Please help with general school question

Before applying to a program you should ask what their NCLEX pass rate is. It should be at least 95% or higher because that shows they are training nurses capable of passing the national certification exam. Also call some hospital HR departments and ask if there are any nursing schools they won't hire from or any schools they prefer.

Frankly, I don't think the school you receive your undergrad from matters much, even for a business major, unless you're graduating from an Ivy League school. In my experience you actually have better teaching at less prestigous colleges because you have an experienced professor educating you, instead of a grad student handling the class for a professor who's off researching, working on something to publish, or guest lecturing somewhere else.

And if you have the ability to pay and the basic academic ability, you'll be able to get into a master's program. It's not the big deal that people make it out to be. I work in higher education. There are a lot of extremely intelligent people with Masters and PhDs and also a lot of dopes. =)

In nursing, there is little of the prestige that there is in the business world, when it comes to which college you attend. Unless you attend an unaccredited school or one with a horrible reputation, you'll be fine. Save your money and try to attend the lesser expensive school(s) if possible.

I know here in Indiana there are several schools that the hospitals won't hire from. Those are mainly a couple for profit schools. Make sure it is a nonprofit school and look at NCLEX pass rates.

Nursing & other "licensed" professions are very different from business, history, computer science, or other types of majors. Our pre-licensure program outcomes are judged by success on NCLEX - plain and simple. Go to a less expensive school if you need to because it won't make any difference when it comes to getting that first job.

I cannot offer you any sound advice, but I have researched this a little bit. Mostly on the forums here. I have come to understand that the prestige of a school is basically irrelevant. I cannot say for sure if that's true, but that is what I based all of my pre-nursing decisions on.