I Need Advice!

Slimlady727 · Oct 17, 2007

i'm a junior in high school who is planning to apply for college this summer.
i am from virginia & i am planning to move to nyc when i turn eighteen.
i recently went to nyc over the summer & i fell in love with the place.
i was wondering...
1. what are some good colleges for nursing that have a dorm in nyc?
2. as an eighteen year old, do you think i will be able to handle nyc & nursing school?
3. when will i be able to move out of the dorm & live in my own studio apartment? (i want to live in brooklyn or manhattan)
4. is a car really necessary?
5. does pediatric nursing in nyc pay a lot?
6. will i enjoy actually living & working in nyc?

1. there are a whole lot, it just depends on how much you are willing to spend. nyu, pace, liu, adelphi, hunter, molloy (long island), stony brook (li), columbia...the list goes on and on. check out allnursingschools.com for more schools.

2. it all depends on you and what you can handle to determine this.

3. well studios are very expensive esp in man. brooklyn, is a lil bit cheaper but not that much. and if you arent going to work how will you afford this. they can start at 1000 easy.

4. no, a car is definately not necessary.

5. i dont know how much peds make, but the majority of the hospitals start around 60-68k for new grads.

6. i enjoy living and working in ny, but i grew up here so i may be biased. this again all depends on the type of person you are.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Oct 17, 2007

Why don't you go to nursing school in Va, then move to NYC after? You can then enjoy all the city has to offer without worrying about sky high rent, safety, and huge bills while trying to survive nursing school!

hpcat · Oct 19, 2007

Hi! A compromise might be to live on Long Island and go to school out here (you can choose from a bunch of schools - SUNY Stony Brook, Adelphi, Molloy, LIU, Nassau Community, Suffolk Community or SUNY Farmingdale), and enjoy the city on your free time. Lower rents & cost of living, but you will definitely need a car. Once you graduate and get a good salary, living in the city will be much more reasonable and you can ditch the car.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2007

3. When will I be able to move out of the dorm & live in my own studio apartment? (i want to live in brooklyn or manhattan)

Not until after graduation

4. Is a car really necessary?

Not only is it not necessary, it's ridiculous.

6. Will I enjoy actually LIVING & WORKING in NYC?

I sure miss home.

loriann, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2007

1. Definitely allnursingschools.com for a listing of schools.

2. Whether or not an 18-year old can handle living and going to school in NY depends on you. It's not easy living in a place that is expensive and then having to ignore all the fun things when you have to study, but it is doable.

3. Studios in Manhattan are expensive...think at least $1700 and possibly less depending on where you live. I lived in Morningside (near Columbia) while I was in nursing school. I lived in a 2 BR converted to 3 BR (living room became 3rd BR) and ended up paying $860 a month. I also worked Saturdays and Sundays as a social worker and was able to cover my living expenses. I went to school FT but I'm also in my 30s. I found it hard to do, but worth it in the end.

If you get accepted to a school and are serious about NY, you can opt out of dorm life and try to find roommates like I did. I went through 8 roommates over the course of 2 years, as they were all students and stayed usually for a semester. Try Craigslist.org for roommates. Just keep in mind there are a lot of strange people out there.

4. Get rid of the car. You don't need one in Manhattan.

5. Hospitals in Manhattan start from $60K to $73-$75. Obviously, night shifts pay more. I think Sloane-Kettering is the highest paying at the moment.

6. NYC is a great place to live and work, but also expensive. You give up a lot of space if you choose to live here (Think studio apartment, maybe 300-400 sq. ft as a norm). I love it and only occasionally think of having a house with a backyard and washer/dryer of my own.

elizabells, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2007

1. What are some good colleges for nursing THAT HAVE A DORM in NYC?

**Someone upthread mentioned Columbia - Columbia's SON does not have a regular BSN - you must already have a bachelor's degree for their program.

2. As an eighteen year old, do you think i will be able to handle NYC & nursing school?

** I don't see why not, as long as you focus on your studies and don't get caught up in the fantasy that is NYC.

3. When will I be able to move out of the dorm & live in my own studio apartment? (i want to live in brooklyn or manhattan)

** Oof, this one's tough. I currently pay $1675 for a studio in Brooklyn. There are places for cheaper, of course, but as a young woman alone in the city it's wise to be somewhat careful about your neighborhood. Obviously it's much cheaper to live with roommates, but not everyone (including me!) is good at that. It's a question of priorities - living alone in a safe neighborhood/building is more important to me than going out on the weekends, so that's where I spend my money.

4. Is a car really necessary?

** No. No. And no.

5. Does Pediatric Nursing in NYC pay a lot?

** I work in a NICU, hired as a new grad at 68K before shift/education differential.

6. Will I enjoy actually LIVING & WORKING in NYC?

** It totally depends on your personality. I have family here, although I grew up in CA, and it was always my dream to come here. After two and a half years, I'm sort of over it. There are wonderful things about the city, and not so wonderful things. I'm not sure if it's possible for anyone else to tell you whether you'll like it here.

Good things: Always something to do, great public transportation, high salary, museums, Central Park, getting to say you lived in New York and survived

Bad things: RIDICULOUS cost of living, it smells a lot of the time, it's fairly dirty, it's loud, you probably won't have a dishwasher/yard/laundry of your own