Daughter's College Choices

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My daughter is a junior in high school who will be applying for colleges between now and August. She will be studying nursing and is looking for 4 year undergraduate programs that admit you as a freshman. Much to my surprise and pleasure it is mainly Catholic Universities that offer this type program so we are activily looking at the following three:

Loyola Chicago
Villanova - Philly
Xavier - Cincy

We basically live in a middle sized southern city so these locations are a departure to our comfort zone but she is excited to start a new adventure in a big city and we are supportive of that.

Looking for information and opinions on the above institutions so if you have insights you would like to share please do.

Special notes:
  1. Due to the specific nature of the nursing program she wants suggesting other schools not listed will probably not fit the criteria.
  2. We have ruled out certain schools that do fit like Gonzaga, Boston College and Georgetown due to distance, financial commitments or or ther reasons.
 
WT1 said:
My daughter is a junior in high school who will be applying for colleges between now and August. She will be studying nursing and is looking for 4 year undergraduate programs that admit you as a freshman. Much to my surprise and pleasure it is mainly Catholic Universities that offer this type program so we are activily looking at the following three:

Loyola Chicago
Villanova - Philly
Xavier - Cincy

We basically live in a middle sized southern city so these locations are a departure to our comfort zone but she is excited to start a new adventure in a big city and we are supportive of that.

Looking for information and opinions on the above institutions so if you have insights you would like to share please do.

Special notes:
  1. Due to the specific nature of the nursing program she wants suggesting other schools not listed will probably not fit the criteria.
  2. We have ruled out certain schools that do fit like Gonzaga, Boston College and Georgetown due to distance, financial commitments or or ther reasons.
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Are you sure you can afford these programs and is the salary that your daughter can earn coming out of the programs commensurate with the cost of the program?

I know the direct entry as a freshman is an attractive feature, but does it pencil out financially?
 
Xantippe said:
Are you sure you can afford these programs and is the salary that your daughter can earn coming out of the programs commensurate with the cost of the program?

I know the direct entry as a freshman is an attractive feature, but does it pencil out financially?
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  1. We have considerable funds saved for this purpose.
  2. Nursing is one profession that has tuition reimbursement program available.
  3. Thank you for your concern but really wish to stay on topic.
 
Villanova is run by the Augustineans and is about 40 minutes from us. Nice safe area. The boy I babysat for and our financial planner went there. Both upstanding adults.

I tend to worry about Jesuit schools (not sure if the other 2 you listed are), but I would certainly not hesitate to send DS to Villanova. Bryan Mawr Hospital–highly respected–is safe walking distance. FYI…a very tony suburb of Philly.
 
WT1 said:
  1. We have considerable funds saved for this purpose.
  2. Nursing is one profession that has tuition reimbursement program available.
  3. Thank you for your concern but really wish to stay on topic.
Click to expand...
Good for you!

Sorry, had to ask.

A lot of people out there doing dumb stuff–had to check and make sure you weren’t one of them.

I once heard Dave Ramsey talking to a social worker who had spent $80k in student loans qualifying herself for a $40k a year job.
 
Xantippe said:
Good for you!

Sorry, had to ask.

A lot of people out there doing dumb stuff–had to check and make sure you weren’t one of them.

I once heard Dave Ramsey talking to a social worker who had spent $80k in student loans qualifying herself for a $40k a year job.
Click to expand...
Way to go X! I have been seeing all sorts of crazy stuff during tax season. Sorry to mix up Dave Ramsey with Jim Cramer. I actually bought DR’s financial U for a client in dire, dire straights!
 
1990Domer said:
Way to go X! I have been seeing all sorts of crazy stuff during tax season. Sorry to mix up Dave Ramsey with Jim Cramer. I actually bought DR’s financial U for a client in dire, dire straights!
Click to expand...
Yeah, sorry again OP.

