I'm a prospective Accelerated BSN student in hopes of attending nursing school some time next year, however, some of my dream schools (Duke, John Hopkins, UPenn, etc.) cost between 70k-130k+ to attend. It is my eventual plan to pursue a PhD, DNP or CRNA and as such I'm not sure if its worth paying the huge price tag for a BSN. Thoughts or opinions on this? Should I only look at less expensive programs and save my money for an advanced nursing degree? If I were to attend one of these schools, would I get what I pay for with respect to quality education, networking and job prospects?
no. not at all. i've worked at a couple large academic medical centers including hopkins and their graduates are just as dumb as every other new grad and they have as good a chance of getting a job as any other grad (esp. on the east coast). you'll be as successful as you make yourself in nursing. if you work hard and do what your peers are not willing to, you will accomplish whatever vision of success you are hoping to attain. it makes no difference where you get your bsn, and at the prices you've mentioned i'd look smaller; i got mine at a state school. every admissions staff is going to be as helpful as they can, more so at the bigger schools, because their job is to get your money.
when you do become a nurse: get your certifications, get on a committee, do something extracurricular (bls/acls instructor) and it will make life more enjoyable because bedside nursing can really suck if you're not using your grape and actively trying to improve your practice.
grad school is a bit different. as for grad school, certain programs suit some better than others. some places you'll get what you pay for and some you won't, however, your investment in your education is more wisely spent in a graduate degree that puts you higher up in the pay scale. if you spend your time as an rn constructively, your hard work and dedication to your craft will not go unnoticed when applying to grad programs.
before this reply gets away from me i'll make my point... save your cash and let your success be determined by your character.
*start my crna program in a few months... by will or chance, you'll end up where you were meant to be.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
In my experience, no, not at all worth the extra money. I have no doubt the education is excellent and there is a wonderful feeling of comaraderie and, of course, the bragging rights are nice. But nursing pretty much pays what it pays, when you can manage to find a job that is.
I'd go to a reputable cheaper school and then look at the big dogs for when you take it to the next level. If you are swamped in debt you already can't pay off from your undergrad degree, getting that grad degree just got a whole lot more complicated.
I can only speak to one of the schools but no, I don't think it is worth the extra money at all. I attend one of the schools you mentioned and it is truly one of the most disorganized programs I've ever encountered and I'm someone who has always liked school. I am not saying this because I am bitter and failing-- I am a straight A student but I actually find it scary that this is considered top of the line. I do love the students I am with. Some of the faculty is great and doing interesting work that they are happy to talk to you about. If you want to do research, I suppose go to a big name school. If you want to actually learn how to be a nurse in any kind of organized fashion, forget it. School is stressful not because it is intellectually challenging but because it is poorly managed.
In general, where you went to school doesn't matter. It matters that you have initiative and creativity. But it REALLY doesn't matter in terms of getting a job as a nurse. Talk to the students, get a sense of what they don't like about their programs, think about how it will impact your life, consider being a CNA to see if you even want to be a nurse and then go from there. It's not worth going into debt for AT ALL. In fact, the school I go to isn't worth going to even if there is no debt!
Sugarshot - If you won't say publically which school, could you PM the school? I know some people have complained about the Columbia program (not mentioned here). A former JHU student mentioned that when the curriculum was switched over, it was somewhat disorganized but they still liked their education.
I personally won't be going into debt but I know a lot of people do go into debt for nursing school.
Leenak, I can't PM you because I just joined the board and haven't posted enough to PM. You can PM me, though. Send me your email and I'd be happy to talk to you off the boards.
RNMAN2010, CRNA
14 Posts
no. not at all. i've worked at a couple large academic medical centers including hopkins and their graduates are just as dumb as every other new grad and they have as good a chance of getting a job as any other grad (esp. on the east coast). you'll be as successful as you make yourself in nursing. if you work hard and do what your peers are not willing to, you will accomplish whatever vision of success you are hoping to attain. it makes no difference where you get your bsn, and at the prices you've mentioned i'd look smaller; i got mine at a state school. every admissions staff is going to be as helpful as they can, more so at the bigger schools, because their job is to get your money.
when you do become a nurse: get your certifications, get on a committee, do something extracurricular (bls/acls instructor) and it will make life more enjoyable because bedside nursing can really suck if you're not using your grape and actively trying to improve your practice.
grad school is a bit different. as for grad school, certain programs suit some better than others. some places you'll get what you pay for and some you won't, however, your investment in your education is more wisely spent in a graduate degree that puts you higher up in the pay scale. if you spend your time as an rn constructively, your hard work and dedication to your craft will not go unnoticed when applying to grad programs.
before this reply gets away from me i'll make my point... save your cash and let your success be determined by your character.
*start my crna program in a few months... by will or chance, you'll end up where you were meant to be.