Opnions on College of Nursing at MCG?

U.S.A. Georgia

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I am a student from NYC genuinely thinking about attending the Nursing College at MCG's Augusta campus (now known as, Georgia Health Sciences University). The application cycle for Summer 2012 is starting in two months and I thought that I would ask for some advice and opinions on the school, before I decided to leave (for the first time, if I get accepted) to a school that is so far away from home. I'm not familiar with the area or with how the program is run and I really would appreciate some insight. What positive/negative things have you heard about the school, its program, and the area it's located in? If you're already a student there, how do you like the program so far? How difficult do you think the school is to get into? I'm honestly just looking for whatever you can tell me.

If anyone that is planning on applying reads this, I'd really like to hear from you as well; maybe we can keep in contact as we're applying and support each other. :)

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WOW, what a big decision. The Medical College of Georgia is a great school. My brother went to med school there, but that was at the main campus which is in Augusta, GA. Augusta, GA is not a great place to live, and I believe you would suffer greatly from culture shock. (Sorry if I offend, I'm from Georgia so I can say this honestly). However, the nursing program is in Athens, GA which is the home to the University of Georgia, which is our biggest state school. Athens, is a great, quaint town, and life centers around the university. The south really really loves our college football and on any given Saturday in the fall, Athens is the place to be. If I was not married and had started school at a much younger age then I would have loved to get a nursing degree to MCG. I don't think it is that hard to get accepted, but I'm not sure. I think that you would have a leg up since you would be an out of state student, but that is purely a guess. The weather in Athens is very nice. This part of the state really does enjoy 4 seasons, compared with the southern part of the state. Be warned that us "southerns", don't know how to drive on ice or snow, so the towns shut down with only an inch of snow or even a chance of snow. You will probably think it warm enough to wear shorts when we are all wearing heavy winter coats :). The people around this part of the state are friendly, fun and genuine. I don't know your age, but if you are not "college aged", you may find Athens a bit boring. Athens is about one and half hours from the Atlanta. I'm sure most of this information you could have found on the internet, but hopefully I have been helpful.

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I concur with Falcon Widow in that you will experience a culture shock when moving to Augusta.

I'm originally from the North. I won't say where to remain anonymous on this board but let's just say that I am within the tri-state area (NY, NJ, and CT).

The south is huge on college football. While I like football, I am more of your NFL type chick and I love it when the Giants come to town and bring a can of whoop with them on on the Falcons (sorry Falcon Widow :lol2:)

I visited Augusta for a weekend, and there really isn't much to do unless you are into the Undergrad College Experience (partying, drinking,...more partying...more drinking)

I'm a mom living in the suburbs so I felt right at home in Augusta when I came to visit, LOL!

I don't know much about the nursing school that you are applying to but UGA which is in Athens is very competitive and is one of the top schools in Georgia. Regarding your school being hard, challenging, etc... expect it to be. And that will be the case whether you choose a school in Georgia, Florida, or Timbuktu.

The reason why I say this is that accredited nursing schools have to have 80% of their class pass the NCLEX.

If 80% or more of the class fail the NCLEX, that school will lose accreditation with the Board of Nursing.

Schools ensure a high success rate by only admitting the creme de la creme into their programs.

If you have already exceeded the schools' minimum requirements for entry, you should get in and will probably find nursing school difficult but not unattainable.

If you have not exceeded the schools' minimum requirements for entry one of the following scenarios may occur

1) you may not get in. Don't be discouraged-retake prereqs, retake tests- reapply

2) you may get in but you may feel like completing is unattainable- Don't get discouraged- find study groups, find a tutor, formulate strong bonds with your professors, eliminate distractions, stay focused, stay positive!

The south is huge on college football. While I like football, I am more of your NFL type chick and I love it when the Giants come to town and bring a can of whoop with them on on the Falcons (sorry Falcon Widow :lol2:)

I think it is to your advantage to go to school in the Augusta for the following reasons:

1) The south is cheaper than the north!!! Yes you will pay it out the booty in out of state tuition fees but simple pleasures like gas, parking, rent, heck even food sometimes makes a huge economic difference.

2) Yes, you will be up in the sticks but downtown Atlanta is less than an hour away and it will almost feel like NYC should you want to visit on a weekend. Heck..I'll even meet up with you at a restaurant downtown and give you a tour of Atlanta .

Also, more than likely..you will meet people from the tri-state area so you won't feel as homesick

3) The south is very hospitable. When I first moved here and went to a grocery store, I was shocked by how many customers in the parking lot offered to help me carry things to my car!!! Now, you and I both know that does not happen up north. And if it does, the person is not from the north.

4) the further outside the Atlanta perimeter area you go to for nursing school, the better. A lot of competition right now for finding jobs in the metro Atlanta area from what I hear from the forums on this site. I believe the reason is that there are a lot of nursing schools here competing for the same things.

The fact that you will be in Augusta, gives you a smaller pool of people to compete with for finding jobs

The job market will be tight since there are more opportunities in the Atlanta area than Augusta (more hospitals, more doctor's offices, more nursing homes, etc....) but you should still do well in Augusta because there are less medical schools for you to compete with to land a job! :rckn:

Best of luck to you, let us know which one you decided on.

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Hi there! I'm a student at UGA looking at MCG for BSN too. This is my second year living in Athens and I absolutely LOVE it. There's always a ton of stuff to do and it's a hugely welcoming city. Downtown Athens is pretty small so it's no where close to NYC but I think you'll really like it if you move here. Athens-Clarke County is one of the poorest counties in the state and I've heard Augusta's not a great place to live (sometimes called Disgusta?) but I'm sure the campus is great. UGA campus is very safe and nice and MCG is moving onto campus next fall so that will definitely be good. At the moment I think the school is in a shopping center.....I've heard the program is extremely competitive since it's the only public med school in GA and they accept 50 students to each campus. I think they try to accept mostly in-state students since it is public, but that being said, I'm sure you have a wonderful application and will have no problem getting in :)

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