Thank you. Do you know anything about the program at Clemson? What are the ACT and GPA requirements specific to the nursing school?
@kknormanā
Sorry ^^ d was accepted to Clemson nursing for next fall . When we visited last year we were told that nursing is one of the most competitive majors . They accept approx 120 -130 targeting a class of 60 to 65, look for an average SAT of 1400 cr/math or Act average of 31 with rank in top 5 to 10 % and correlating high gpa. They also said they like to see as many science and math courses on transcript as possible with high level of performance and like to see volunteer work that puts you in direct contact with nursing profession if possible . They have very nice facilities with an impressive sim lab and I believe their NCLEX pass rates have been consistently above average . They are direct admit.
Great information on Clemson. Thank you so much.
Did anyone visit UNH? Thoughts on the nursing program and on the school in general. Thanks!
Hi all,
Just want to provide a quick update on Wheeling Jesuit Universityās nursing major. Although any incoming student may declare a nursing major, they must meet the following criteria to enter the program during their sophomore year:
2.85/4.0 GPA with Cs or better in all science and major classes
āProficientā or better on the TEAS Test
Since this might affect our listing on this thread, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of this change.
Any thoughts on Endicott Nursing school or Westfield State, Regis College, Fairfield, Fitchburg, Worcester State, Curry, Elms, for Northeast Schools. My D is very interested in Endicott Program, the school is pretty but how is the nursing program. Any thoughts on Endicott or the other schools?
Hello, I didnāt like Endicott because the nursing buildings are 1/2 miles off the main campus. Also, clinicals are often far. But, many like Endicott nursing. Regis: liked very much. Fairfield donāt know. Westfield State, Worcester State and Fitchburg State : wish we had toured and applied. My d didnāt but I wish we did. Low cost and Iāve heard good things. Elms: I know a girl there who LOVES it, and they have some big hospitals around there for clinicals. Is your D a junior in HS?
Hi, I just wanted to comment on Clemsonās nursing presentation that we attended this year. We had gone to CaseWestern, U of Penn, U of Virginia and Clemson last. Clemsonās presentation at the nursing department was so bizarre compared to these quality universities. They were tooting their own horn for accepting the ābest of the bestā but said to all of us that they only look at GPA, Class Rank and the deciding factor is test scores SAT/ACT. She stated that Clemson feels that passing the NCLEX is of prime importance and that those who scored perfectly on their tests, would be better suited to their school. Some of the parents asked whether volunteering in the hospital or other activities would be looked at. NO was the reply, we really only look at those three markers. So if you ace the ACT/SATās, you have a good chance, if you donāt you wonāt be admitted, that is it. The other three colleges, including U of Penn were so different. They really want a well rounded individual and can make that distinction because they are of a different class than Clemson. So Iāll let you all make your own decisions, but that was our experience.
At least they were honest. So many schools look strictly at GPA when considering students for non direct entry programs. I wonder if the Penn people were entirely honest with you. They probably get a lot of super high GPAs and then can look for well roundedness amongst them.
Iām pretty sure that you need a fairly high SAT/ACT score and definitely a high GPA for UVA as well ! ( ESP OOS)Yes , they may be a bit more holistic , but volunteering wonāt offset lower scores if the stats are strong among those competing for so few seats . D was accepted to UVA and to Clemson for nursing and loved both schools . UVA has been her first choice all along and she was thrilled to be accepted early action. The nursing program is definitely top notch there and the campus is beautiful . Sheās most likely going to end up at Clemson though , as UVA s financial aid award was actually the worst one we rec d from any of the 12 schools she applied to. We are oos and since most of the award was loans and work study with a huge remainder for out of pocket cost , she is facing the reality that itās just not feasible for her to take on such debt. We do like Clemson and think they have a solid program . She visited UVA for their accepted student day (loved it !) and the accepted nursing students all seemed to have pretty high stats . There are many schools who look at stats first. My d volunteered and I know that helped her but I think it was her stats and rank that got her in ā¦all three schools you mentioned are very competitive and only have so many seats . When we were at accepted student day at Clemson we met several students who had friends or siblings that had graduated from the nursing program and all spoke highly of it. They also have a consistently high NCLEX pass rate so I believe they are doing something right . D did not apply to Penn as she wanted to be south but of course thatās an awesome program !
NJMom3 - you may wish to talk to financial aid at UVa. The U. just changed their policy last month to reduce some of the expected loans that students are expected to take out. There is an in-state and an out of state federal loan cap, after which a student is supposed to receive additional Access UVa funds. In the past, many students received additional aid in their 4th year because they reached the loan cap.
However, it has been difficult for UVa students to do as much work study as the U. has offered in past years to out of state students, and it would be particularly difficult for a nursing student to do much work study. You are not required to do all or any of the work study, if you can make your numbers work without it.
^ @Charliesch I think I will call financial aid one last time before d makes final decisions . I did meet with someone at DOTL and it didnāt seem like anything would change for this year but it is definitely worth asking about the cap . I agree that the work study amount would be very difficult in her major as well. We loved the nursing faculty there and having the medical center right across the street is such a plus . We think the CSS profile hurt us because we canāt figure out how our out of pocket cost is so much more there than everywhere else .
