minjee cheon

I've been admitted to Columbia's Summer 2026 MDE program(Pre-licensure) and Duke's Fall 2026 Master of Nursing (Pre-licensure) program. I'm an international student, even though I've lived in the U.S. for 13 years and already completed a bachelor's degree here. Because of visa restrictions, I need to pursue a master's program to maintain OPT/work eligibility later, so an ABSN isn't an option for me. I'll also need to rely entirely on private loans since I don't qualify for federal aid, and neither school offers financial aid for international students. I've been living in NJ (right outside Manhattan) for the past 7 years, so staying at Columbia would be the easier transition. That said, I recently visited Durham and Duke, and I could genuinely see myself living there — and even if it's an adjustment, it would only be for about 16 months. I visited Columbia last week and it's like comparing apples to apples. Both great schools. I feel like Columbia will have lots of opportunities and I have to chase them whereas things are more laid back at Duke. I'd love to hear from anyone who had to choose between these two schools or can share their personal experiences. I've heard Columbia has a larger cohort and can feel a bit disorganized, whereas Duke felt very supportive and the faculty seemed highly engaged, but I'd really appreciate more perspectives. I've also heard that the job market in Manhattan is extremely competitive right now for new grad nurses, which is another factor I'm trying to consider while making this decision.

Oh that's pretty big haha I'm between Duke and Columbia. Duke cohort is much smaller then

Does anyone know how big the cohorts are usually and what the clinical group ratio is?

My NursingCAS was verified 10/6 and I haven't heard back. Did you decide to go to JHU?

Hi! I submitted my application for the Spring 2026 MSN Direct Entry program at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing on October 1, and I was wondering if anyone heard back.