Avoid if Out of State

I will start applying to CRNA programs next Sept/Oct and I am planning on applying to quite a few schools because my stats are only average. (at time of app - cum GPA 3.4, RN-BSN gpa 3.85, science gpa 4.0, experience 18mnths MSICU, CEN and CCRN)

What I am truly concerned about is wasting my resources applying to an out of state CRNA program that heavily favors in-state applicants.

I live in Missouri but there must be candidates in other states pondering this same question. Does anyone know of schools to avoid if you are an out of state applicant?

I would think they will judge you on your capabilities and not on your residence. Personally I think people from out of state are nice to have around bc they are not usually competing for a job so that they stay at home after graduation. Someone also said onetime that out of state applicants help diversify the class. Mainly I'm sure your stats will get you the interview, the interview will get you the position.

Altho I have heard of certain program preferring their own icu nurses , mostly I have heard that places want the best candidates ...no matter where they are from. And hey out of state students gets the univ more money from higher tuition if you are at a public college. When I interviewed this year we had a group of 6 and none of them were from instate. Actually they were all from the opposite side of the county that day.

Missnurse,I must applaud you. Wow, I think I've seen u comment to just about every post on here. That's really nice of u n u really seemto give everyone great advice. U must b a wonderful person. Just wanted to acknowledge that.

Wow Marco thanks so much ! I just know what it was like when I was seeking answers and no one answered , lol. I feel privileged to be able to help in any way I can around the AN nurses board. :-)

Thanks for all the responses. I am grateful for the feedback. I have just heard that schools like Kaiser were more likely to take in-state applicants, wondered if this was true and if that was typical. I guess that must have been my misunderstanding. Thanks for clarification.

I was only looking at out-of-state schools. Definitely look into VCU. They seem to be a very fair and supportive program. I met all of their requirements and was accepted (yay!), but I also read other people's posts who are "borderline" on some aspects and were still given spots. They definitely look at the whole picture. There are other schools like that too. Also, the interview is a huge part of how qualified they think you are. I know of other programs who interview anyone who meets their requirements (which are set at the minimum) so they can see as many candidates as possible. I know Akron is one of those schools. They ask a lot of questions at the interview. My friend got into that school. Don't be nervous about applying out of state! good luck :)

I live in Maryland and was accepted into CRNA school in Pennsylvania. Since it's a private school, I guess out-of-state doesn't matter since tuition is the same for everybody. Your grades seem fine. Mine were mostly average. My BSN was 3.0, MSN was 3.91 and science GPA was 3.67. GRE wasn't required since I have my MSN and was accepted into a Post-Masters Anesthesia program. I applied to 5 schools all out of state in Pennsylvania and was accepted into 4 out of the 5.

I've heard the same thing about Kaiser in California since it's the only school in the state I think and the tuition is really cheap for in-state students. I hear they take mostly people from that state. I hear Texas Wesleyan takes 150 students/year not sure if it's true or not but I hear they have clincal sites across more than 10 states so you get to do clinicals close to the state where you live.

Don't give up!

Can you clarify what you heard about kaiser? You think that the tuition is the same for instate vs out of state?