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Discussion

Does it really matter which school you go?

Hi! I would like your advice to make a decision. I have applied for two BSN nursing programs. One school is closed to home, it is really expensive, but they have 100%n passing rate in the licensure test. They won't let me know if I was accepted in the program until January.

The other one is 45 min away from home, it is equally expensive, but they have low passing rates. In fact, they had a conditional accreditation for some time, but they got the full accreditation again. This last school has very good reputation overall, and they can let me know if I was accepted sooner. I've heard of people that were already accepted for next year.

I really don't know what to do. I think that it is more important your performance as a nurse and not so much the school, but I don't want to take the risk to go to a bad school and then to have difficulties finding a job.

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    • Featured Replies

    Im kind of in the same situation as you...I THINK the school is important, but the kind of student you are is critical..No matter which school I choose I am going to bust my backside. Not sure which schools you have applied to, but something to consider is the reputation both have in your town among your potential employers. There is a school here in Columbus that is on the "Do not hire" list for nurses. Good luck to you!

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    I'd be inclined to go with the school with the higher NCLEX pass rate but you could always contact hospitals near you to ask if they have a preference when hiring new grads. You might also try to contact some recent graduates from each program to find out what their experiences were like.

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    What are your goals? If your goal is to get your BSN and work and that is it it probably makes next to zero difference. If you plan to go to grad school and move on then it may have some weight. I went to a very good school in DC and have good GPA and it for sure helped me get into grad school. I would say most important is your GPA. Keep it at like 3.4 minimum IF you plan to go to grad school.

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    • Experts

    At the extreme ends of the spectrum (excellent school vs. terrible school), it makes a difference. If the schools are only slightly apart in quality, then it doesn't matter.

    Personally, I would hesitate to go to any school that was struggling to keep its accreditation. I would be afraid they would lose the accreditation in the future, thus lowering the value of my degree.

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    • Author

    Despite its low passing rate, I feel like I'm really liking that school. They have state-of-the-art simulators, and they have the CCNE accreditation, which (according to what I have read) is better than the NLNAC acreditation for BSN. I was also talking to my microbiology teacher at the technical college I'm attending for my pre-req, and she told that that school has a great reputation. However, she couldn't tell me anything about the other school with the 100% passing rate.

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    I don't think I'd be so much worried about it affecting your chances of getting a good job, but I would worry about not being prepared enough to get your NCLEX and be a successful new nurse. There could be other factors at work too- maybe the area the other school is in has students that don't perform as well, period, for whatever reason? Lower income, who knows. But I think I'd be a little worried about attending a school that came close to losing its accredation. Who knows though, maybe they implemented a lot of changes and now it's a really good school.

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