To direct-entry, or not to direct entry?

College Majors Nursing Major
1

<p>Hi all, this forum isn't too busy nowadays but hopefully I can get some last minute advice. </p>

<p>I am a rising senior from the Boston area, who obviously wants to major in Nursing. My parents support me wholeheartedly but we are having a hard time choosing colleges to apply to. </p>

<p>Here is what we have so far (as in, I am definitely applying) with notes:</p>

<ul>
<li>UMass Dartmouth (we liked this school, not a huge fan of the 90 minute ride home or surrounding towns, but the program is great and the students we met were enthusiastic. Parents like state U price. I like this school as well, as it has a maternity/pediatric track and a psych/community track).</li>
<li>Simmons (my pick, LOVE the city, very match-y as far as stats go, good program, excited about all-women's college, have not visited yet but will soon. Parents are scared of sticker price but there is lots of aid to be had).</li>
<li>Worcester State (parent's pick, have not visited yet, it is growing on me but if I am going to go to a public U I would rather go UMass).</li>
<li>UNH (beautiful campus, not too far from home with extended family even closer, more affordable than non-MA state schools with some OOS aid. Sketchy about being OOS, especially NH, and have not heard about their program. They also have AFROTC - I am group commander in AFJROTC and it is a big part of my life.)</li>
<li>Salem State (parent's pick, do not like. Would prefer Worcester to this).</li>
</ul>

<p>Schools that wish they were on this list:
- Northeastern (huge academic reach, but you cannot argue with the co-op program. Also in the city. I want to apply.)
- St. Anselm's (seems like a lovely place, but the religious requirements are ridiculous - we are not religious either but the amount of classes required is insane. Price is high and grade deflation is scary. Not applying.)
- Regis (y u no direct entry?)</p>

<p>So here is the problem: I do not think 5 (well, I reeeeally do not like Salem, so 4) schools is enough to apply to. My stats are okay, but not the best, and we all know how competitive nursing is. On top of that, we are very firmly middle class (my parents prefer to classify us as being on the lower end of it, and I would agree), so we do not expect much federal help and there is some money saved up for college, but a lot of it will have to come from merit aid and as a last resort, loans. I am eligible for the Adams Scholarship and i'll know this fall if i'm getting it, which makes state U's more desirable. In the end, the cheapest school is where I will be, so I want to like all of my schools i'm applying to. </p>

<p>So anyways, my list is too short. My parents and I agreed early on that direct-entry is the most economically safe option, but at the same time, there are only so many such programs in MA that are both in my range price-wise and academically-wise (price including aid through an NPC). So it is a double-edged sword: considering non-direct entry will expand my list and allow a greater chance of acceptance into a college, but 2 years later I could find myself in the horrible position of having a stellar GPA but still not making it into a program. I would be devastated both emotionally and financially - it is not practical in terms of affordability. At the same time, I do not feel it is practical to put all of my hopes into just 4 schools. I am just not sure all around. </p>

<p>In closing, here are my stats;
GPA: 3.3UW/4.3+ (getting a higher weighting at start of senior year) W, with a huge upward trend.
Scores: SAT I: 1920, 1280CR+M (640/640/640 in each section)
Anything else?: volunteering at VA hospital during senior year and hopefully at food pantry, 4 years of AFJROTC w/ community service, drill team, and leadership (i'm in charge, woo!), 3yrs competing at regional economics competition (and winning one year!), uh can't think of much else. No AP courses (school has only 6 or so), but almost all are at honors level, taking A&P and an extremely rigorous schedule senior year. 2nd in family to go to college, first to pursue a 4yr degree, and if all works out, 2nd to go to an all-women's college!</p>

2

<p>From what I’ve been told (and this is in California, with UCLA and UCI, btw) direct entry is the best way to go. I don’t know about those other schools, though, as the only schools I’m planning on applying Nursing to are UCLA, UCI, and U of Portland.</p>

3

<p>Eek! Couldn’t even picture myself in California. I’m on vacation in southern Maine right now and it’s like being in a whole other world. Trying to stay in-state or in the area (herp derp should’ve mentioned that, silly me).</p>

4

<p>I would definitely apply to more than 5 schools, to keep your options open. For some other majors, you can throw in additional applications in Jan. or Feb, but you probably won’t have that option for nursing because the programs will be full. You want to compare financial aid, among other factors, and some private colleges will increase an aid offer depending upon what another college offers.</p>

<p>For private colleges, I’d take a look at the availability of merit aid (many less selective colleges offer automatic aid for certain standardized test scores) and the percentage of need that is met on average. You can find some of that information by googling the “Common Data Set” and the name of the college. </p>

<p>For an out of state public college, it would be useful to know if they offer any need based aid to out of state students. That information may be a little harder to find.</p>

<p>If you are eligible for any state government need-based grants, it may pay you to attend an in-state college. In some states, only minimal state grants or no grants at all are available to a student who attends a college that is out of state.</p>

5

<p>^ already on it!</p>

6

<p>In our case, my Daughter applied to a total of 8 schools, all of them Direct Entry. Of the 8, 2 offered entry to their nursing program, 4 offered admission, but not to nursing, and 2 did not offer admission. </p>

<p>In our view, Direct Entry is the only way to go. For example, many of our California State Universities (a step below The University of California like UCLA) offer nursing programs, but admission is determined in your Sophomore year of college based on your college academics. CSU Northridge only offers 18 Slots each semester. There are over 300 students applying for those 18 slots. We asked, why spend two year in college with the “Hope” that you’ll be accepted into the nursing program, and then what do you do if you’re Not accepted?</p>

