ABSN programs: does selectivity matter later?

[autumn_blue]

Hi, sorry if this has been discussed before; a search didn't come up with anything. I just got interested in nursing and my primary consideration about my ABSN has of course been cost. I'm also wondering -- does selectivity matter, or is it all about the credential? Does networking effectiveness vary from school to school? Although of course I'm concerned about how I'll do on the NCLEX, I personally feel like that'll have less to do with school selectivity and more to do with the resources I devote to learning and studying, so I'm mostly asking about how the school name will look on my resume. Thoughts?

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

For the most part, all a hospital cares about is the RN after your name. Locally, school may have a good or a bad reputation when it comes to their graduates being prepared to work as new grad RNs at their hospital. Prestige has little factor in hiring. You can have a community college have a better reputation at a hospital than an expensive private university.

[autumn_blue]

Ok, that's valuable info, thanks! I'm glad it's not like a first BA that way, although I do wish there were some kind of guide to culture, etc. like there is for BA-offering institutions. And a comprehensive, apples-to-apples cost guide would be amazing ...