GPA, 3.4 W. (My guidance counselor told me that my school ONLY displays and submits weighted GPA, and colleges can then re-weigh the GPA according to their standards. However, I unweighed my GPA myself, using an online calculator and it was a 3.1)
PSAT- 1730
SAT- 1600 (I’m retaking in October. I’m going to study hard this summer)
-5 APs throughout highschool; AP Psychology (B), AP Comp & Lit (B-), AP Biology (didn’t Start yet), AP Statistics (didn’t start), and AP literature (didn’t start). I get my AP exam scores in 2 weeks. I estimate about a 3-4 on comp and a 4-5 on psych.
-7 honors classes throughout HS
-I’m African American (was born in, and I live in NJ. Parents are from Nigeria)
- board member of the drama club 2 years in a row (points coordinator and secretary)
- Head stage manager for musicals/plays
- thespian honor society
- school mentor club (mentored freshman and younger) (also, lots of volunteering)
-volunteered as a tutor once a week at an elementary school
- played at Carnegie hall with my school and received a certificate. I was 4th chair viola out of 13-15.
-NAMiss pageant state finalist, and spokesmodel category 4th runner up
-relay for life participant
-health careers club
- I work as a learning assistant at a learning center for the past year
I’m very interested in Umass Amherst and Upitt, but I’ve been told those are reaches for me. I also love Stevenson University, Towson University, Duquesne, Rutgers New Brunswick, Adelphi, Cal State Northridge, York College of PA, and Florida southern state. I care about diversity. Atleast 10% African American population is preferred but I can live if it’s less than that. Especially if a variety of other races besides white are present. I go to a very diverse highschool so I’d like a relatively diverse university
Forgot to mention my senior year scehdule:
AP Biology
AP Statistics
Chamber Orchestra
P.E/CPR
Computer Science A (1st semester)/Public Speaking (2nd semester)
fundamentals of Health and wellness (2nd semester)/Personal Finance A (1st semester)
AP Literature
I want to eventually get a master’s degree, preferably right after I get my BSN? My long term goal is to be a Women’s Health/Pediatric Nurse Practioner but before then I’d like to work as an L&D nurse or a pediatric nurse.
Everyone should always start with a list of in-state publics. People have said New Brunswick is extremely difficult for admission. Yes, Pitt and U Mass Amherst are very difficult for admission. It is ok to have a couple reaches, as long as you have a range of applications. A couple of the better publics in PA that are near NJ include Bloomsburg and West Chester U.
West Chester University is very tough to get into for Nursing. I was told the average GPA for students selected for admission into the nursing program this year was 3.8 and up. If lower, waitlisted. Don’t think that just because West Chester is a state school, it is easy to get into. The lower cost schools are drawing high achieving students because of the cost saving. My daughter is planning on applying this fall, and she is nervous. She has a unweighted GPA of 3.93, SAT’s are 1190(M&R). They want closer to a 1250. Studying hard this summer to improve.
Just don’t want you thinking some of these state schools are easy to get into. Your stats should get you into Bloomsburg. Good Luck! My advice is call the admissions office of the schools you are interested in, and ask for the average SAT and GPA of the students offered admission this past year. That way you will know better where you stand. BUT definitely only apply to direct admission nursing programs.
Since diversity is a key factor for you, I’d suggest adding Temple U. However, I know nothing about the quality of their nursing program. You might use Holy Family University in NE Phila. as an admissions safety.
State University of NY at Brockport or at Plattsburgh may be two options for you. Agree with @Mommy43 that admission is getting more competitive. Each school has pretty specific requirements for math and science prep, so make sure you have satisfied them.
As you have asked about the percentage of African American students, Plattsburgh is 7% African American and Brockport is 8% African American, according to collegedata.com.
Not sure how far you want to go, but University of Alabama - Birmingham is direct enroll and I believe 30% African American. Southern schools are cheaper than the northeast schools.
@xjuliet Omg you sound just like me lol. I had very similar stats, also live in NJ, was very interested in diverse schools, etc. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your math & reading SAT score combined? Most nursing programs don’t count the writing score for admission, so be careful when you’re researching schools.
As for nursing programs, you’ve got a good list so far but I suggest researching more. Do you prefer direct entry programs? I only applied to direct entry schools and theres a thread on here with an entire list of those schools. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/859704-master-list-of-direct-entry-nursing-programs-p16.html
I think you should narrow the list down by distance, diversity ratios, tuition price, etc. Since your SAT score may increase, I would wait to rule schools out according to that. Having a few reach schools will be good but make sure to do research on each, because some (like Rutgers New Brunswick, UMass, UPitt) have nursing programs that are VERY hard to get into.
Okay now I’m only gonna tell you this because I’m going to be a freshman nursing student at Adelphi University this fall & you said you were interested in the school. By no means do you have to apply to Adelphi if you don’t want to. But anyway, I definitely suggest applying here! Your SAT score is a little low but if you can get around a 1650 (all) or 1000 (just math & reading), you’ll be good. The campus is medium sized, SO beautiful, & only about an hour away from NJ (I live in northern jersey). The Roosevelt Field Mall (9th largest mall in the U.S.) is only about 10 mins away, the beaches + NYC are 20 something miles away, & there’s a train station on campus. Btw don’t worry about there being a lot of commuters & more boys than girls. I’m pretty sure the stats on college board need to be updated because I went to orientation last week & they had different info. The resident & commuter ratio is almost 50/50 and I think there’s about 60% girls & 40% girls (if I remember correctly). It’s not noticeable at all tbh. Nursing is a female dominated career anyway so we have to get used to all the girls lol. Also, the nursing program here is really great & the most popular major!! They’re actually in the process of constructing a new nursing building right now that’s supposed to open in November. It’s going to be state of the art with new nursing rooms, machines, etc. I also think you should at least apply because the school is extremely diverse. There are lots of African American students (I think 10%) as well as lots of international students. There’s even 1 or 2 (or maybe more, idr) sororities for African American students. If you want more info on Adelphi or have questions about anything else college related, let me know!! 
