Choosing NY or NH

[JKosprey88]

Hi all,

My name is Jim, and I've recently been accepted to several ASN nursing programs....now I have a dilemma. I'm currently living in upstate New York, but have family in New Hampshire. From a tuition standpoint, it makes a lot of sense to stay put...going to a NH school will cost twice as much as staying put. However, we want a family soon and our in laws live up in New Hampshire. The wife and I would really like to get closer to them.

The schools I'm looking at are:

-Lakes Region CC (NH)

-NHTI (NH)

-Hudson Valley CC (NY)

The Hudson Valley program is cheaper and I'd be working at clinical sites I'm already familiar with (I work as an EMT up here), but I don't have anything else to go by.

All three programs appear to have NCLEX pass rates at 95% or above, but I'm not sure how else to judge the quality of the programs to make an objective decision.

I'm also afraid of getting "stuck". We've been trying to leave NY for nearly 10 years. If we stayed put and saved the money, how difficult will it be to switch states? Is there a strong residency bias in nursing jobs or is it simply a matter of paying the money for reciprocity?

I know this post is a little back and forth, but can anyone offer some insight on these three programs, or assuage/confirm my fears about getting stuck in NY if I stay here for school?