<p>Hey guys, so my gpa (uw) is a 3.1 and i'm a junior attending a decently competitive school (not nationally ranked, but is pretty well known in my state/ we send 1 - 2 kids to ivies each year). I haven't taken my SAT's yet, but I'm expecting 1900+. Given that I do get around 1900- 2000, are there any nursing programs that i could apply too, and possibly get a merit based scholarship? Also, my gpa is definitely expected to go up after this year, as I am working my butt off to get a 3.6+.
Another question, I've heard that to if you want to get into a nursing program, you have to apply early. my question is, how early should i apply?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ll try to answer some of your questions.</p>
<p>1st: With a 1900+ SAT and a 3.3+ (projected) GPA there are plenty of nursing programs that you can apply to and that will probably accept you. The more difficult question is whether you will/ can receive a merit scholarship or not. The general rule is that if you want/need a merit scholarship then you want to be in the top 5-10 % of the accepted student profile. Apply to the programs where you will be “a big fish in a little sea”. The lower your GPA the higher your SAT scores will need to be to compensate. Some/many schools have a minimum GPA for scholarship consideration. You’ll have to review each potential college’s scholarship GPA requirements (if they have any) after you find out what your GPA is at the end of your junior year.</p>
<p>How early is as soon as the the college will accept your application and when your SAT/ACT scores are satisfactory. Obviously if a college begins accepting applications in August but you need to retake the SAT in September then you may have to wait until October. IMHO - under ideal circumstances your application should be submitted as soon as the college(s) will accept it.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I’d try to get applications in during September. That may involve much prep work to have everything ready for your counselor so they can quickly send what is needed as soon as you get back to school. That includes providing the counselor with stamped addressed envelopes and forms that are partly filled out, and lining up your recommendations before the summer.</p>
<p>If you take the SAT or ACT another time, that can still be sent to the school (such as October). They probably won’t make decisions until November at the earliest. </p>
<p>Many nursing schools have rolling admissions, and a January application may have a much worse chance than a September application. Also, some colleges have earlier deadlines for nursing than other programs.</p>
<p>There are various colleges that list the minimum requirements to be considered for a merit scholarship on their websites. There are fewer colleges that offer automatic merit scholarships for certain GPA or test scores.</p>
<p>and try to apply to a few “rolling” admission schools ,like Pitt, for example :)</p>
<p>D2 was accepted last week…not for Nursing hoever</p>
<p>thanks for the tips! are there any schools right that would make me competitive? what i mean is, what are some schools that are matches/safeties/reaches for me?</p>
<p>It appears to me (in PA) that the smaller less well-established Catholic universities are less competitive in admissions. These universities often accept a very high percentage of applicants among the general college population, and have difficulty competing with cheaper public universities. There may be some private universities where the nursing program has a big role in keeping the university operating. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, most universities do not publish data on numbers of nursing applicants vs. no. accepted each year. Sometimes programs overstate their competitiveness by saying that they had 1000 applicants for 100 places. However, they may have accepted 500 of those applicants, but 400 of them decided to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>Judging by the websites, many colleges with direct entry nursing programs have made it impossible or almost impossible to transfer into the program. </p>
<p>One additional thing to consider: more and more public universities are varying their tuition based upon the demand for the program. Nursing and business, for example, may have higher tuition than other programs. That is now true at Pitt, Penn State and Temple for nursing.</p>
<p>From what I understand it is important to apply “EARlY AND OFTEN”</p>
<p>same… i wanna apply early but i also want to include my senior gpa… but 1st quarter ends around november 5th for us</p>
<p>How much could one quarter affect your GPA? Allowing time for the GC office to process your grades and the colleges to process your application…it could be Dec 1st or more before your application is reviewed. I’m not sure whatever small benefit you might receive from the boost in your GPA would justify waiting that late in the application cycle (late for nursing applicants).
