<p>I am a high school junior, and I'm having a lot of trouble deciding on a school. I want to go for my bachelor's in Registered Nursing, and these were some of the schools I was considering:
- SUNY Stony Brook
- SUNY Binghamton
- University of Pittsburgh
- Drexel University
- Temple University
I won't take the SAT's until June, but I got a 175 on my psat. My goal is an 1800+ on the SAT.
My GPA is a 3.8. Also, I am involved in multiple honor societies and clubs in my school.
I volunteer at my local hospital as well.
Which school has the best nursing program? Also, which one will I have the best chance of getting into?</p>
<p>I’d suggest applying to at least 5 schools - I’d recommend 8. Not only may you not get into all of them, but you need to compare financial aid. Tuition and Merit and need based aid varies greatly from college to college. Room and board can even vary from college to college, and some colleges charge more for nursing school tuition than for other programs. </p>
<p>Also, the deciding factors for you may evolve over the next year. For example, by the time you make a decision, you may have decided that you would hate or love going to college in a major city. </p>
<p>As far as Temple, keep in mind that the nursing school is next to Temple Hospital, which is a worse neighborhood than the main campus. At Temple Hospital, you would see tons of gunshot wounds and heroin addicts every night, and you don’t walk outside at night. When I looked at their nursing school a couple years ago, there was a burned out building right across the street. A few years ago, the nurses at Temple went out on strike, and they bused in strike breaking nurses from out of state.</p>
<p>It is commonly believed that Pitt has one of the best programs. However, it is one of the harder for admittance.</p>
<p>Some programs in relatively isolated locations may have few opportunities for clinical programs, and may make you drive long distances to get to medical facilities for clinicals.</p>
<p>UPitt is great for nursing! I was going to apply but University of Delaware was my first choice and I got accepted 
In my experience, the PSAT’s were harder for me than the actual SAT! I remember I got around 180 on my PSAT’s but ended up getting a 2050 on my actual SAT. You might have a good chance at getting into all of them but it also depends on your high school curriculum. I’m sure the colleges don’t want to see you slacking off and if you took any courses that could help you specifically for nursing like stat or anatomy, that would help too. Good luck!</p>
<p>Speaking from experience, my Daughter is a Freshman at Drexel. Drexel is Unique in that as part of the BSN Program, you have to have at least 1 Co-Op experience which basically amounts to going out and getting a Job in your field of study for 6 months (No Classes). My Daughter will have 3 Co-Ops and complete the program in 5 years. This allows you to graduate with 18 months of real Work Experience. Also, according to Drexel, 60% of their grads get Hired by companies they have done Co-Op with. (Also according to Drexel, more Drexel Nursing BSN Students are Hired at UPenn Hospital which is right next door to UPenn, than UPenn students.)</p>
<p>Also, just a suggestion, check out
<a href=“https://sites.google.com/site/directadmitnursing/home[/url]”>https://sites.google.com/site/directadmitnursing/home</a>
for a list of Schools that have Direct Admission/Entry as a Freshman. Of the 5 schools you listed, only UPitt, Drexel and Temple have Direct Admission to their nursing programs. My Daughter got into Drexel with a 3.2 and 1750. Like you she had very good Social and Volunteer credentials. The Dean of Admission mentioned that the 2012 incoming class had the highest rate of volunteering in the history of the school.</p>
<p>Another suggestion, when you go to do Campus visits, check out the nursing school websites and make an appointment to actually Meet someone in the Nursing Department like the Dean of the BSN Program or someone like that. We think this helped a Lot.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>thanks so much everyone! All your comments have been very helpful!</p>
<p>I would also recommend boston college and villanova!</p>
<p>I suggest to all nursing students to ask which hospitals will they have their practicums at. Going to nursing school in a city is more likely to give you opportunities to work in teaching environments (meaning affiliated with a med school) which is exposure to more challenging types of patients and a more progressive environment.</p>