Vermont or San Diego for NP program?

[chiflavored]

hello there,

i was accepted into university of vermont for fall 2012 and azusa pacific (in san diego) for summer 2013. the difference is about 9 months apart. i am from california and was very excited to stay in cali, but when i found out that i won't be going to apu until next year, i was torn between the 2 choices.

for one, i did a spreadsheet yesterday to see what the cost difference would be, and it seems like apu would cost much less. $80,000 less!! my tuition would be through the roof at uvm since i would be considered as an out-of-state student. i also accounted for transportation, meals, and rent. for example, flying back and forth from vermont to cali would cost me ~$500 each round trip, where san diego would cost me ~$80. i also would prefer to stay in sunny sd rather than tread through 6 months of winter at vermont. sd also seemed to have better opportunities for having a life outside of school than vermont.

however, i don't think costs and choice of environment should be the deciding factor. i wanted you guy's opinions to see which is the better school. vermont ranks higher than apu, although vermont is #78 on national college (or something like that). vermont is also a bigger university with its own hospital. however, at vermont i would be in an anp track instead of an fnp track-- which is also my reasoning for contemplation since i heard that anp may limit my spectrum of patients. vermont "sounds" more prestigious than apu. classes at apu are usually smaller with 61% of class sizes having less than 20 people.

i think both programs are good from what i've read but i haven't decided which is better. i've spoken to the doctor i'm working for, and he said that usually you usually get what you pay for. but vermont costs more mostly because i would be out-of-state. if i was an in state student, the cost for tuition would be roughly the same. you can tell i'm pretty confused about what to do. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

if this were you, what would you do?

[zenman]

What's 9 months out of your life when you can start preparing for school now? The time doesn't have to be wasted. Have you ever been to Vermont?

Let's see, San Diego vs Vermont....uh...

[chiflavored]

Hi Zenman. Thanks for replying! I know what you mean, San Diego sounds so much better- living wise. And no I've never been to Vermont and I'm dreading the snow and the lack of activities (besides hiking and skiing, which I love, but don't see myself doing so for 3 years straight). I think my main concern is the quality of both programs. I've heard from students that they are both good, but I haven't found any good notes to compare the 2. Have you heard about any of them?

[nicolel1182]

for an $80,000 difference i would chose san diego!

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

San Diego, no question.

[chiflavored]

Thanks guys. I know city wise, SD outranks Vermont. But what about the school and program? Have you heard of anything? Does it matter which one I go to? And lastly, is waiting a year worth it?

[zenman]

It doesn't matter which school you go to. What matters is you. And what's a year out of your life?

[chiflavored]

Nevermind. Azusa called and asked me to come in early this fall. Everything worked out in the end! Thanks for your opinions anyway!