<p>@nancy211005 A lot of schools have that test before graduation. It helps boost their board passing rate. </p>
<p>@kandcsmom thank you for your feedback. I have heard of it at other schools, but with Drexel a lot has been said about the difficulty in achieving a certain number that they require. Maybe I should look at Drexel again; the coop program and wonderful hospitals right there make it a great choice!</p>
<p>If the students are not achieving the number on a test that they require, and possibly write, that is an indication of a poor program. You need to look at graduation rates, retention rates and pass rates in my opinion</p>
<p><—nurse practitioner</p>
<p>@nancy21105 I google search " common data set name of the university "
I found the nursing FAQ page is usually under " School of Nursing, under BSN, then FAQ " in most colleges.
Ask the schools about admitted students statistic or the student profile if they don’t have it posted in their website. I found that most students need to go above the " minimum GPA or SAT " in order to have a chance to get in.</p>
<p>It would be nice to visit each school because, like you said, you get a feel for the place & the people there. Sometimes there isn’t enough time to go. Having a hospital right across the street or within a very short distance really helps. Ask the schools if they do the majority of the clinical there at that pacticular hospital or if the students have to go to many different places ( this would require a car or bus ride or carpool with fellow students )</p>
<p>@kandcsmom thanks! You definitely know what you are talking about and I am mostly on top of all the %ages. AT this point, everything gets a little overwhelming as there is so much to consider and so much to pull together. @FlowerMom I looked at a lot of the date on Naviance, where it takes into account my d’s school and then her chances at that college. But, I’ll go look at the "common Data set " as well. Thanks! I have realized, after many tours, that she will probably need a car for senior year at least. We will finagle something. We toured Endicott and they said the nursing students drive to classes (Nursing buildings are not close to the rest of campus) and I didn’t like that. But, very pretty area and nice administration staff!</p>
<p>My daughter goes to York College of PA. We walked from the west side of the campus (the nursing building, the gym and the upper class housing) to the east side of the campus (the academic buildings and freshman dorms) in less than 10 minutes. It is much quicker to walk it than to drive it, because some of the streets purposefully are not open to traffic. There is a shuttle that constantly circles the campus, but most people only use it when the weather is very bad, because walking is faster. My daughter felt no need to bring her bike. There also is a bike path running parallel to the campus, which continues for another 30 miles.</p>
<p>The hospital is another 10 minute walk from the east end of the campus, or there is a shuttle to it. The fact that the upper housing housing is very close to the nursing building is a plus.</p>
<p>@Charliesch I guess the tour with the bus made me disoriented and I thought the campus was very spread out. There was also a lot of students walking from streets off campus. Perhaps it is smaller than I thought. </p>
<p>York is about 5,000 students, including about 500 nursing students. I like that size - not too small, not too large. Most colleges are either 2,500 students or 20,000 students. </p>
<p>At York we asked directions a couple times and the students were not that friendly, in one case, and suffering from a hangover (as he told us) in the other case. Sometimes nice students can make a big difference in the feeling prospective students leave with after a tour. I’m sure we just ran into two who would be typical on any campus. Just bad luck we didn’t get to chat with the friendlier ones!</p>
<p>@nancy211005 I know what you mean! Btw, did your d look at Fairfield University in Connecticut? It’s a well respected program and I toured the campus over the summer. It’s soo pretty and just 3 miles away from the beach!</p>
<p>@mjmansuria15 Hello, we did not but it was on our list. I didn’t know a lot about it. Is Fairfield Direct entry? Good Nslex passing rates? Hospitals nearby? Sacred Heart University is nearby. Do you know how their nursing programs compare?</p>
<p>@nancy211005 Yes, it is direct entry. It is in Fairfield, CT and the school has about 5,000 students. The college is very expensive (+$55,000) but the average scholarship package is about $20,000. I forget what their NCLEX pass rate was but I believe it was pretty good. The campus is medium sized and the nursing building is updated. I don’t remember if there was a hospital nearby but I am assuming there is one, since it’s a really good program. I think Fairfield has a better program but Sacred Heart is cheaper? The school is 72% white so it’s not the most diverse, but not the worst either. Also, if your d wants to be by the beach, the college is just 3 miles away. Seniors typically live in beach houses 
This is what the admissions counselor emailed me about their stats:</p>
<p>"The School of Nursing is our most selective school at Fairfield. We don’t have a minimum requirement for our nursing program- we review applicants holistically and therefore review all portions of each student’s application. Our overall GPA for admitted students at Fairfield University is a B+/A- with advanced courses. Typically, students admitted into our nursing program are at the top range of that profile and taking the most rigorous courses offered at their school in the sciences. Students that are more competitive in the applicant pool have pursued 4 years of both science and advanced math. We do not have a minimum SAT/ACT requirement either (we do have a test optional policy at Fairfield.). The middle range for accepted students for test scores is 1750-1920. Nursing students accepted into Fairfield are usually at the top end of that range.</p>
<p>Fairfield is a direct entry program, so the only way to be enrolled in the program is if you are accepted applying as a high school senior."</p>
<p>Wow, very interesting @mjmansuria15 . You are so helpful. Thank you!!! </p>
<p>Nancy - My daughter’s freshman dorm floor was 100% women, with a shared bathroom. I don’t know if some upper class housing might be mixed genders (each unit/apartment has its own bathroom so that is possible). </p>
<p>You will generally find that the Catholic colleges that are under the control of nuns or the local bishop have stricter rules in the dorms than other colleges. York is non-denominational. York’s freshman dorms do have quiet study hours. From what I understand, the parties are off-campus. </p>
<p>When one is looking at smaller, less known nursing schools, what are the accreditations that we need to make sure to note that they have (or stay away from the school if they don’t)? Thank you!!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation/accredited-programs”>http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation/accredited-programs</a></p>
<p>The above is the CCNE accreditation system recognized by the US Dept. of Education. There is a searchable list of accredited programs at the link.</p>
<p>Other colleges are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (formerly the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission).</p>
<p><a href=“Search ACEN Accredited Nursing Programs”>http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm</a></p>
<p>I believe each state;'s board of nursing needs to approve the degree program at each college…</p>
<p>Beware of programs on “probation” which means they could lose accreditation if they don’t improve. </p>
<p>Florida decided to “deregulate” nursing education and ended up with many failing for-profit programs that were simply designed to soak up federal student loans and Pell grants.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.newsherald.com/news/health/more-nursing-schools-on-probation-1.246261”>http://www.newsherald.com/news/health/more-nursing-schools-on-probation-1.246261</a></p>
<p>@charliesc Thank you that is very helpful!</p>
<p>@charliesch How do you find out which nursing programs are on probation? I only checked the NJ and PA schools on the websites but it doesn’t say. Would I obtain this information somewhere else? </p>
<p>@mjmansuria15 , very good question!</p>
<p>One accreditation organization requires that a nursing program clearly state on the nursing program’s homepage that they are on probation. From what I have read, probation usually happens when they have low pass rates on the certification exam for a couple years.</p>