Hi everyone! I posted another thread about my complicated high school situation, and got some good advice. I have stared looking at colleges and wondered if anyone had some other suggestions.
Stats
4.0 U/W 4.2 W GPA
31 ACT (36 E 23 M 36 R 29 S) and I am taking again in April.
Dance is my main extracurricular and I have done many performances. I have also tutored middle schoolers and volunteered at a summer camp for the YMCA.
I am looking at colleges within a 2-2.5 hour radius from Boston due to chronic health issues. I need a school with good disability and mental health services. I have liked UNH, Westfield State, and Endicott. I also liked Curry, but it is very small. Did not like Salem State or UMass Lowell. I think they were a little too urban for me. Majors I am interested in are education, nursing or psychology. Would like a dance team or possibly minor so I can continue dance in college. My parents will thankfully be able to pay but merit would be nice to reduce costs. If people could recommend some more matches/safeties, and possibly a few reaches, that would be really helpful.
From your other thread, I assume that you’re not applying in the fall for entry in 2020.
And from your other thread I see that you withdrew from high school after your sophomore year for health reasons. So with another year of math, you should be able to bring that math ACT score way up. That being the case, it seems you are aiming low.
@“Cardinal Fang” You are correct. I was oringinally going to apply in Fall 2020 but will not be doing that anymore. Do you have any suggestions for places I should aim? My parents and I thought due to my chronic health issues it would be better to maybe aim lower, but I know I should have a mix of safeties, matches and reaches. I don’t want a pressure cooker school.
Not sure specifically about mental health services, but here are some additional schools to look at (quite a few have nursing) that are close. You might try posting in their specific forums to get more information. Salve Regina, St. Anselm, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, Fairfield. Wheaton, Clark
If something inside you says that you might not be comfortable at traditional “name” universities, including major public flagships, perhaps you should listen to that voice. At the same time, as another poster noted, your grades and test scores suggest that you will be competitive at more selective schools than the ones you mentioned (UNH aside).
Also, if nursing or education are serious majors for you, be aware that what school you go to isn’t so terribly important. Nurses and teachers come out of all sorts of schools, of course, but nursing, in particular, is a popular program (because there are jobs in healthcare), and most nurses graduate from schools that people haven’t heard from. In fact, half of all RNs don’t have bachelor’s degrees.
That said, I am all for getting the best all-around education possible, regardless of one’s major, and if there’s any part of you that’s interested in a traditional college experience at a fairly well-known school (any public flagship, for instance), you should not be afraid to pursue it. I do understand your dilemma, though. If health issues, pressure-cooker issues, and other issues are a factor, it is very possible that the schools on your list might be the most accommodating. In fact, I would imagine that the smaller the school, the more understanding and accommodating faculty and staff will be with your situation. Only you know, given your situation, if aiming lower might in fact be a smart strategy.
@livvyxoxo None of the schools I listed are super competitive, but nursing as a major is competitive. The College Majors forum has a Nursing subforum. You might spend some time in there to see if those schools are mentioned. My daughter’s friend had similar stats and got into St. Anselm and Salve (attending and loving Salve). I would imagine you have a good shot at all of them, especially if you’ve taken some honors or AP level math and science classes, have a decent class rank, etc. Best of luck to you!
@Hapworth You definitely understand my dilemma. I have a friend who applied to 22 schools and has not had a fun senior year. I definitely don’t want that. I am open to flagship universities, just worried about being overwhelmed with the size of some of them. At the same time, I know that some larger schools have more resources for mental and physical health. Lots of factors to consider! I just am not really interested in the colleges with single digit acceptance rates. Do you have any specific schools that you think might work for me?
UMass-Lowell is an excellent school for nursing. If you want to keep options open, most large universities will offer strong programs in education, nursing, and psychology. Northeastern has a strong nursing program, but NEU has become a very, very selective university. UMass-Amherst, Simmons (an all women’s school), Pitt, Drexel, the College of NJ all have strong nursing programs. I have family members who are nurses.
Really, though, you should have lots of options for the nursing route, and most solid programs will boast about their graduates’ pass rates for the NCLEX. Education and psychology are so common that you should be in good shape at most institutions. Others, I’m sure, can recommend schools that might suit your specific needs.
Visit schools if you can. Find out about health services help. Find the school that is right for you. If you plan on being a teacher or nurse, really, the options are endless, so it’s much more about finding a place where you’ll be comfortable and feel supported.
Simmons ticks a lot of your boxes. It’s close by, it’s small, it has a well-regarded nursing program. You might find an a women’s college more welcoming and peaceful (or not). It is urban, but nevertheless I suggest checking it out.
If you don’t want to go to a big school, I can understand that.
Hey @Livvyxoxo, you might have more people posting on your threads if you gave more specific names. E.g., instead of “Northeast Colleges,” you could put something like “Looking for small moderately selective New England colleges” or “Small northeast colleges with nursing majors and dance programs?”
@Hapworth I wil consider UMass Lowell, but did a drive by and didn’t like the feel of the campus and surrounding town. Some of the ones you listed are outside of the radius but will look into Simmons and I am touring UMass. I’m wondering if I should even bother looking at Northeastern since it’s so competitive but I know it’s good to have a couple reaches. Thank you for your help!
I would second Salve Regina for nursing. Small, beautiful campus in the heart of the Bellevue Avenue, mansion section of Newport RI.
Agree with everything at @hapworth mentions as well.
Newport/Vanderbilt is fine Hospital. SouthCoast Hospitals in Fall River is fantastic. And level one trauma unit at RI Hospital is 45 minutes. It’s a Brown affiliated research hospital. Boston proper is less than 90 minutes on a light traffic day. Straight up 24 all the way to 128.
