<p>This student wants or needs a private bathroom. Those are VERY rare in freshman housing, and this is something that should have been verified prior to applying. I still say…you have options…you just don’t like them. It sounds to me like you wanted to go to Penn…didn’t get accepted there and now nothing else will work. I hope you can revamp your “dream” and make it work. It does sound workable from this vantage point. Why not major in just nursing at the school that CAN give you housing…then get a masters in finance?</p>
<p>In all honesty - I don’t think this kiddo has really thought it all out yet - doing a nursing program with another major is darn close to impossible because of the requirements and clinical time involved - and it will take 5+ years to do so at the very least. Being a devils advocate here - if this kiddo wants to go into nursing - get that done 1st - then consider other options after that - like hospital admin - or finance - or law school - or even health care para-legal - but I think this kiddo is somewhat dreaming.</p>
<p>And I also have to agree that nursing slots are soo difficult to get into - and yes - that nurses are gravely needed - it would be a shame for someone not that interested in being a nurse taking one of those slots - there are other ways to reach the ultimate goal.</p>
<p>I would love to do that, but I only was able to apply to Tulsa and SLU. (I was on homebound during app season) I need another school to apply to. Tulsa has an out of date nursing program. The private bathroom is a must for medical purposes.</p>
<p>PENN - where do you get off saying that a school has an out of date nursing program - You complainith toooo much - you have some good options on the table - you need to find a way to make them work and not feel sorry for yourself!!!</p>
<p>You got accepted to 2 decent schools - with some bumps in the road - now you need to find a way to make whatever it is you need work. It is only April - there is time to assert yourself and get your needs met - if housing is a problem for you - work on it - the squeaky wheel does get the oil… Have you done ALL of the paperwork needed - doctors letters and all - to get a private room - have you appealed the process that now denies you the private room - in a mature manner?? Have you researched all the possibilities that could make it possible for you?? You may have some homework to get done.</p>
<p>If I were you - I would really think long and hard about what you want to do most and then follow the road that gets you there.</p>
<p>You could get your RN at a community college (though the nursing program at the one where I live is substantially more difficult to get into than Penn), and then get on with the rest of it. And by then, things may look very differently to you.</p>
<p>PENN - with what little that you have said about your health condition - and being in and out of hospitals most of your life - and having to be out of school alot during app season - do you REALLY think that nursing is the right/best direction for you to go?? I ask because I know first hand - how difficult and competitive - not to say how demanding it is. Have you really thought about this - you will not be able to miss very much in regards to classes/labs/clinicals/etc… and to include being exposed to alot of things that could well put you at risk. I don’t want to burst any bubbles - but nursing schools can be a real bear to get thru in one piece.</p>
<p>MINI that is an excellent idea!!! Having an Associates in Nursing - 2 years - would open lots of doors - and let the remainder of the education process head in the next direction that this kiddo may want to go.</p>
<p>I really do think it is a good idea. But where I live, one would need to spend a year on pre-reqs before even entering a two-year RN program (I know, because my wife did it), and the weed-out is fierce. In my wife’s year, there were 9 required courses. Admissions were strictly ranked according to GPA, and they didn’t care whether you took those courses at Harvard or Podunk. To get in, you needed 8 As and 1 A-minus. Anything less, and you didn’t get in (though some of the rejects went to University of Washington for four year degrees.) Two A-minuses and you’d be history.</p>
<p>Penn, you can’t “cover all the bases” when it comes to college degrees. Understand that nursing and the legal system are drastically different. You talk about fixing the healthcare system; there are two approaches to doing that. </p>
<p>If you want to fix the heathcare system in the aspect of <em>law</em>, become a <em>lawyer</em> and go to SLU (how are you “in” law school at SLU? are you in a pre-law program that gurantees admission as long as you keep a 3.3? even those programs require you make a certain score on your LSAT as well to guarantee admission). Live off-campus if you can’t get the accomodations you need on-campus.
