state school vs ivy league school for MSN?

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I was accepted into a state school and an ivy league school for my MSN in midwifery, starting this fall. (I'm already an RN.) It looks like I'll be getting only loans this first year at either place (my applications weren't complete by the first deadlines, so I was waitlisted, then got in each program, but by that time the scholarships were all gone). I think the ivy league school's final financial aid offer, which I'm still waiting for, will actually cover my living expenses, unlike the offer from the state school, which was only for tuition and school costs, so it may be more practical to go there.

When it comes to finding a job after graduation, does it make a difference where you attend school? I want to attend the ivy league school, but the tuition will be twice that of the state school. I'm thinking there will be many benefits to the ivy league school, like networking; better clinical experiences; more non-nursing students (ie GEPN or direct entry), students who have done other things than nursing; plus the prestige of an ivy league graduate degree. I've also never been to the east coast and would love to live there for a couple of years.

Or is it prestigous in nursing to attend an ivy league school? I already have a MA from a top ten school (religious studies) and this has not made two bits of difference in nursing. (If not the RNs, the MDs do notice these things, however ...)

Is there anyone out there reading this who has inside knowledge about the relative merits of degrees from various schools? BTW, the state school is top ranked, I have no hesitation to go there, it has a wonderful reputation, it's in my hometown, and I want to eventually return there to work as a CNM.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I've been around the block a few times and believe you are best served by picking the school that matches your academic and emotional needs the best. If the school is a "good fit" for your academic interests and you would be emotionally satisfied there, then you will probably get your best experience there. Going to a more prestigeous school that is not such a good fit will not give you a better education and I don't believe the potential benefits (that you mentioned) are worth it.

Only a few people look at such things in nursing -- unless the school you go to has a really terrible reputation. If the school you go to has a terrible reputation, that can hurt you ... but if it is average or above, it doesn't make much difference. Also, note that some of the state schools have excellent reputations. A school's reputation in nursing may be very different than its reputation as a med school or law school, etc. Each discipline needs to be judged separately. A school might have a great English department, but a terrible chemistry department, etc.

Good luck,

llg

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I've been around the block a few times and believe you are best served by picking the school that matches your academic and emotional needs the best.

Good luck,

llg

thanks -- both schools are fantastic with great reputations in nursing and medical research, which is what makes it harder to choose. That's why I'm soliticting advice from advanced practice nurses, out in the real world of looking for a job, does it matter where one goes? How did you all decide where to go? I will wind up going to the one that actually offers me enough money to pay my living expenses. The midwives I work with say go wherever I really want to, don't worry about the money, but get a job with the IHS or National Public Health Service Corps afterwards for loan repayment. I would love to ask these questions on the ACNM listservs but I won't have access to them until I'm officially an enrolled student and can get a membership. It's scary, it's coming down to the wire and I have to give my job notice in two weeks and hire a mover to move across country in any case.

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if it was my decision, i'd go for the ivy league school and if i didn't i'd probably regret it forever. go with your gut!

congrats on your acceptance and good luck with your decision!! :)

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As usual, I agree with llg. It's important to decide which school is going to best meet your unique needs/interests/purposes, and it's not necessarily the school with the best-known name.

I took my MSN at an Ivy (hmmm, probably the same one you're thinking of), and it was definitely the best choice for me, not because of the name. I could have gotten a similar degree somewhere else for a fraction of the cost, but I knew from my research and the interview process that this was the program I wanted and it was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. That doesn't mean that it would be the right choice for everyone, however -- there are so many personal variables that factor into a decision about grad school ...

As a general rule of thumb, the longer you're out of school, the less it matters where you went to school. However, esp. when you first graduate, the (prestigious school) name does open some doors or give you a slight edge -- I guarantee you everyone notices it on your CV right away. (I've never made a big fuss about it -- it's tacky, and I'd rather be noticed for the work I do -- but other people sure notice! Once, when I started a new job just a few years after I graduated, the VP who was my boss dragged me all over the medical center and introduced me to everyone by saying, "AND GUESS WHERE SHE WENT TO SCHOOL!!!!" It was v. embarassing ... :rolleyes: )

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss any specifics ...

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A question maybe a little of out of topic. I am wondering why you would take MSN since you already have so many degrees? Will a MSN really help you with your career?

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A question maybe a little of out of topic. I am wondering why you would take MSN since you already have so many degrees? Will a MSN really help you with your career?

I want to be a nurse midwife -- I cannot be one as a staff nurse, so yes, this will allow me to achieve a career goal. I have one nursing degree (BSN) which is the entry into nursing practice, and I got that in 2 years because I already had a degree. I earned the other degrees before going into nursing. Those with degrees in liberal arts usually can't use our degrees to support our families with -- I was a single parent and my educational goals had to change (ie couldn't get the PhD in religious studies then try for a teaching job in that field).