It’s so unusual to get this stuff right that it’s totally unexpected. Oh my goodness, a parent has saved for college and is going to be able to send their child to a private college without blighting either their own or their child’s future! Stop the presses! Call CNN!
 
1990Domer said:
Villanova is run by the Augustineans and is about 40 minutes from us. Nice safe area. The boy I babysat for and our financial planner went there. Both upstanding adults.

I tend to worry about Jesuit schools (not sure if the other 2 you listed are), but I would certainly not hesitate to send DS to Villanova. Bryan Mawr Hospital–highly respected–is safe walking distance. FYI…a very tony suburb of Philly.
Click to expand...
Xaiver and Loyola are Jesuit schools.

I’ve actually visited Loyola in Chicago which is Jesuit and could not have been more impressed with education and care provided to the students. I walked away a huge fan of the Jesuits and proud that our Pope is one.
 
1990Domer said:
Villanova is run by the Augustineans and is about 40 minutes from us. Nice safe area. The boy I babysat for and our financial planner went there. Both upstanding adults.

I tend to worry about Jesuit schools (not sure if the other 2 you listed are), but I would certainly not hesitate to send DS to Villanova. Bryan Mawr Hospital–highly respected–is safe walking distance. FYI…a very tony suburb of Philly.
Click to expand...
Lived nearby Villanova years ago. Lovely area. Was hoping one of my children would want to go there…

Has she considered College of New Rochelle? It is in Westchester County, NY. But NYC very accessible by train. cnr.edu/
 
Xantippe said:
Yeah, sorry again OP.

It’s so unusual to get this stuff right that it’s totally unexpected. Oh my goodness, a parent has saved for college and is going to be able to send their child to a private college without blighting either their own or their child’s future! Stop the presses! Call CNN!
Click to expand...
I’ve discussed the finances with my daughter in detail and she understands that if she doesn’t qualify for partial scholarships she will have to take out loans. Since she will be graduating in nursing she will have the ability to work off student debt via tuition reimbursement, which is unique.

Had she decided on pursing med school (at one time that was her plan) then I advised her to go instate on scholarship and save her money for med school. However by choosing nursing she can pursue whatever path she desires and will have a way to pay for it without longterm crippling debt.
 
Not to sound negative, but I would suggest, if she hasn’t already, to volunteer at the type of place she wants to do nursing and get to know the nurses. Particularly their thoughts on that type of nursing as a career. It would be better to find out before several tens of thousands of dollars in loans.

Our medical system has gone downhill dramatically since the Affordable Care Act and is on course for consistent decline at this point. It is NOT a fun occupation to work in anymore (10 years experience). It is full of more work with fewer resources. Productivity scales and metrics drive the decisions and temporary census driven lay-offs are becoming more frequent.

If she still wants to pursue it, I would suggest Chicago so she can get the full system experience.

Good luck with your decision.
 
WT1 said:
My daughter is a junior in high school who will be applying for colleges between now and August. She will be studying nursing and is looking for 4 year undergraduate programs that admit you as a freshman. Much to my surprise and pleasure it is mainly Catholic Universities that offer this type program so we are activily looking at the following three:

Loyola Chicago
Villanova - Philly
Xavier - Cincy

We basically live in a middle sized southern city so these locations are a departure to our comfort zone but she is excited to start a new adventure in a big city and we are supportive of that.

Looking for information and opinions on the above institutions so if you have insights you would like to share please do.

Special notes:
  1. Due to the specific nature of the nursing program she wants suggesting other schools not listed will probably not fit the criteria.
  2. We have ruled out certain schools that do fit like Gonzaga, Boston College and Georgetown due to distance, financial commitments or or ther reasons.
Click to expand...
I have no direct experience with these schools myself, however I would mention the difference in weather between Chicago and Cincinnati. Both have the classic Midwestern unpredictability when it comes to temperature shifts and precipitation, but overall, in every category I would say that the weather is going to be much milder in Cincinnati. While it probably wouldn’t be a huge factor for most people, living for four years in an area that has weather that really bothers you can definitely be a stressor so it’s something you might want to consider. My oldest did her undergrad in Valparaiso, then grad school in Chicago - for her, 18" of lake effect snow in a few hours, temps of -30 degree wind chill, etc were bothersome but not off-putting. My next daughter however, after spending a weekend with the oldest, was very clear that under no circumstance would she attend school any farther north than she absolutely had to. 🙂 She’s always been sensitive to cold (first one back inside as a child) so it wasn’t a one-time thing. Anyway, it’s something to think about.

