I was recently accepted to both the school of nursing at UMass Amherst and University of Pittsburgh. Although I love University of Pittsburgh and know they have a great nursing program, Umass is much closer (I live in MA), and would not have as much debt if I go here. While Pitt would be easier to get to clinicals, is inside a city known for the health sciences, has a great urban campus and countless job opportunities, is it worth it to go nine hours from home when I also could go to UMass just under two hours from me, has a beautiful rural campus, and could possibly give me a better chance of working in Boston? If anyone has any input on the nursing schools, statistics, or anything at all, I’d love to hear it. Thanks!
How much debt would you be left with each way?
Personally I would be inclined to minimize debt, particularly when choosing between two very good universities. However, it might make our advice more accurate if we know how much debt you would need to be dealing with.
Personally I don’t know the exact numbers yet, but Pitt would be between $25-40k depending on the amount of my scholarship that’s coming soon, and UMass would be almost none since I am in-state
The nursing program at UMass is very tough to get into–congrats, and getting out of college with minimal debt would be a GREAT thing–so many young people today have put getting married, buying houses, etc on hold due to their student loans. UMass nursing is a very highly regarded program.
Did you re-test for the SAT or ACT? What were your scores? Has Pitt already notified you of a pending merit scholarship?
Pitt nursing is great but OOS costs for tuition alone are going to be right at $39,000 per year. Add in room and board and you are looking at close to $50,000 per year. You will need significant merit from Pitt to put costs in the range you are expecting.
Yes there is a pending merit scholarship, I just don’t know how much it’s for yet. I think the only way I would go to Pitt is if I got good money from the scholarship, otherwise I will almost definitely go to UMass. But I think I will be happy at either school which is why this is so tough!
@Tkeele10 interesting. Pitt must have changed their process. It used to be you got a letter in the mail and that was it. I Well good luck and I hope you get notice right away. If you have an excellent school IN state with a good reputation and you can reasonably see yourself attending there then I would never go into debt to go OOS.
Definately UMass. If you want to eventually work and reside in Boston you can do your internships/clinicals in MA and have half a foot in the door someplace. Its closer, much cheaper, you like it…no dilemma. Also, I’m not sure if nursing is like teaching or social work, is the license interchangeable in all states? Is the PA nursing license good in MA hospitals?
Hello and congratulations on your acceptances! As a RN, I would not recommend going into debt for nursing school, if you can at all help it. Once out of school, hospitals typically pay based on years of experience not where you went to school. I have found this to be true working in the Midwest and also when I worked in the Southeast.
You may be able to get a sign on bonus if you are willing to take a job in a much needed area, for example, ICU/CCU but be wary of the intensity and burn-out factor. My niece, in VA, took a job right out of nursing school in the ICU and received a sign on bonus. She learned a lot but it was extremely stressful, especially for a new grad. FYI, if the time requirement to stay on at the hospital in that department is not fulfilled then the bonus needs to be payed back.
Nursing is a great field for those who truly accept the calling and there is great job security in many areas of the country with a wide diversity of specialties. During clinicals, pay attention to the areas that really get you excited and challenge you. I really enjoyed my Surgery rotation. I liked the fact that, no matter how busy the schedule was, you work with one patient from start to finish. I ended up working in Open Heart Surgery, and there I stayed. I realize not all schools offer a Surgery rotation, so maybe that could be an internship opportunity for you to see if you like it. Many hospitals around the country have openings in Surgery and many offer great sign on bonuses for experienced OR nurses. Just my .02 cents. YMMV. Much luck to you for your future!
@rjm2018 agree 100%. Do not go into debt. We know of someone who thinks her BSN from a top 20 school will somehow result in a better paying job that than the BSNs from our local university. She has a very rude awakening coming to her. Go where your budget allows you to graduate debt free or close to debt free.