Good luck!</p>
<p>You can always have your guidance counselor send in your new grades after the application is submitted, even if the college didn’t ask for them. That type of supplemental information also shows that you are seriously interested in their college.</p>
<p>thanks guys! one more thing, i’ve also heard that you should apply to a lot of schools (8-10) for a nursing program. is this true?</p>
<p>I think it depends on how strong your application is, how competitive the schools you are applying to are, and how much you need FA and/or merit scholarships. Obviously if you are only applying to the top programs in the country then you should increase your chances of being accepted into one of them by applying to as many as you can afford. Keep in mind that many/most schools require an application fee plus the cost of sending you SAT/ACT scores to them. Depending on the schools, 10 applications could easily run $500.00+ which might be tough to handle if financially you NEED a merit scholarship. If affordability is NOT an issue, and you don’t mind the work/effort of that many applications…then the more you apply to the better your chances of being accepted…providing you are at least close the their common data stats for incoming freshmen. </p>
<p>IMHO…a better strategy might be to apply for 2 or 3 “reaches”, 2 or 3 “matches” and the same number of “safeties”…or more if you really need a merit scholarship.
Good luck!</p>
<p>thank you so much for your responses! it helped me a ton.</p>
<p>please feel free to leave me some tips!</p>
<p>There are some nursing programs that have free applications, as long as you apply online. One is La Salle University in Philadelphia. I believe U. of Scranton has also offered free applications, at least as of last year. Many of the programs do not use the Common Application.</p>
<p>
^^^These free application schools would probably be the ones not included in the “many/most” group.</p>
<p>do both of those universities have good nursing programs?
last question (hopefully, i feel stupid asking these questions), when you first get into a nursing program, is that called getting a BS? because i just checked u scranton’s website for undergrad programs and there’s 3 nursing programs: nursing BS, Nursing LPN to BS, and nursing rn to bs.
and what does bs stand for?</p>
<p>Generally, the colleges with the free applications are the ones that are trying to look more selective across the board. If they increase the number of applicants, their stats look better, for both high school students and for the people buying their bonds. They may or may not have a good nursing program. </p>
<p>Many colleges offer various programs for nursing, including </p>
<p>a) a BS in Nursing program that may involve direct entry from high school or transfer into the program at the end of the freshman or sophomore year,
b) a BS in Nursing program for people who already are a licensed RN but who went to a nursing program that did not provide a bachelors degree, and
c) a BN in Nursing program for people who are a licensed practical nurse (and who may have an associate’s degree).</p>
<p>oh, i see i see. does university of scranton have a good nursing program?
how do you know if colleges have good undergrad programs?</p>
<p>That is a very good question: how do you know which colleges have great nursing programs.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Read the past comments on this website. They are searchable on google if you first use “site:collegeconfidential.com” in the search box.</p></li>
<li><p>Talk to nurses and nursing students.</p></li>
<li><p>Visit the programs. Ideally, you would try to attend an event that is more than just a generic tour of the university, but instead allows you to meet people from the nursing program and tour the facilities. I went on one recent hour long tour of a medium sized university and they just pointed to the nursing school off on the horizon.</p></li>
<li><p>Look at the first time pass rates of the nursing exam. Most states post them for all programs within their states. A rate of 85% or greater is usually very good. A rate of over 95% may mean that the program restricts which students are allowed to take the exam, which is not a good thing. Also, remember that additional students passed on the second try. Also remember that some colleges are less selective than others. One college may do a great job teaching students who are average academically. Another college may only accept top students, and therefore you would expect higher pass rates. </p></li>
<li><p>Ask questions about the total hours of clinical experience and where it will occur. Some programs effectively require you to have a car in your junior and senior year so you can travel to distant clinicals. That can be a big expense. Some programs may require you to do some clinicials at prisons because there are so few hospitals nearby.</p></li>
</ol>
<p><a href=“http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/.../nclex-performancern_pdf[/url]”>www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/…/nclex-performancern_pdf</a></p>
<p>If you google “University of Scranton NCLEX pass rates” you can find this link (if it doesn’t open here). NCLEX first time pass rates are very good.</p>
<p>Scranton has a very good program with small classes, and three hospitals within walking distance, and a trauma center and other regional hospital within a short drive. The graduates of the program have been very successful in finding jobs. The nursing program has an excellent reputation.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore there and really likes it.</p>