<p>I'm torn... my top choice school has a great nursing program but is a 2+2 school, so therefore I will have to apply into the upper division the end of my sophomore year there :/ On the other hand, I have been accepted into a few schools with direct-entry programs but they are not my first choice. Would it be too risky to go for my top school even though I have been accepted into direct-entry nursing programs else where? Does anyone have any advice regarding the topic?</p>
<p>I think you need more information. How hard is it to get into the nursing program as a sophomore? How many apply and how many are accepted? What is their average GPA, etc? Do you feel you would be able to meet that standard? (considering whether you might be at the top or the bottom of that college’s entering class in terms of stats).</p>
<p>At the same time, there are direct entry programs that may “weed out” many applicants. One in particular refuses to give you a degree if they are afraid you won’t pass the RN test on the first try. How many students entered the program as freshman, vs. how many graduated with BSNs?</p>
<p>How many clinical hours are at each? You might find that the direct entry programs have more clinical hours, which may make their grads more employable, because they need less on the job training.</p>
<p>^^I agree. You need to find out the exact numbers that continue on, and what the basis for that is. One school I visited chose strictly based on GPA and gave no advantage to their own students. They actually chose blind, without looking at the student’s name or college. 300 or so students would apply for 70 slots. </p>
<p>Then again, my D is at a 2 + 2 school. It is less competitive there to advance and her GPA (so far) is 4.0 so we’re not worried. Her school starts new students in both spring and fall so if D needed to finish up or retake a class, it wouldn’t put her a whole year behind. She chose it because of all the other reasons that she preferred the school.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you 
I’ll defiantly have to email the colleges and look into all that. Thanks again!</p>
<p>I would definitely go for the direct entry. Do you really want the pressure of a 2+2? What if something happens. I like my direct entry school, where the dean told me “they’ve got my back.”</p>
<p>true 
but I feel that if I go to a direct-entry school that I’m not nearly as happy with or interested in, I’m always going to look back and regret not going to the school I truly wanted to spend my 4 years at.</p>
<p>There is something to be said for the top choice factor, however, would you regret not going to the direct entry school if you got cut? Not trying to sway you either way, just lay out your options.</p>
<p>Do any of you know of a website or database with which I can search fordirect entry programs in a given state?</p>
<p>The University of Oklahoma is a 2+2 program and I really dont need the pressure equalling that of a med school applicant, because they have extremely high standards for their BSN program!</p>
<p>very good point this is difficult. and magnetic, i dont know of any website, but if you look on each college’s nursing website it should say what kind of program it is. If not, I’m sure you can call or email the admissions office for help!</p>
<p>One thing to do is to call the Nursing Department and ask about their admissions process. Even if you just speak with a secretary this can be very enlightening. When my d was looking at schools she fell in love with Emory. She tried to make an apointment with the Nursing school but they didnt make appointments with high school students but told her she could stop in to pick up some information on the program when we visited… When she stopped in she had a chat with the secretary/receptionist who actually advised her to do the first 2 years somewhere other than Emory - that there was no advantage to applying from Emory and she could get better grades and save money by going somewhere else. Of course the Emory admissions office was horrified when we told them this but they were not able to contradict this with nursing admissions data.</p>