shewhoseeks Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 I've not been on the forums for a while, but DD2 received a YES Abroad Scholarship to study for a year in Senegal, so we're suddenly needing to move up the college application process considerably so that she can finish applications before she leaves. She is pretty sure she wants to go into nursing, potentially with a long-term goal of Nurse Practitioner or CNM. My concerns are that she doesn't have nursing experience (so it's hard to know if she'll change her mind), and I'd really like her to have a broader liberal arts education before focusing in on a career area. Picking a school based on nursing programs significantly limits this part of the college experience, as far as I can tell. Does anyone have any advice on smaller, liberal arts colleges that also have a nursing program? Or good recommendations on nursing programs that have unique approaches with perhaps more emphasis on humanities and the arts? Thanks! ~shewhoseeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Don't have a lot of information for you, but wanted to mention that the two nursing programs I'm familiar with (in our area) are at smaller liberal arts colleges, where the first year is doing mostly generals, giving her some time to think about it I guess before committing. Both of these are good colleges that offer many varied degrees. What part of the country are you in? I would guess there are a lot of liberal arts colleges like this. On a different note, one of my dd's did a semester abroad in Senegal, and it was the highlight of her college career! She absolutely loved it. I'm not too familiar with YES Abroad, but it sounds terrific! Congrats to your dd! Also, most of my kids did a type of gap year abroad before college, so ended up doing college applications very early, before they left the country, to get them out of the way. It was actually very nice to have them done so early! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhoseeks Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 Don't have a lot of information for you, but wanted to mention that the two nursing programs I'm familiar with (in our area) are at smaller liberal arts colleges, where the first year is doing mostly generals, giving her some time to think about it I guess before committing. Both of these are good colleges that offer many varied degrees. What part of the country are you in? I would guess there are a lot of liberal arts colleges like this. On a different note, one of my dd's did a semester abroad in Senegal, and it was the highlight of her college career! She absolutely loved it. I'm not too familiar with YES Abroad, but it sounds terrific! Congrats to your dd! Also, most of my kids did a type of gap year abroad before college, so ended up doing college applications very early, before they left the country, to get them out of the way. It was actually very nice to have them done so early! We're in Texas, but she's interested in out-of-state schools. Good to know about your daughter's experience in Senegal. I'm very nervous, but she's so excited for such an adventure. Looking forward to being on the other side of the college app process! I'm sure it will be a big relief to her to have it taken care of before she leaves so she can focus on her experience there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 My niece is in her pre-nursing year at a small, Catholic liberal arts college in La Crosse, WI, Viterbo College. She will apply soon to start nursing courses next fall. I visited the school with her a few years ago and was very impressed with everything. Besides nursing, the college is known for excellent performing arts programs. There are two major medical facilities in La Crosse, including one associated with the Mayo Clinic, so lots of good training opportunities. I don't know if you are interested in a religious school, but Viterbo leans more left than right if that matters, and has lots of non-Catholics attending. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Nursing students have the same general ed requirements as any other degree, so the liberal arts side of things isn't being completely neglected regardless of where she goes. That said, there's no reason to commit to a nursing program immediately. An increasing number of nursing programs won't even admit directly from high school (and some that do still have an option to transfer in at a later point) - in some parts of the country you'll be hard pressed to find one that will. They require completion of prerequisite courses first, and many encourage completion of as many general ed and co-requisite classes as possible prior to entering the nursing program itself. Her options: 1. Find a program that admits directly from high school and get admitted. 2. Find a 4 year university that has a nursing program that does not admit directly from high school, apply to it, spend the first 2ish years completing prerequisites and general ed requirements, then apply to enter the nursing program. Note that most of these programs do not guarantee entrance to people already enrolled in the university, and may not even give preference over people who completed the prerequisites elsewhere. 3. Find a 2 year college (community college is is most common, but there are private 2 year colleges, too). Complete an Associate's degree (which could potentially be in an entirely unrelated subject) while taking the prerequisites, general ed, etc. Then transfer into a nursing program. 4. Do a four year degree in something else while completing the prerequisites, then do a nursing program after that. This is likely to be the most expensive and time-consuming option, though it gives her the most opportunity to explore other possibilities. They do have direct entry MSN programs for people who already have a Bachelor's degree in something else. I don't personally recommend that route, but it's an option. In the case of 2, 3, and 4, she could volunteer or find a part-time job doing something that would give her exposure to healthcare, to give her a better idea of whether it's actually for her. She'd also be taking classes in other subjects that could catch her interest, and would be able to change course easily. I don't think you're likely to find an arts-focused nursing program, though. I've certainly never heard of one. There are some that have a holistic emphasis which might include a greater focus on art/music therapy and such, but overall nursing curriculum is pretty standardized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Dd just got accepted to the nursing program at her college in east TN. It's a private, Christian liberal arts college with around 5,000 students. The arts are big on campus, but I don't see them being so in the nursing program. Music is huge with several choirs you can join. Theater is a major and minor there as well as teaching theater. There are art degrees, too. Students can apply to start nursing first semester, but I don't know how many they take. Dd wasn't quite sure if she wanted to do nursing, so she did core and science pre-requisites first. Edited March 26, 2017 by mom31257 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Many liberal arts colleges have Nursing programs. Rate the school on both, the quality of its nursing program (be sure to check NCLEX pass rates) and the quality of the school overall if you think she might change her mind. Truman State University in Missouri comes to mind as a good choice for those requirements, but I have no idea where you are. Dd is a nursing major, but specifically marked Truman off because she didn't want so much focus on a liberal arts education. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Xavier University in Cincinnati (Jesuit, but it didn't seem like most students were very religious) has a very nice liberal arts education combined with a direct-admit nursing school. They focus on a holistic model of care and also offer a Hispanic focus. My DD chose another nursing program, but I was very impressed with Xavier. DD is at a smaller (2,500 student) liberal arts school that has a direct-admit nursing program. She went in with 28 AP credits, so she'll be able to pick up two minors: she's currently considering some combination of English Literature, Women's Studies, and Philosophy. Getting a strong, we'll-rounded liberal arts education was very important to DD, as was being awarded lots of merit scholarship money. She's finding her school a very good fit. PM me if you want to know the name of the school. I would steer your daughter towards a direct-admit program because the competitive admissions schools have a finite number of seats in the nursing program and demand is very great. The schools around us get hundreds of applicants for the 50-70 open seats they have each year. Even with a 4.0 in pre-requisite courses, I've known a few students who didn't get into nursing and had to chose a different major. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Carroll College in Montana came to mind. I think a number of Catholic schools combine liberal arts with professional programs like nursing. For public U's, Northern Arizona came to mind. It's not a small, intimate campus like a LAC, but it does offer humanities and arts. Once you find a school that meets your needs, use the "find similar colleges" tool on collegeresults.org to find their competitors to investigate as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch at Home Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 I've not been on the forums for a while, but DD2 received a YES Abroad Scholarship to study for a year in Senegal, so we're suddenly needing to move up the college application process considerably so that she can finish applications before she leaves. How exciting! My DD also applied to YES Abroad but didn't get a placement. Your DD is going to have a wonderful experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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