Hi! Im a rising senior who is an international student from south Korea, studying at HS in NY. I plan to take BSN in college and become RN.
my weight gpa: 4.4, uw: 4.0
1270 sat (gonna retake in fall)
im taking emt class at school in my senior year and will get a license next june.
im thinking of only applying to 10-15 schools and i currently have more than 20 schools on my list so I have to get rid of some lol
My question is do you think it is worth it to still apply to schools that are not direct admit and extremely hard to get in such as uflorida, unc, or fsu. As an international student, i think the odd to get accepted to the program will even be lesser and that’s what im mostly scared of. I know a lot of ppl say schools dont matter but Im planning to immigrate to the us in the future so i need more specific and advanced plans than others. (so schools do matter to me a little ig!)
I would appreciate if you can share some opinions about some schools on my list!! As of now my top choices are usf (no direct entry) & clemson
schools im thinking of applying to are:
georgetown, boston college, villanova, umichigan,
unc chapel hill, uflorida, umiami, usf, fsu, utampa, pittsburgh, utk, cincinati, binghamton, university of south carolina, clemson, umd, texas a&m, tcu, university of delaware
Prestige really doesn’t matter for nursing. Good clinical experience and passing boards is all you need. Paying top dollar for a nursing degree isn’t necessary or even recommended unless finances aren’t a concern.
I’ll use Pitt as a reference. They only enroll 200 students every year. There’s only so much room for clinical rotations. Your SAT score would be in the bottom quartile. Your GPA is fine.
Pitt is direct admit and there are a lot of clinical opportunities on campus. You don’t have to commute to get experience. That’s why they get a lot of applications. It’s very competitive. Other direct admit programs will also be very competitive.
I think you have a lot of reaches which is fine but you need a plan B. Good luck.
Just to add…I’m not necessarily recommending Gannon or Duquesne but there are plenty of schools that fly under the radar but prepare you for a career in nursing. Expand your search. Do your own due diligence. The key is clinical experience. It’s become tougher post COVID for some schools.
What’s your immigration status? I ask because if you’re considered a permanent resident of the U.S. then I believe that your application will be reviewed as a domestic applicant. If not, however, then it will be reviewed as an international applicant and your family will need to show proof of funds to cover your college expenses before you can receive a visa. At one point I think it was multiple years of college expenses, but it may now have been reduced. Perhaps @kelsmom, @MYOS1634, or @DadOfJerseyGirl might have more information?
Additionally, what is the budget per year that your family is willing and able to pay? Georgetown, Boston College, and Villanova will probably be $80-90k/year. U. of Michigan is about $75k/year. Are these prices affordable for your family?
I agree with the others. Prestige of school makes no difference when it comes to nursing. The ONLY thing that matters is passing the NCLEX after school is over. If it were me, I would just apply to very affordable colleges where you have the best shot at getting into a nursing program. There is no way on earth I would pay crazy tuition for a BSN. Nobody in the nursing hiring world is going to give 2 hoots where you got your degree - only that you have a current nursing license.
To get a student visa (F-1) the applicant has to show proof of available funds covering all expenses for at least the first full academic year, and reasonable assurance of continued funding for subsequent years.
If OP is already in the US and not a permanent resident alien, I am guessing she’s on a work related dependent visa (H-4 or L-2), in which case she does not necessarily need to switch to a student visa. However, the latter provides the ability to work as an intern, or get a year of practical training work experience (or 3 if it’s a STEM degree) after graduation.
There are three things that come to mind right away.
The first is your budget. What can you afford to pay? What can you or your parents afford to pay for a full 4 years of university without taking on any debt?
The second thing that comes to mind is that I am wondering whether or not the various public universities in New York State would consider you to be in-state. If so, then the various SUNY’s and CUNY’s would be very much worth considering. They are most likely worth considering even if you are not considered to be in-state.
And as others have already said, “prestige” does not matter for a nursing student.
Take a look at SUNY Plattsburgh and the CUNY schools. Nursing will still be competitive compared to other majors- where you are in the mix depends on the applicant pool, but you appear to be a good student.
I think you have quite a few reach schools on this list, and they are quite costly.
At this stage, but she will if she turns 21 during the degree. The point about differing work authorizations dependent on visa probably matters too. If she has a green card she’s fine on all counts, but I would have expected her to mention that rather than “planning to immigrate” if that was the case.