Quick summary: I’m planning on doing nurse anesthesia when I’m older but I have to pick a school for undergrad nursing right now. While RU is virtually free for me, UMich is nearly 160k.
Is it really worth it?
Unless your family are already millionaires, this isn’t even a question. $160K is ludicrous
It’s expensive but my parents are able to pay it. I just don’t know if it’s necessary. While it make a difference in my resume for jobs if I have a UMich degree versus RU?
It’ll make a difference, but not a 160k difference.
Not as a nurse anesthetist.
To have such a great RU scholarship, you’re obviously extremely talented. But nursing isn’t a field where your pedigree matters much simply b/c while there’s a steady stream of new nursing grads, the market swallows all of them up w/o blinking. You’ll be vying for jobs alongside Michigan State, Grand Valley, Bowling Green and Baker College nursing program grads – none of you, if you’ve graduated with any decent grades and clinicals, will have any problems getting placed.
Let your parents have a better retirement. Take the RU spot and never look back. If in doubt, ask nurses and doctors you know. Ask them if their kid were in your situation, what they would do.
My good friend, was a house husband when he and his wife had 2 kids. His career had stalled during the recession, his wife was a lawyer. When the kids got a little older, he applied to Baker College for nursing. Got some very fortunate clinical assignments now earns over $100K annually working less than 40 hrs per week as a surgical theater nurse, still able to be a main parent for the kids (his wife’s hours still are terrible).
Unless money is not at all an issue for your family and the $160k won’t make even a dent, then I’d go to RU. If money is a complete non-factor in your house and your parents will happily foot the bill with no hardship (no debt, money for vacations, new cars etc.), then go where you like.
The $160K will pay for your graduate degree. Keep that in mind. Will you parents finance that too? The Michigan nursing school is great and the new building is probably the nicest in the country.
I also agree one should save that $160k even if money is not an issue.