EMORY OR GSU??? Accepted 2 Both...does it make a difference?

karamarie91 · Apr 7, 2011

Emory is my dream school as well. But the price tag scares me off too,so GSU looks very appealing to attend. Judging from this forum, GSU is a very good school and its public, meaning it will be so much more affordable than Emory. If you aiming for higher degrees, you dont want to rack up so much debt that you cant enjoy your salary from nursing because your so much in debt. I would go to Emory for my advanced degree and go to GSU for my BSN. I think this way you're getting the best of two schools without being drowned in debt by the time your totally finished with school.

It's true:A RN is a RN. Furthermore, I don't think you should be worried about finding a job as a RN because not only do you have a BSN which is being required in more and more hospitals(like Emory), you also graduated from GSU-which has a great reputation.

I wish you well. And Congrats!:balloons:

Highschoolfuturenurs · Apr 7, 2011

Hi, I'm only 18 but I was kind of in the same boat as you. I just got accepted to Emory University which is what I have been working hard for during my years in high school. Even though it's not an Ivy I LOVED it. But it's way too much. I decided to choose GSU for a couple reasons. 1st its cheaper and I got a scholarship so I will be paying nothing for all 4 years. 2nd (this is not meant to offend anyone) but from what I've read, the GSU nursing program is harder to get into and I want to have that awesome feeling of accomplishment. Emory is rigorous and an amazing program but it's not as competitive as GSU mostly because people don't want to pay that much for a nursing degree.

I don't think it would be wise to be 32k in debt especially with this economy. Both programs are amazing, rigorous and respected. Congratulations on your acceptances!

yayaccepted · Apr 14, 2011

karamarie91- thanks for ur insight...i was thinking along the same lines but I'm not even certain i will ever have the opportunity to cont. my education later because I'm an older student w/a family and it's taken me 16 yrs to come back to school. Since my last post, I've discussed it in detail w/my husband n the rest of my family. He gave me some really good advice. He said to me, "If cost wasn't an issue, in your heart, where do u really want to go?" I said Emory. He replied, "Go where your heart is, and we'll be here to support you!" He only said that because they're covering almost 50k in grants & scholarships for me. He told me that we'll just have to treat it like a car loan, but instead of a car loan, it'll b a different kind of investment. Also he said to me that he realizes it won't make a difference in pay or anything like that if I'm still doing bedside, but if I were applying to something like Research Nursing or Management, it may have an impact if I were applying with 20 other ppl who have equal experience, equal everything else, etc.... then in that case, the school may tip the scale. I'm not sure if that is even a true scenario, but I guess I'll have to take that risk. And I can't speak for everyone because I'm sure that's not the case for most ppl. Everyone's situation is unique. And seriously, b4 I got accepted to Emory, I said that there was no way I would take out any more than 15k in loans to go to any school if I had a cheaper alternative. I can't believe that I am seriously thinking going to Emory either but since I have the emotional support from my spouse & family and Emory is making it possible for me to go via student loans (oh and my fin aid is likely to increase n the debt will prob be around 26k-28 instead of 32k), I think that I will most likely go to Emory. Plus, I'm sure some places will help you pay off some of your student loans for a certain period of service. I guess I think of it this way, I don't want loans, but we're all likely to be in debt in our lives one way or another, either through car loans, home loans, credit cards, shopping, etc. but instead of racking up those, I'll put that debt towards my education instead. I guess, I still have a few days left to make a decision. You really have a good point also. In the end, there really is no wrong or right decision. It's just a matter of making a decision that we will be able to live with and also be happy with. Thanks to both of u for your opinion.

hlee · Apr 14, 2011

yayaccepted. First off congrats on getting accepted to both GSU and Emory!! I definitely agree with karamarie91 that if you wish to continue your education then Emory is a great place to start! Your family sounds great and supportive!! Your husband gave you a really good advice! I certainly don't want any loans.. debts but if it is my education and for me and my families future.. then thats a different story. In that case I also think of it as an investment. Where ever it is you decide to go I am sure you will do great!! Good luck and congrats again!!!!

