Please help us think of options beyond direct admit nursing

College Majors Nursing Major
1

Still trying to understand all the different paths to nursing for D20.
Hoping someone knows more!

She is a B+/A- student (upward trend, which is great!). Has not taken ACT/SAT yet, doing that soon, but standardized tests are a weakness for her and we are not expecting phenomenal scores. Very good extracurriculars, from her compilation she is obviously a hard worker and gets involved in things. But no hook or stand-out trait. So stats wise she will fall in a range that is acceptable for many direct admit programs, but not a sure bet. She is 100% planning on a nursing career. She is very interested and passionate about it.

High on her wish list is a full college experience, meeting students different from herself and getting involved in a couple of things outside of her major. So her ideal would be a direct admit program at a larger university. But those are so competitive that we really don’t know if it’s possible.

We have discussed other paths, but are having trouble finding specifics. Does anyone have info to share about schools where one applies to nursing after freshman or sophomore year? Anyone have experience completing BS and then doing RN in an accelerated program after college? Is that easier or harder? (I’m thinking for my own DD it could work because the more she takes the classes that interest her, the better she does). I know I’ve asked this in different formats already but maybe someone else will see this post. ?

We live in MA (she cried at the UMass Amherst nursing info session. They said MINIMUM ACT is 31/SAT 1400 and average is higher. ) . We are looking in Northeast and mid-Atlantic, possibly Ohio and maybe further south on east coast as well. While COA will be a consideration once acceptances are in, thank goodness we do not need financial aid. Just trying so hard to find the right fit .

Thanks for all ideas.

2

Drexel may be a possibility. A number of students were admitted directly to the program last year (high school class of 2018) with GPAs of 3.5 (or below) and SAT scores in the 1100s. PA has quite a few direct admit programs but many are smaller schools or have more competitive admissions. If ~6000 students isn’t too small, Duquesne is another possibility. IUP has ~10000 students and would probably be a safety with an SAT score of 1050.

3

I have 2 D, both are RN & working now.
One did the direct admit BSN
while the other did the Accelerated BS in Nursing, with a BA in another major.
The accelerated path can be veryyyyyy & I do mean veryyyy competitive for some colleges,
but then it all depends on which colleges, some are more relaxed & admit more while some have only 50-90 spots with literally thousands of applicants with many years of real life working experiences in a health-related field competing to get in. The applicants are looking to change career so you’ll see a completely different set of applicants & they are all very determined/driven/ with work experiences ( not high school students ).

I would still look at Pre-Nursing ( 2 + 2 ), this will give your D a chance to get a higher college GPA & get to see if this is something she wanted to major in. I know you said she is determined to be a nurse, yet, pre-nursing still offer a lot of positive options, if she is in the Honor program that require a certain GPA, it will increase her chance of getting admit into the upper level nursing program.

please excuse any typos

4

@TimeFlies2 There are still a great many people doing the 2 + 2 programs and the Accelerated BSN programs so not to worry. I think she can find programs with her grades that are direct and also programs that are 2+2. It is important to look at the what ifs. If she really likes nursing and goes to a 2+2 likely she will need to keep her grades in top shape to be able to “apply” and “progress” to the nursing major at the end of sophomore year. If she doesn’t keep the grades up you need a back up plan because if not the pre-nursing students can be made to keep trying which elongates college time & money, switch majors or not be able to continue (aka apply elsewhere to a lesser school interrupting the college experience). If they still want nursing all of the aforementioned requirements bring with them a great deal of stress at the end of sophomore year. Add to that, the after sophomore year application can include tests like the TEAS or nursing type pre-tests, additional science and math class gpa requirements etc. If she doesn’t enjoy all this she may want to ensure she is at a university she would enjoy attending no matter the major might be in order. It all depends on the school and their rules. So that is why many parents urge their kids to look into direct programs and why they are so popular on CC.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/2108166-class-of-2023-nursing-admissions.html

5

Direct is first choice, of course. But even in direct one has to keep up a certain GPA to stay in the major and they all talk about a certain drop-out rate. So we’re looking for “drop-in” programs as a second choice. The direct schools get mentioned so much on here that I feel like I know the list. I’m looking for a list of other specific schools, that are good to consider. ??

6

How about Saint As or other schools around the Boston area (Endicott or UNE in Maine?)

7

If she is 100% committed to being a nurse, I would choose direct admit.

If she isn’t 100% sure, I would choose a non-direct school where she applies later, but where she is in the top 25% of students for stats. (may help her get in later.)

These are some comments made this past weekend on Facebook in a group for my older daughter’s university, where students enter as pre-nursing and apply to nursing for junior year.

Someone who had just been accepted to pre-nursing asked about it:
“Can we revisit the nursing odds again? Does the school really admit 600 into pre nursing and then only select 90 for nursing? That can be a deal breaker for my daughter. Other than moving into Health Science or another major, is there a way to transfer somewhere and end up with a BSN in 4 years? Has anyone done this?”

" I’m a second semester sophomore right now and I didn’t get into the nursing program. Although i love the school with all my heart, I’m now looking to transfer home to start my nursing classes next semester."