We just went to the Spring Blitz last week and they were very clear, they do not look at volunteering at all, she said the only thing that separates candidates are test scores. I found that off putting, as many of the other parents seemed to feel. Higher test scores donāt necessarily make you a better nurse, it doesnāt indicate how hard you work in school, necessarily just how you do on a test, one or two days, many schools in fact feel that test scores are not indicative of outcomes. My daughter hasnāt taken the SAT yet, but is now completely nervous about so I donāt have anything to compare. However, we did meet a wonderful junior student at UVA who gave us a tour of the facility and she said not to worry about test scores, she did horribly on the SATās, but she was admitted based on a more holistic approach. Also, another student at U of Penn indicated that admissions looks for unique individuals that can bring something different to the nursing dept. Her GPA wasnāt the greatest, but she said (she does work study in admissions dept) and believes they give a lot of weight to essay, extra curricular activities as well as grades, etc. Anyway, glad for your daughter NJMOM3 was accepted to Clemson, and perhaps they really donāt want people to apply unless they have these amazing SATās - 700 on each section, but I was just surprised at this presentation. I had the feeling they are trying to improve on their NCLEX passing rate and feel the SAT/ACT scores of students would make this happen, so their ranking in nursing will improve overall. Right now itās fairly low based on the US News Report Rankings. I believe this is a way they feel it could boost their rankings, letās seeā¦ I just donāt think given all the work that goes into an application, that if you donāt have these qualifications, donāt waste your time applying to Clemson.
Yeah , I agree if they came across like that ā¦ Not to even bother applying ā¦ That would put a bad taste in your mouth. D had no idea where she would get in when she appliedā¦ Nursing is like that nowā¦itās very very competitive . She has friends that did not get in anywhere this year with decent stats and they were shocked . Yes, UVA gave both my d and I a very good feeling but not everyone gets inā¦ I kept telling my d throughout the process not to get her hopes up because quite frankly coming out of state you never know . The other Oos students who were at DOTL had also been accepted to Georgetown , Penn , Michigan , UT Austin, and others, so Iām just assuming their stats were pretty high . Donāt get me wrong , my d also has a ton of EC s etc so they definitely look at that . With nursing , I do believe there are a lot of good schools out there that may not be ranked as high as others. There are some excellent schools in Pa with lower rankings that turn out excellent nursing students . I do not think it is a bad thing to put some focus on passing the boards either . It is a tough test ā¦ And good schools will incorporate those test taking skills into their programs . I donāt think everything should be based on sat/act scores either . My other d goes to an indirect nursing program that states upfront thar the reason they are indirect is they want to give everyone coming into prenursing an equal chance to progress to upper division regardless of their sat scores . They base progression only on GPA though so the students have to do well on anatomy , chem , patho tests etc to get the GPA to advance . D advanced but she is seeing students who were straight A students struggling in the more difficult sciences like patho etc.Several
have dropped the major already. Someone can have an intense desire to be a nurse but they do have to be able to do well on tests too ā¦ But I agree it definitely shouldnāt be the only factor.
What is DOTL?
Oops sorry. DOTL. Is UVA s accepted student day (Days on the Lawn )
@netter11 ā¦ I would tell your d to apply to the schools she feels good about regardless of what her scores end up being . My d took both tests over and over and then got to the point where "it is what it is " ā¦she did well but hers werenāt perfect ā¦of course they can always be higher for the next tier of scholarship money etc. but sheās better off focusing on taking the most rigorous classes she can and doing well , than stressing too much about the score ranges that each college throws out in the presentation . You do the best you can . Schools like UVA , Penn etc are never guaranteed to anyone .
NJMom: I just tried to look up the information, and didnāt find anything on UVaās website about the OOS loan cap number. I think they deleted much of their website information because it was in a state of flux. Last year, for new students, it was $28K over 4 years - with 7 K of federal loans per year for the typical OOS student. It was lower for my son, who is now graduating. If the Perkins program gets eliminated by the feds, UVa plans to make up that money to keep the loan offerings constant. They did reduce the loan cap for in-state students.
It is unfortunate that UVa couldnāt make a more competitive offer. UVa doesnāt offer much merit aid to incoming students, so competing colleges that do stress merit aid can sometimes be cheaper. The one advantage of UVa is that their need-based aid will keep up with future increases in tuition and fees. In comparison, many colleges that mainly offer merit aid do not have any provision for inflation, so your net cost will go up substantially each year.
You might also factor into the equation that a nursing student at UVa will probably not need to own, maintain and insure a car, or pay large amounts of money for a public transit pass. A car will be needed at many other colleges to get to clinicals, during the last 2.5 years. The regional bus system in Cville is also free to UVa students, which provides service to the other hospital in town.
Thank you @NJMOM3 - your advice is wonderful. We are beginning walking the path of direct entry nursing which is so confusing. Initially we thought Clemson would be a safety school, but now we know better to really delve deep into each and every schoolās nursing department, asking pertinent questions, etc. My daughter is a really hardworking student who studies intensely for every A grade she receives, but isnāt naturally good at standardized tests in her opinion. I was the same way perhaps we just overthink everything. She is a gymnast and a perfectionist and will work hard at any program if admitted and it is her dream to be a nurse, even more so after seeing all the colleges and talking to the students. After she takes the SAT in June, we can sit down and see where she is at, her grade point average is 4.3 in a school that doesnāt offer too many APās, but she is taking a rigorous schedule this and next year, every ap that is offered. I just feel for these kids that want so badly to obtain their dream, but feel overwhelmed at the possibility that they might not get into a school due to a test. But that is life, and Iām sure it will all work out.