UMaine is a great choice. Congratulations and best wishes to your DD and the proud parents!
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@zfmzfm - Out of all the options for your DD, it seems to me that UVM is the best option. UVM is a direct admit nursing program, the clinicals are on-site and costs less since it is in-state. It seems to me that you are leaving the best option to join a lesser pre-nursing program!
Have you considered joining UVM this year and then transferring to another nursing college next year instead? Meanwhile, if she does get into UMiami, it will be a no-brainer to join there!
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I agree-- UVM is so fabulous! It wasnât a viable option for my DDâs stats, but what a beautiful place, great town, and wonderful program!
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@Vicky2019 Many nursing programs do not accept transfers. Also, transfers often donât get merit scholarships - or receive far less than freshmen. If this student desperately wants to leave cold Vermont, Loyola New Orleans appears to be the best option so far.
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I see, thanks for the clarification.
@kidzncatz, @zfmzfm - Teens have a tendency to focus on one criterion excluding all else.
I can think of some factors worth considering - Flights cost a lot and frequent visits can be a financial burden. Harsh winters are a fact of life in northeastern states. However, hurricanes are completely new (common in New Orleans). Also, nursing salaries in northeastern states are much better compared to Louisiana.
FYI - one of my friendâs kid went to California and returned a couple of months later because it was too far and he was homesick! They had to look for a local college (in MA) that was still accepting studentsâŠ
Another friendâs kid went to a college in Pennsylvania and transferred to UMass after one year since he was homesick and missed the support system from family/friends!
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Thanks for your thoughts! UVM is definitely a great nursing school - I work at UVM Med Center as an RN actually, and many of my coworkers are graduates! Although the long, harsh winters are the most concrete concern, thereâs also a huge component of just wanting to get away from the place she grew up - there are lots of wonderful aspects of Vermont (I moved here in 1990 and never left!), but it is super small (about 600k residents in the whole state - fewer than many US cities), rural, overwhelmingly white, insular, cost of living is high, and⊠itâs kinda boring. Especially if you donât do winter sports, which she doesnât. She craves a new place, with a different culture, vibe and weather 
Homesickness is so hard to predict - I have a friend with twin girls, a year older than my daughter, both went far away for college and the one we all thought would thrive transferred to a place much closer to home after 1 semester; the one we all thought would meltdown far from her mom is thriving! All that said, UVM isnât completely ruled out yet - just lowest on the list, based on current criteria!
We (her other mom and I) are actually planning to move south (likely gulf coast of FL) in the near-ish future, depending partially on what DD ends up doing. So the issue of long trips back home may not end up being as much of an issue.
Either way, appreciate your input! Itâs helpful!
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@zfmzfm - Thank you for sharing your details. Being an RN, choosing a nursing school would likely be easier for you
Best Wishes to your DD and the very best for her future - wherever she decides to go! Also, good luck with your move to FL.
My DD also is currently considering various colleges. Diversity is going to be a big factor as she finally decides where to go.
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My path to becoming an RN was so different than hers will be - I got a BA from a tiny liberal arts college, and in my 30s did an intense 2 yr program at a technical college for my associateâs in nursing. Definitely helps to have some insight into the nursing/healthcare world, but the whole âBSN right out of high schoolâ thing is new for sure Thank you for all the good wishes!
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Yes, we want our kids to have better options in life than we did, as much as possible!
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I had forgotten D applied to Chaminade in Hawaii. Woohoo! We just received letter of admission today.
All mentions are for the schools of nursing
3.7+ UW, No Test Scores
U of Portland, $17,775 merit
Marymount University, $23,500 merit
Creighton, $19,000 merit
Pacific Lutheran University, $29,000 merit + $2500 annual on-campus housing grant
Xavier, $20,000 + cost of all required text books
Marquette, $23,500 merit + $1500 annual on-campus housing grant
Azusa Pacific University, $19,000 merit
Saint Louis University, $22,000 merit
Gonzaga, $22,000 merit
Chaminade University, $15,000 merit
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Itâs funny, my DD received a housing grant for one of the schools where she applied and thatâs the first time Iâve seen that.
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Have you narrowed down this list to where she is likely to attend? What is your criteria for top choice schools on her acceptance list?
