Direct Entry MSN Programs 2013

Nursing Students Post Graduate

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Anyone on here applying to direct entry MSN programs that begin in summer or fall of 2013? I think I have finalized my list of programs to apply to, and I am beginning to get everything together to start applying this summer/early fall (I know this is rather early, but I'm a bit anxious and I was wondering if there was anyone else on this board who is just as excited as me!). I am pretty certain that I will be applying to UPenn, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, University of Massachusetts, Boston College, Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Marquette. I am also applying to a few accelerated BSN programs in my state (Florida) - UCF and UF, for sure. I have all of my prerequisite courses completed, and currently have a 3.76, but my BS is still in progress and I have to retake the GRE this summer. I look forward to hearing from other people!

I think top 20 is pretty interchangeable (and some are tied so like Duke says #7 but it's really like #5 if you count the tied ones as one set). Columbia is #21 but it's a pretty good school (and again counting tied ones as a set it's actually ranked higher). So the difference between #3 and #15 isn't that large. Both would be good schools.

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Celticsgirl- congrats!!! I'm still waiting to hear. What specialty are you in? Is anything updated on your agora portal?

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I got into BC too for pediatrics! I got an email.

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I got into BC too for psych mental health!

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Schools are ranked by specialty at the graduate level, so looking at that can be helpful too. I believe Columbia is in the top 10 for CNM, for instance. As a non-nursing example, Indiana University is not generally known as a super-prestigious school, but they consistently outrank even the Ivy Leagues in their non-profit management degree program - so they are an excellent choice for that. It all depends on your specialty and the resources each school has available.

(I also have to disagree that thinking that ranks should be higher because of ties. If there are 20 schools in front of Columbia, they are ranked #21, even if all 20 schools were tied for 1st)

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Yeah I just mean if they are tied it isn't as big of a difference as it sounds (at least to me)

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I got into BC for Women's Health too! Now Im debating between BC, MGH, and Columbia. I did a little bit of analysis on the tuition side of things (and minus the fees for the schools) this what I came up with for costs:

MGH: $104,716

BC: $80,640

Columbia: $138,888

Vanderbilt: $93,458

Can anyone speak to which schools of these are the best? I dont know if I can really trust the rankings because Columbia ranks like 5th for family practice and then ranks 21st over all? I struggle with rationalizing the cost of Columbia because whether you come from BC or Columbia, you are still a nurse practitioner and you will probably make the same regardless - anyone want to speak to that?

Congrats to those of you who got into BC and everywhere else - im sure we'll meet at one of these programs!

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Keats, Columbia does have a 20k scholarship for pretty much everyone. You gotta ask yourself if you want a BSN instead of an RN and what state you want to live in, how big of a program you want, if you want more theory or more practical skills, if you want flexibility to work during the program and if you want to be able to switch specialties... They're all good for different things.

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Keats - the best school for you is exactly that: the best one for you!

Have you had a chance to talk to faculty from each school? Different schools have different emphases on learning strategies, what they think their nurses should be at the end of the program, etc. For me, I want to get my CNM but work in home-births, so I have been asking what sort of practices program graduates go in. If a program emphasizes only hospital practices, then it's not the right program for me - so where do you see yourself working? Are you passionate about a specific topic and there's a faculty member who is an expert in that field? Do you want a bigger program vs a smaller program, situated in a bigger vs smaller school?

Also look at the place you'll live and the cost. It's going to cost you more money to live in Boston or NYC than it is in Nashville, most likely. If you love a big busy city maybe NYC is best. If you want to live in a calm suburb, maybe Boston or Nashville. Where do you want to practice when you graduate? If you want to live and work in Boston, maybe going to a school in Boston is better - you'll get connections during clinicals and have a change to set up your life for a few years without having to uproot again.

For rankings, I think it's most important to look at your specialty vs the overall school. I don't know if they publish Women's Health rankings, though, so you might need to look at acute vs family practice or see where any midwifery programs rank, since they might share some faculty. Name recognition and rankings are all about personal comfortability, IMO - I have chosen not to apply to some schools because they are ranked in the 30's out of 36 programs, but I also went to a highly ranked undergraduate program and know the benefits I received (and continue to receive) from that, so I'll admit I'm biased!

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Bbcc thanks for the thorough info! I know it wasnt directed to me but it helped me a lot!

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Hah, you're welcome! In my current job part of what I do is help graduating college seniors figure out their next step, so I'm used to trying to help people decide between very similar programs or opportunities! Money is a big factor for people, but so is happiness - it wouldn't matter HOW much money Columbia offered me, I would never go because I hate New York!

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Thanks bbcc! Do you think I would be doing a disservice to myself if I went to Thomas Jefferson over Penn or Emory? Idk if I can justify 100k difference and even a 50K difference. This is so tough!!! If I went to TJU I would be doing clinicals in the same hosptials as the Penn students? Does anyone know if in Philadelphia they like Penn nursing students over TJU, or ?

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