Providence Scholars for University of Portland

lbwx · Apr 10, 2015

Hey mwpdx,

I just got my email last week saying I was accepted for the ProvScholars program. Pretty exciting stuff! Were you accepted into the program?

I had an interview yesterday at OHSU for the BSN program at their Portland campus. I won't find out if I've been accepted until May, and I've got to decide whether I'm going to accept enrollment at UP before then.

It seems to make more sense to just accept the loan and go to UP with a guaranteed job after graduation. In less than 3 years from now I could be working as a nurse! If I get accepted to OHSU, I'll still be in the last year of school and worrying about finding a job once it's over. I always thought OHSU would be a better fit for me, but I don't think I can really justify it. Hmm, just thinking out loud here. Hoping someone else here has some helpful insight! I'll be at the UP orientation session tomorrow - maybe that will help me sort out some of my thoughts.

mwpdx · Apr 10, 2015

Thats great, congratulations! I was accepted as well! For me this was my dream nursing school option, so it is an easy decision. I can see where you are coming from, though. OHSU is such a highly regarded school and would be a great opportunity as well. One big advantage of UP is only 20 months without an income vs. 3 years, like you mentioned. But I also think a guaranteed position as a new grad is the best benefit by far. Especially if you are interested in acute care in the hospital, these jobs can be difficult to find as a new grad. I also have really appreciated how helpful and supportive the UP staff has been throughout the application process. I am going to the orientation tomorrow as well- maybe I will see you there! :)

lbwx · Apr 11, 2015

All very good points! I haven't had too much interaction with the faculty at UP yet, but I will say that my interview at Providence was really awesome. The woman who interviewed me was amazing, and shared a lot of things with me about her career with Providence and as a nurse in general. I'm barely on the fence anymore - leaning pretty heavily toward UP, but I guess it's good to keep my options open while I can.

I don't know how things will be tomorrow - I'm imagining a little bit of chaos - but if you're at the SoN Transfer Student Info Session, I'll be there and I'm excited to meet potential new classmates! My name is Laura! Hope to see/meet you there!