Why NOT private??

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I've been on this forum for sometime now and read a lot of threads about how competitive nursing programs are and people are staying on a waitlists and are willing to travel miles and miles from home to any college they get in. I have a question, why is that? Are you only considering public schools that have huge wait lists? Why not go into private school? They have so many scholarships available that you might end up paying about 4-5 thousand difference per year. Yes, in 3 years of nursing school (if you take pre-reqs in CC), it will be 12-15 thousand difference. But don't you think it is worth it? You will have to pay around 100$ more per month for student loan, but you can be directly admitted into the program without a waitlist and possibly get a better education. Now, I am not saying that all private schools are better than public, but they do have smaller class sizes and usually better clinical placement. Student who are applying to public or private schools, what were the most influential factors that helped you make your decision?

Wow girls, reality is hitting hard.. After all your comments I start wondering who actually goes to private schools as what are they hoping for. Average 18$/hour? Are you serious? To be clear, I know nurses, but none of them I know close enough to ask about their salary. Who puts all this data on the websites about 65,000$ a year? I can make the same money working as a private caregiver without any additional education! I still want to get my degree since BSN will not be the end of it for me (MSN in the future), but I now will rethink my decision about private school

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Depending on your state you may be able to participate in the loan forgiveness for nurses program ... Here in Florida if you work in a certain health setting for 2 years they will pay 60% or 65% of your student loans. so that may be a option for you

I just googled it, very informative! Thanks)

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LadyFree28, thank you for responding, it was very helpful

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Yeah, $65,000/yr is NOT likely to be a midwest new grad salary. I'm not sure where you found that figure, but it's probably not one you'll see anytime soon. Plus, most new grad positions are per diem and NOC shift. Per diem is ZERO guarantee of hours. You're the new guy, so unless someone with more seniority RFCs (requests first call), you're off the shift. You could work full time, you could work once a 2 week pay period. There are NO guarantees that you'll find a job right away. Yes, I know the market is different in a rural setting compared to a city, but it still doesn't guarantee anything. Even your current position at the hospital doesn't guarantee anything for when that time comes.

Also, I'm not sure where you heard that many hospitals are paying for graduate school. This used to be more common, but now that the market is so competitive, fewer and fewer facilities are doing this. I'm hoping for the same thing, but I'm also saving money so that when the time comes, if I'm not in a position to have my grad program covered, I'll be able to pay out of pocket.

About the GPA- MANY people on here who are used to being A students (as are MOST nursing students) are devastated when their GPA plummets in nursing school. It's VERY common depending on the program.

What you said about state schools and large classes and teachers not caring about their students- I'm attending a state university in CA, and we have a small class (started with 24, now in our final semester we have 23). All of our instructors know us very well. I've had one on one time with anyone I've ever needed it from. They work very hard to work with us on whatever we need. They give us a lot of feedback and constructive criticism on how we're doing. There's no "weeding out". They encourage us to work together and support each other, and are very supportive themselves. While our program is by no means perfect, I am REALLY happy that I have a pretty supportive program. I have maintained (actually raised) my GPA while in the program, but again, this isn't one of those programs that really tries to weed out the weaklings. There's no one left in my program that I have any concerns about as a nurse (the one person who left first semester is a different story).

Our program is also not one of those boasting the nursing shortage (apparently some programs still perpetuate this rumor). They encourage us to do what we can to be competitive in the market, to plan on not having a job right away, but are also helping us meet nursing managers in the area and work on our interview skills and resumes.

Don't knock the state programs. Look at each program in its own rite.

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About the GPA- MANY people on here who are used to being A students (as are MOST nursing students) are devastated when their GPA plummets in nursing school. It's VERY common depending on the program.

Thanks for your comment, gpa is really something I need to consider (in terms of private school especially). I also wanted to ask if employers actually looking at our overall gpa after we finish nursing school? Or all they need is our license?

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.
Thanks for your comment, gpa is really something I need to consider (in terms of private school especially). I also wanted to ask if employers actually looking at our overall gpa after we finish nursing school? Or all they need is our license?

I've heard really mixed results about employers from people interviewing. It seems like some employers ask, some don't.

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Specializes in ICU.

I ended up in a nursing program at a small private college and have been extremely happy that I did. I value the relationship s with my professors and feel that they are truly invested in me. For me, it was the best possible decision.

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Thanks for your comment, gpa is really something I need to consider (in terms of private school especially). I also wanted to ask if employers actually looking at our overall gpa after we finish nursing school? Or all they need is our license?

Generally, employers are mostly just interested in your license (not your grades). One exception to that is competitive, desirable "new grad" internship programs at the better hospitals -- they typically get lots of applicants for a small number of slots, so they often end up looking at transcripts and grades to make the final determination of who gets chosen.

However, you just never know when your grades might matter (and they will certainly matter for graduate school, which you indicated you know you are interested in), and you also never know when it might suddenly matter what school you went to (and what kind of reputation it has).

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In a competitive job market, the employer needs a way to distinguish between applicants. A request for transcripts is a good hint that the selection process is going to be deeper than the initial license verification that often occurs while the walk-in applicant is still in the office. These employers usually don't even deal with walk-ins.

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Specializes in CCU, CVICU, Cath Lab, MICU, Endoscopy..

The scholarship is renewable (every year) as long as students maintain 3.0-4.0 GPA

I know a nurse who graduated with 72,000$ with her BSN because she took all of her classes in a 4-year college.

Then go for it! So long as it is accredited you should be fine. Best wishes after all it is the same nclex!

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My last degree there were no curves in any of my classes. Now there's a curve on every test. Do actual nursing classes have curves on tests? That would seem unfair with the program requirements, except for the person it helps.

Although I like getting A's on everything, I'm really a B student with padded curves. I feel I cheated and grateful at same time.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

There is typically no curving, extra credit, or rounding of grades in nursing school.

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