ASU or GCU? Which school is better?

U.S.A. Arizona

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I got accepted to ASU this week and GCU is telling me that I am "unofficially" accepted. Does anybody have any insight as to which school is better? I have heard some negative things about ASU from RN's that I work with and I have heard good things about GCU from some teachers at MCC. I live in Mesa and the GCU campus (A.T. Still) is only about 10 minutes away from my house. Both schools cost about the same (after a GPA scholarship from GCU) but GCU goes through the summer and ASU does not.

Any suggestions? I would love comments from anyone in either the GCU or ASU programs. Thanks.

I faced the same decision as you did, but at the time, GCU was still 5 semesters. That put the cost over the top for me. I anticipated for the scholarship due to grades while calculating the costs. If there had been only 4 semesters when I went to nursing school, I would have opted for GCU (AT Still). It is much closer to where I live. I ended up getting a bus pass though ASU ($150 for the year) and taking the express bus from Superstition Springs Mall. The bus dropped me off in front of my class in about 30 minutes. I did have to get to the bus stop a little early each morning because they leave on schedule, but I was able to study each morning while on the bus, which was helpful, especially on test days.

I do not regret my decision to go to ASU, but I am confident that I would have received the same quality education at GCU. I have had several friends choose that option. I graduated in May and I am in the thick of searching for a job. I interview at Banner on Monday.

The first semester is an adjustment from previous classes. You are required to bring a lot of information forward and apply it to nursing. The second semester is the hardest in my opinion.

Best of luck to you.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Orthopedics, Telemetry.

Hi Wbthomas,

I am looking into ASU, wondering if you would recommend it? What do you like about it? Does it provide a good learning environment, and do you feel it is worth the cost? I am already accepted and may be starting during the second session of the fall semester.

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I do recommend ASU. The faculty is excellent and they provide a good foundation for knowledge with appropriate clinical experiences. The cost is high, but considering the alternatives, I think it is worth it. Good luck.

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Just to clarify some inaccurate information. ASU's graduate program, not undergrad, is ranked 21st in the nation. So for going above your bachelors, ASU is the better choice. GCU and ASU will both provide the same type of curriculum and the tuition is about the same... GCU is giving me a 3500 scholarship each semester so it's a lot cheaper now. I'd say location and how fast you can get in would be the best choice. Both schools are competitive and almost have the exact same gpa requirements. One last thing to add, GCU takes more students on average because they have multiple sites and facilities. This last year GCU also had better NCLEX pass rates than any other school in the state. You can fact check that bc it's all public info.

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What @Dkraft0713 said may have been true last year, but they are going through a ton of changes. They cancelled their summer program because of the lack of clinical spaces and in the Fall they said that they are mostly going to be accepting their own students over more qualified transfers. Their own student with a 3.0 GPA and mediocre scores over a 4.0 transfer with top scores. I guess that is how they have always done it and this there is no average GPA/Test scores for their entering class. I would say that it is much lower than ASU, but coming this Fall it will be more competitive for transfers. They will have less spots.

Also, they are reducing their scholarship amounts from what I heard from the school.

This whole GCU thing has been a nightmare since the dean left in Novemeber and they haven't been able to get it together since. It was so unorganized this past semester. It is scary.

Lat year I would have said pick GCU because it would have been cheaper if you had a 3.7. That's what I did, but everything fell through and is changing. I don't know what to do for the fall now. I am afraid of GCU's changes.

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They are canceling summer enrollment due to not having enough clinical instructors but they are also increasing one on one tutoring, changes the curriculum to better suite the students, and re-staffing some of the satelite campuses. They are going to select from within their own college first bc in the end the school is for-profit and the college world revolves around money. I will not loss my 3500 scholarship but I would say either school you couldn't go wrong with. Find whatever one is willing to work with you most and for me that was GCUs fast track and competitive entry program. I had more than the required grads for ASU but they only offer traditional or CEP... Fastest way was GCU. In the end either school you choose will land you a job either way. But one last thing, GCU may not have a required HESI score but how would you explain the continued success as far as being a top contender for the highest NCLEX pass rates with the highest amount of nurses in a program. It's quality and quantity that GCU has and the program will not change with the Dean gone. I have yet to be affected and it's been a change in management, not the first nor last time anyone will experience this in their lifetime.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Good for you Dkraft0713

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@Dkraft0713 Do you have a clinical placement for the summer? Most of the people I talked to at GCU don't and are freaking out! What campus are you at? I know the school and the curriculum are great, but they are going through a rough patch, and I don't want to not have a clinical spot at any point.

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Specializes in NICU.
@Dkraft0713 Do you have a clinical placement for the summer? Most of the people I talked to at GCU don't and are freaking out! What campus are you at? I know the school and the curriculum are great, but they are going through a rough patch, and I don't want to not have a clinical spot at any point.

Down here in Tucson we have clinical placement for the summer. UMC Bannor and TMC for PEDS and OB and community health is a bunch of random places since its community health. I feel bad for everyone going through this mess. I have been at GCU since Aug 2014 and it has been rocky at times due to management changes but overall I'm happy to be a GCU.

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I decided not to choose ASU because I found out from my advisor that their program offers MS degree instead of MSN. On their website it shows MSN but in reality they offer only MS. Snicky!

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I decided not to choose ASU because I found out from my advisor that their program offers MS degree instead of MSN. On their website it shows MSN but in reality they offer only MS. Snicky!

I know this is from a while ago, but I think you are talking about U of A?

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Also, at this point in time ASU is 100 times a better choice. This may change in a few years, but GCU needs to get their act together. From my experience, they are a total disaster right now. From what I have heard, their students are always on edge about clinical spots. But ASU is a lot more organized and you can just go to school and rest assured that you will finish the program on time and with excellent clinical spots and organization of the program.

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