<p>My daughter applied primarily to direct entry programs, even though their admissions stats are usually higher than freshmen admission stats for 2+2 schools. During the school visits we heard scary stories about there being four or more applicants for every seat in the nursing programs, even for the schools that weren’t as selective. She found it very intimidating to think about having to apply for nursing programs only 1-1/2 year after the college application process. </p>
<p>She was also concerned that she’d probably be limited to applying to fewer programs if she wanted to include some backup applications, since the prereqs wouldn’t be the same for all schools. She was worried that schools might favor their own undergrads too, even if she found other nursing programs to apply to. She was worried about getting college grades high enough to keep her competitive, if some of the premed, chemistry, biology or other hard-science students decided to switch into nursing at that 2+2 mark. </p>
<p>While the 2+2 programs expressed confidence that they could cover all of the material in 2 years, the 0-4 programs told her that their 4 year program permitted a broader nursing education. I don’t know if that’s true, or just marketing. </p>
<p>Anyway, my D wanted to KNOW that she was in a nursing school, and to start having her nursing classes as soon as possible. Something else to consider is that my D has been able to get a job in a nursing setting (making a decent hourly wage) as a rising Junior in a 0-4 program. In a 2+2 program, she wouldn’t have had nursing classes yet.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if a student isn’t 100% sure about nursing, the 2+2 programs give the student an opportunity to weigh other careers before making a commitment. Some of the 2+2 programs are at very appealing schools.</p>