Here's the situation: I've been mentoring a highschool girl from my church. She used to babysit for me, and I've more or less known her since she was 4. Her family is very conservative, religious, and she is their youngest of 6 children. She's a great young lady. She plans to go into nursing and this is part of her senior project.
We have gotten together several times and she job shadowed twice. Her presentation is Wednesday which I plan to attend. I really like this girl.
Here's my dilemma. When she first approached me about this, her original plan was to move to another part of our state near her oldest sister and go to State University. Then, a few months later she confided in me that she now plans to enter ROTC and apply to a very expensive, private, religiously affiliated and prestigeous university. She would go to nursing school and then be obligated to serve in the military.
I hope no one here feels insulted, but I'm opposed to this. I would never want one of my daughters to enter the military. I was totally opposed to the war in Iraq and I don't want this beautiful girl to go there. Personally, I think she's been brainwashed by her arch conservative family, who are pro war in Iraq. They are blue collar people who own a decent home and are middle class, but have a large family and definately don't have the means or inclination to send this girl to this pricey university. However, I do think they would like her to go there because it is an enormous status symbol in my church to send a child to this university.
I discussed this with the pastor here, who is also against the Iraq war, so sympathetic. He advised that it would be good if I gently brought up my opinion that it isn't the only option. So, now that the official mentoring is drawing to a close, I want to gently bring up this subject.
My first point is that, I don't think there's any advantage to going to a high priced university for a nursing degree. I also don't think she realizes the reality of the commitment. She has discussed with me how she thinks children are better off with mothers at home when they are small. What if she gets married while she is in the service and has a child? She will be at the beck and call of the Armed Forces and will very likely be sent to Iraq! One thing I've emphasized is how flexible nursing is for parents!
So, I want to present some other funding options, with the suggestion that it is not in her best interests to try to obtain a nursing degree from an expensive private university, but get grants and loans and go to a State University. Maybe someone can give me a clue how to present this to my young friend, so at least I will have made her aware of her options.
