School Shopping

[NightnGale]

Hello!

I am currently taking my pre-reqs at a local community college. I would like to obtain my BSN.

There are 3 schools that I will be applying for to start nursing school in fall of '09. All three schools are very competitive, there are no waiting lists, either you are in or you aren't.

IF (and that is a big IF) I am accepted at multiple schools, then I want to be sure I pick the best one. So I would like to look to the advice of you folks... I will be making appointments to speak with counselors at each college... What sort of questions should I ask? What important things about the school should I be looking for?

The schools I am applying to are: Ohio State University, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, and Otterbein College (all in Central Ohio). If any of you have attended these colleges I would also like to hear from you.

I look forward to your input! :)

[WayneStateKatie]

I'd ask about NCLEX pass rates, retention (what percent of the students who start the program complete it), and also how many students they admit/ what GPA was the lowest accepted in previous years.

I'd also talk to current students in the program or former students to get their opinions. Good luck on getting in to one or more programs!

[AtomicWoman]

I would ask:

NCLEX pass rate

Retention rate and/or graduation rate

What % of students are employed within 6 months of graduation

How many hours of clinical you get each semester

Ask if you can speak with some current students or recent graduates. Also, get some of the profs' names and to to ratemyprofessors.com to see what students say about those teachers.