<p>My son, currently a high school junior, is considering becoming a registered nurse. He is a good but not outstanding student, so I know he won't be competitive for Penn, Penn State (University Park), or Pitt (main campus). I'm interested in getting some opinions about other direct-entry college/university/hospital-based programs in PA. There are so many in our state that there seems to be little reason to go out of state, especially since my son prefers to stay relatively close to home and state grants are much higher for in-state schools. I've done some research regarding NCLEX pass rates and know that is one of the factors to consider. I'd appreciate recommendations from students, recent graduates, or parents of students.</p>
<p>Yes, that is a factor many people do not consider. At least in PA, if a middle income student goes goes to a college located in PA., they may receive a few thousand dollars a year in PHEAA college grants. If that same student chooses a college in another state, they won’t receive any Pa. grants in some states (such as NY, NJ) and only a token amount in others (such as $300 to $500). </p>
<p>Are you in eastern, central or western PA?</p>
<p>My daughter and I visited about 12 nursing programs in PA, and she applied to 10 of them. She ended up at York College of PA. She hasn’t started actual nursing classes or clinicals, but so far, she is very happy with her choice. She does have science classes with fellow nursing students as a freshman. The college has built a really great new gym, really nice nursing facilities, and tons of modern student housing. There is a 600 bed hospital right across the street from the college, and some students also do clinicals in Hershey. </p>
<p>The one caveat with York is that if you don’t accept your seat in the nursing program by around December, you may have to do a 4.5 year program or may lose your seat in the program entirely. However, if you put down your deposit, later choose another college, and let York know before May 1, you get back most of your deposit.</p>
<p>Apply to a range of colleges and then compare net costs. It doesn’t hurt to have a reach or two.</p>
<p>Penn State’s nursing program is competitive, but not extremely competitive. Almost all of the students spend their 3rd or 4th year at the Milton Hershey Medical Center in Hershey. That is a great facility, but some people don’t like to leave their non-nursing friends back in State College. </p>
<p>DeSales U. has a brand new building for their health care and business programs. They also are in the process of building hundreds of additional on-campus apartments, which will make it into more of a traditional campus. Right now, it feels a little isolated.</p>
<p>Pitt’s program is known to be demanding, with a strong emphasis on hard sciences. It seems like it is more geared to people who want to get graduate degrees.</p>
<p>^ Thank you so much. We are in southcentral PA (Harrisburg suburbs). We’ll check into York College of PA. Any others that your daughter and/or you liked? I think my son would do better at a smaller school rather than a very large school like Penn State.</p>
<p>West Chester U. was her second choice. Very nice campus in a great historic town. Their nursing program operates out of the gym on the south campus. I haven’t seen the inside of their facilities, but I understand they are a little crowded. Some of the housing is rather expensive on and off campus, especially for upperclassmen.</p>
<p>Bloomsburg U. is known to have a good nursing program. They are next to a small hospital, and are a few miles away from the huge Geissinger complex. They make almost all of their freshman live in triples. Some people don’t like Bloomsburg because they feel it is a little too cold and isolated. The downtown is nice but small.</p>
<p>U. of Scranton has higher tuition, but offers merit aid. They have a nice modern campus east of downtown Scranton, and are within walking distance of three hospitals.</p>
<p>Alvernia is a less competitive program, on the edge of Reading. They are near a very large hospital complex, and have added new student housing.</p>
<p>La Salle U. is in northwest Phila. Their nursing program operates out a tall former hospital. It is within an OK neighborhood, but there are some not so great neighborhoods nearby. </p>
<p>If you want to consider a more conservative religious school, Messiah U. is outside of Harrisburg. They do many clinicals at Milton Hershey Medical Center.</p>
<p>Indiana U. of PA. is supposed to have a good program. The University as a whole has a bit of a reputation as a party school. We didn’t visit it. They also have an honors college. The location is a little isolated.</p>
<p>I didn’t like the location of Temple’s nursing building. It is next to the hospital complex, which is in a rougher part of North Phila. than the main campus. There was a burned out building right across the street, and lots of gang violence nearby. Some people have said working inside the hospital shows you the results of a great deal of violence and poverty.</p>
<p>Misericordia is a Catholic U. outside of Wilkes-Barre that specializes in health care fields. They renovated a building south of the campus for their health care programs. The biggest complaint I heard is that it is a little far from a city.</p>
<p>Wilkes U. is in downtown Wilkes-Barre along a pretty riverfront. Many students live in old mansions. They just built a new science building. There is a hospital nearby.</p>
<p>Villanova is supposed to have a good program. However, the tuition is very expensive, and they are not great with financial aid. Also, most students have to live off-campus for 2 years in an expensive area, and many freshmen live in triples.</p>
<p>Drexel has a program. Some people have said that they won’t give you a nursing diploma if they don’t feel you will pass the nursing exam on the first try. That is how they achieve such a high pass rate.</p>
<p>^Wow! What a wealth of information. I really appreciate all the details. I’m running the Net Price Calculators for all of these schools. So far, York College’s cost is the lowest for us.</p>
<p>One of our nieces graduated with a nursing degree from York a couple years ago and has an excellent job now at Geisinger in Danville. It was definitely a path to success for her.</p>
<p>Most of the private colleges will offer a 50% off of tuition merit scholarship for students at the top of their college-wide applicant pool. York starts out with a much lower sticker price for tuition than almost all other private colleges, and has reasonably priced housing and food.</p>
<p>You should also look at any extra charges for nursing students. Penn State and Pitt charge several thousand more a year for nursing students in the last 2 years than for non-nursing students. York charges about an extra $1,200 a year for nursing in the last 2 years, plus you have to take one course on campus during part of one summer.</p>
<p>Indiana University of Pennsylvania apparently had a 100% NCLEX pass rate last year. It’s also pretty cheap for in-state students and a beautiful campus (in the middle of nowhere but still).</p>
<p>Charlieschm, I attended West Chester for nursing, and I recently visited it three times for tours. I still love the campus and they do put a limit on their incoming BSN students to avoid overcrowding. Their simulation lab (located in the basement of the athletic facilities) is top notch. There were quite a few Sim people, as well as a Sim mom/baby combo - very cool. The newer dorms are pricey, but they are extremely nice! Many single rooms, air conditioning, suites with private baths, free laundry, etc. But there are cheaper options. </p>
<p>Can you tell that I love my alma mater</p>
<p>I just posted the nclex pass rates for a bunch of schools including Penn in this forum. It shows pass rates for three years and how many students are in the program. On my phone now and don’t know how to insert a link or I would copy it again here sorry. I liked seeing the range of percentages because it showed that the School may have had one bad year and two good years which sets my mind at ease. That it is a good program. Hope it helps!</p>
<p>Have you considered the PA College of Health Sciences (I think it used to be called Lancaster General School of Nursing)? If you think your son may prefer a smaller school, this would definitely be a great option. I have several friends who earned their nursing degrees from PA college and got jobs right away. The program is well-respected, and Lancaster would not be far for him to travel from Harrisburg. There are some [online</a> healthcare courses](<a href=“http://www.pacollege.edu/academics/online-programs/right-for-me/]online”>http://www.pacollege.edu/academics/online-programs/right-for-me/) offered there as well if he was interested in looking into it. Best of luck to him!</p>