How did you pick your school?

[KidsLuvMe]

Hi all,

I was wondering if you all could give some opinions on how to pick the best nursing school?

Things to look for and look out for. Why did you pick the school you are going to/went to?

I don't know anything right now except that I want to be a nurse and I would like to start school with in the next year - year and a half. I am looking for 2 year programs but I don't know what school will be the best overall.

Thanks in advance,

BJ

[fnimat1]

I picked my school because they have had a 98% -100% passing rate (on the first try) on the nursing state boards for the past 9 years. It's very close to my home and I get to pay in-county tuition which is $77.75 per credit (up from $73.50...the tuition increase is starting on July 1....) and it's an associate program.

Fatima

[Nurse2bSandy]

I chose my school, a pricey private university, because it had no wait list and had more of a community health program, which I was interested in. Once I began prereq's at the local CC I found that I could get a half-price tuition waiver/scholarship if I was in Phi Theta Kappa at the CC. That motivated me to get good grades and I will be starting my accelerated BSN in Sept paying about the same as I would as the state U.

Once I began my prereq's, I realized that I wouldn't have been satisfied with an ADN anyway, at this point in my life. I want to go all the way... MSN, maybe farther!

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I picked mine because it was the only college here in town (out of 3) that offered a LPN program (and that's what I wanted to do first!) :)

[PennyLane, RN]

I applied to two accelerated BSN programs. I was wait-listed at my first choice and accepted at the other. I preferred my 1st choice school because the ratio of instructors:students is 1:4 in clinicals, they have excellent clinical sites, the program is smaller (about 100 students in all), and the administration is very friendly and helpful. Overall I got a much better feeling from that school.

The state school that I was accepted into has a larger program, and the administration is no help when you have a question. They act like they just don't care.

I didn't go for an ADN because it would have taken me two years, vs. 13 or 16 months in the accelerated BSN program. Plus I know I want to get my Master's in a few years.

[rnnurse2be]

Mine was simple, I began at our local CC when they finished putting together a BSN-RN program through one of our State Univ. They only choose 7-8 students per year to finish, you pay an additional $500.00 PER CLASS on top of the UNIV credits for the class. They send a prof here to teach mostly, do an internet course, and televise another class. We do clinicals here too. The only thing we have to go there for is GRADUATION!!!

For me, with a family, home, job, and Dh there was NO OTHER WAY.

Im lucky, the UNIV I will finish through is the 7th largest in the nation w/ a 99-100% NCLEX pass first time rate. Awesome NURSES have come from that college.