Where the UofSC clinicals are needs to be clarified. If they are in fact within 15 minutes of campus, then they would jump to the top of my list. I don’t doubt that your daughter may have been told that, but their website says 75 miles. The question needs to be asked, “Why does your website say 75 miles when you are you telling me 15 minutes?” It may well be that most are close by but on the website they are covering themselves for the rare instance when students have to travel a great distance. But maybe not. You really need to know the facts on this now, so you’re not surprised so something doesn’t unexpectedly come at you down the road.
I understand the issues of cost and with going away from home. I have a GD at Harvard who lives just 1/2 hour away. When she’s at school, she feels like she’s in another world and she has friends from all over the country. OTOH, getting away from home was more important to her younger sister, so she’s at Rice. Go figure.
Remind her that college isn’t HS. She would meet people from all over the world at Emory. You also won’t be dropping by for dinner every night.
I was an hour from home for undergrad. I only saw my parents maybe 3 or 4 times a semester. They might drop by for lunch on the weekends and bring leftovers. It was nice.
Just a quick anecdote about attending college close to home…
After touring colleges up and down the East Coast my S ended up at a college that was 20 minutes from our home. It was the best for his major, he got the most merit aid, he loved the campus etc. However, before he finalized his choice we sat down and had a talk. We (parents) agreed to never “pop by” campus, to not expect him home other than school holidays, and to treat him as if he were hours rather than minutes away. He (son) agreed not to use being close to home as a crutch – no coming home for laundry, dinners etc. We all kept to our bargain and things worked out great – he had a full and happy on campus life and he explored the city in new and exciting ways (we live in the suburbs/the college was in the city) and he spent a summer in China. And yes…once in a while it was helpful (ex. when his laptop died I was able to drop off an old laptop for him to use while his was being fixed, he was able to get home for a school break even though it was snowing etc.). So anyway…this is a long-winded way of saying that going to college close to home can work out well for everyone IF the close to home option does turn out to be the best option.
My daughter is a student at UNC-CH and was just accepted yesterday into the class of 2025 BSN program. This was her 2nd attempt, waitlisted last year. The nursing program at UNC is very competitive and only about 25% of the applicants are admitted. If I were you I would absolutely take the direct admit at Clemson. UNC has a great program for nursing (currently ranked #4 in the country for undergraduate nursing) and the campus is beautiful but a guaranteed admission is tops in my book. If your daughter got in as an out of state applicant to UNC I have no doubt that she is extremely bright, but she’d be competing with some pretty darn bright kids for a 1/4 shot at getting in 2 years from now.
Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. The good thing is that it seems that overall she is more excited about Clemson than UNC after our visits last week so everything seems to be moving in that direction. She won’t make her final decision until after attending the virtual nursing info sessions for each school the next two weeks and hearing from Emory but I’m less concerned that she will really be torn between the two schools. Congrats and good luck to your daughter. It does seem like a great program!
So I have a daughter that did undergraduate at Clemson Honors and is now in a graduate health program (PharmD) at UNC. Interested in your daughters decision! Clemson Honors students have a huge advantage in registration process. Helped my daughter get best classes and graduate in three years.
My daughter chose Clemson and is very happy with her choice. She really liked that the nursing major was a sure thing at Clemson as opposed to UNC-CH. She also just really liked the warmth and friendliness of the Clemson community. She has jumped in with both feet since starting in August. She is taking advantage of the Honors College opportunities (Dixon Fellows Program, Creative Inquiry research program) and has joined a variety of clubs. She has found her place. Thanks everyone for your advice!
Another advantage to honors is that they can utilize the honors building during the day. My daughter is off campus with no car (private shuttle), and will get work done in between classes. I’m glad your tiger settled in nicely.