Option: Does SLU not have other on-campus housing like apartment housing? If you explain your condition to counseling and disability services, and have them help you coordinate with the residence life system there, I’m sure that if it’s reasonably serious, even as a freshman you might have access to housing reserved for upperclassmen. </p>
<p>If you want to fix the healthcare system in the aspect of <em>health and medicine</em>, become a nurse/doctor/pharmacist/technician/any health professional. Later, there are double and joint professional degrees avaliable that bridge the buisness side, such as nursing/business (be an administrative nurse with an MBA) and medicine/law (there are JD/MD and JD/Ph.D. degrees, though they’re terribly intensive; also Pharm.D/Ph.D degrees). </p>
<p>Nursing will <em>not</em> “give you an edge” in law. If anything, you’ll be taking up space in the nursing program where someone whose <em>dream</em> is to become only a NURSE could have been. </p>
<p>If you don’t know exactly what you want to do, either take the year off and take some introductory classes at a community college to get the feel for both or go to a school that doesn’t allow you to declare ANYTHING until you finish your freshman year (there’s a lot more schools doing this; I’m going to one and truly it’s a better thing). So much will change over the first year that probably you’ll be in a totally different place wanting to do something else - it’s common.</p>
<p>FWIW I used to live in Tulsa. Cool place.</p>
<p>If you want to fix the health care system in America, become a politician. (I am not being sarcastic.)</p>
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<p>Oh for crying out loud. Then why did you bother to apply there. Oh let me guess…you didn’t find out it was outdated until after you got your letter of rejection from Penn. If your health issues are as serious as you are making them sound, I would say ANY double major should be viewed cautiously. Go to Tulsa. It’s a great and underrated school with lots of options for you.</p>
<p>I know some nurses who graduated from SLU…and they are wonderful. I can’t believe that school wouldn’t work with you on the housing issue IF your health issues are able to be substantiated.</p>
<p>MINI - what you say is true - many nursing programs - Assoc/BS have scoring systems for students wanting to get into nursing - they take the cream of the crop - which they should. I know several very good students who have struggled to get in and stay in nursing programs - and they certainly did not expect that situation.</p>
<p>Our local community college also has an incredibly competitive RN program - and many who do get thru it - have their RN - and then go on for the BSN or MSN at our state U - it can be a tough river to row tho.</p>
<p>THUMPER - ME thinks this kiddo didn’t get into where they thought they might/should have - some pretty high powered schools - and is now having to consider 2 schools they really don’t want to go to. Me thinks they might think that these 2 schools are below them!!! uugghhh</p>
<p>I know this sure can be difficult - but - being realistic - it is probably hitting close to home for this kiddo - wants something they can’t/didn’t have/get. Time to move on and be grateful for the acceptances they DID get - and make the best of it.</p>
<p>Pennhunter,
What is the nature of your illness that you require a private bathroom? Could you be in a suite or does it have to be totally private?</p>
<p>Penn does offer dual BSN and other degrees for those who have asked. I think they can be done in 4 years, but the web site does suggest it may take longer.</p>
<p>… but the web site does suggest it may take longer. </p>
<p>I would bet that any double major that includes nursing will definitely take longer - unless the student starts college with quite a few accepted cc/AP credits to cover quite a bit of the required courses.</p>
<p>Penn- You sound like a highly motivated person and I congratulate you on having such socially oriented career goals.</p>
<p>My suggestion is that you actually examine the curriculum and required courses in both the nursing and finance majors. I think, based on what you’ve posted, that 60-70% of what they teach is not actually going to be of interest to you. Finance is a pretty helpful discipline for learning skills like valuation modeling, i.e. how to look at a company like IBM and determine if the stock market has overvalued or undervalued the price per share, etc. If what you want to learn is how to look at a budget or run a hospital system, you may find that an undergraduate program in finance is overkill on a lot of dimensions, and under-delivers for the skills you need. </p>