Also - having seen the struggles of some of my fellow parents of seniors (parents with resources and kids with very good academics), I really suggest looking at the school’s acceptance rates and making sure you have at least one school you are applying to that is a “for sure”. Again - I’m not familiar with these schools, or how selective they are, but it seems that currently there’s much stiffer competition for admittance than has been in the past - though that could be a local or temporary phenomenon. However, out of approximately 15 kids - all in the top 1% of their class, no one was accepted to everywhere they applied (though some were fairly selective schools). Again - it may not apply but thought I’d mention it.

Good luck and I wish you all the best as your family enjoys this new experience!
 
Academically, Loyola is great. If you are looking for a great Catholic, school, Loyola isn’t it.

I can’t speak for the other schools, only Loyola.
 
Xantippe said:
Good for you!

Sorry, had to ask.

A lot of people out there doing dumb stuff–had to check and make sure you weren’t one of them.

I once heard Dave Ramsey talking to a social worker who had spent $80k in student loans qualifying herself for a $40k a year job.
Click to expand...
I once hired an entry-level bookkeeper who had a degree in social work
 
WT1 said:
Xaiver and Loyola are Jesuit schools.

I’ve actually visited Loyola in Chicago which is Jesuit and could not have been more impressed with education and care provided to the students. I walked away a huge fan of the Jesuits and proud that our Pope is one.
Click to expand...
This really depends on what you are looking for and why you are asking a Catholic forum.

All 3 are excellent academically. However, all 3 have Catholic Identity problems, however I believe the school that is “most Catholic” on this list is Villanova.

Between these three schools only, I would suggest Villanova.

In regard to the comments about Jesuit colleges, Pope Francis is not an American. Many of the AMERICAN Jesuit colleges have major Catholic Identiy issues. You can read about Catholic Identy issues at the Cardinal Newman Society’s website at cardinalnewmansociety.org

God Speed & God Bless
 
WT1 said:
My daughter is a junior in high school who will be applying for colleges between now and August. She will be studying nursing and is looking for 4 year undergraduate programs that admit you as a freshman. Much to my surprise and pleasure it is mainly Catholic Universities that offer this type program so we are activily looking at the following three:

Loyola Chicago
Villanova - Philly
Xavier - Cincy

We basically live in a middle sized southern city so these locations are a departure to our comfort zone but she is excited to start a new adventure in a big city and we are supportive of that.

Looking for information and opinions on the above institutions so if you have insights you would like to share please do.

Special notes:
  1. Due to the specific nature of the nursing program she wants suggesting other schools not listed will probably not fit the criteria.
  2. We have ruled out certain schools that do fit like Gonzaga, Boston College and Georgetown due to distance, financial commitments or or ther reasons.
Click to expand...
I know its not Catholic, but check out University of South Florida. Highly rated medical program and there is a very large Catholic community around here: health.usf.edu/nursing/index.htm
 
Regina7 said:
Academically, Loyola is great. If you are looking for a great Catholic, school, Loyola isn’t it.

I can’t speak for the other schools, only Loyola.
Click to expand...
Can you give me more info? This is why I posted the link I want as much feedback as possible on exactly this type of stuff.

Thanks
 
I know that zag is out because of distance but it should be out for the student environment and theology as well. Actually, sadly, mat schools should.
I live in the west and there are many catholic schools. Very few of them would I want my children to go to. Even the ones I attended.
 
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