Feedback on Clemson Nursing

D is trying to make final decisions. Looking for any feedback on Clemson s Nursing program .

I understand the nursing program is changing at Clemson U - my daughter has been accepted to Clem Nursing program and is trying to make the final decision as well. I don’t know what schools you are debating but I do believe you may want to ask where Clinicals are located and how the nursing students get there. I think there are changes coming in the Clemson U nursing program and they will be addressed at the upcoming nursing days they are having. Is D going?

^this was actually an old post from last spring when d was finalizing her decision . Yes ,d is a freshman nursing major at Clemson now and very happy with her choice .As with most nursing programs ,the bulk of her actual nursing classes will not be until junior year so she is taking her prerequisites now ,but she is very happy with her choice ! What changes are they making ? Haven’t really heard anything about that .

It will revolve around potentially expanding the nursing program to let more students inand the transportation of students to clinicals- Clemson may start to provide the transportation - I think clinicals are 30 minutes away? This potential of this and or a decision will be explained to us during admitted students day for the class of 2016. Is your D in the honors college and if so does she like it? I think the current nursing class is about 60 students - there is talk they may double?

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2015/10/15/new-clemson-program-yield-more-nurses/73872618/

^Thanks for that info ! No I don t know if d was completely burnt out by the time she finished applying to all her schools or what, but the weird thing is she actually applied to some honors colleges but not all. I wanted her to apply to Clemson honors but she never did .She had very competitive stats and I tried to bug her but at that point she had applied to so many schools etc ,she was done ! Having said that , she tells me she has no regrets about not applying . She has many ,many friends who applied to honors but did not get in who have pretty high stats, so her group of friends seem to be pretty motivated students who were all at the top of their hs classes . Of course the nursing program also tends to have students who know they have to work hard. I really didn’t think honors was as important for a nursing major as it would be for other majors ,but I would have been happy if she’d at least applied . She did the HHED LLC which also attracted a bunch of nursing students so she has met many people .She loves everything about Clemson. The nursing faculty seem wonderful and really want them to do well. She’s also involved with a lot of other activities on campus and is always very busy, and of course she had a blast going to football games in the fall . Good luck to your d …it’s so stressful making those decisions at the end …d turned down a lot of great schools but knows she picked the right one for her .

What is HHED LLC? I hear honors is very hard to get into. So I’m not sure if my daughter will get in but if she does not sure if she will pursue it - it is a crazy stressful time for sure. Thanks for you input are in state or OOS?

^ it’s the Health education human dev living learning community .open to majors in that college.D had to fill out an application and send resume .This yr it was in the Clemson House but I’m not sure where it will be next fall as I believe they are no longer offering housing in Clemson House after this year .its basically a freshman thing where they try to house common majors together .it worked out well because d has mostly nursing majors on her floor .Shes met most of her closest friends on the floor and they’ve been able to study together .do projects etc. D was a 4.0 ( unweighted ) student in hs who took all honors /Aps and she’s been really impressed with the stats of the non honors students she’s met so I can only imagine how competitive it is to get into honors . Her nursing friends seem to all have been at top of their class so she hasn’t missed out by not doing honors with the exception of some of the perks.Shes also had no trouble getting her classes etc due to having a lot of transfer credits .She also has a ton of engineering students who ended up on her floor even though they aren’t in the LLC. …they are also great students with high stats so there’s been no issue for her with studying etc and she started off with a strong first semester. I think she was nervous about applying to honors because of how structured the nursing major is etc…but I am sure it’s a great experience for those who choose to do it . Yes d is OOS …I think you will find that most of the nursing students (honors or not ) are very high achievers as it was so competitive just to get in …supposedly it is one of the most difficult majors to be accepted in at Clemson .

The nursing programs are all very competitive. For sure, your d is very smart! My d applied to the honors program and she herself has told me the word is that it is very hard to get into. The nursing program is challenging enough -so I am not not worried by the outcome of whether she gets into honors or not - just curious. It’s great to get feedback from someone in the program already. Thanks for your info.

I will read up on the LLC on Clem’s website.

@Cintimom1 Best wishes to your daughter ! It’s so tough to choose because these programs are so difficult to get into ! D went down to the wire last year making her final decision in April !