“It’s so stressful! My daughter is finishing her second year after coming in with her associates degree. She’s spent two years spreading out the pre-req classes and minoring in something else with a 3.5 gpa to be denied for the program this first time she’s applied. She has now switched to a double major in health science degree so she can reapply to the program next semester. It’s such a shame that this program which clearly draws a lot of interests admits directly off of GPA only. It seems like a money gimmick to me! Now we are spending way more money than we have to to buy more time to apply again.”

“My friends daughter did not get accepted into the program after 2 years, she transferred back to home.”

"There were 240 enrolled of the 600 accepted in my child’s freshman pre-nursing class. While they emphasize the competitiveness to get in, they don’t tell you that you will also be competing with the #s who are waiting from the classes in the two years in front of you that couldn’t get in with their own class. I feel it’s a real racket and we are trying to come up with alternatives now - waiting on acceptance to transfer. Unfortunate really as we have liked the school otherwise. I would not advise taking the chance and we would do it differently a second time around. "

“My wife is a nurse practitioner with 25 years of experience who graduated with her BSN from a direct admit, single purpose nursing school. She has taught nursing at the collegiate level and worked in both private practice and hospital environments. She has said for years that students coming out of four year programs that are direct admit and start the students in nursing education settings immediately are far better prepared than students who do not. When supervising clinicals, she has had college juniors that have never started an IV before. Yes, we absolutely want smart nurses that know biology and chemistry, but if I’m laying on that table, I want someone taking care of me with as much practical experience as possible.”

“this program is very hard to get into. My daughter is in now, but in our search we found that this school’s requirements were different than other schools, so to transfer into another BSN program in VA would be costly, and take a lot longer. This school only requires the 3 hour chem class, but almost all other schools reqd that plus a one hour lab to go forward in their programs. There were some other classes our dd would have been missing as well. This nursing thing can be a tough situation. Best of luck.”

“Anyone who wants to be a nurse, go to a school that has direct entry. It will relieve a lot of the stress.”

“I’m a nurse. Make sure that anyone who says they want to be a nurse shadows several nurses before they even start down this path. I’m not discouraging them but I see so many young nurses whose visions of nursing is not the reality and they don’t stay in nursing but just a few years. Shadow shadow shadow!”

8

Also maybe you can contact nursing schools in Maine - they are having issues with lots of nurses retiring and a big need for nurses to teach - they are looking to pass a bill to pay for schooling for nurses to stay in Maine. Perhaps they would help look for good programs for those who are interested in staying in the state after school.

https://wgme.com/news/working-solutions/bill-would-pay-for-nurses-tuition-if-they-stay-to-teach-in-maine

9

I don’t think she is out of the hunt with what you think will be a less-than-stellar ACT/SAT score. I’ll be honest, my daughter had an ACT score below what a lot of people in this forum mention, and she got into a highly competitive state university as a direct admit.

There are many, many schools that admit holistically. Or, would be glad to have your daughter with her stats, and know that test scores are not everything. I certainly could make some Ohio suggestions if you want to message me.

I agree wholeheartedly that direct admit is the better of your choices. I know personally some kids who didn’t get into the nursing program at Ohio State (not my daughter’s school) who ended up finishing at a Columbus-area nursing school. I’m sure they got great training, but it was a switch I don’t think they anticipated making.

10

The problem with being 100% committed to anything as a high school junior is that, sometimes, minds change! Nursing interest students can be pretty tenacious about their choice, but where I work (not a direct admit school), about half of those committed students don’t move into the major, don’t even apply because, as mentioned in #6, they really didn’t have a good idea of what was involved in being a nurse. So, yes, while direct admit is best, make sure any school you choose has a reasonable plan B.

Accelerated programs are fine, but remember, it’s a second bachelor’s. Don’t expect fin aid beyond loans. Personally, I think the programs are great for certain people but a bad idea for anyone still in high school to plan for. Think of the cost!

This may be an issue. You can search the stats on who becomes a nurse, and you’ll see its a pretty homogeneous group. Due to the demands of the program, the students will self-segregate. They’ll live with other nursing majors because their schedules are so different from the student body’s at large/they spend more time studying etc. Nursing programs also tend to push similar health-related activities/ECs. Just, socially, it may not be what she expects.

11

I’ll disagree with you a bit, @ordinarylives.

My daughter is on a dance team, and dates a biochemistry major (well, that’s sort of the same pool, lol). She actually seeks out non-nursing majors because she sees enough of them in classes. Her roommate next year, however, is a fellow nursing major. So it definitely will depend and, like college in general, it is what you make it.

12

Has she volunteered or shadowed at a hospital or done something similar that really gives her an idea of the work of a nurse? I think nursing schools look for that as a sign of real interest. Scores - ACT may be better as it is curriculum-based and nurses have to prepare for the NCLEX which is also curriculum based.
Diligent, hard-working students are the ones that do well in nursing, rather than the brilliant but perhaps less focused ones.

13

UMaine, Curry College, Salve Regina. 99% sure all are direct admit, and all are less competitive than many of the others in the NE.

14

Options?

What are the best nursing programs in Pa.?
https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/03/what-are-the-best-nursing-programs-in-pa.html