Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing - just how good is it?

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Hi! I already made this thread in the "General" section a couple of days ago, but it received no answers, and after finding this sub-forum, I thought I might have better luck here! I hope I'm not violating any rules in doing this...

I'm looking into different nursing schools right now, and the Hunter program looks quite interesting, especially if you consider the price. Yes, it's very competitive; that's what I found out by searching this forum. But what about its quality? How does it compare to NYU? Would this program be a good preparation for graduate studies? In other words, how competitive will this degree make me compared to graduates of other schools?

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I don't think a degree from Hunter makes you anymore or less qualified to graduates of NYU, Columbia and other private school programs. People will always differ on opinions of Hunter. Some people love the program and some people say it doesn't live up to the hype. One of the downfalls of course is being a prisoner of the CUNY administration system which can always give you programs. Hunter is very competitive, you'll probably need a 3.6 but overall I think that all the schools in New York City are almost on the same level as far as how they prepare someone. Even schools that don't have the best reputation still pump out great nursing students. Like I said though this is my opinion. I don't think where you get your degree will necessarily put you ahead or behind something when it comes to a job or grad studies.

There are people that go to NYU and swear that just because they get a degree with that name on it that they are going to have a better chance at getting a job before other students and maybe that has worked for some but from the people I know that has never been the case. NYC hospitals look more at how your grades were, if you did any internships, externships or preceptorships and other forms of experience, also recommendations from professors and such. I've never heard of someone being turned away because of where they went to nursing school especially when the school's are so competitive to get into these days.

There will always be people who feel like their school's program sucked or that they were prepared enough once they graduated. It's all because of the various views and opinions of the students. Some go in expecting more than they should, some underestimate the work and independence of the nursing program. Honestly if I would have got into Hunter, I would have gone there and probably complained about a few things, but I think every nursing student does. I use to always worry about my school's quality over others but seeing as this school did accept me into their nursing program while others didn't, I'm just going to be grateful and work my butt off to do well.

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Wow, thanks for your insight!!!

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Thank you very much for your detailed post. I was considering Hunter before I found out they didn't offer an evening program. :/

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I am currently looking into New York schools. I have a B.S. already so I am trying to get into an accelerated B.S.N. program. SUNY downstate and Concordia college are two that i have been researching, and I have been wondering the same thing: Will these schools be competitive for a nurse practitioner program and/or a good job? I have a 3.39 undergraduate g.p.a. Is that too low to be competitive for Hunter Bellevue? I am also a Mississippi resident planning to move to New York. I was thinking it would probably be even harder for me to get in not being a NY resident.

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Much of the allure of the Hunter program comes from it's marriage to the legendary "Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing".

Yes, it is a demanding and highly regarded nursing program, but so are many others both in NYC and around the country. What really matters is now well the school prepares one to take and pass the boards (NCLEX passing rate), and lays the foundations of nursing education. Much, much more nursing knowledge is learned in the years after graduation than can be packed into several years at school.

HB also is the only CUNY undergraduate BSN nursing program in Manhattan (read affordable), and IIRC the only one in the entire system aside from Lehman in the Bronx since City College shut down their program years ago.

Unlike some other nursing programs, HB students must compete with many other health science majors (pre-med, pharmacy,...) for required science and other classes. This means one has to be on top of one's game to not only get into the classes needed, but stay there as well.

Going to NYU will costs tens of thousands more than a BSN from HB, but does it give you any sort of "edge"? Feedback from the field seems to make it highly unlikely. What probably does matter (and even then), is where one does clinicals/internships/externships and how much of a "go getter" you are to make an impression on nurse managers, or whomever is does the hiring. Oh yes, with NYU one has that beautiful campus (which now pretty much covers much of lower Manhattan from 14th Street to the Financial District), and the ability to take classes all over the world, from Europe to the Middle East. Again, that *may* increase the amount and type of contacts one makes, and makes for a more enriching educational experience, but will it make one a better nurse?

For the record many of the most famous nursing programs, whose graduates were sought after all across the USA came from now defunct hospital programs. St. Vincent's in the Village, Flower and Fifth Hospital, Mount Sinai, to name a few.

As for the poster moving to NYC from down south. Once you are a resident of NYC it won't matter in terms of admission and tuition. You will just need to work on having your credits transferred. Personally I'd take any science and perhaps a few others where you are and transfer the credits. You probably will pay much less per credit than here in NY, and perhaps have less of a "crowd" to contend with. Just make sure the content is the same for transfer purposes. That is if a chem class requires lab, and so forth.

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I am currently looking into New York schools. I have a B.S. already so I am trying to get into an accelerated B.S.N. program. SUNY downstate and Concordia college are two that i have been researching, and I have been wondering the same thing: Will these schools be competitive for a nurse practitioner program and/or a good job? I have a 3.39 undergraduate g.p.a. Is that too low to be competitive for Hunter Bellevue? I am also a Mississippi resident planning to move to New York. I was thinking it would probably be even harder for me to get in not being a NY resident.

Being a NY resident doesn't matter, we don't get any preferences trust me. If you're doing a nurse practitioner program in NY then most nursing programs have a pretty good reputation. The name isn't really the main thing, it's the NCLEX score, if the school is accredited and how you did in your nursing courses. Most schools are aware of other programs in the city, SUNY Downstate is one of the best but also one of the most competitive programs to get into. I would say that it is too low from what I've heard about Hunter. If you aren't doing a nurse practitioner program in NY then you might want to be a little more picky because there's a chance certain schools may not be known out of the state.

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