My daughter got into all 3 schools for nursing, honors colleges at UMass and Westfield, and with a large merit scholarship at Elms. We would have to take out private loans for any of them as it is but all are fairly local to us and an option would be to on campus housing for freshman year (I think this is important) and live at home after that to save in that regard.
Finances aside, does anyone have any advice for one over the others. Elms was her 1st choice until she visited UMass but it’s so big I am not too excited about that idea for my quiet introverted kid.
Congrats on her acceptances and having options! Looking at the 2014 NCLEX pass rates I would go with UMass. The honors college also has good reviews.
I think the larger school also might have more opportunity to find people she can click with as well as established programs for things like study abroad if that is something that interests her. My D is one the quiet, non-party side so I do get the big school concerns though.
I am just starting to look with my daughter but a number of people I have asked said the pass rate should be a top priority when looking for nursing programs.
Ranking wise, UMass Amherst is better ranked than Elms and Westfield. The size of the school can be a problem for some students though. The next best would be Westfield State.
@kgoth43 - UMass Amherst Honors College would be my first choice. The Honors College is self contained and all the honor students live together - a small college within a large university. Your daughter would be with other like minded students. There is also a Nursing Living & Learning Community in the Honors College where she could live which would further bring the university into a manageable size for her. There is no sense in going in debt for a private school. Also, UMass Amherst has a stronger reputation for future employment than your other choices and I believe their 2015 NCLEX passing rate was close to 100%. You had mentioned that your daughter is quiet and introverted - maybe an eclectic environment like UMass would bring her out of her shell. Since nurses care for the patients and work with the medical professionals on a daily basis, in the work environment she will need to be able to interact and communicate with her co-workers and the public. Nursing is a very people oriented profession.
Thanks for the replies to my first question! She has since been accepted at Mount Holyoke, which does not have nursing but gave the most financial aid. They do have a “pre-health” major, which I don’t really understand. It looks like her decision is now between UMass for nursing and MHC for ??. It comes down to the visit at MHC next weekend, as she has been to UMass already. Thanks, though, for confirming UMass for us for nursing
Thanks for the update @kgoth43. Just curious - what is her “goal” for a job? (I understand that can change!) Does the MHC come out less expensive then UMass with the package?
If MHC is cheaper than UMA, I’d choose that over the other 3 unless she is absolutely sure she wants a nursing program. She could always start at MHC and transfer to UMA after two years if her interest still lies in nursing to obtain her BSRN, but unlikely she could do it the other way around because she won’t get the financial aid from MHC transferring in. UMA and Westfield State should remain the same price. My daughter is in her second semester at Skidmore and has changed her mind about her major a third time now. Most high school seniors aren’t truly sure what they want as a career and so I believe they should keep their options open. Of course, she will most likely be taking the same classes at any of the four schools in her first two years.
For most of the schools that my daughter applied we were told it is very difficult to transfer into the nursing program., so be careful to count on that option.
@kchamp Her job goal was always something medical. She is very interested in genetics and pathology, so something in either of those fields is a possibility. She is now talking about a major in biochem.
@NEPatsGirl Thanks for that about the financial aid - it’s something I had not thought of. She has proposed going for the bachelors at MHC and then, if she is still interested in nursing, going for the accelerated RN program at UMass.
I don’t know anything about the accelerated RN Program but it sounds like a great plan. It gives her four years and a bachelors in the pre-med/health sciences if she is still interested in that route to decide. My daughter went from Bio/Math to Math/Chem and is now considering Math with CS or Engineering…lol. She was so sure she wanted to major in biology and now, a year later (and 10 courses in) her focus is definately on Math and still unsure about which direction to take that. I hate to see a 17 year old get “stuck” in a pre-professional career track if they are not absolutely sure. Of course, I work in health care, and if you have to get “stuck” LOL, nursing is a lucrative place to be.
