Hello, I am struggling with deciding what I want with regards to pursuing a nursing degree here in NC. Not to get ahead of myself but I will be applying this fall to UNC-CH, UNC Wilmington, and ECU. Based on my stats I am a match for UNC-CH and the others are probably safety schools. Each of the programs is a 2+2 program and from everything I have heard getting into the upper division is very competitive. As far as “fit” goes, I loved Chapel Hill and also really liked UNC-W, I am visiting ECU next month.
Honestly, I am a bit intimidated by the cohort of students I would be competing with at UNC-CH for slots in the nursing program and I am leaning towards going to one of the others to be a big fish in a small pond so to speak. My first thought was to attend UNC-CH and apply to multiple nursing programs when the time comes but that is tricky because each of the schools seems to have different prerequisites.
Would I be making a mistake to attend a less selective school because I am afraid of getting rejected in an upper division program?
First, I would apply to more than 3 colleges. In addition to increasing your chances for admission, you also want to be able to compare net costs after financial aid. You may find some private colleges that offer costs that are affordable after aid.
Second, I would email the admissions offices of each college and ask for data on nursing admissions. If you find for instance, that only 5% of applicants from one college were admitted to nursing and they had a GPA of 4.0, vs. another college had 40% accepted and a GPA of 3.1, that would be very useful info.
Nursing is a very challenging and time-consuming program at every college. Sometimes it is better to have less challenging classes outside of your nursing and science classes, so you can put more energy into your nursing classes and clinicals. At UNC-CH, every course may be competitive and challenging (except the courses the basketball team takes). In comparison, at a less competitive university, you may have to spend less time on your English, Social Studies and Math classes, etc.
I agree that you should apply to all three. But, ECU has an excellent Nursing School. I’ll bet you feel better about it after your visit. My daughter is going into life sciences and is applying to UNC CH, NC State and ECU. While each campus is vastly different, she feels she would be very happy at any of these. And, with ECU, she would very likely be in the ECU Honors College (just wait until you see where the ECU Honors College students live!!) NC has incredible schools. You can’t go wrong. Best wishes!
The graduates from every program take the same NCLEX. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a big fish in a small pond if that’s where you feel you’ll thrive.
Yes, if you are serious about nursing, the most important factor is the likelihood you will be able to be accepted to the nursing major. The second most important factor is the quality of the nursing program and the availability of clinicals. Sometimes less populated locations have fewer clinical opportunities or require long drives to clinicals. Of course, net price after aid must be a factor. If you pass the exam, you will have the same starting salary whether you attend Southern Indiana State College or U. Penn.
Do not be overly concerned about the prestige of the college. My daughter turned down a more prestigious university to attend a little-known college that had an excellent nursing program. Also, when you attend a less prestigious college, you are more likely to be offered merit aid.
My daughter just passed the NCLEX exam yesterday and is soon starting a job doing exactly what she wanted.
Would you mind sharing which school your daughter attended which was little-known but had an excellent nursing program? Congrats on your daughter passing the NCLEX and her upcoming job! My daughter is going to be applying to many nursing programs next year as a junior transfer. We’re in CA and and the CSUs are definitely very impacted, so she’ll also be applying to out of state schools and private schools.
York College of PA, which is an hour north of Baltimore… She was very happy with the nursing and science classes, and clinicals It is a private college with very reasonable tuition, and they offer substantial merit aid. It is direct entry from high school, like almost all of the many nursing programs in PA.
I think PA has more nursing programs than any other state.