Which school should i choose?

College Search & Selection
1

From this list of schools, what school do you think is best for nursing?
(I have a 30 on the ACT and have a decent GPA)

  1. University of Rochester
  2. University of Pittsburgh
  3. Duke
  4. Penn State
  5. University of Maryland, Baltimore
  6. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  7. Adelphi
  8. Georgetown University
2

Where do you live? What can your family afford? Some of these schools are gigantic reaches.

3

I live in New York City

4

What can/will your parents pay? Did you fill out the FAFSA and profile? What is your FAFSA EFC? What is your GPA? Will your parents pay $45,000-50,000 a year for Penn State? Did you apply to the School of Nursing at Buffalo or Binghamton? Are these the only schools you applied to?

5

In another thread you recently said:

Worrying about the costs later is a bad strategy. When you mentioned that in Feb. you were advised to talk to your parents about finances then because it’s a waste to apply to schools you won’t be able to afford.

If you’re depending on need based aid, you need to pay attention to the results of each college’s Net Price Calculator. As a NYS resident, Penn State won’t be affordable if you’re depending on need based aid. I don’t think many (if any) public universities will be affordable. If you had a 32 SAT, you’d qualify for guaranteed merit at the Univ. of AL, but I don’t think there’s much for a 30 ACT. Unfortunately, I don’t think a 30 is high enough to depend on admission at a meets need college either.

Make sure you have a CUNY on your list. If your parents can afford to send you out of the City, maybe add a couple SUNYs to your list too.

6

U Pitt nursing is direct admit, less than 150 are admitted per year and is uber competitive. Your 30 is solid but you will get likely zero merit aid from them (threshold for merit there is 33 ACT).

7

I am going to assume that your current list of 8 schools is your full list:

  1. Duke, UNC, Georgetown are big reaches if not impossible. You will have to at least pay your EFC. What is your FAFSA EFC? Duke and GT will recalculate your EFC using the profile, while UNC will use the FAFSA EFC despite also asking for the profile. In any event if you got in you will be asked to pay your EFC. These are huge reaches for you.
  2. Rochester is also most likely a reach and you will need to pay your EFC.
  3. If you get into Pitt, Penn State or UMD- Baltimore, you will be full pay unless you qualify for a Pell Grant. Can your parents afford to be full pay? A Pell Grant still makes these schools very very expensive - you are out of state.
  4. Adelphi is an academic safety but is very expensive. It is about $55,000 if you live there and about $35,000 if you commute. You may get merit money if the school gives it. If you got $15,000 in merit money then the cost comes down to about $20,000 as a commuter.

What can your parents pay? Can they afford out of state costs at Pitt, Penn State, or UMD-B? You need an affordable list of schools. I would apply to SUNY and CUNY and ask your parents what they will pay.

8

Since you are in NYS, look at SUNY Plattsburgh. It’s a direct admit nursing program and the school gives merit money. My D’s best friend there is now working as a travel nurse 2 years out and loves her life and her career. It’s a very good program and the costs are a lot less than the other schools on your list.

Adelphi is a safety. I toured there a couple of weeks ago with S17, who is looking at a different program there. The tour guides were very upbeat about the nursing program, there’s a new ICU with lifelike dolls that actually give birth, etc. The bells and whistles are probably more than at a SUNY, but you are paying double for your degree, possibly. We didn’t tour the nursing building because my son isn’t going for that. It did seem like a very nice school, however, and we are going to let S17 apply for his program if he enjoys the shadow day he is doing next week.

As for CUNY’s, Hunter and Lehman are known for their nursing programs. Queensborough CC has a good entry program and you can get your pre-nursing done for very cheap, but it’s a commuter school. Years ago, housing at Hunter was given to nursing students but I am not sure if the same prevails now. Lehman has some residences but it’s primarily a commuter school.