University of Minnesota vs University of Iowa

I am a Minnesota senior and am having trouble deciding between both schools. I fell in love with the University of Iowa from the moment I stepped on campus and have wanted to go there ever since. On the other hand, I have never loved the U of MN and don’t love the city. I was accepted into the University of Minnesota’s Nursing program and was given an academic scholarship. I was not accepted into Iowa’s Nursing program, but can reapply for standard admission my second year. Iowa also gave me a financial aid package with academic scholarships, but not quite as good as Minnesota. Personally, I would much rather go to U of I, but is it possible that the U of MN’s offer is too good to pass up? Please help a girl out!!
UMN Pros:

  • Accepted into Nursing program for direct admission
  • Awarded scholarships
    UMN Cons:
  • Don’t like the campus (feels too big and makes me uncomfortable being in the city)
  • Lots of people I know are going there

U of Iowa Pros:

  • LOVE the campus, feels super homey to me & can picture myself there
  • I enjoy being 4 hours away from home
    U of Iowa Cons:
  • Didn’t get into Nursing program (wait-listed), so I can reapply for standard admission my sophomore year. There is a chance of not getting in because they only accept another 80 people.
  • A bit more expensive

UMN Price: (with financial aid/scholarships) $15,000
U of Iowa Price: (with financial aid/scholarships) $20,000

I can understand wanting to enjoy Iowa’s campus, particularly if you don’t love city life. At the same time, direct admit to nursing at MN for less money seems like a compelling choice. What would happen if you did not get into nursing at Iowa, so you’d be paying more money and still not getting the program you want? While the health sciences at Iowa are excellent – and without understanding the nuances of clinical training etc. for nursing programs – I would think that there would be more options for clinical training at MN than Iowa, just because of the size of the communities.

Perhaps contact Iowa admissions and ask about whether, and when, there might be possible movement on the waitlist for direct admission to nursing program – let them know that, if you were a direct admit to nursing program this year, you would choose Iowa over MN (assuming the additional $5k is affordable and does not require loans etc.)

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To be honest, I think UMN might be the better choice here, mainly because of the nursing program. You don’t want to go to U of Iowa only to find out in a year that you can’t actually do nursing. College is primarily about the academics so I’d look more into your exact chances of getting into nursing at U of Iowa by calling the admissions office or smth (e.g. when you reapply, is the acceptance rate more like 30% or 70%? If it’s around 70%, then I think it’s worth the risk of going to U of Iowa). The costs are pretty similar so if the 5k isn’t a big issue for your family, I’d base my decision on the nursing component.

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If it were me, I would go to Iowa. (Disclosure: I’m a Minnesota grad.) Financially $20K is not a big difference.

What will happen if you don’t get into nursing? Will you be disappointed, or will life move on for you? Is there another subject you are interested in studying?

Conversely, what if you don’t like nursing? WiIl you be happy at Minnesota?

The only bad choices are being unhappy and being in lots of debt ($50K or more).

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