Here are my stats (super smart people, don’t judge!)
SAT: 2250
ACT: 34(this probably won’t mean much, as i BS’ed the essay)
Rank: 16 out of 576
Lots of APs, not many extracurriculars. So basically I have decent-ish grades. I don’t know if I can or want to become a doctor. I was thinking a nurse practitioner, so I want to get a “bachelor of science in nursing.” Do y’all think the UT Austin School of Nursing is a good nursing school and do you think I could get in? If not, can someone recommend me good nursing schools(preferably but not limited to TX).
- Your stats and rank would indicate you are a very likely candidate for admission at UT Austin. They have a fantastic nursing school and if that is your "goal" school then by all means apply. Are you currently living IN Texas?
- More importantly, have you shadowed an RN/NP to see what they do on a daily basis? Have you had any healthcare related classes in school?
Thanks for replying!
- Yes, I am living in TX. Do you know of any other nursing schools with a good reputation? Also, I want to apply to UT’s College of Natural Science in chem or bio, with honors, and UT computer science. Do you think I have a chance of getting in?
Sorry for all the questions; I’m kind of confused and uneducated about college stuff.
- Unfortunately, no. During the summer, I do volunteer at the ER weekly, if that counts for anything. And my somewhat "healthcare related classes" consists of AP chem, AP bio, and AP psych haha!
Texas has a lot of great nursing schools. I’ve worked with graduates of the following programs and all of them have a good reputation:
TWU
UT Arlington
UT Tyler
Stephen F Austin
Texas Tech
I’m an Aggie and I know A&M now has a nursing school, I just don’t know much about their program.
What is your budget i.e. how much have your parents specifically said they can pay per year?
Becoming a RN and then considering becoming a NP is a good career choice. There are also other opportunities for a RN to get an advanced certification or a masters, which a hospital will often help to fund.
Many people stress themselves trying to get into Med School and then don’t get into any. People in Med School also do not get much opportunities to enjoy their life in their 20s. If they do get into med school, they will often have to move to less desirable parts of the US to get residences and clinicals.
With a RN degree, you can choose to live in almost any part of the US you want.
Maybe you should become a nurse practitioner. Maybe not. This is a field where you can take one step at a time. Become a nurse. Work. Then decide what direction you want to go. There are many.
charliesch and ordinarylives, good point! that’s very reasonable.
carachel2, actually, my parents and I haven’t really discussed that yet. Like I said, I don’t know much about this college business and don’t even know where I should apply yet, but my parents want me to go to a well known school like UT austin.
I hope to have a job during college that can pay for part of the costs
Look for nursing programs with direct entry as a freshman, instead of having to apply after sophomore year. UT does have one. Their application deadline is Dec. 1 for the nursing program. Have the money talk with your parents before applying. With your stats, you are eligible for big scholarships at some colleges if money is a factor.
Yes, apply to a range of colleges, including several with direct entry nursing. You want to be able to compare financial aid offers. As noted above, there are many colleges that will offer you merit aid. Some colleges have automatic merit aid listed on their website for certain scores. An extra $40 application fee is worth it if you can save $5.000 to $15,000 a year.
@chengster …you need to find out exactly how much your parents can afford to pay. Like…this WEEK!
It’s all good for your parents to want you to apply to somewhere well known, but are they aware that UT will be $27,000 per YEAR?
Yes they have a great program but at the end of the day exactly the same as the RN who graduated from Tarrant County College, TCU, Baylor, etc.
You have good stats, but UT is most definitely not known for their merit aid and they do not meet full need.
Do you know your EFC??