<p>We looked at Northeastern, and that was our first choice. We did not get offered admission there. Our second choice was Drexel, also a Co-Op school, in Philadelphia and my daughter will start this Sept 2012 in the Nursing Program. </p>

<p>We are big Fans of Co-Op. Yes it takes an extra year, but when you can Graduate with up to 18 Months of actual Work Experience, you have already made employment contacts and have a leg up having actually worked in the field you’re going into.</p>

<p>For a list of schools that offer Direct Admit Nursing, check out this thread here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/859704-master-list-direct-entry-nursing-programs-7.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/859704-master-list-direct-entry-nursing-programs-7.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You can also download this list from here:
<a href=“https://sites.google.com/site/directadmitnursing/home[/url]”>https://sites.google.com/site/directadmitnursing/home&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good Luck in your search. With your grades and SAT and extra curricular activities, If I were an admissions officer, I’d seriously look at your application. (We would also suggest doing Face to Face meetings when you visit the schools with someone from the Nursing Department)</p>

7

<p>My daughter applied primarily to direct entry programs, even though their admissions stats are usually higher than freshmen admission stats for 2+2 schools. During the school visits we heard scary stories about there being four or more applicants for every seat in the nursing programs, even for the schools that weren’t as selective. She found it very intimidating to think about having to apply for nursing programs only 1-1/2 year after the college application process. </p>

<p>She was also concerned that she’d probably be limited to applying to fewer programs if she wanted to include some backup applications, since the prereqs wouldn’t be the same for all schools. She was worried that schools might favor their own undergrads too, even if she found other nursing programs to apply to. She was worried about getting college grades high enough to keep her competitive, if some of the premed, chemistry, biology or other hard-science students decided to switch into nursing at that 2+2 mark. </p>

<p>While the 2+2 programs expressed confidence that they could cover all of the material in 2 years, the 0-4 programs told her that their 4 year program permitted a broader nursing education. I don’t know if that’s true, or just marketing. </p>

<p>Anyway, my D wanted to KNOW that she was in a nursing school, and to start having her nursing classes as soon as possible. Something else to consider is that my D has been able to get a job in a nursing setting (making a decent hourly wage) as a rising Junior in a 0-4 program. In a 2+2 program, she wouldn’t have had nursing classes yet.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if a student isn’t 100% sure about nursing, the 2+2 programs give the student an opportunity to weigh other careers before making a commitment. Some of the 2+2 programs are at very appealing schools.</p>

8

<p>Mm, thank you both! I checked out the thread on Direct-Entry Schools but it’s missing a bunch of schools in MA - it seems all UMass schools are direct-entry, as well as most other state schools, but they weren’t mentioned; maybe it is common knowledge but it makes me worry that other schools are slipping through the cracks as well. </p>

<p>@Neon; I see your points. On my visit to UMD I was given a tour by a senior and a sophomore and the senior had been working as a CNA since the end of her sophomore year. My mom and I were blown away and that basically sealed the deal. Even though I sometimes wonder what other things I want to do, as far as a career goes I cannot picture myself as not being a nurse!</p>

9

<p>From the little bit of research I’ve done, it seems that most northeastern colleges are direct entry, while most colleges south of the Mason-Dixon Line are 2+2. I was amazed to see how very few direct entry programs there are in Maryland, for instance, and one of those is an all-women’s college.</p>

<p>For direct entry nursing, it generally makes sense to apply to colleges that are one tier below where you normally would expect to be admitted. Look for the quality of the nursing program, not the prestige of the college as a whole. </p>

<p>Those less selective colleges also have an advantage of offering non-nursing classes that are not extremely competitive, which frees up time that a student needs to handle the nursing workload and clinicals. If you are competing with hard-core hyper-competitive premed students in your english and math classes, that can be stressful.</p>

<p>Also, try to pick a college where you will not need to work during the school year in order to afford it. Some nursing programs specifically say that nursing students should not have jobs during the school year.</p>

<p>I would stress direct entry applications, but keep some 2+2 schools on the back burner if needed.</p>

10

<p>I think direct-entry is the best way to go, too. My mother and my sister both went to a regional university, took the prerequisites, and applied to the nursing program. Now, neither one of them had stellar grades and TEAS scores - but my mother has been an LPN for 10 years, and neither one of them was admitted to the nursing program. It was all about having a 3.6+ and high scores on the TEAS.</p>

<p>Why can’t you apply to some community colleges, and get your RN and associate’s degree? Then you can work as a nurse and do an RN-to-BSN program.</p>

<p>The other option is to apply to some DE programs and some non-DE programs, and when you get the results in April to decide then what you are going to do. In the event that you don’t get into the nursing program, you could do an accelerated BSN program for a year after you finish. Not ideal, of course.</p>

11

<p>Elleya,</p>

<p>Let me just say you made a life-changing decision when you decided NOT to attend Saint Anselm College. 60-70% of all students receive a C or D grade. I graduated in 2006, and I have thought about this for quite some time, and I can honestly say with all of my heart that I do not recommend this school to anyone. There is absolutely no reason to attend this school as opposed to UNH, or Dartmouth. The grade deflation policy at Saint Anselm is brutal. I graduated with a 2.5 GPA and cannot be a psychologist because I can’t get into grad school. If I went to UNH for example, UMASS, Salem State, whatever, then I would have earned minimum 3.0, probably closer to a 3.5 GPA. I repeat, because of their grade deflation policy: do not go to Saint Anselm College.</p>