Crossed off:
Temple University: I actually got a great first impression of the school from the diversity (saw people of all types of races and religions), the size/spirit (I’ve always wanted the stereotypical huge school with lots of school spirit), and the area (I’m a huge fan of cities, since I’ve been a suburb girl my whole life). However, the nursing building is WAY off campus, and I’ve heard too many stories about gang related activity near the building. My tour guides had no idea what there were doing; we asked 3 different guides where the nursing building was and we were lead to the craziest places. It took someone who WASN"T a guide to finally lead us to the building. Parking was crazy; although i don’t plan on driving in college, my parents should not have to stress that much about parking when they want to come visit me. I also was rejected for their nursing program, and instead put in public health. Higher rated nursing programs took me in, or at least waitlisted me which is very strange.
Drexel- Never ended up applying. Decided the high price and the poor financial aid reviews was enough to save me the application money. I loved the size/spirit, and the city. It’s actually in the same city as Temple( Philadelphia).
UMaine- The extreme lack of diversity and just how unfamiliar the area would be to me (I live in the nj/nyc area) was enough to make me decide not to apply. I’ve heard mixed reviews about their nursing program as well.
Alvernia- Perhaps not as well known, but their nursing program seems respected enough. Great merit/financial aid, but decided I would be bored/misreable on campus since the area didn’t seem exciting. Small size (2k students) didn’t help either.
Moved Down-
UMAss Lowell- They gave me decent money, but i just couldn’t ignore the horrible reviews about the local area/safety. I did admire their efforts to eliminate their suitcase school reputation. I loved the size and the spirit. But safety comes first. Also, the nursing building isn’t the easiest to get to, I heard.
Quinnipiac- Seems like a great school; although it’s not a huge school(9k students i believe), they have spirit and it seems like they know how to have fun. HIGHLY respected nursing program. However, the population is very homogenous in several ways, and I just didn’t see myself fitting in. Gave horrible financial aid, even after I sent proof that my father is terminally ill. Still, it was an honor to be accepted into this program.
Moved Up-
York College of PA- It’s a small school(4-6k students), and this was a turn off for awhile, but their job placement and nursing program overall is just so great. I heard course load is very manageable. The local area seems enjoyable enough, and their tuition was the lowest out of all my schools. MAYBE would have committed here, but they unfairly told emailed me one day that in 2 hours, their 4 year nursing program would be closing and that if i wanted to secure a spot, I would need to put down an enrollment deposit within those 2 hours. I hadn’t even received my financial aid from them yet, all I had was the merit aid! I was annoyed, and decided to let it go.
Duquesne- This has been within my top 3 schools since my junior year. It’s not a huge school, but it’s not small either; with around 10k students, it’s definitely a medium sized school, which is still nice. The class sizes however, are small which is great for a nursing major. The school spirit has mixed reviews, but seems to be alright, especially for basketball, which is what the school is known for. The population isn’t very diverse, but it’s definitely WAY better than Quinnipiac and UMaine. I’ve intereracted with many students of different races/backgrounds on facebook/twitter. VERY generous with merit and financial aid. Gorgeous campus, and it’s in Pittsburgh, an awesome city. Area has a great safety rating. Nursing program is very respected, and i’ve never heard anything but great things about job placement. The staff and student body seem friendly enough. My dad fell in love with their simulation lab.
I’ll be attending Duquesne this fall 