I am really interested in majoring in nursing right now and I’d love to go to a relatively large university for it. I am currently looking at UConn (top choice), NYU, UNC Chapel Hill, Northeastern and UMass Amherst. Can anyone give me any background information on any of these universities and their nursing program? Do you have any other nursing school recommendations? Also, what are the chances I’ll get accepted into them?
GPA (unweighted): 4.0
Class Rank: 11 out of 255
ACT: 28 (Re-taking it Oct. 22)
Classes:
-AP Lang., AP Literature, AP U.S. History, AP Government, AP Psychology, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics, AP Chemistry
-IB Spanish 11
-Honors Nursing (To obtain CNA license in school), Honors English 9 and 10, Honors Intro to Calculus, Honors Algebra 2, Honors Geometry, Honors Pre-Calculus, Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, Honors Integrated Science, World History, Civics, Honors U.S. History
Extracurriculars:
President of a Club
Diversity/Anti-Bullying Club
National Honor Society
Unified Sports
Volunteering
I work as a program leader for a social group for special needs kids
I don’t believe UNC-CH is direct entry. If you can get into UNC-CH out of state, you should be competitive for UVa. UVa has a well-respected nursing program, excellent financial aid for all US students, and the large medical complex is right next to the university. NYU is notorious for poor financial aid and very high housing prices.
Penn State main campus has a very good nursing program. Most students spend a year at the large Milton Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA.
@Heartmade I have a freshman nursing major at Pitt who loves it there. The average M+CR SAT for nursing admissions was ~1320 a year ago. The stats on the current class may be posted online. It’s worth checking out. Are you a senior now? They have rolling admissions and have already started sending out acceptances.
My daughter is a fourth year at NEU, currently on a co-op at Boston Children’s Hospital. It’s a great school, and she really loves it, but co-op is the heart and soul of the place, so make sure you understand and like that model. Tuition is expensive, as is living in Boston, but what a great city for college students. (They do have good financial aid.) NEU is definitely an urban campus, a very different feel from UConn. We looked at Pitt, too. Also a great school/nursing program, and UNC, but it is not direct admit, as mentioned. Best of luck to you!
My daughter looked at several nursing programs last year. Direct entry was very important to her. Her stats were similar to yours. She is currently a freshman at UCONN living in the Nursing Learning Community and loves it. We are out of state and she received a decent scholarship. Visiting schools and speaking with program directors was very helpful in making the decision. Lots of luck to you!!
@Marie12: Do you mind me asking if your daughter’s stats were similar or better than mine? Does she enjoy the campus life? How are her classes? Thank you for your response.
@negirl508: That’s very reassuring to hear. I visited UConn a couple times because my siblings go there, so I am in love with the community. I love the school pride they have. Do you think I have a good chance on getting in? Are the academics rigorous? Thank you so much!
@Heartmade So far the course load has been manageable. She feels very supported in the Learning Community and her advisor. She has a mentor as well who has been helpful. Your stats are very similar to my daughters so I would say you have a good chance definitely : )
For any nursing program, it is really helpful to have some AP credit or to take a summer class, so you can lighten your load during the most demanding semesters. Some nursing programs require 128 credits, vs. the standard of 120 for a bachelors degree. My daughter took one online community college each summer, which was achievable while she also worked full time during the summer.
@Heartmade I forgot to note, but perhaps you are aware that UCONN Nursing requires applicants to have completed Physics in high school. Most programs do not have this requirement so I just wanted to pass the info along.
@negirl508 Awesome thanks! I talked to an admissions officer yesterday and the only issue I have is that their average ACT score is in the 29-30 range. I think I should be OK if I get my ACT score up tomorrow. I’m also taking AP Physics right now and doing pretty well in it. Thanks for letting me know!
@Charliesch I’m taking 4 APs this year as well as taking two dual enrollment classes. Hopefully I’ll get some credits from those classes!
@Heartmade My daughter’s stats were similar. Her SAT’s weren’t particularly high. She was deferred early, but got into NUin. Wasn’t what she planned, but went to Greece and loved it. Classes are great and she enjoys campus life, although since it is an urban U, the kids do a lot in the city.
