Hi everyone, I can now officially say it! I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED TO NURSING SCHOOL! I didn't think I'd make it this far, so now I'm blessed to be facing choices for a BSN program. If I could choose between Sac State, San Jose State, or Stanislaus State (this one is accelerated, 19mo), which should I choose? Apologies in advance for the long read! Factors I'm considering: Job opportunities & pay post-graduation - I assume that I will have the best chance at landing a job at somewhere I've done clinicals at throughout my program (maybe I'm mistaken on this?) I know the job market in the bay is rough, but I want to give it a solid shot. From what I'm seeing, the highest paying areas for RNs would be around San Jose, with Sacramento area being a close second and Stanislaus/Stockton being the lowest. Quality & pace of program - Both Sacramento and San Jose are the typical 2 year BSN programs. Stanislaus is an accelerated 19 month program. I do already have a BA in another field, so Stanislaus' program felt like a natural next step for someone in my position. I've also read that their classroom sizes are much more intimate, allowing for better relationships with professors and peers. With that in mind, I would also be missing essentially the next 2 years of plans I had for any vacations (which I had lined up for end of May and end of June). This is a price I'm willing to pay, though a factor worth considering. Both Sacramento and San Jose's class sizes are more than double, but I would have the standard summer break that would allow me to keep my plans in May and June. I am also a little concerned about burn-out on an accelerated program. Cost - Sacramento and San Jose are both around the $20K mark in total, while Stanislaus is around $45K total. I would of course prefer to take out less loans, but I've also thought about if Stanislaus is a faster program, that's potentially 4-5 months sooner I could have in income from a job. So perhaps I could make up the extra cost of the program from working sooner (though I realize this is not a guarantee). Housing & Commute - I live in an area that is essentially an hour and a half from all of these campuses. We are not in a position to move right now. My commute to San Jose would most likely have the most traffic, with Sacramento being second, and Stanislaus being the least traffic. However, I have friends in Sacramento and if I were to move back there at some point closer to graduation or when I start a job, I know the cost of living is not astronomical and that I like the city. San Jose would have the most expensive housing options down the road, though I do have friends there too and there will always be stuff to do/good food. If I were to move closer to Stockton, I'd probably hate it lol (joking as I haven't really lived there or visited, but the stuff I've heard isn't great). This line of though definitely ties into the first point about job opportunities post graduation. If you've read this far, I truly appreciate you! TLDR: The bigger schools in the bigger cities might have better job opportunities and quality of life, the smaller school in the central valley is more expensive but probably a better quality of education due to class size, but it's in Stockton and quality of life may not be as good.   submitted by   /u/Migratingjays [link]   [comments]