I’m about to change your life. If you are thinking of nursing v. medicine and don’t want to be a doctor, consider becoming an CRNA. That’s a nurse anesthetist. They give anesthesia to patients for surgery and other procedures. Nursing then ICU is required then then CRNA program is about two years straight. Its a tough program but a great job. You should call a local hospital and ask if they have CRNAs and ask if you can shadow them for a day. Its an amazing job. I’m a doc and work with them everyday. They can make $100000 to $150000 a year depending on where and how hard they work. They you can post “thanks OhioParent you changed my life”
^^^ Good advice above…but a few warnings:
- CRNA is only for those who desire and can tolerate a higher stress environment. It is not for everyone so definitely take the advice to shadow different CRNAs in different environments i.e. inpatient surgery, outpatient procedures, etc. The salaries quote above are spot on...maybe even a little low for Texas. Some make closer to $200,000
- If you do feel you want to be an Advanced Practice Nurse (either an NP or CRNA) then you need to minimize your undergrad debt because CRNA school will run you at least $60,000-$80,000 for the two year program. An NP program will be anywhere from $20-40K.
I have an NP colleague making over $100,000 per year but she has $60,000 in debt from graduate school. It didn’t seem like it would be bad since she would be making great money but now she has a house/mortgage and two kids and many other things she would rather be doing.
- With your stats, you could get an almost free education or at least FULL tuition undergraduate BSN degree at UT Arlington, UT Tyler, University of Alabama and many other schools with excellent nursing programs and great NCLEX passing rates.
- Sit down....have the talk with your parents ASAP. It is VERY important.
Correction for above:
-my friend has other things she would rather be spending her money on**…not other things she would rather be doing. She LOVES being an NP. Sorry for the miscommunication.
Yes, I will talk to my parents about this soon! Thanks everyone for your input!! 
Would Baylor be considered expensive?
Speaking of scholarships, do I have to apply for those or do colleges just look at my stats and decide?
Also, what is “direct entry nursing” and EFC?
You do not normally apply separately for college scholarships. The schools decide how much they want to give you based on your stats and then will let you know. A direct entry nursing program means that you are accepted into the nursing program as a freshman and do not need to apply during your sophomore year.
- Entry to most nursing schools is very competitive. You usually do your pre-requisites freshman and sophomore year and then apply to the nursing program that starts your junior year. Many people don't get in and then are left scrambling for their junior year. A direct entry program guarantees you entry into the nursing program when you are accepted as a freshman.
- The total cost of attendance at Baylor approaches $50,000 per year. So yes..Baylor is expensive. You would do two years at the Waco campus and then the actual nursing school is in downtown Dallas.
- EFC - Expected Family Contribution...it's how much the colleges expect your family to pay based on their income. It can be a little more complicated than that, but that is a good place to start. Go to the NPC on the UT website, enter the requested data and see how much UT would cost your family.
My sister is a RN in central Pa and said there is much more demand in her area for NPs than CNRAs. Also, I’m guessing your malpractice insurance might be much higher for a CNRA.
NPC is Net Price Calculator. Each college is required to have one on their website (or on a link), so that you can get an estimate of what you would pay per year. Some colleges stress merit aid, while others stress need-based aid, and other colleges offer very little of either type of aid. In PA, there are many private colleges that would offer you a 50% off of tuition merit scholarship for your scores. However, that could still mean $25K a year for a mid-priced private college, after you include housing and food costs, before using loans.
Every person should check into the availability of college grants from their state. Some states will offer substantial merit or need-based grants per year, but many states will only let the money be used at in-state public or private colleges. Some state grants may be limited to in-state public colleges. You want some idea of your eligibility, because these grants may cause one choice to be much cheaper than another choice, without it being readily apparent. My daughter mainly applied to in-state colleges for this reason (however, she only got the state grants while her brother was also in college).
http://www.finaid.txstate.edu/undergraduate/types/grants.html
The state of Texas does offer a variety of grants for residents. You may also be eligible for federal grants. Most students can receive $5,500 of federal loans their freshman year, with higher amounts in later years.
@Charliesch …the need for CRNAs and NPs varies significantly by region, as does the pay. For instance, I hear regularly from NPs in Florida that they cannot find a job and their reported pay seems to be on the extreme low end of pay for NPs (i.e. $80K per year). But in other parts of the country I know of NPs starting at 100K +.
CRNAs are always going to earn more and I know some whose income approaches $300K per year (rural areas with high need).