I am a male from Pennsylvania who is going to nursing school next year. I know nursing is a unique major in which it does not really matter where the degree is from; however, I plan on applying to nurse anesthesia school afterword. As a result, it does matter where my degree is from. What are your thoughts?
Note: I know I applied to a lot of schools, I was afraid I was not going to get into any program. I’m an AP student (top 10% percent of my class), I routinely volunteer at three different hospitals, and I am enrolled in a nursing aide program.
Accepted
Arizona State University ($52,000 Scholarship)
University of Arizona ($60,000 Scholarship)
University of Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania State University
Drexel University
Still Need To Hear Back From (Chance of Getting In)
The amount of the scholarship is less relevant than the net price after subtracting the scholarship from the list price.
Questions to ask about each school (besides the net price):
a. Do you get admitted directly to the nursing major, or do you have maintain a high GPA and then compete for admission to the nursing major?
b. Once in the nursing major, are there very high GPA standards to maintain to stay in the major?
c. How is the pass rate on the nursing licensing exams for graduates of the school’s nursing major?
My family is in the upper-middle class, so paying for college is not too much of a financial burden. I have already discussed with my parents that they will pay around $52,000 a year for my tuition and I would pay for the rest. Furthermore, I am gay, so being near a gay community is a huge plus in the selection.
Note: I plan on moving back to Pennsylvania after nursing school, so this is my only chance to explore a new environment.
Remember that you can only borrow $5,500 the first year, increasing to $6,500 second year, and $7,500 the last two years. You can also work to earn money, but doing it part time while in school full time (especially if you need to make a high GPA) may be hard to earn more than a few thousand.
With two CRNAs in my immediate family and neither went to any top nursing programs, I can categorically say that the above statement is absolutely false. What is important for admission to a Nurse Anesthesia School are: A BSN/RN, decent GPA (>3.4; the higher the better), “good” GRE scores (if required), at LEAST 1 year experience in Adult ICU (2 to 3 prefer) doing well on admission interviews and certifications [Critical Care Registered Nurse Certification (CCRN) very popular these days than in the past - not mandatory, but most RNs seem to pursue it before applying to NA school].
Nurse Anesthesia Schools, like medical schools, are very expensive and most programs are now transitioning to a DNP track (at least 3+ year commitment). It behooves you to keep your BSN cost as low as possible and save funds towards your Nurse Anesthesia program. It is not uncommon for Nurse Anesthetist students to graduate with student loan debt in excess of $160K-$200K School.
If you have specific questions concerning Nurse Anesthesia programs/schools/requirements, see:
^Yeah, I came to say the above. You don’t have to go to a great undergrad school to go to graduate school for nursing. In fact, the nursing field is hurting for graduate-prepared nurses.
Also, even if you plan on moving back to PA after nursing school, that doesn’t mean college is your only chance to explore a new environment. Especially with a very portable career like nursing, you could do anything and move anywhere. You may decide after 5 years in PA that you are bored and you want to go do travel nursing abroad or work in a rural community elsewhere or…who knows what else. (And if you want to get your MSN, you’ll have to go to graduate school somewhere!)