<p>Similarly, a clinical nursing program is going to be heavy on the patient care/anatomy and disease management piece, and very light on organizational behavior, epidemiology, statistical analysis of various populations, etc. Net-- you’ll come out qualified to take care of patients, but not qualified to fix the health care system.</p>
<p>Law school? That I just don’t get at all, but since in the US you can’t study law as an undergraduate, that’s a far off decision anyway and I’d count it as mostly irrelevant for the purposes of your current decision.</p>
<p>So, If you were my kid I’d be telling you to start off whichever college can best meet your health and welfare needs, be a Freshman like everyone else, have a sense that your long term career goals may include public health, hospital management, public policy in the wellness arena, and then see where college takes you. If you want to fix the health care system, get yourself a solid undergraduate education and while you’re there, a couple of internships or research projects with a professor will help you identify the best fit for you to do that.</p>
<p>And fyi-- strong performance in a rigorous statistics class is going to be much more valuable than being a finance major. Have you read the course catalog for finance???</p>
<p>OK…I’ve been thinking about this thread. The OP clearly doesn’t have a good idea of what she wants to do. That being the case, maybe a gap year would be a good idea. She could volunteer extensively in a hospital or clinic…get an idea of what is what. Maybe by next application time, she will have a clearer idea of whether nursing is really what she wants to do (I honestly do not believe so), and her applications to schools will better reflect what she thinks she wants to do with her future. BUT…here’s the rub. She is implying that there is a significant health issue. If she does not go to college, she will likely not be able to remain on her parent’s health insurance plan. I would suggest that she research the costs of COBRA for health insurance or the cost of private insurance (which may be difficult to come by with a preexisting condition). Also, another thing to consider…an acceptance to Penn is not guaranteed even after a gap year. But hopefully during the gap year, she will craft a better list of schools to apply to…schools that include safety schools she wants to attend. I went and read some of her other posts…and clearly, her safeties were not schools she wanted to attend. The adage…“love thy safety” couldn’t be more true. My free advice…next time around, pick a fabulous safety school FIRST…then put in the match/reach schools. That way you’ll be happy in the end.</p>
<p>Just as an FYI - I practiced health care law for quite a number of years. I do not have a clinical health care degree; that is not necessary to practice health care law, even those involving patient care issues. (I was one of the lawyers on call for emergency consents for incompetent patients.) I got my BA in psychology, and then got a master’s in epidemiology.</p>
<p>Unless you want to practice medical malpractice law, personal injury law, or work for a health insurer, a nursing degree won’t be much help.</p>
<p>CHEDVA - In some ways I agree - but… I also disagree with ^^ - a nurse can also become a paralegal - or medical/legal consultant - so yes - the nursing is a GREAT background - actually a necessity for that :)</p>
<p>Blossom- I had an A both semester in AP Stat. </p>
<p>About Tulsa - their business school is amazing and i would love to go there for that. (Even more than Wharton) I really like the town.</p>
<p>The nursing program is truly out of date and I don’t think you can argue with me unless you have been there. They do not have a SIM person, there nclux pass rate is low, they don’t even practice staring things such as iv’s on humans. and no, I found out it was out of date two weeks before I found out from Penn. IT is really great for you all to be criticizing my career goals. Oh, and yes I do want to be a politician. I want to make life better for nurses and I can do this by getting a finance degree and going to law school. But we all just cant graduate and go into politics. I can handle a nursing program, a clinical based one for that matter. Taking AP’s in high school, having over a thousand hours of community service and, being involved in tons of activities I know what it is like not having much time. </p>
<p>At slu I filed the paper work, had a letter from Johns Hopkins hospital and filed a complaint and I was offered to live off campus. (When I applied I was told different but enrollment increased.</p>
<p>My medical since u all care so much
I have Arnold chiari malformation
Primary immune deficiency
and chrons disease</p>