blueharlequin · Apr 14, 2011

I have to agree with what some of the other people said. Remember that Emory isn't technically an ivy league and with private schools, you're kinda paying for the name. Not that Emory isn't a good school, because I'm sure it is. And in terms of being neck and neck, you never know. If the person doing the hiring graduated from or has any affiliation with GSU, that might be the preferred candidate. And like it was said above, that much debt in this economy isn't really a good idea. School loans are not covered under bankruptcy (if you ever get in that position...not saying you will, but it is occurring more now with the economy and not a bad thing to take into account).

While it's not always possible for people to go back to school without monetary assistance, financial advisers do typically recommend not taking out loans, especially those that are or will be above your yearly income. The idea is that if you don't have the money in pocket, then it's (for lack of better words) a recipe for disaster.

But private schools do offer a good network of people due to size and comradery (sp?). For some, the name, the network, and the type of education you get is worth the price. There's nothing wrong with choosing a school like Emory, but I don't think you should feel like you have to just because of the name. Two last things. There has been a lot of reports about ivy league students being accepted based on being children of graduates (ie, their names) and because of that, undergrad education level has dropped. It wouldn't surprise me if other private schools were the similar. And lastly, look at how many years it would take to pay off an Emory education. If it's 10 or 20 years, think if you'd want to have that kind of bill every month for that amount of time.

yayaccepted · Apr 15, 2011

hlee- thx and good luck to you too!

olivia.tieman- no, i'm not considering going there just for the name bcause Mercer & GSU are both good schools too... n u are rt about the fact that it prob matters the hiring individual's alumni.... i didn't mean to sound like im considering going there just 4 the name, if that's the way i came across. it's really 4 many reasons, some of which u elaborated very articulately. i like the networking, the type of education, the student to teacher ratio, the campus, the type of community svc activities they are involved with, their close promimity to CHOA (which I luv since I'm considering pediatrics), the fact that they are known for medical research, i mean, the list goes on and on....it's more than the name and prestige, although that's a plus too. i know it's a personal choice and some ppl may not agree but i don't think 30k total for Nursing School at Emory is a bad deal, considering 50k in grants/scholarships fr the school. also i think they say the rule is as long as ur debt is not more than 1 yrs income, ur ok. and i think nurses start off in the mid 50's. i mean, i come fr a very poor bckgrnd and i don't have it like that, but if i can go to a top school for the price of a mid priced car i think that's not so bad. i really had to train my own mind to think differently too, trust me sometimes i still hope im making the rt decision. i know so many ppl who spend money on just shoes n purses, cars, expensive hobbies, n stuff and don't get me wrong, i think that everyone has their own favorite thing, hobby or whatever (and i respect that) they like to splurge on. i'm just not too into all of that, my thing is school (not to say any of the other schools aren't good). i think ur wonderful 4 lookin out 4 me and i really appreciate the advice. since my first post, i've talked to many wiser, older folks, professors, current nurses, friends and family and so far, i'm really leaning towards Emory (88%). i will def sit on it some more and also take ur advice into consideration. once again, thx 4 ur post & good luck to u n ur future endeavors:)

yayaccepted · Apr 15, 2011

oh n also, i don't think it matters if some ppl get to go their bcause of their connections...i think the professors will still b the same regardless of what type of students they get. i've seen excellent professors at bad schools and also very good students at bad schools and vice versa, bad students at good schools, and so on. it's up to the student to get the most out of what is offered at the particular institution. mst of the ppl i've blogged with that r going to emory are top students with a near perfect gpa n im sure there will b a few of the type of students u mentioned. they may bring some of the rankings down such as ncelx passing rate but they will not affect my education bcause that is solely up to me. i don't think the avg gpa of accepted students to emory is that far off from any of the other nursing programs. my friend didn't get accepted n he has a 3.76. I just wanted to add that to my reply:)

karamarie91 · Apr 15, 2011

I spoke with two Emory nursing students at a hospital I volunteer at , and they said they would prefer to get into GSU because Emory focuses too much on research and not the clinical aspect of nursing. I was speaking with one of the students and he complained that he was about to graduate and still didnt know how to insert an IV.

