seekinghappy

I asked an admissions counselor the other day and was told January 19 is our first day...

Hi mk426! I too have been accepted to Rutgers to start in January, but I only applied to Newark since I live closer. I wanted to go to the "better" program if there was a difference but I spoke to a recent BSN grad who started at the NB campus and transferred to Newark and she told me all the faculty and rotation sites are the same. The only difference to my knowledge is that NB tends to be a smaller class size (but IMO the Newark cohort is not "too big" since it's the same size/ a tad smaller than other ABSN programs I applied to). Since the merger, Rutgers is Rutgers, and that is the name that will be on your diploma. So choose the campus that works the best for you! Good luck! PS I'm hoping more accepted students post so we can start a Facebook group!

@windsurfer: Thank you for the great advice! I'm excited to begin! @HouTx: haha! I was thinking the exact same thing earlier today! The private school definitely knew how to make us feel special. I don't think it was insincere and I truly got along great with many of the faculty members I met, but I think a big part of why they let us know their decisions 6 months before the program starts and host all these accepted students events is because they know a lot of people will drop due to financial reasons and they hope we just won't be able to say no. Although my state school hasn't gotten me bagels and fruit (lol), I have met many great staff members there and know my time there will be worthwhile. Thanks for encouraging me on my decision!

Thanks for your response windsurfer. A current student of the program who is almost finished called it "disorganized," but you are right that her definition may be different from mine. I am currently taking my prerequisites with professors I would consider disorganized (tell students one thing, do another, etc.) and am doing fine. What it boils down to: I want to have as little debt as possible. I need to deal with my decision. I am an indecisive person by nature and seek too many opinions that cause me unnecessary anxiety since I'm the one who will live with the decision. I appreciate your guidance and sharing your experience having gone to a private school, so thank you. I'm excited to get started and plan on going into school without regrets!

Hi! I've posted about this before and gotten great feedback, but this is my last chance to make a decision and I'm stuck. I have worked hard to get a 4.0 in my nursing prerequisites and was thrilled that I was accepted to my #1 program at a private school, but it came with a $100K+ price tag. I would have to take out that amount entirely in loans. My fiancé will also have hundreds of thousands of dollars in grad school debt. This program has amazing, supportive faculty, a wonderful preceptorship program, great alumni network and so many opportunities to become a leader in nursing. Many students go on to their NP program, which, at this point, I am interested in doing after a few years as an RN. I loved that. However, I decided that no matter where I go to nursing school, I won't change as a person and will have the same motivation to do well in my classes, be proactive in my clinicals, and develop relationships with my professors. I decided to apply for my state school's ABSN program and have been accepted. It is a good program, according to my research, but they do not offer a preceptorship so you never work one on one with a staff nurse, and I have heard the program is "disorganized" and the professors want you to succeed, but aren't the best teachers. I attended an info session where the admissions counselors didn't know all the answers to my questions either (I still have no clue how many clinical hours the program has)... however, this program will cost me about $45-50K for my BSN, which is significantly cheaper and would allow me more flexibility in going back to school for a higher degree if I so choose. The school also has a pretty good reputation, especially its medical programs. I guess I just need one more pep talk to help me make my decision. I need to make it this week because there is still time for a student to be accepted off the wait list at either school. I just want to have the best education possible so I can be a well-prepared nurse.

ohhh, I may look into that. I enrolled in a nutrition course through the University of North Dakota (online), but Portage is cheaper! Thank you for the info :)

Thanks @goddess9! I enrolled in regular length nutrition class and will be taking the CLEP exam for human growth & development by the end of this month to hopefully get credit instead :)

Hi everyone! I just found out TODAY I can apply by October 1 to an accelerated BSN program I am very interested in. It starts in January, and the next cycle doesn't start until September so I'm going to hustle to get my application in!! Anyway, I am only allowed 3 pending prerequisites at the time I submit my application. I currently have four (human growth & development, micro, chem, nutrition). My options are: take a CLEP exam for human growth & development OR find an online nutrition course that is self-paced so I can ****hopefully**** finish it in two weeks and have my grade by October 1. Writing that out makes me realize I'm probably being a crazy person thinking I can finish it in that amount of time and would probably be better off just taking the CLEP for growth & development. But if you know of any online nutrition classes that would allow me to bang it out in that time, I would much appreciate your help! (University of Phoenix has a 5-week class but I'm not sure it's self-paced.) Thanks!

