does a prestigious RN program benefit at all??

Actually, I hear the opposite. Program quality helps you immensely, both in preparing for the NCLEX and also your future job. Why does it matter if he got into an expensive school with low gpa and you want to go to more competitive school? What does his decision has to do with you? You've worked hard. That's something to be proud of. Focus on yourself and the educational environment you want to be in, not his situation.

The reality is it all depends on what you do with it. You sound determined, so go the cheaper route if you have the option. He will be making 1500$ a month payments when he gets out of school...crazy and makes no sense.

i did attend a private LVN to RN school for personal family reasons, I also returned after for the RN to BSN for the state public school I had originally been at.

No one really cared that much about my school. They did look at GPA, my previous LVN experience and the fact I was working on my bachelors. They liked the fact I went out of my way to join associations in critical care, etc.

So while I did come from a "degree mill" school, I studied my butt off in it, and did a lot of extras knowing it would pay off. I worked at a couple of prestigious hospitals and that helped escalate my ability to land great jobs.

The public schools tend to have access to better clinical and more variety which can help lead to better post school job opportunities. So don't sweat your friends choice, he will likely be paying those loans off the rest of his life, just focus on you and your dreams. :)

Socal_EMT, like most things, the answer would be: it depends.

I'm sure the school's prestige does help a bit with the competition, possibly due to reputation, drawing in stellar faculty, and attractive clinical sites, but I doubt this is the best way to consider a nursing program.

Technically, as long as the nursing school is accredited, it will provide you the education you need. Like you said, RN is an RN. The more important question to ask is: does the school align with your education/career goals, and other factors, such as length of commute, housing availability, tuition, academic support, and so on?

I've spoken to nursing students from West Coast and UCLA, and honestly I've heard positive and negative opinions about both of them. I personally would not go to West Coast, mainly because of tuition - paying six figures for school is dreadful to me. For your friend, West Coast is his best option because of his GPA and his willingness to deal with loans after graduation.

If you're applying to UCI, UCLA, and Loma Linda only for prestige, there's a high probability you will be unhappy if you start nursing school in any of them. No nursing program can guarantee you success in getting a job.

In the end, it all boils down to you: you have to work your booty off. That is what makes you competitive. If you don't, for example: study hard, volunteer, work as a CNA/allied health, get involved with clubs, networknetworknetwork, work on your portfolio and interviewing skills...does it really matter where you went to school?

And speaking of jobs - you can satisfy all their requirements on paper, but does your personality fit with their current staff? New grads sometimes don't get hired for that reason. That is a variable you cannot control.

(Just my humble observation )

I think that it depends on your local job market and hospital hiring practices.

For me, I researched the local facilities and asked whether they hire new grads from specific local schools.

I also asked working nurses (who were recent grads) where they went to school.

In my area, I found that private for profit nursing school grads are able to find jobs.

I went to WCU. Loans are manageable. Got a job within 1 month after passing nclex (acute care hospital). Had multiple interview opportunities and job offers.

As everyone mentioned, it just depends, but I think in general, a "prestigious" would make employers smile a bit, but in the end, it all comes down to how you present yourself in the interview and if you have any medical background experience that can pertain to the interview. The few hospital in my area in the Inland Empirish area (San Antonio, Queen, Chino Valley, Pomona, etc) tend to have a lot of nurses that were from local community colleges (Mt. sac and Chaffey in particular).