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We have narrowed it down to PLU, Gonzaga, UofPortland and Azusa Pacific. APU is looking most likely at this point because D prefers to stay in CA. We are planning to visit/revisit five schools. We went to visit Creighton two weeks ago. Loved the program and the people there. Took it off the list because D prefers warmer weather. APU, Gonzaga, UofPortland, PLU visits coming in the next month. To answer your question about criteria for D, I would say location is first. Wants to stay in CA. She wants to live and work here. UofPortland/Gonzaga were at the top of the list before APU admission. We like the Jesuit schools too. Only wish there were more Jesuit nursing programs in CA.
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I really like the small class sizes at APU. They have been so generous with the merit. There is a chapel requirement of 2x a week. But all 3x we have been on campus my daughter really enjoyed it. SIR date is 4/1. So we donât have much longer to decide.
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My daughter is finishing her first year at CSUSM (live local in SD). Univ. of Hawaii Manoa offered WUE to my daughter, but ASU did not for nursing.
Is your daughter in the direct entry at San Marcos? Just curious as I havenât seen a post of anyone that gets in there. Obviously being in SD helps.
As Lisa9521 said, I have never heard from anyone that got into San Marcos. Is she happy there? Did she also apply to SDSU? Would love to know her stats that got her into San Marcos if you donât mind sharing.
ASU did give my daughter 15,500 but that 3.5 weed out GPA is not reasonable. (Nursing is already stressful so who needs that added stress?)
She was waitlisted at Manoa which is fine because its not in our top 7. She will choose from these 7 schools which were whittled down from over 30 applications. We will be visiting York, IUP, PLU, Westminster, and Bloomsburg in the next few weeks. Im really looking forward to that time with my daughter because life has been so busy that I havenât gotten any 1:1 time with her.
We are still waiting on SDSU and looks like that decision will be out this week. Im doubtful but you never know. We are 3 hours North of SDSU so that would be the perfect distance. (at least for me ;)) Although all the other schools are a plane ride away or a VERY LONG drive I am at peace with it. Daughter was born in Santa Monica and has lived in So Cal her entire life. I know that kids are adaptable but I do worry about how she will adjust to the weather in Washington, Utah, or PA. It will be fun shopping for rain boots and snow boots. I donât think that flip flops will do. 
We are still waiting on UNM nursing admission. When I spoke to them a few weeks ago, they said it would be 4-6 weeks from March 1. With having to make decisions by May 1st, that doesnât give us much wiggle room. If she gets in, we will plan a quick day trip, fly in at the crack of dawn then fly back home that night. UNM will be the most affordable option so it will be seriously considered if she gets in.
U of New Mexico (not in yet)
York College PA
Indiana Univ of PA
Pacific Lutheran University
Westminster Utah
Bloomsburg University
San Diego State University (not in yet)
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Being from SoCal, i was surprised you didnât apply at Mount Saint Maryâs University in Belair. My daughter was accepted direct admit to the program. Weâre from Pomona.
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HI @bongbong2
Where else did she apply?
I dont see that they have a direct admit program. All is see is a âpre nursingâ and not direct admit. âacceptance into Pre-Nursing doesnât guarantee acceptance in the Nursing Programâ
or the direct option âCompleting all your General Education requirements allows you to apply directly to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. If you qualify, youâll be accepted into the sophomore year of the Mountâs BSN program.â
That is not a true direct admit program from what Im reading.
Please post here if you have different info for other potential California nursing hopefuls who might read this thread for next year.
Also the cost is too high. Daughter has a 4.0 UW and the highest merit scholarships they give is 19-21k for a 3.8 and above. That still brings the cost of the school to 37,321 per year including room and board. That is out of our price range. The schools on our list run from 18k-28k and most are below 25k. We do not qualify for needs based monies.
We chose solid programs and focused on cost.
(Im rounding and only including tuition/room and board- no fees)) UNM will come in at about 18k, York at 21k, IUP at 23k, PLU at 27k, Westminster 23k, and Bloomsburg at 24k. SDSU if she gets in would come in about 28k. I would be willing to spend the extra monies for SDSU because I would be saving in flights/travel.
Good luck to your daughter and that is great info if they have a direct admit program. Though, if we were able to afford 37k per year, from the schools she was admitted to, she would have picked U of San Francisco, Loyola Chicago, U of Portland or Duquesne.