Most CNM programs are master's degree programs in the USA -- there are exceptions, you can earn a certificate in nurse-midwifery, but I don't want to do that. Every CNM job is open to you with a master's degree and ACNM board certification, but not if you just have a certificate, or if you're a CPM (certified professional midwife, or lay midwife). The MSN is the ticket to jobs, to teaching, &c. It would be nice to just get a PhD instead of another masters, but that's not how it works. There is no direct entry PhD into midwifery. (I'd love to have a PhD but NOT in nursing.)

I have heard that by 2015 the entry level degree for any type of advanced practice nursing will be a PhD, and that primary care medicine will either be phased out, or the two streams will merge, or something -- I don't know the details. Don't know if the MSN will be phased out at that point, or if it will be given along with the PhD, like it is in non-medical fields. Advanced practice nursing has been overtaking and absorbing primary care medicine for some time now.

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I want to be a nurse midwife -- I cannot be one as a staff nurse, so yes, this will allow me to achieve a career goal. I have one nursing degree (BSN) which is the entry into nursing practice, and I got that in 2 years because I already had a degree. I earned the other degrees before going into nursing. Those with degrees in liberal arts usually can't use our degrees to support our families with -- I was a single parent and my educational goals had to change (ie couldn't get the PhD in religious studies then try for a teaching job in that field).

Most CNM programs are master's degree programs in the USA -- there are exceptions, you can earn a certificate in nurse-midwifery, but I don't want to do that. Every CNM job is open to you with a master's degree and ACNM board certification, but not if you just have a certificate, or if you're a CPM (certified professional midwife, or lay midwife). The MSN is the ticket to jobs, to teaching, &c. It would be nice to just get a PhD instead of another masters, but that's not how it works. There is no direct entry PhD into midwifery. (I'd love to have a PhD but NOT in nursing.)

I have heard that by 2015 the entry level degree for any type of advanced practice nursing will be a PhD, and that primary care medicine will either be phased out, or the two streams will merge, or something -- I don't know the details. Don't know if the MSN will be phased out at that point, or if it will be given along with the PhD, like it is in non-medical fields. Advanced practice nursing has been overtaking and absorbing primary care medicine for some time now.

Thanks so much for your explaination. I guess the situation is quite different in Canada here. NP positions are very limited and most of jobs require MSN is on research side.

Anyway, it seems that you have done pretty well in academic life. I am pretty sure you will excel in MSN program as well. Good luck!

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Thanks so much for your explaination. I guess the situation is quite different in Canada here. NP positions are very limited and most of jobs require MSN is on research side.

I've heard Canada doesn't have NPs or CNMs yet, or so I hear from the Canadian RNs I've worked with. I hope Canada gets them. I'd like to work in, say, Montreal or Toronto one day. Canada is a very attractive country, I must say, from a cultural and political view ....

Check out http://www.midwife.org, the website of the American College of Nurse Midwives, for more information on certification, education, degrees, &c.

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I've heard Canada doesn't have NPs or CNMs yet, or so I hear from the Canadian RNs I've worked with. I hope Canada gets them. I'd like to work in, say, Montreal or Toronto one day. Canada is a very attractive country, I must say, from a cultural and political view ....

Check out http://www.midwife.org, the website of the American College of Nurse Midwives, for more information on certification, education, degrees, &c.

I would hope so! CNMs are only certified by provincial bases not by federal gov. I am really interested in advanced nursing but no many chances here. Maybe I have to go to states to get my education.

Canada is a very nice country. But sometimes it is not so good for career development. Everything is very static and no flow. No private hospitals here. Almost all the nurses here are unionized. Everyone makes pretty much same. Sometimes it is good thing and sometimes it is not.

Thanks for your suggestion and I will definitely check out.

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I would hope so! CNMs are only certified by provincial bases not by federal gov. I am really interested in advanced nursing but no many chances here. Maybe I have to go to states to get my education.

Canada is a very nice country. But sometimes it is not so good for career development. Everything is very static and no flow. No private hospitals here. Almost all the nurses here are unionized. Everyone makes pretty much same. Sometimes it is good thing and sometimes it is not.

Thanks for your suggestion and I will definitely check out.

You could attend school here. I'm not sure of details, like financial aid, but you could work here as an RN and there are hospitals that pay you to get a graduate degree: you work part or full time and attend class part time, something like that. There's many Canadian nurses here. They're great! But, hey, unions are at the forefront of change for the good in nursing here in the States. Good luck to you.

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Specializes in Emergency, Cardiac, PAT/SPU, Urgent Care.

I have a friend who is currently attending an Ivy League institution for her MSN and my GYN graduated from an Ivy League school as a WHNP. When I questioned them regarding the program and if they would do it all over again, would they...both of them said no. The friend who is there now says that a lot of her classes are taught by grad assistants which does not make her happy. She also said that it seems like the school is more "research-based" than "clinical-based."

My GYN said that for the money she paid, it just wasn't worth it.

I'm sure that there are many other people who attended Ivy League schools for their MSN degrees and absolutely loved it and would do it all over again. I'm just relaying the info that these two people gave me.

Good luck with your decision!

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