@mjmansuria15 hey, in the OP. I never got to thank you for your informative answer. I also live in northern New Jersey, and we were looking at pretty similar schools based off your old posts. It’s crazy how alike we are!
I narrowed down to 6 schools and got into 3 so far (Duquesne, York, UMass Lowell) and deferred at 2 (Temple, U of Scranton). Waiting for Quinnipiac (my ultimate reach) but that’s probably a deferral at best.
Do you think it’d be late to apply to Adelphi? I feel like throwing in another school, especially to compare financial aid packages. My parents are pretty much in love with Duquesne(I like it! It’s in a vibrant city with nice, open minded people but it’s a 19% minority population) but it won’t hurt anyone to apply to one more. That fact that I will probably only have 3 choices at this rate is kind of scaring me :S
My combined reading and math is a 1030, but I’m using my ACT instead, which is a 24 with a 26 in writing (which is actually in the 93rd percentile!).
Adelphi sounds gorgeous and my musical theatre/English double major friend also applied there. How are you liking it so far? Be brutally honest haha
I’m taking deferrals as rejections at this point. I don’t really have time to wait until March/April decisions. Nursing spots fill up SO fast, especially at York. I plan on committing (well, putting in an enrollment deposit) within the next few weeks. Might put in 2 deposits (york’s is semi refundable) just to buy myself more time to think
juliet- If you have any questions about Duquesne nursing, just ask. Pittsburgh is a great medical city and lots to do there. The Duquesne nursing program is very good and the new Dean is changing things to make it even better. It is a very rigorous program and all nursing text books and tests are electronic now. Many hospitals for clinical sites and DU is a really pretty campus. Plan on attending the accepted student nursing day in the spring.
@marybee333 do you attend duquesne, or know someone who does? I visited and I liked it. My parents fell in love with the lab and on campus police (it’s very strong). I agree that Pittsburgh is a great town for nursing, and it’s also an amazing college town!
@teiluuuj I absolutely loved Duquesne!!! It’s such a good school for people who don’t have stellar SAT/ACT scores in my opinion. The only reason I didn’t apply there is because it’s lack of diversity. Diversity was like #1 on my list so yeah 
I almost applied to York as well! I stupidly forgot to turn in one thing for my application and didn’t realize until it was too late. Oh well, whatever lol. I think you’ve got 3 great choices right now but if you want another school to compare to, apply to Adelphi! It’s pretty diverse and good for nursing, especially with the new nursing building. Not too far from NJ and you never know, they might give you a decent amount of $. I recommend visiting the college when you get a chance so you get a feel for what it’s really like!
@teiluuuj Oh and so far, Adelphi is pretty great!! I mostly love everything about it except…
I wish the school was a little bit larger and that there was more spirit. All my high school friends go to Rutgers so I just sometimes feel a little bleh. As a NJ resident, I’m sure you know how big and action filled that university is lol. Going to a smaller school isn’t bad at all though. It’s so much easier for me to take advantage of opportunities (like becoming a tour guide, making friends, getting involved) than it is for them. A big school actually would’ve just swallowed me up because I’m so shy and it would have been hard to make myself stand out.
Other than that, the only thing I don’t like is how expensive it is. I knew how much I’d be paying when I committed and my parents said it wasn’t a big deal if I really wanted to go here (Seton Hall aka my #1 choice was slightly more expensive). But I just feel bad sometimes because I could have gone to Pace University (#3 choice) & made my parents pay 50K less. I know I wouldn’t been happy there though because it’s so tiny and basically another high school. I guess a good college experience is just an expensive one lol. There are a lot of on campus jobs though so I’m sure I’ll do something else next year (besides being a tour guide) to make some more money. The bright side (why I won’t transfer to a cheaper school) is that at least as a nurse, I’ll have a good salary and be able to pay my parents back in a few years after graduating. Nurses in NJ and NY make a decent amount too so I think I’ll be okay 
@teiluuuj Oh btw, you might actually get a lot of $ from Adelphi! I got no financial aid whatsoever & only a Dean’s scholarship, but I’m not in a terrible financial situation or anything so it kinda makes sense. It sucks, but I know I’m better off than some on my friends here
@mjmansuria15 i know what you mean about friends who go to Rutgers (I have a few who go there now, and a few who will go next year). I just couldn’t go there because EVERYONE from my school ends up going there(like atleast 20% of each senior class in my school). I just have a strong urge to go to a school that none or very few people from my school attend.
My parents really think I’ve applied to enough schools (I only applied to 6 and out of those 6 I only got into 3 and got deferred at 2…). But I think they’re just saying that because they want me to go to Duquesne. I like Duquesne but I want to at least put a more diverse school on the table, so I think I’m gonna try to apply to Adelphi anyway! I actually looked at that school very hard over the summer but crossed it off for no reason other than to cut my list down.
You can look at stats for each college for the average amount of need met. You can also run financial calculators for each college. You may find the Adelphi offers limited aid. College board’s website says Adelphia only meets 21%, and most of that is probably federal aid available at any college. Duquesne is 84 percent, which is much higher than average. York College is 70% and much of that is merit aid.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-university-search/adelphi-university
@teiluuuj SAME!!! Almost everyone from my high school goes to Rutgers and that’s why I had no desire to even apply there. Anyway, there’s no risk in at least applying, so do it if you really want to. No matter which college you choose, I wish you good luck!