<p>Gotta love “featured” schools ,my guess is they are featured for a reason $$$$$$</p>
<p>in any event, when you search a school,it shows a compilation of articles from many sites…Not independent research…Still a useful tool do find any info you may or may not know…</p>
<p>from my limited research/visits,et al…here is my rankings from schools i have spent time with/at…</p>
<p>U Penn—2nd to none
U Pitt—Main campus,everything else isn’t very good
Villanova
Drexel—mainly because of co-op program and great location
Fairfield–proximity to NYC and somewhat,Boston
Dusquesne–great location and city
Penn State–not fond of leaving Main campus after 2 years to do clinicals in Hershey</p>
<p>My question about Quinnipiac is that i thought it was NOT CCNE only NLNAC certified…Perhaps it has changed? If i recall CCNE is more desirable then NLNAC, though i’d like to hear opinions about this</p>
<p>With the University of Pittsburgh absent from both of those “expert” lists, I wouldn’t place much faith in their analysis of the “best” nursing schools. A better form of research consists of calling the nursing schools you are interested in and asking where last year’s graduates are now employed. </p>
<p>@qdogpa: Your ranking of schools you have looked at seems pretty sound. I would agree with all but Drexel’s placement in that I’ve heard pretty bad things about the program from current nursing students.</p>
<p>smart.cookie…I have very good insight to the Drexel program, and it is a program on the upswing over the last several years…Being next door to Penn,opportunities are terrific…The Co-op program would lend itself to future employment…Though i wouldn’t be surprised that current students may be dismayed,heck you’re next to one of the nation’s greatest institutions U Penn!!!</p>
<p>Kinda like playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and wanting to play for the Yankees!!!</p>
<p>As long as the program is accredited, I am not sure the accreditation body makes a difference. </p>
<p>From nursing website: “Two national organizations accredit nursing education programs. The National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) accredits all types of nursing education programs including master’s, baccalaureate, associate’s and diploma. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits programs that offer only master’s and baccalaureate level nursing degrees.”</p>
<p>I’m not sure that I grasp the reason for rankings of nursing programs. It seems to me that the most important criteria are whether the graduates have a good pass rate on the licensing test, and whether the graduates are viewed as being well-prepared and competent by good hospitals in the location where the student wants to work. </p>
<p>I’d like to know the criteria that each ranking system has used. For example, are they ranking them by student/teacher ratio, number of teachers with PhDs, hours and types of clinical experience required, etc. If the latter, it seems to me that that some of the 0-4 programs that start clinical experiences right away should score better than 2+2 experiences that cram clinical and nursing classes into 2 years. </p>
<p>I’ve been very interested in the differences that we’ve encountered between nursing programs during college visits. Some of them are almost premed, and some of them are very focused on patient care. Some have more limited resources and rely on nearby hospitals, and some have set up hospital “wards” with teaching dummies. Some of them require liberal arts classes, and some of them are limited to nursing and science classes. The variety between the programs has been astounding to me. </p>
<p>A family member was recently hospitalized. Not knowing much about nursing, I used my presence in the hospital to ask all of our family member’s nurses where they went to school, and what they thought of the schools where D was accepted. I was fascinated to learn that they held a higher regard for the training given by a “lower-ranked” university in our area over a “higher-ranked” school. I was also told by the hospital nurses that I interviewed that rankings were irrelevant in the actual world of nursing. </p>
<p>I’ve also asked every doctor that I know what he or she thought of the nursing schools where D applied. They said that we should ignore rankings and just pick the school with a wide variety of clinical experiences, professor accessibility, a comfortable “fit,” and a high pass rate. </p>
<p>D was accepted by Drexel, and we need to take a trip out there to see its nursing program. Based on the schools we’ve visited so far, I’m expecting something completely different again…</p>
I would agree with the above with the caveat that total actual clinical hours are also important. We’ve seen nursing programs with actual (not lab simulation) hours ranging from 800 hrs to 1600 hrs. Huge difference.</p>
<p>When evaluating an undergrad nursing program, I think a prospective student (and their parents) should not only ask what the NCLEX pass rate is (although that number is important), but also whether there are “other” tests given prior to the NCLEX which determines whether the Nursing Program prevents the student from taking the NCLEX. My understanding is that some programs only “allow” those students they are confident will pass the NCLEX to actually take the test. Thus keeping their NCLEX pass rate high. While on the surface that may make some sense, the question should be how many senior nursing students take the NCLEX and how many pass. If 10% or more of the senior class is not allowed to take the NCLEX I’d be concerned about how well the nursing program is preparing their students. </p>
<p>
Doctors opinions of nurses (and nursing programs) are worthless in my opinion. Ask the professors in the nursing grad schools, or the nursing educators in hospitals which colleges best “prepare” nurses. Most of the nurses they “see” are from local colleges but you will at least get an opinion on the nearby programs.</p>
<p>qdogpa: since last post, son accepted at duquesne with decent merit $. deferred at uconn, still waiting on umass. would have to say duquesne first choice at this point…great city son loved it on visit to u of pitt…access to facilities great, visiting west chester 1/25. i see they filled the nursing program for fall 2010, not taking any more apps. duquesne seems to have good curriculm aimed at nursing right out of the gate…</p>
