My daughter is a junior with very high grades/test scores and wants to do nursing. So far we’ve toured the following schools:
U Penn
Georgetown
UVA
Villanova
Boston College
Ohio State
Case Western
Wisconsin
Michigan
Marquette
She wants a traditional college experience and prefers schools that have their own hospitals/clinicals and direct admit(she didn’t like Villanova as much as Georgetown for example).
Still planning to look into UNC Chapel Hill, UCLA, Emory, Pitt, and Rochester.
Would love some other suggestions for top programs. The admit rates are so low for nursing it seems hard to determine which schools would be a target?
The good news about nursing (seriously, I’m not being snarky) is that there are multiple on-ramps even if she doesn’t get into the direct admit program that meets all of her other needs and interests.
I know young people now happily working in PT, OT, speech, epidemiology, health care policy (she’s got a really cool job), device manufacturing, workforce design for large hospital systems, etc. who only wanted nursing at age 17.
Not to discourage you-- but there are some terrific healthcare careers that many HS students don’t know much about!
If it’s so competitive, what if she doesn’t get into one ?
Besides Marquette, what’s her safety. SLU is highly talked about. How about UTK or VCU ?
I do know when I go to the Dr or when my dad is in the hospital, and I looked people up - most were not from ‘top’ schools and many nurses from the Philippines. I think the where matters less.
Because she wants a traditional college experience, at some point I think she’ll also apply to other colleges in line with her stats and would do a BS in a science major and then apply to schools that have a one year BS to BSN program.
Undergrad colleges do a much better job gatekeeping med school applicants than a HS could do.
Any HS kid with even a modest interest in a “helping profession” is encouraged to apply to nursing school in my area. Some just don’t have the aptitude. Some don’t have the work ethic. Some can’t stand the sight of blood, can’t stand the smell of feces, don’t like “touching strangers”.
So sure, lots and lots and lots of nursing school applicants which drives down the admissions rates. It doesn’t mean it’s actually harder to get into nursing school than it is to get into Med school!
In California only TWO UCs have nursing UCLA has 40 seats (over 10,000 for Liberal Arts) and UCI has 40 seats. And only 2 CSUs have direct admit–our state population almost 40 million! So Nursing is VERY hard to get into. Not a single college my D24 is applying to (across the country) has hundreds of seats. I think 150 was the biggest we heard. There is a severe shortage in Nursing Professors…so unfortunately, it’s VERY real to have over a 4.0 and 1500 on SAT and NOT get in.
We’re very aware the schools are hard to get into, we are just looking to see which schools we missed on our list that are also great schools and a traditional undergrad experience. As I noted upthread, she will also plan to apply to some universities without BSN for biology or something else in science and could then go onto a BS to BSN program, which seems to be available to Duke, Vanderbilt, JHU and a number of other schools. She doesn’t, for example, want to go to community college just to get ahead 1 year in nursing, she’d rather do a BS to BSN.
I should also note, part of the reason she wants to do nursing is that she has lived with chronic medical issues her whole life and has a deep interest in the field - she has done relevant shadowing and volunteering. Because of her medical issues I don’t think she’d want to go to a “party school” type school. I think that knocks out some of the schools that are good nursing schools, but wouldn’t be a good social fit.
We don’t know stats other than you say they are top - but if top, for a bio major , Marquette will be a very easy admit. Then Ohio State which if she decides on Pitt, will be easier than Ohio State.
If you have a top student, are there any budget concerns or desires ? Because top students get FANTASTIC merit deals at many schools, this making attendance a fraction of the price of some you list and with tons and tons of smart kids as they buy them in. Most schools are party schools - certainly many on your list - and most also will have TONS of kids that don’t - even those rated highest for partying (my kid was that kid at his ‘party’ school.
Top student or not, no one has to go to a CC. That’s a personal choice.
I just meant that she wants a traditional experience, so she’d rather take 5 years to do it than go another non traditional route, that’s all. We will be full pay, so not concerned about the cost of the program. Our in state school has nursing, but you have to basically spend the last two years off campus to do it, so that’s not ideal.
Not sure which state you are at, but SDSU is very popular in So Cal. Doesn’t have itss own hosp, but none of the graduates have problem getting great education and great job offers.
Creighton in Nebraska supposedly is a very solid school.
If u look at the direct admit list, there are definitely less competitive schools although you have Marquette and if she likes it, it’s an easy admit - no idea about nursing.
Don’t know about the hospital affiliation nearby, but you might look at Creighton, Fairfield, SLU, Samford (very religious), U of Portland, U San Francisco and Xavier for easier overall admits.
And if you have OSU, Michigan, UNC types, you might look at ASU, FAU, SDSU, VCU and UNH.
I know you asked for more ‘top’ …I have a friend whose kid was at NYU but had to leave the major (too much partying as it was her dad says) …but I don’t think the where matters and you already have lots of top…and party schools. I think you need the more likely.
If I understand you correctly, she wants a direct admit nursing program at a school that will provide a traditional college experience…or ….a biology major at a school that will provide a traditional college experience (if she does not make direct admit) and doing an ABSN. Is this correct?
SUNY Binghamton has direct admit.
I caution your daughter to add safety schools to her list even if she is a biology major.
Thanks! I think she may apply to a mix of nursing and then also schools that are good for science and just do a BS to BSN afterwards if she doesn’t get a BSN she likes. That opens up her options more.
As for party schools, I think we just want to make sure they have options outside of the partying
Yes, she’ll add safeties. Our in state public is a safety and she’ll probably apply to Marquette and SLU, but I think she’d rather do science at a Target level school than go to a school that’s not a good fit for her just because it has nursing.
If a target level school on paper is Duke or UNC (out of state) and she chooses a science major, I would add a few safeties. If she would attend her instate school as a bio major than she’s fine.
It seems as though she is looking for direct entry nursing at Ohio State (for example) or a science major at UNC, Duke, UVA etc. This is why I suggested safeties.
I think Duke is probably a reach for everyone - but she is in the Target range for some pretty solid schools that I think she’d like and we’ll definitely apply to safeties.