Thanks for the advice Guy in Babyland! It is a large teaching hospital so I may not be as noticed as I would like to think LOL. The good thing is the application deadline for the private school is earlier than the deadline for the state school, so I'll know if I have been accepted and if I have been awarded any scholarships or grants before I would apply to the state school. I will apply and see what happens! Since I haven't visited the state school yet, if I end up liking that program more, maybe I will just go there and not worry about not finding a job down here. I am a hard worker, pretty good at networking and will find work if I keep trying and am open to all opportunities :) Thanks!

Thank you for the advice! The reason I changed the difference from a $10K to $20K difference is that I was not including the cost of living expenses. Staying in finance's city means I need to pay for housing. Attending school at home means I can live at home rent-free. I have definitely done my research on costs--maybe a little TOO much! I don't have much information aside from cost on my state program so you are right that I should learn more so I can make an informed decision. I was purely wondering if nurses on this forum have found in their experience that it isn't necessarily where you went to school that matters but if you have gotten your foot in the door and have known people which has helped you land your first job as a new grad. The private university does offer many scholarships and has a work contract with the university hospital that covers tuition (very competitive) so I will definitely apply for as many as I can! Unfortunately, since I will be an accelerated BSN student, they discourage working during the program and I won't have a summer break (one program is 12 months, other is 14), so I don't think an externship would be possible. My only hospital experience will be during clinical. I am going to try to get a CNA or volunteering job in a local hospital during the semester before I start nursing school though! Thank you for your responses :)

Thank you! Yes, it really is that much of a difference because it is a private school vs. state school (may actually be more like $20K difference when living expenses are included). My fiancé and I will have to move to a more expensive area for me to attend this school as well since it is about an hour away in an area known for awful, unpredictable traffic. We will both be putting lots of miles on our cars to attend our respective schools. But I think living together makes more sense than paying for separate places an hour away from each other. This private school is also 1500 miles away from my home state school. So in order to see my fiance I would be flying to see him. These are accelerated BSN programs (one in finance's city is 12 months, one in home state is 14 months) so we wouldn't be apart for too long. However, since I want to be in the best place to secure a good job post-graduation I will pay the additional tuition if more job opportunities will be available to me going to school in the area.

Hi! I am currently figuring out where to apply to nursing school. I will be living in my current city for two years after nursing school (while my fiancé finishes medical school) and then possibly moving to another location for his residency. My question is this: should I attend the most reputable accelerated BSN program in my current city (where I am an out-of-state student) since I will be looking for work here after graduation? I will have done my clinicals at most of the hospitals here. OR, do I attend my home state's accelerated BSN program which is about $10,000 cheaper and risk hiring managers not being familiar with that program when they come across my resume? The school in my home state is also a well-known university with a good ABSN program, but I am sure most graduates of that program don't look for work in my current city. I am just wondering if it's better to go to school where hiring managers are familiar with the students of certain programs--or if it doesn't matter at all and I should just try to save my money :) I would like to hopefully find a job at a reputable hospital in this area. Thanks!

Lol @HouTx, I am applying to more affordable schools, but hoped I could find loan repayment options since I loved this particular program so much. Sigh!

Thanks for the warning, Valcorie. That's good to know! Is your husband a new grad? Is he working in an inpatient or outpatient setting? If I went this route I would want to make sure I didn't miss out on learning more of an acute role--although I'm sure I could go back to that after my commitment was over.

I just moved out of the state I grew up in and will be living in my current city for the next 4 years (because of my fiance's schooling). I will have my BSN in ~2 years. Since I will be living in my current city for 2 years and will need to find a job as a new grad, is it more advantageous for me to attend a school in this city? That way, I will have relationships with clinical instructors, nurse managers, etc. and be familiar with the hospitals in the area? OR is it smarter for me to go back to my home state to get my BSN for a much lower in-state cost, and then go back to my current city looking for jobs? In other words, does going to school in the area in which you plan to work give you a leg up when job hunting or probably not by much?