Regular Admit (1+3) versus Direct Admit, going the fun route over sure thing?

College Majors Nursing Major
1

My son has been accepted into a number of nursing programs for Fall 2015, some regular admit (1+3) some direct admit. As we get closer to decision time, he actually brought up a point I never considered.

From his perspective, the problem with the direct admit offers is that none of the campuses really excite my son. He wants to go to a big college with big sports and live the classic big school experience. His 2 favorite public picks are Ohio State and Kentucky. Even though we live in OH, UK is gaining momentum. He’s convinced he has a great chance to be accepted into nursing his sophomore year because a 3.3 gpa usually makes it at UK, plus his ACT puts him in the top quartile. So, he thinks he will be smarter than his competition on average, which gives him confidence. He has a nice scholarship to UK, bringing our total price for tuition, room, board to $16k per year.

OSU is cheaper @ $12k per year due to a really nice diversity/academic scholarship. However, he’s on the lower end of the ACT spectrum @ OSU, and they requires a 3.7 to be accepted into nursing. However, if he missed out on nursing, OSU has a great deal to offer in terms of other majors. He loves the campus, but is nervous about the 3.7 rqmt freshman year.

He has a number of direct admit offers in OH, but doesn’t like the campus environments for various reasons. The most economical direct admit choice is $19k year. None of these schools are on par with UK or OSU in terms of size, sports, or extracurriculars.

I believe my son is serious about nursing, and knows he will have to work harder than many of his classmates, especially freshman year. He gets that, but wants to be at a place that is fun to him.

So, is it crazy to consider an somewhat less prestigious 1+3, and select UK over OSU? Both nursing schools have good reputations with 95%+ NCLEX pass rates. OSU accepts 125 out of 250. UK accepts 160 out of 350. He also know some 3.3 nursing students that were recently accepted at UK, which gives him more confidence that he can make the grades there.

Also, is it crazy to pass on direct admits if my kid really isn’t jazzed about the campuses? I appreciate the mature and reasoned responses on this board. Plus, you guys are great at pointing out things which are easy to overlook. Note, we can swing the annual prices listed here from current income, so paying for college is not an issue. Thanks for reading.

2

If he goes to school near a huge sports-oriented university and has friends attending there, he can experience that lifestyle on the weekends. In some ways that is the best experience - enjoy the sports, without having to suffer through the enormous classes.

3

we are dealing with this now too though my daughter is just starting to look. IT seems there are not that many direct admit. May i ask which school you found are direct admit and did you just look Kentucky and Ohio area?

And Im wondering all those students who don’t get into the nursing program say at UK or OSU (and thats what they really want to do) then what are they doing? Too bad there are not more acceptances since I read nurses are in demand and its growing as the population ages.

best to your son!

4

Having gone through nursing school myself , I say if the costs are equal or better let your son make the decision of where he fits best because he will have to be happy and in an environment he can thrive in to do well in such a tough major. It sounds like he is motivated and will do what he needs to do to get himself admitted . My d chose an indirect over many highly ranked direct entry schools two years ago …even though I was a nervous wreck of course . She knew the type of campus that she wanted and what was important to her and it just so happened that the indirect program was the one that she felt the most comfortable at . The indirect has a great nursing program with a high Nclex pass rate and progression is based on GPA . In April with 4 weeks left to choose she kept saying I know that I probably SHOULD go to school A (direct one) but I really see myself at school B ( indirect ). She was trying to force herself to like the direct choices when in her heart she knew where she would be truly happy . Thankfully the indirect also came with a great scholarship so there wasn’t an issue with cost . I was hoping for the direct to relieve MY anxiety but knew I needed to allow her to make this decision. Fast forward 2yrs later, d worked very hard , was recently admitted to the upper division , and could not be happier . I am so glad that she went with her gut . She has performed well because she is where she wants to be and she is the one who has to do the work . If she had gone where I wanted and found herself miserable then I don’t know if she would have been as successful these last 2 years . Also , if she had not progressed then she would have to own that herself as she made the decision …she would have to make the adjustment necessary by changing major , transferring etc .
It’s not for everyone , but if your son feels he can do it , I say let him go for it .

5

One thing I should add , d went to a large campus , however, her sciences have been with just nursing students and are not enormous classes . Her labs have been small as well … That is definitely something to consider .

6

Most nursing programs in the Northeast US (PA, DEL and points north) are direct entry. In some other parts of the country, most are competitive after one or two years of college. Some are extremely competitive for entry into the nursing program after 2 years - particularly some flagship public universities.,

7

It’s very easy to get into Kentucky nursing programs as are most nursing programs in the southern states. There are also much lower wages there.

Are you sure he would like Kentucky? Their non-direct programs are also very easy to get into as a transfer student.

I would never want to live there/the south (even after being there before) for various reasons, so I may be biased in my answer.

I would personally choose the Ohio direct-entry programs. 3.7 is very high. Is that cumulative or pre-reqs only? If it is pre-reqs only, then 3 B’s over 2 years can take a 4.0 to a 3.75. Ohio State is likely a very good school, but direct-entry is a sure bet, while non-direct is not.

8

Does Kentucky limit the number of OOS nursing students that it accepts or are all applicants [regardless if they are in-state or OOS] have the same chance to be accepted? That info may not be found on a website but undergraduate nursing admissions may have that answer. At UCLA, they limit 10% of the nursing seats to OOS students & 90% are in-state. If Kentucky does limit the number of OOS nursing students they accept then your son may need a higher GPA than a 3.3 to gain admission.

I can understand that your son feels that a big state school is the best fit for him & both schools are very reasonable priced. But, in going to a big state school with so much going on all the time, he will need to be disciplined to settle into a good study routine to maintain a high GPA. Often, when there are lots of distractions, the weekend can start on Thursday night and go though Sunday night only leaving Monday through Wednesday nights to study. Nursing majors [along with the pre-med, engineering etc. majors] often see their friends [art history majors, etc - they won’t be looking at the nursing thread, lol] having lots of free time when the nursing majors etc. are working their tails off. Also, some fraternities can be GPA busters [unless it is academic or service orientated], so he should beware of rushing a fraternity.

Both schools require 1 semester of chemistry freshmen year. This can be the toughest of all the freshmen classes. If he can keep his chem grade up & strive for A’s in his other classes then he will have a good chance of being admitted. It is probably important to enter a non-direct nursing program with a game plan of how to make it sucessful starting with impeccable study habits. Since all the other pre-nursing students are in the same boat, there must be a fair amount of competitveness among the students in who wants it the most.