APU vs SPU vs UPenn vs UCLA for BSN... where to go and what are my chances?

Nursing Students School Programs

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Hi all!

So I am going into my senior year of high school and am very interested in pursuing a BSN. Ultimately I am very interested in becoming a neonatal nurse practictioner, and I can't wait to get started, though I know it will be a lot of work.

I am currently looking at schools with BSN programs, and the four I was looking most at were Seattle Pacific University, Azusa Pacific University, UCLA, and UPenn. I don't know what my chances are, but these are some statistics:

Freshman year GPA: 4.0

Sophomore year GPA: 4.0

Junior year GPA: 4.6

SAT: 2210

ACT: 34

I took a few Subject tests (Spanish and US History) and the AP US History AP test, and I took English Honors and Spanish Honors as well as AP Biology and AP US History. During my senior year, I will be taking AP Statistics, AP Composition and Literature, AP Human Geography and International Relations, AP Goverment and Economics, and Physiology and Anatomy, and I intend to work hard despite the well known senioritis ;)

In terms of extra-curriculars, I am varsity speech and debate captain and I run cross country and also did track and field and was a coxswain on the rowing team. I tutor other kids on the ACT and SAT, babysit, take care of an elderly woman with poor health, tutor junior high kids in math, and am going to be volunteering at a clinic that primarily serves low-income TB patients. I got my Gold Award in Girl Scouts when I did a project with low-income students at a local preschool and taught them about nutrition and made a multi-cultural cookbook and published it with all their family recipes.

I know that some of the schools require supplemental applications and essays about why you want to be a nurse. I didn't know exactly what to write, but I was planning on focusing on how when I was 13 I had brain surgery for a pituitary cyst and how the nurses I had (both horrible and wonderful) made me realize the difference that a good nurse can make in someone's life, and how that inspired me to want to make that positive difference for someone else.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had advice between those four schools or any insight on the application process. I have looked at some other threads as well, and information seems to be very helpful. Again, the ones I am looking at are UPenn, UCLA, APU, and SPU, but I am totally open to other options!

How are the schools? Are they competitive? Enjoyable? The weather? Known for a great nursing program? Any information helps!

Thank you so much!!

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While I can't speak for UPenn or SPU, I can definitely say that you are good for APU and have a fair shot at UCLA.

APU and UCLA have very different requirements; UCLA is more science and math intensive; they require calculus and higher levels of biology and chemistry. UCLA's accepted class size is also much smaller- they usually accept around 30 high school students and around 10 transfer and internationals.

University-wise, do realize the two campuses are very different. APU is a smaller private Christian college whereas UCLA is a large public institution. UCLA is more "busy" with it's on-campus medical school and hospital and is located in a really busy part of LA, while APU is in the suburbs (San Gabriel Valley). Weather will be relatively similar on both campuses, but know that UCLA is right near the beaches.

I would suggest visiting them to get a feel for the campus life- I'd hate for you to commit to a college and find out that you don't like the atmosphere and whatnot :/ Both colleges are known pretty well regionally for their programs, but most likely people will know more about UCLA and UPenn because they are so large.

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Yeah, I have spent a lot of time at APU, and I think the community is great, and as long as the program is considered competitive I would be fine with it - is it known for turning out successful students?

Thank you SO much for the information

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Here is a link of the NCLEX pass rates for both programs published by the CA BRN.

Board of Registered Nursing - NCLEX Pass Rates

In the end I'd say it's more of what you do during your university career (example: getting a good GPA, good extracurriculars/volunteer) that will make you a good candidate for a job than the actual program itself. Both programs look pretty solid from my experiences in applying for schools in SoCal and will prepare you to take the NCLEX. It's only a matter of whether you like the university and program or not.

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Your thread has been moved to the Nursing Schools and Colleges forum where the other school specific discussions are. We hope you will receive additional responses in this new location.

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I don't know much about APU, SPU or UPenn, but I did look into UCLA a bit, as well as UC Irvine (I actually went through with applying to UCI).

I got rejected to UCI, and honestly, I'm actually kind of happy I ended up NOT going there. Both of the UCs that have the nursing program (UCLA and UCI) are mainly desired due to the fact that they are direct entry; once you're in, you're in (i.e. You don't have to reapply to a nursing program after prereqs). That does sound nice, but it's still incredibly hard to get into; there are plenty of CSUs that are easier to get into and have better NCLEX pass rates.

That leads me to my second point. UCI has okay pass rates, and UCLA has good pass rates, up until this past year where they dropped to the 60% range. It may be worth looking into why the pass rate dropped so much. Was it a fluke? Did they hire some professors who didn't meet the standards? Is it something that could potentially affect you?

To me, it seems like UCLA and UCI get pumped up because of the universitys' reputations. Nearly everyone has heard of UCLA, and UCs in general are highly regarded, at least in the state of California. But in my opinion, I'm not so sure they're worth the extra money if you want to go into nursing. I just don't see what they have to offer that other schools don't (besides direct entry to the program).

If you want to be in SoCal, I would look into CSU Long Beach. I hear a lot of great things about their nursing program, and their NCLEX pass rates are consistently in the 90% range. Plus, CSUs are cheaper than UCs. I go to a CSU (not CSULB) and I actually really like it. I feel that I'm getting a better education than my friends at UCs (at least from their stories).

I'm not trying to talk you out of going to UCLA; if you decide that's what you want, then you should do it! I'm just trying to point out some things to you, because I know when I was applying to universities, I let the reputation cloud my vision and I wasn't really paying attention to which school would get me the best education. As I said before, I decided on going to a CSU that isn't very well known. At the time it felt like I was settling, but I'm actually very happy I ended up where I am. The professors are very helpful and accommodating, I'm learning a lot, and I'm actually doing better now than I did in high school. Again, not talking you out of anything, just bringing some perspective to make you think about not choosing a school just because of its reputation, because I know that's what a lot of people (myself included) tend to do with UCs.

Sorry I couldn't have been more help for the other schools, and sorry I practically wrote a novel. Good luck with whatever decision you end up making!

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