Now, I don't know how fully prepared a nurse graduate should be, but your post and these comments from these nursing schools have prompted me to visit Emory,so I can learn more about their curriculum. I've been going by name, which I realize is wrong. I realize I know nothing more about the school.

Thanks for your posts.

yayaccepted · Apr 15, 2011

@karamarie91- wow really? that doesn't sound too good. i have a friend that just graduated last yr from emory. i think im gonna call her 2m and see if that's true. i dunno how prepared ur supposed to b either as a nurse graduating from any nursing program, but i certainly hope i would know how to insert and iv b4 graduating! thx! when i find out, ill update u...

blueharlequin · Apr 15, 2011

Oh, I definitely didn't mean to imply you were going there for the name either. I was just making a general statement that sometimes going to a big name private school can just be paying for the name. You articulated a lot of the positive aspects a private school can offer that I was trying to get out earlier (I was a bit distracted, yay 3 year olds). I got my first undergrad degree at a private college and actually didn't enjoy the small, "tight-knit" community. I think having smaller classes is essential in education (I mean, honestly, how much do people actually learn from classes with 100+ people?), so that aspect of private school was great. But the smaller school (which I'm pretty sure Emory is a LOT larger than where I went...plus being in Atlanta makes a huge difference also) brought on a smothering atmosphere. I actually think Emory is most likely completely different from where I went in terms of atmosphere, though, so don't let what I say scare you off or anything. I also think Emory is a good school. But if it were me, I wouldn't be able to justify taking out that many loans just to go to Emory. And note, that's coming from someone who's already spent the same amount of money getting a BA from a private college (that I didn't like). So my background is also a bit different.

And about the inserting IV thing...I'm at Gwinnett Tech, and on the tour we were shown nursing classrooms where inserting IV's was taught/practiced. Our grads know how to do that...and that's only from an ASN. I'm not sure what happened in those people's cases, but that sounds really weird. Inserting an IV is a pretty crucial skill for a nurse to learn...I already have experience with it from being a vet tech, and I having even started the actual nursing part of my program.

hereicome · May 14, 2011

@Yayaaccepted.

In my opinion, I think you should have had enough advise by now. It's time for you to decide while not relying on what others have to say, coz they will keep giving you contradicting ideas. If it is about class size, GSU has a very large class too. I have heard alot of negative things about the school too, but guess what!! it depends on the individual. One of my classmates (female) in Gwinnett Tech told me she was taking another course in GSU while doing AP2 in Gwinnett Tech, but her cousin (a male) was the one writing her tests in GSU because the class was too large that the teacher didn't know his students.

If your problem is cost, then GSU is good if you got accepted into the Accelerated program. If it is the regular BSN, i think i saw on their website that it is six semester. If I am right, ask yourself if you have the time, or if you could use that one year to work and pay part of your student loans from Emory.

As for what a student knows (like the IV) while in the program, I will blame the student. We learn more during clinicals and it's the students place to ask questions and learn from both their instructors and supervisors at hospitals.

I also got accepted into Emory and Gwinnettech and I haven't yet decided which I will be attending, but the truth is that I know I will decide on my own based on my future goals. For me, i strongly believe in the saying that "Time is money."

It's just like with "Rate my professor." I have had instructors with very poor ratings and the only reason I took them was because I had no other option, but I ended up liking their teaching style and gettings As. Some people just want "to swallow without chewing", but I think we have to work for what we achieve.

The final decision is yours. Ask yourself what you want and which program fits your needs. Take your time and decide. Pray over it and I pray you make the best decision.

For me, any accredited program is good and you can then choose depending on your specific wants.