I have a feeling we will be down to the wire ourselves. Lol

NJMOM3: heading down to Clem on for admitted nursing students day - I do have a question you may be able to answer. Do nursing students graduate in 4 years at Clem - becuz on various nursing threads on College Confidential - everyone is saying to ask that question to nursing programs especially if you are on a scholarship - because most scholarships are 4 years (8 semesters) - and you need to know this answer for financial awareness

Hi Cintimom…congrats to your d and for honors too!! …yes,most students graduate in 4 yrs unless they add another major etc…when we went to orientation we met a couple of students who were actually trying to get all the prerequisites for physical therapy as well so that they’d graduate with the BSN and also have an opportunity to pursue PT later if they desired…this is difficult and requires more science obviously and possibly an extra semester …the nursing advisor at Clemson specifically asks that each student tell her early in freshman yr what individual goals they have (ie adding a minor , studying abroad , even graduating a semester early) …they do their best to incorporate this into your schedule . D originally wanted a minor ,however later decided it would just be too much …one of her friends really wants to graduate a semester early and the advisor has worked to help her get the schedule to graduate in dec instead of may …of course d wants the full 4 yr experience even though she could have done that ! One of the things that really sold both me and my d on clemson was the Nursing faculty …they are very warm and really get across how much they want to see these students succeed…we visited some other programs that were so arrogant about the programs and emphasized how hard it is to stay in the program etc …did not feel like that at all at Clemson .Their clinical SIM lab is beautiful as well !! We also found that the freshman nursing students are involved in the major right from the bat .The Student Nurses Assoc involves them immed instead of waiting until they hit junior year and clinicals. Enjoy your visit !!

Hi NJMOM3 - thanks for answering (I grew up in NJ too- how’s that for karma - lol). My d would just go for the BSN and maybe a minor if it isn’t too much. Do you have to have a car on campus as a freshman or is it ok to go without? Is the tiger transportation good enough? Also does you daughter feel like most of the kids from carolina attend Clem?Where is the student body from? If those Carolina kids run home on the weekends - is there enough OOS kids on campus to hang out with? Did you daughter get homesick?

^^ D does not have a car but would like to eventually have one .She has not really needed it at all this year and may get away without having one next yr since she picked an "off campus "apt that is basically on the campus and easily with in walking distance to everything . She is lucky that many of her friends do have cars though so she never feels stuck on campus . They have made trips to Greenville ,to the mall , to the movies ,and to different churches on Sundays.She has had no problem getting around. Yes,the tiger transit is available around the campus as well as buses that will take you into Greenville and various other places like Walmart, the grocery stores etc .i know if you have a far walk on campus at night you can call and have a shuttle come pick you up and drop you right at your dorm . She mostly walks everywhere on campus though as it is very manageable . I think that many Carolina students go to both USC and to Clemson for Nursing . I have a junior nursing student at USC as well , which is really another awesome program .Most colleges of nursing seem to be comprised of mostly instate students with a handful of Oos which makes sense since they hope that those instate students will stay and work in their hospitals …I found that to be true at most of the programs we looked at, but again there are plenty of oos students as well …I think your d would meet many OOS students in honors . D has many OOS students in her dorm that are in other majors. When we first saw the campus I was a little worried thar d might not have enough to do on the weekends etc especially if people went home. It is definitely a rural campus ( a very beautiful one) but d really liked that . My other d at USC probably would not like it lol…so it’ all depends on the students personality and what they are looking for.D is plenty busy .Shes really involved in a bunch of clubs etc and seems to have things going on each night . She does spend some of her weekend in the library but finds time for social activities as well . She loved attending all of the football games in the fall and also went to some soccer games as well.She and her friends go to the gym a lot , use the indoor pool ,take fitness classes etc. They also love attending the FCA gatherings on thursday eves. She is not in a sorority but a few friends are who seem to like it. D is my third child to choose to go "away " to school. Lol…She had no interest in staying in NJ ( nothing really exceot Rutgers or College of NJ to pick from for nursing and our instate prices are no bargain ) .She also didn’t want cold ! If you visited Penn State at all ,the atmosphere at Clemson reminds me of that ,but of course on a smaller scale .Theres so much school spirit and it really does feel like a family .D has never been homesick at all ! There are plenty of students around on the weekends .

Thank you so much for writing me. I appreciate your detailed response. You are blessed to have 2 up and coming nurses!!! My d is deciding between Pitt and Clem. Today she went back to Pitt for a 2nd time and remembered why she loved it and also had a bunch of questions answered. In two weeks it’s back to Clem for her second tour, which prior to Pitts tour today she was totally sold on Clem. It’s definitely going to come down to the wire for her. Both campuses are so different and offer different amenities. Today at Pitt it was so warm. We reminded her that the weather today in PA was a fluke. Thanks for constantly talking to me. I’ll give you an update after she visits Clem - I have a feeling it’s not going to be an easy decision.

^ you are in the same boat I was in with both of my d s !! They both were accepted to Pitt and that was always at the very top of MY list !! My USC d really liked Pitt but kept saying she wished she could take Pitts program and put it on the USC campus ! I tried to push Pitt with both D s. Clemson d didn’t want the city , Her #1 was UVA , Clemson #2 and Pitt 3rd …she got into UVA and then we just couldn’t rationalize the oos tuition with no merit $…but I know now that door was closed for a reason and she’s where she should be.
Pitt is awesome for healthcare.We know several students at Pitt! They all love it …We did multiple visits there as well ! Great school !!Tough decision!! Good luck! You can’t go wrong either way !