(06-28-2017 09:36 AM)JMUSteeler Wrote: (06-28-2017 09:34 AM)DoubleDogDare Wrote: (06-28-2017 09:30 AM)JMUSteeler Wrote: Great point, I wish I'd thought to make it. CNU's recent appeal seems to revolve around their Honors program, and I specifically know of kids who chose CNU over JMU due to that criteria alone. My younger daughter, who wants to go into nursing, will actually consider Longwood because they have a strong program in her area of interest AND with her academics if she gets into their Honors program it might be worth a lot of money to her (me). I certainly never thought I'd see the day where one of my own kids was choosing between JMU and Longwood potentially......
Not to sidetrack the discussion but isn't JMU's nursing program considering the best in the state?
Certainly one of the top 2, the problem is you can't apply for it directly out of high school and instead have to wait until after your 3rd semester. Longwood is currently 4th, but you can get into the program directly out of high school. This is strictly anecdotal, but we know several people who got into JMU but failed to get into nursing and either had to change majors or transfer. That has to be part of your decision making process.
This is true, as it is for several majors across campus. You might think of it as a "second" admissions process, as the most competitive programs have a review process that screens and then admits only the most deserving students to their major. Call it quality control or whatever you'd like, but JMU faculty are focused on graduating students that are going to represent the best of the best in their chosen discipline. That's the true "JMU Way."
Speaking as a long-time member of the faculty, I would encourage your daughter not to make her choice based on a concern that she can't make it at JMU, or at what time after admission she is "officially" recognized as a nursing student. JMU's new health building and its equipment are absolutely first rate, and its coordination in physical proximity to the new student health center gives aspiring nurses an opportunity for practical experience right on campus. There's a reason JMU's nursing program is so highly regarded, and like they say in sports, if you want to be the best, you've got to play with (and beat) the best.
Should your daughter choose JMU, and for whatever reason not make the cut into the nursing program (shudder) Longwood will be happy to accept her as a transfer, and she can complete the nursing program there. But if she's bright enough to earn admission to JMU, and will work hard, completing the nursing program at JMU is a reasonable expectation.
That said, JMU offers so many other career possibilities (more so than Longwood), that once on campus she will experience a richer range of curricular options, and she may decide she'd rather go into a branch of bio-med research or audiology, or something she's not even thought about as of yet. Not knocking Longwood, as it's the right choice for a different kind of student. I'd dare say, however, the vast majority of Longwood's nursing graduates are going to be more likely to work for, or be supervised by, the graduates of JMU's nursing program.
Food for thought.