Definitely a biased opinion as D22 has committed to Pitt, and it is in state for us making it very affordable. The top 10 ranking, 5 hospitals on campus and access to higher Ed if she chooses that route makes it a no brainer for us. D loves the campus, the diversity and access to the city so that was all icing on the cake.
Penn State requires a move to Hershey, PA for clinicals either junior or senior year if you were not aware of that. That may be enticing to some, and a drawback for others just personal preference.
She considered Fairfield but heard traffic to clinicals was significant.
She did apply to non direct admit schools as safeties but if you have acceptances to DA schools, I canāt see risking not moving on into the higher level program personally.
Vermont is a very good option as well in my opinion, but oh so cold lol!
I donāt know much about the UMASS options so canāt say much there.
Wishing her luck in navigating the coming months and making a decision! So great to have options!
Thank you so much for your thoughts. Congratulations to your daughter and the proud parents on her commitment to UPitt! It was a no-brainer for you.
My daughter only applied to Direct admit programs and has gotten admissions from all colleges so far, that released results.
As you mentioned, UPitt is by far the best option for us as well based on ranking, prestige. We feel paying full oos tuition/expenses is totally worth it for Pitt. My S is a junior at Penn State UP so this works for us as well. He will move to Philly for grad school, so Hershey also will work out perfectly for us.
MA being in-state, UMass programs are the cheapest for us. Boston is a great location for health care. Both Simmons and UMass Boston are great nursing programs with >95% NCLEX pass rate and close to the world-famous Longwood medical area boasting top hospitals. With multiple kids in college, we want to choose wisely with respect to paying for colleges. We donāt want to go out of state unless the oos programs are far better.
Also, we are still waiting to hear from Northeastern, UConn, and UMass Amherst.
Hi - It looks like a really solid program. NCLEX pass rate is really good. I started following their social media posts after she was accepted and they keep posting about their December grads and where they are all going to work. Seems like they are having good success.
For us UMaine is prob at least a 5 hour ride so that is the hesitation at this point. My daughter isnāt saying much about what her top choice is at this point (still waiting to hear on 3) but my gut tells me she will choose UNH over UMaine. Though she did say she thinks we need to go to Maine before making any decision since they offered a great financial package.
Hope your daughter is getting a lot of good news!
Hereās the NCLEX pass rate for Maine. I think itās important to look all the way over to the right as some parts of the year might be retakes. NCLEX_2021_Jan-Sept_Pass_Rates.pdf (maine.gov)
The only program we applied to in Maine is UNE and itās because we potentially pay no tuition there through a benefit through the college where my hubby works. The waterfront campus is pretty nice, too, and we have a house nearby.
Thanks for the info!
WOW! Seriously, ditto for us on pretty much every word of what you said!
We have also been following their IG and loving the vibe and stories.
We visited Orono and did campus tour in September. Truly gorgeous, and a warm, friendly campus. Proximity to anything you could need in Bangor is a big plus- including airport. Not really isolated in that sense. Although 5+ hour ride for us as well, itās a fairly easy drive & right off I-95. My daughter is also still waiting on a few decisions, but UMaine is a solid contender. The financial package she has been offered is fantastic, much more than UNH or URI are offering. Still waiting on Umass Amherst, UCONN, Scared Heart.
Would love to hear more thoughts on UMaine if anyone has any! Exciting stuff!
Per U of Iowa site which says Dec 1 is when decisions would be released. Reg decision says March1st. Be sure to check the portal. We have received admission to some programs without an email and by chance just checked the portal. Good luck!
Application Deadlines: Early Action versus Regular Decision
Students can apply for Direct Admission to the College of Nursing via Early Action or Regular Decision.
Early Action
Early Action has an application deadline of November 1
Up to 50 Early Action applicants will be admitted for Direct Admission to the College of Nursing
Students who apply via Early Action will receive an admission decision on or about December 1
Students who apply via Early Action who are not initially offered admission may be moved to the Regular Decision pool
Regular Decision
Regular Decision has an application deadline of February 1
All Regular Decision applications are a part of the Regular Decision pool
30 applicants from the pool will be admitted for Direct Admission to the College of Nursing
Students in the Regular Decision pool will receive an admission decision on or about March 1
Can anyone comment on your kidsā preferences for a BSN over a NP or PA grad degree? Also, does a higher ranked BSN program allow graduates to work in specialties in leadership roles?
Thanks, my D24 is working towards a PA focused undergrad at a university without a nursing school.
We ended up steering our high school D22 to BSN programs as they are a āsure thing.ā We weāre worried that a pre-pa or non direct entry programs were competitive to move on to grad study. We figured that she could continue after a BSN or go directly to work.
@tristatecoog - NP requires BSN first so undergraduates or associate degree holders would need to apply to BSN or accelerated BSN followed by NP or a combined BSN+NP programs. Students can apply directly to PA school as long as they have taken prereqs (pre-med or pre-health) in UG. NP salaries vary based on specialization whereas PAās donāt have specialization.
This forum is for high school students who are applying to the Direct admit BSN program. My kid was interested in nursing, so we encouraged her to apply to BSN directly since that would save time. She can get the RN license and start working. Many BSN students get work experience before trying for NP. She was not interested in pre-med, pre-health or pre-PA.
Since your D24 is working towards a PA-focused undergrad at a university, why not pursue PA? Depending on where she is at her UG, she might save time going for PA when compared to BSN+NP.
I have two nieces who are RNs. Both went CC route. One is a traveling nurse and the younger, a newly minted RN, plans to get a BSN with funding from the hospital where she works.
My daughter thought about NP or PA but with no nursing school the PA route won over PT (another thought) because more bio and less physics. My nieces couldnāt really describe why BSN vs other paths. Lack of clarity with parents being business and stats people didnāt help my DD.
Back to BSN programs, Iām very impressed with how challenging the Texas nursing schools ā like TCU and Baylor ā are vs the overall student body.
Having been an RN for many years, I have no interest in being an NP. I have many NP and PA friends. Sure some of them make a bit more money than me. But I also know NPs who had to take a pay cut after being a staff nurse for a long time.
NP/PA/RN all have their pros and cons. I highly recommend some exposure to how healthcare really operates before jumping into NP or PA. I know several NPs who were unhappy with their choice and are not using that degree now.
My daughter is in a Junior in a DA BSN Program but am now helping a friend. Are there any DA BSN programs that still are taking applications? 3.6 GPA student, with no test scores in CA. He is willing to go out of state. $40K yearly is max for tuition/housing. I advised him to apply widely but afraid he didnāt and the schools he did apply to in CA are probably un reachable.
Thanks for any guidance.
@LollieW There are direct admission BSN programs he can still apply for and get into. Deadlines vary so check their school website. Here are a few that might fit his 3.6 GPA and $40Kā¦Iām sure others can add lots more.
Dominican University (CA)
Marymount University (VA) across from DC
Pacific Lutheran (WA)