You will be a nurse, in the end, whether you went to UNH, UMass, or Clemson.
Is Clemson’s nursing program that much better than the others? Will it really result in a better-paying position after graduation?
Ask yourself, OP, if this is how you want to live your life after working hard at, and graduating from college. Living “like a hermit, working extra shifts…”
If you’re fine with that, take out the loans and go to Clemson.
But ask yourself if four short years at Clemson is worth debt that will hamper your financial freedom for a long time after graduating.
NCLEX pass rate is what you should be looking at. With regard to dream college, I’ll just say this…my child is a senior at her dream school, which has been quite expensive. It goes by in a flash - faster than you can imagine. I don’t know that we would have made a different decision in hindsight, but even she now feels that all of the angst and focus on the dream schools was way overblown.
P.S. we are from New England and know many students from our top public school district who have attended UNH.
However - if you are instate in New Hampshire, then you must know you can also get instate tuition at the University of Maine and UVM, through the reciprocal agreements. Have you considered one of those if you are really set against UNH?