ku vs vanderbilt vs southern alabama

futureeastcoastNP · Sep 16, 2014

What a silly question. Of course school matters for jobs, just as it does in EVERY profession. All things being equal, the ivy league grad will get the job over the state school grad, the traditional school over the for profit school grad, etc.

Also does KU stand for Kaplan, the for profit online school? If so, yes having a Vanderbilt degree will look much, much better.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2014

Also does KU stand for Kaplan, the for profit online school? If so, yes having a Vanderbilt degree will look much, much better.

"KU" almost universally stands for the University of Kansas.

rawz2014, APRN, CRNA · Sep 16, 2014

university of Kansas. I don't think it matters that much in terms of just having your BSN on what school you went to. (meaning, I don't think if your just an RN, how much stock an employer has in regards to where you went to school) Ive never really seen it matter to an employer. They seem to be more interested in your attitude, how the interview goes, previous employment, etc... But, idk, that's why im asking.

And you have to figure in cost has well. Vanderbilt is WAY more expensive. Is the extra cost worth it?

futureeastcoastNP · Sep 16, 2014

university of Kansas. I don't think it matters that much in terms of just having your BSN on what school you went to. (meaning, I don't think if your just an RN, how much stock an employer has in regards to where you went to school) Ive never really seen it matter to an employer. They seem to be more interested in your attitude, how the interview goes, previous employment, etc... But, idk, that's why im asking.
And you have to figure in cost has well. Vanderbilt is WAY more expensive. Is the extra cost worth it?

Sorry, I thought KU was Kaplan, in which case yes it would be worth it for Vandy. University of Kansas is a well known school and while it doesn't carry the Vanderbilt name I can't imagine anyone would discriminate against it for jobs. I think if the curriculum looks good and you like the school, choose whichever you like best. All three would serve you will in your career.

As for your other comment, you're right. At the BSN level no one really cares where you went to school because all nurses perform roughly the same and most of their skills come from on the job training anyway. The BSN itself is really just the piece of paper allowing you to practice, the hiring manager doesn't care what school in come from. The NP realm is a bit difference. Education quality matters, because the NP is the final decision maker. While skills are often taught on the job, the NP is expected to have a strong medical knowledge base and going to a tier 1 research school (versus a for profit for example) is seen as better. In addition, physicians have more say in NP hiring (often hiring them directly) and as a group they put more stock into school ranking than nurses do.

rawz2014, APRN, CRNA · Sep 16, 2014

So you don't think there's a huge difference between the 3? I was also considering Georgetown. I would prefer Vanderbilt, but the program is something like 85k. I think KU is a lot bigger name then southern Alabama, and would be better in terms of marketing myself... hmm. choices choices.

futureeastcoastNP · Sep 16, 2014

So you don't think there's a huge difference between the 3? I was also considering Georgetown. I would prefer Vanderbilt, but the program is something like 85k. I think KU is a lot bigger name then southern Alabama, and would be better in terms of marketing myself... hmm. choices choices.

Where do you get that? Vanderbilt tuition is $1195 per credit, and the FNP is 39 credits = $46k

rawz2014, APRN, CRNA · Sep 16, 2014

Tuition and Fees | MSN Admissions | Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

theres the link, and in case you don't want to go threw it, ill copy and paste exactly what it says...

The cost of attendance for 2014-2015 for a full time PreSpecialty MSN student enrolled in three semesters is $83,682. This is not the amount you will owe.The cost of attendance is not the amount you will pay for the year. The cost of attendance is the budget we use to determine the financial aid amount offered each year and is more than a student's full time tuition and fees to provide assistance for living expenses if needed.

however, I read further, and it seems they added living expenses into that...

further down, it goes on to say

The cost of attendance for 2014-2015 for a full time DNP student enrolled in three semesters is approximately $58,318. The cost of attendance used for 2014-2015 for a part time DNP student enrolled in three semesters is approximately $48,758.

still, its seems to be the most costly of them... ( granted, im in the initial stages of looking at schools, so don't quote me on anything, lol.. im still doing my research and what not. ) if you find anything inaccurate, or would like to elaborate, PLEASE DO. im seeking all information possible, and if I say something that is wrong, let me know.. :) thanks :)

futureeastcoastNP · Sep 16, 2014

Tuition and Fees | MSN Admissions | Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
theres the link, and in case you don't want to go threw it, ill copy and paste exactly what it says...
The cost of attendance for 2014-2015 for a full time PreSpecialty MSN student enrolled in three semesters is $83,682. This is not the amount you will owe.The cost of attendance is not the amount you will pay for the year. The cost of attendance is the budget we use to determine the financial aid amount offered each year and is more than a student’s full time tuition and fees to provide assistance for living expenses if needed.
however, I read further, and it seems they added living expenses into that...
further down, it goes on to say
The cost of attendance for 2014-2015 for a full time DNP student enrolled in three semesters is approximately $58,318. The cost of attendance used for 2014-2015 for a part time DNP student enrolled in three semesters is approximately $48,758.
still, its seems to be the most costly of them... ( granted, im in the initial stages of looking at schools, so don't quote me on anything, lol.. im still doing my research and what not. ) if you find anything inaccurate, or would like to elaborate, PLEASE DO. im seeking all information possible, and if I say something that is wrong, let me know.. :) thanks :)

they are including living expenses. That will throw off calculations. You need to compare cost of tuition online.

sarahdukie · Oct 22, 2014

I was admitted to the pre-specialty program at Vanderbilt and am currently in my specialty year (PMHNP). I chose Vandy for the relative speed of the program. The cost is insane (100k for tuition, about 50K for living over 2 years). I would strongly consider a well-respected state school. The job market is a bit tighter for FNPs than for Psych NP's, but if you build relationships through your field placements and network you will have no problem getting a job. A friend of mine recently got a job as an FNP and they gave her a 4K salary bump for being a Vandy grad. Not worth it for all that debt! I haven't been impressed with the quality of education at Vanderbilt, either. If my husband and I weren't in a rush to start a family, I would have taken a different route.