I’m planning to be a nursing major and I know that that major is very impacted. I’m going to go to school in California because this is where I live and want to stay close to one. Should I apply to private universities due to the nursing major being very impacted?
Nursing majors in CA are very very impacted. You should be very very careful when you look at private vs public colleges for nursing majors. First make sure that when you say private school that you are not looking at for profit nursing schools. They should be a last resort. Most offer no financial assistance and require full loans.
It would make sense to look at both public and private schools when you apply. Then when you get your results in April you can see where you have been accepted and how much each program costs. It makes no sense not to apply someplace because it is impacted. Try both.
I don’t know your qualifications but, I agree - apply broadly, see where you get in and what it costs - you can decide when your results are known.
Nursing is brutally competitive (for admission) - you should definitely have a fall back plan.
Good luck.
Check the net price calculators on both the public and private schools to get an idea of the cost of each one.
Additionally, pay attention to whether the nursing major at each school is:
- Direct admission. If so, what are the criteria to stay in the major?
- Competitive admission later. If so, how competitive will it be (e.g. how high a college GPA must you earn, and what other criteria are there?)?