<p>I thought I'd start this thread to share some of the information my daughter and I have gleaned from her 18 month college search. I started with a thread right here on this forum asking about combining nursing studies with a "typical" LAC experience...small residential campus with opportunities (requirements?) for taking classes from other disciplines as well as opportunities to study abroad. </p>
<p>While there aren't a ton of places that fit these criteria, they do exist. Here are some that we found.</p>
<p>LAC with articulation agreements with Johns Hopkins University:
In this scenario you do 3-4 years at your first college and then, if you've maintained a GPA of 3.0 or better, you automatically transfer to JHU for another 1-2 years ending with a BA/BS from your first college and a BSN from JHU. This allows you to get the LAC experience while ending up in your chosen profession. Of course the downside is that you don't start actual nursing work for a few years AND you must work very hard to maintain a high GPA. These schools include:</p>
<p>Gettysburg
Dickinson
Juniata
Mount Holyoke</p>
<p>Direct-entry Nursing schools with a LAC attitude and feel:</p>
<p>Saint Anselm (which also encourages study/volunteer abroad)
Hartwick (ditto, a charter member of Nursing Students Without Borders)
Moravian
Elmira
College of New Jersey (volunteer abroad opportunities)
Quinnipiac
Curry
Endicott</p>
<p>I'm sure there are others. </p>
<p>My daughter decided to apply ED to Gettysburg, and also sent along EA applications to Dickinson and Saint Anselm, as well as applying rolling to Hartwick. </p>
<p>I'd be curious if others have thoughts on combining a LAC experience with the ultimate goal of nursing.</p>
<p>I would make the comment that very few students actually end up following through on 3+2 programs. Some because they don’t make the grades required, but many more because they become attached to their school and don’t want to leave all their friends & faculty connections at the end of their junior year.</p>
<p>So it could take 6 years to get a nursing degree? That sounds like an expensive way to do it, especially if you are paying close to sticker price for a college like Gettysburg or Dickinson. </p>
<p>The name brand liberal arts colleges typically charge $52K a year, vs. there are some excellent nursing schools that charge $18K to $40K a year. Those numbers include room and board. For example, PA. has three public colleges with excellent pass rates on the RN exam that only cost $8K a year tuition in-state, and $15K a year tuition out of state. York College of PA.'s tuition is an unusually low $16K a year, and they offer many students merit aid, and it is a private college.</p>
<p>Another point to keep in mind is that colleges typically offer their best merit aid to incoming freshman, and offer little or no financial aid to transfers. (That can harm students who plan on attending a cheap college for 2 years and then transfer to an expensive college. They may end up paying more than if they entered the expensive college as a freshman and received aid for all 4 years, vs. no aid.).</p>
<p>Actually, it is my understanding with the articulation agreement (AA) that it would take 4 or possibly 5 years to graduate with a dual degree ( a BA/BS and a BSN). And while private colleges may cost more than public universities I personally know of many circumstances where merit and need based aid offers have been superior at the private colleges for particular students. Also, the AA is not considered a transfer with regards to financial aid. </p>
<p>However, my point in this thread is to share with others that for those students who desire the liberal arts college experience (for any number of reasons), but have the ultimate goal of a career in nursing that those things are not mutually exclusive. My daughter has a strong affinity for the nursing profession but she also wants to use her undergraduate years to learn about other cultures, languages, arts and so forth. My job as a parent was/is to help her find out how to do that. </p>
<p>Certainly this path is not for everyone, but it might be the best way for some.</p>
<p>Don’t most 4 year BSN programs also include liberal arts requirements? And many have options of adding a minor that involves more courses in a non-nursing field.
My d took 4 semesters of a language and courses in a variety of sectors to meet her degree requirements plus she did a minor in management - all within her 4 years of college.</p>
<p>Yes, most 4 year nursing programs provide room to study a language within the electives. Most require humanities classes, a social issues class, a psychology class, a stats or other math class, and room for a few more electives. It may be hard to do a minor, though. Almost every nursing program lists their recommended curriculum online. I believe almost every college would allow you to stay an extra semester if you wanted to take more liberal arts classes and to get a minor.</p>
<p>Interesting thread… but would like to hear back once your daughter successfully completes this program with the pros and cons after she has done it (assumes she stays on track with it). I know that is quite a while away, though. :)</p>
<p>We loved Hartwick College, but wonder about the clinical experiences and sim lab experiences there compared to other larger “techy” nursing programs. We met two of the most interesting, thoughtful, well-spoken, and outgoing senior nursing students there, of any of our many college visits. They could not say enough about Hartwick and their nursing journey as well as how Hartwick developed them as nurses and global citizens. We loved Hartwick and if all nursing aspects were equal, Hartwick would be on the top of our list.</p>
<p>Hiram College in Ohio is a private liberal arts college that offers a nursing degree in 4 years. (BSN)</p>
<p>Moravian College in Bethlehem PA is listed in the initial post. My understanding is that students take their liberal arts classes at Moravian, and then go to St. Luke’s Hospital’s nursing school for their nursing courses. That hospital is about 10 minutes away. The program allows students to graduate within 4 years.</p>
<p>Another liberal arts college that offers nursing is Cedar Crest College in Allentown PA. The undergrad programs are limited to women.</p>
<p>I’m not necessarily recommending these programs - just letting people know that they exist.</p>