<p>We are actually going out for a visit to Dusquesne,i believe an Open house in february,not sure if it is strictly for nursing…My d loved U Pitt and we are now going to check out Duquesne…She got accepted to U Mass, but not school of Nursing,had to go undeclared…No thanks!!!..Still waiting on deferred’s Villanova and Northeastern…Accepted to Drexel with merit $$$ and Duquense with merit $$$…also accepted to fairfield, but at 52K, that is a bit too much ;)</p>
<p>All of the other students, and parents posting about their kids, seem to have some great options and strong credentials. I too want to be a nurse and have applied to all levels of schools on the east and west coasts, but after reading these comments I feel somewhat inadequate academically. While I have taken most of the same courses my GPA is a 3.28 and SATs were 1780.</p>
<p>I was rejected by the main campus at Pitt and offered the same nursing program as others and told them no thank you. Unfortunately I was deferred by Fairfield after a great discussion and interview with both the nursing team and the head of undergraduate admissions. They don’t offer great clinical opportunities but the program itself is going to improve. I was also deferred at both BC and Georgetown as I guess they don’t deny the first go around. </p>
<p>My interviews at each school were positive for making a stronger case, but you never know as the transcript is so important- I should have listened to my parents. </p>
<p>On the other hand, at least from my perspective, my ECs are my strength and could explain my lower GPA but rarely matter to admissions unless I walked in with your stats. We all do learn differently and my education has come from inside and outside the classroom.</p>
<p>Athletically I have 13 Varsity letters in Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Swimming and Basketball, I won winning the Maryland State Physics Olympics and I have well over 1500 hours of volunteering at NIH. This includes working on two clinical protocols, one that will be published in a medical journal this spring and the Children’s Inn. I have also been accepted by St. Jude Hospital for some work this spring and they have a wonderful pediatric oncology team so I am really excited.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I am scared to death that it won’t work out for me. I have applied to many of the same schools that you all are talking about, and believe I have little or no chance because you each bring much more to the application process than I could ever hope to and will be great nurses. I just hope I get the opportunity to be accepted somewhere and hopefully become a great nurse like each of you.</p>
<p>For Redg2014 and anyone else worried about not being admitted anywhere, I suggest you take a look at Gwynedd Mercy College. It won’t be a fit for everyone; it is a small Catholic college in suburban Philadelphia. However, it has rolling admissions and the admission criteria are lower than many of the schools mentioned on this thread. If you apply online it only costs $25.</p>
<p>Gwynedd Mercy has a very good local reputation for training nurses. D2 did not consider it because, for her, it is too small and too close to home.</p>
<p>Sing Dance is that where you are in school? If so, how do you find the program? Clinical experience is really important to me as I really learn better in that environment. I have a couple of two year schools that have accepted me but not sure I want that in the end. Great case to be made for two year and four year nursing programs, however, and if I want to major in health or public policy the two year program might be worth doing. </p>
What is your SAT breakdown (CR/M/Writing)? Do you want / need to stay in a certain geographical area? How about financial aid / costs? Most of the people here (or their children) have applied to a wide variety of programs (including safeties) and with a few more facts we might be able to give you some suggestions for schools that will accept you.</p>
<p>Because I live in the DC area I have been spoiled by all of the opportunities, although some might disagree. I would prefer the east coast/mid-atlantic region but I want to be a great nurse and will do anything. I would love to be surrounded by the smartest students and teachers with a focus on the clinical experience. </p>
<p>I guess I am selfish and want the best possible program like everybody else. But given my academic profile I am wide open and need to be realistic without selling myself short. </p>
<p>I am the youngest and only girl in a very large family and happen to be fortunate that costs won’t be a problem. With that said, I want to be respectful of the costs because it is my parent’s money and not mine. They have worked very hard to educate all of us in private schools, college, grad/law schools and they deserve some hope that the bills will stop at some point.</p>
<p>1160 M/Cr should qualify you for direct entry into the WVU School of Nursing. They have 1180 clinical hours (about 100 less than Pitt) and the hospital has just been given “Magnet” status which is supposedly a very good thing.
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I’d hurry and apply to any nursing programs that you can. Many are filling (or are already filled). You can sort out the acceptances later and decide which one you want to attend. </p>
<p>Remember that once you graduate with your BSN and pass the NCLEX, almost no one will care where you got your undergrad degree.</p>
<p>Rekg, stay positive and, as Aglages wisely urged, get out some more applications this week.</p>
<p>Some Midatlantic schools to consider are Temple, St Josephs of Philly, Duquesne, Moravian, Towson State, Bloomsburg, Sacred Heart, URI and Salve Regina (apologies in advance if I am wrong about any), as well as Drexel and Gwynedd.</p>
<p>If you sign up on their websites for info, they may offer you free applications. With the common app, it may not be too much extra work. I think you will feel better when you have more possibilities and that you will succeed. I wish you luck.</p>
$$$$$$</p>