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We could all benefit someday from smart students such as your daughter becoming nurses. UPenn is as good as it gets, if money is no object. Nursing is different than pre-med. There's some overlap in terms of science courses but nursing courses are about the nursing process not medicine per se. Is it intellectually challenging? Traditionally it's a tough major with a lot of attrition (varies by program), but it's as intellectually challenging as one wants to make it. A lot of it is memorization and preparation over grasping some mind-bendingly difficult concepts.
There are a lot of options career wise. I've spent my entire career as a hospital staff nurse, I enjoy the patient contact. It is a tough job though and I see a lot of young nurses today struggle with the transition to work after school. Some leave nursing altogether, others go to grad school to become nurse practitioners or educators.
Penn and NYU are both great schools, if money is no object. Then again, if money were truly no object, I'd encourage my child to get a very good broad based LAC education and pursue nursing after that through a BA/BS to MSN bridge program. That allows people with undergrad degrees in other fields to earn a master's in nursing in about two years. I know Vanderbilt has this option, UPenn and NYU may as well. It's something to think about for students who may not be 100% sure of nursing.
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