as many people as possible about their rep as Saint C’s! We actually have two friends with kids currently in the nursing program - one a freshman and one a junior and will reach out to them as well. I actually had a post with that question a year or so ago! I will post if I hear anything either way back here. Would make a difference to us as well - my son was invited to be in the Honors college there so would that mean it would be even more difficult to get an A/B? Ugh
Also - @am9799 we plan on speaking with UMass Amherst regarding their clinical hours etc. We met a professor at Umass Boston in Nursing who mentioned she has heard of difficulty getting the hours there (?) - it did not mean a lot to me when she said it as we were still new to the idea of a Nursing major/clinicals etc but makes sense as UMass A only takes 64 kids at such a big school - perhaps not enough places for clinicals to be done at? Where UMass Lowell would have many more places being nearer to Boston and more populated area they are more access to clinicals. I don’t know, just surmising.
Yes, that is a factor to consider - the relative shortage of major medical centers near many universities in small cities or rural areas. That means fewer clinical choices and much longer drives to get to clinicals. That is why Penn State makes most of the nursing students spend a year at the Milton Hershey Medical Center, which is 1.5 hours away from the campus.
@Momtofourkids s My daughter’s been offered a place in the Honors Programs at Fairfield, Saint Anselm, Salve Regina! Endicott, and Worcester State. Endicott actually offered an additional $4k on top of her health science scholarship is she agrees to participate. I didn’t know that ever happened…But honestly, with the demand of an already rigorous nursing program, I am not sure she will accept a place in any of the Honor Programs. In the meantime, we have a visit scheduled to Fairfield University over February break. They are offering her the $25k Magis Scholarship. I’ve been able to find limited information online, but am hoping to get a clearer picture of what it actuallly entails other than maintaining a minimum g.p.a. There are just so many factor to consider, my head is spinning.
@Momtofourkids In terms of Saint A’s, she doesn’t want to have to explain to future employers why her grade are lower than applicants from other schools and have it look like some excuse. I know that Saint A’s has a great nursing reputation, but this policy seems to put students in a difficult situation when pursuing their first nursing position.