We really need some advice…My senior daughter is trying to decide whether to go nursing or pre-med. She is very smart–35 ACT, 4.00 GPA and she also gets along great with people and has a very well-rounded resume. Until our visit to TCU, she has ALWAYS said that she wanted to do nursing…she has shadowed a nurse anesthetist and a NICU nurse practitioner and also has expressed interest in being a transport nurse. But since that visit a couple of weeks ago, she is now saying she might want to be an OB/GYN. My thing is I am reading on here that med schools don’t really want to take nursing majors…that she needs to pick something else if she’s planning on med school. IF she gets the full-ride we are hoping for, I hate for her to waste any free years trying to figure out which one she will go for…also which one she chooses determines where she goes to a certain extent, since nursing schools are harder to fit than a pre-med major. Any advice is great appreciated!
J~
Well, what she can do is this…
If she’s not in a Direct Admit program, then she can take the “premed” level bio, chem and ochem classes (which nursing schools will also accept, but not the other way around), and if she can figure out which way she wants to go by soph year, then she would continue on the desired path.
There’s a lot of overlap, as long as she takes the sciences for majors, rather than the lighter sciences for nursing students.
You mention getting a “free ride”. Is she a likely NMF? Does TCU give free rides for those who aren’t NMF?
Or do you mean “free tuition”?
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My thing is I am reading on here that med schools don't really want to take nursing majors
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There’s a few reasons for this, but often because the science classes are lighter…that’s why some in your D’s situation take the premed level sciences…to have that choice.
She isn’t really a “nursing major” for the first two years, unless the school has direct admit.
Does TCU have direct admit
For instance, here on the TCU website
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Change of Major into TCU Nursing
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A student who wishes to change to the nursing major must meet with a nursing advisor prior to changing major. Students who do not enter TCU as a freshman nursing major will need to be aware of the following requirements:
Students must have an established TCU GPA of at least a 2.5 and complete a minimum of one semester of coursework at TCU.
Change of major requests must be completed by February 1 for the spring semester and October 1 for the fall semester.
Students who enter the nursing major after the first semester of their freshman year will be on a four and a half year plan. In this scenario a student would be able to complete all TCU core classes prior to beginning nursing clinicals.
Here is a list of prerequisite courses that may be taken prior to declaring Nursing as a major.
PSYC 10213 – General Psychology
SOCI 20213 – Introductory Sociology
NTDT 20403 – Nutrition
MATH 10043 – Elementary Statistics
BIOL 20234 – Basic Microbiology
NURS 10303 – Human Development
*Please note that Anatomy & Physiology (BIOL 20204 and BIOL 20214) will not be available to non-declared nursing majors
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So, your D could start as a bio major (or WHATEVER) and take the premed prereqs including the above (maybe saving nutrition and HD until she’s more sure) and then decide whether she wants to change to a nursing major…or proceed with premed track.
If she starts as a premed, what major will she choose?
It doesn’t look like TCU has a full ride scholarship…it looks like they have a competitive free tuition scholarship.
The Chancellor’s Scholarship is TCU’s most competitive merit award and includes full tuition for eight semesters. Students who are selected to compete for a Chancellor’s Scholarship must be interviewed on campus or by video-conferencing
Thanks for all of this information @mom2collegekids She has been invited to compete for the Chancellor’s scholarship at TCU in February 2016.