<p>My junior year will average around 3.3. My Sophmore year GPA was a 3.3 and my freshman GPA was a 3.5. I am top 30% of my class at a Catholic High school </p>
<p>my SAT scores are on the low side. I have planned on focusing on the ACTs and have just taken the June ACT's and waiting on a response.
Math - 430
Reading - 490
Writing -510</p>
<p>By the time I graduate I would have taken 12 honors classes/ 2 AP classes/ 1 dual enrollment college classes
I am involved in Respect Life Leader, Chorus, Stage Crew, 2400 club - Secretary, Art Club, Cooking Club
I've volunteered at the Lansdowne Public Library for 6 years, volunteered at the St Franciius Senior Home and plan on volunteering this summer at the Animal Shelter and my local hospital </p>
<p>I have come up with a list of colleges that I am interested in and I was wondering what my chances were. </p>
<p>I like Bloomsburg and York because they are small intimate schools that financially are a good fit for me. My third favorite is Scranton because I love the campus and the enviornment but they only way I could go is if i get merit aid scholarships and a good financial aid package. If you could tell my chances and help me be realistic about schools that would be great. </p>
<p>Hi @sandypandy1996 There are a few parents here in this forum who know about some of these colleges you have listed. Hopefully they will stop by later to give you some ideas. My D will be a freshmen / 1st year student this Fall ,she didn’t apply to any of these schools so i dont know how selective or how competitive they are. The next SAT test date is Oct, you still have time to test one more time if you want to.Good luck!</p>
<p>I was going to say that Scranton is test optional, but when I checked, that does not apply to the nursing major. So I guess you would have to supply test scores if you are planning to major in nursing. I am not sure if your current SATs would get you accepted to nursing, and I don’t think they would qualify you for much merit aid - maybe some, but not much. One of my kids was accepted to Scranton with scores a bit higher than yours and received no merit money at the time. Also, Scranton considers only the math and reading scores, not writing. Would you be eligible for need based aid? Can you do a test prep course or find some online practice tests to increase your scores?</p>
<p>York may be a good choice financially, although your SATs are a bit low for them as well. Hopefully your ACT results will be higher. </p>
<p>Hopefully you will do better on the ACT. I would do some more prep and take it a second time in any case. As of a couple years ago, ACT offered an online prep program that was very affordable. My daughter did mediocre on the SAT, but did very well on the ACT. The ACT is ideal for students who are better at science than math (which describes most nursing students).</p>
<p>I believe West Chester U.'s nursing program is probably one of the most difficult for admission on your list, and Neumann is probably one of the easier ones. I agree that right now, you would be unlikely for merit aid at U. of Scranton. I don’t think U. of Scranton is worth the full sticker price.</p>
<p>My daughter is at York, and likes it. Among private colleges, it has the most affordable tuition and they offer merit aid. If you can achieve a very good ACT score, the price can come down close to West Chester. </p>
<p>There are a few other nursing programs in eastern PA. that are somewhat less competitive, including Wilkes, Misericordia, Penn College in Williamsport and Alvernia. You can also look into the branch campuses of Pitt and Penn State - I think Penn State may have added a program recently. There are also some hospital-based programs that work with local colleges to offer BSNs, including PA. College of Health Sciences in Lancaster.</p>
<p>I have a d who just finished her freshman year of nursing and also another d who will be a senior in high school and is also interested in Nursing. My d applied to many schools, including three on your list: Scranton, West Chester, and Bloomsburg. She rec’d a nice merit package from both West Chester and from Scranton. I am pretty sure that West Chester and Scranton require at least a 1200 CR/MAth to be considered for merit scholarships. They may also have a minimal GPA requirement as well. Keep in mind, that most of these schools will be more competitive for nursing than for the school itself. I am pretty sure that on each of their websites they state that nursing is very competitive and that you must get your application in very early in the fall. West Chester has a minimum SAT requirement of 1000 CR/Math for Nursing. They also require a 20% ranking for scholarship consideration. Bloomsburg has a minimum SAT requirement of 1100 on CR/Math with a minimum of 500 on each section and a ranking in the 25% for admission to nursing. They have more stringent requirements for merit…if you rank in 20% need a 1250 min SAT wth a 600 min on each section…if you rank in top 10% they require an 1150 min SAT with a 550 min on each section. Have you looked at Widener at all? We know several students who were admitted there with similar stats and rec’d merit. Just make sure that you visit the nursing page on each of the schools you are interested in. Many colleges have very specific requirements for the nursing major and you also need to apply very early.When my D applied for the 2013 fall class, there were some students in our high school with very good stats who did not apply early enough and did not get spots. I forgot to add that Bloomsburg also requres at least a B in high school chem for admission to Nursing as well…just to be aware of that since that is one you are very interested in. Im not sure what the ACT minimums are for the above three schools…my d who is already in nursing had only taken SATs.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree with the above…West Chester is a very popular college in general with our high school in NJ. We have seen students with high GPA s and above average SAT s get denied or waitlisted for Nursing who would have no trouble getting into other majors. I know that most students today are looking for merit aid as well, which is increasing the competition. </p>
<p>Here’s the average first-time pass rates for new graduates of PA. RN programs. Many students who don’t pass the first time pass the second time. Most programs had a drop in pass rates from 2012 to 2013 - apparently there were some changes in the test. Some programs maintain an extraordinarily high pass rate because they force out students who they don’t think will pass the test.</p>
<p>This list is also valuable to tell you who offers RN programs. </p>
<p>I assume you are a PA. resident. Therefore, hopefully, you can afford West Chester, Bloomsburg, Indiana without needing merit aid. Most of the public universities in PA. do not have much merit or need based aid of their own to give out. </p>
<p>Many middle class Pa. students get substantial PHEAA grants if they attend a college inside PA. You will get nothing or next to nothing from PHEAA if you attend a college in a different state. PHEAA publishes a chart online that shows their average in-state grants, which top out at about $4,000 a year.</p>
<p>The easiest scholarship money to receive is from local scholarships and scholarships through your hs, but they are often only good for the first year.</p>
<p>You can also use a community college program as an admissions and financial safety. Some operate RN programs. You can apply to a community college in a different part of the state from your local area, but it typically involves a higher tuition. However, keep in mind that community college RN programs are also competitive.</p>
<p>In any case, apply early and to multiple colleges. The same student may be accepted to a nursing program if they apply in Sept. or October and rejected if they apply in December or January. Some colleges also make students place a deposit (such as in December or January) in order to hold their nursing spot after they are accepted.</p>
<p>If you look at the listing of direct entry programs, you will see that Pa. has an unusually high number of direct entry nursing programs, compared to other states. Most of those programs are not highly competitive. A few others that may not be highly competitive include Gywnyd Mercy College n. of Phila, Messiah University south of Harrisburg, and Holy Family U. in NE Phila. The most competitive nursing programs in PA. are at Pitt main campus, U. Penn, Penn State main campus and West Chester U.</p>