Nursing Schools. Iowa, Kansas, Idaho, or Colorado?

maddmaddie
maddmaddie Posts: 160 Member
edited October 4 in Chit-Chat
After next semester I will be ready to start applying for nursing schools. If I am not accepted here in Alaska, I will probably go out of state. My nursing counselor recommended Des Moines, Iowa, and Dodge City, Kansas. But I heard they have horrible weather and they're pretty boring states (which is probably why he recommended them, because no one wants to go there). I don't want to be surrounded by just corn, cows, blizzards, and tornadoes. I'd rather be close by the ocean, or surrounded by mountains. But in the end, I'll go where I'm accepted.

I was leaning towards applying for a nursing program also in Idaho, or Colorado. I was just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on these states, or the nursing schools in these states?

Thanks for any input.
-Maddie-

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Colorado is awesome. Just sayin'.
  • jessashcher
    jessashcher Posts: 155
    I heard the college in grand junction colorado is really good for nursing, I just moved here 3 years ago and although we don't have the ocean, the colorado river is just down the road and we have mountains and desert here.
  • mccrockl
    mccrockl Posts: 55 Member
    Iowa isn't awesome, but I'm not going to school here for scenery. Have you already looked at the quality of the programs you are considering?
  • healthy4self
    healthy4self Posts: 198
    University of Northern Colorado is known for its nursing program, too.
  • Valechka
    Valechka Posts: 192
    California... but there is shortage of nursing schools so even some people from Cali end up to go to different states... but you can always try if you feel like spending extra on application fees ... my friend spend closer to 1K in applications fees for Med schools. And he got in : 2 schools !
  • groovylittlerockstar
    groovylittlerockstar Posts: 11 Member
    Ha Ha! I have to laugh! I am a nurse in small town,Minnesota surrounded by corn, cows, bilzzards, and tornadoes! I love all of those things, and contrary to what you are thinking...it is never boring here! Of coarse, I am a native! From what I hear, the lists for nursing schools are long here as well. Seems like a popular profession to get into right now. Congratulations on your future carreer choice. I work in a hospital mainly ER and love it. And it probably won't matter where you go to school as you will be so bussy that you won't have time to be board! Once finished, the world is your oyster and you can go live by the ocean or the mountains then!
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
    University of Virginia has a pretty good nursing school, as well. It's pretty competitive, and it's absolutely gorgeous here!

    Edit: Just did some research. It's not just "pretty good" it's, um, one of the best :tongue:
  • maddmaddie
    maddmaddie Posts: 160 Member
    I'm just going off from what I've been told....that's why I'm posting on here to get other's input about those states. I've never been, so I don't know what those states are like. Though, I will probably be so swamped in nursing school I probably won't have the time to enjoy the scenery anyways. ;-P

    Many people have been telling me to go somewhere nice and warm. But I also have to consider the cost of living. I'm sure it would be awesome to go to Hawaii for example for college, but I've heard its much more expensive to live there. Plus, in the end, it would be nice to go someplace with beautiful scenery but I'd rather have better quality school, than something pretty to look at outside my window while I study.

    I'm going to try hard not to get any student loans, I really don't want to go into debt. Has anyone managed to avoid loans while going to college? If so, how did you do it!?

    Thanks,
    -Maddie-
  • AlexzKT
    AlexzKT Posts: 131 Member
    I just moved to Colorado for vet school. I was born and raised in California, and I went to undergrad in Chicago. And despite living in some very cool places, I have to say that Colorado ROCKS! They don't lie when they say that Colorado is the sunniest state...it's incredible! If there's a gray day, it will be followed by a week of sunny days. It makes the cold weather much more tolerable. Not to mention, if you're and outdoorsy kind of person, there's the mountains for skiing, hiking... and there's all sorts of places to camp, hunt (if you're into that sort of thing?)... the list goes on and on. I put my vote in for Colorado. It kicks Idaho's butt any day!

    (Okay, I haven't actually been to Idaho, but I never hear people raving about Idaho as they do about Colorado!)
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    are you going for your bsn/rn or your two-year-rn?
  • maddmaddie
    maddmaddie Posts: 160 Member
    I'm going for my associates in nursing. Then I could probably manage to work my way through further schooling if thats what I wanted.

    I'm really trying to avoid student loans. :-\
  • stefnicole
    stefnicole Posts: 106
    I wouldn't recommend Dodge City, Kansas.
  • Breckgirl
    Breckgirl Posts: 606 Member
    I lived in Breckenridge Colorado and it was FABULOUS!!!!! If you're looking for a cheep place to live, Colorado isn't it. But those mountains and the great people out there are worth the price!
  • momof3and3
    momof3and3 Posts: 656 Member
    I'm going for my associates in nursing. Then I could probably manage to work my way through further schooling if thats what I wanted.

    I'm really trying to avoid student loans. :-\
  • Ksbyrneuk
    Ksbyrneuk Posts: 7
    When I graduated from the university of northern Colorado in 1988 ,the UNC BSN program was in the top five in the country! We could get a job anywhere coming from UNC. I know things are different now ( harder to find jobs,) but I had a grant from the local hospital to help pay for school as long as I worked for them for a year after graduation. maybe something like that is still available. I had several student loans as well. Not a big deal to pay off. The monthly payment was like $50. Fill out a FASFA and see what you qualify for loanwise. Not all financial aid has to be paid back. I have two girls in college and a son that is 16. Federal aid has made it possible for my girls to go out of state and reach their dreams. So worth it!
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