I have searched all over the web to find a list of the best and worst nursing schools in the country. Obviously, I've come to this forum because I have not found ANY answers. If anyone knows of such a list, could you please give me the link? Similarly, if anyone has any of their own substantiated opinions, that would be quite helpful as well.

I'm in a bit of a predicament because my boyfriend is joining the air force. He leaves later this week for officer training in AL (3 mo.) and then on to flight school (~14 mo.) in either Texas, Mississippi, or Oklahoma. I'm not thrilled about ANY of those choices as many Southern schools have a poor reputation (especially Mississippi). If you know otherwise, please enlighten me. I don't want it to be another two years before we can be together again, so I'm begging all of you out there to let me know where I should go/what I should do! (I already have a B.S. in Biology from the U of MN, so I'd be looking for an accelerated nursing program).

Nala, before answering your question, I need to ask you some hard questions.

Before following your boyfriend across the country, I'd sit down with him and find out how serious he is about the relationship.  He's going into a tough program:  you'll hardly see him once he is in flight school.  He'll have the same issue with you while you are in nursing school.

How long have you been going together?  If its more than six months, and he hasn't asked you to marry him, he's not likely to.  If he's not interested in marriage now, then he's not likely to be later.  You will both need a lot of focus as you are both going into demanding professions.

If he leaves for training, and you stay home, count the relationship over.  Long distance relationships don't work, especially in the military.  Has he discussed with you the idea of your going with him?  Did he bring it up or you?  If he brought it up, that's a positive sign.  If you are making assumptions, and you haven't talked about it, that's not so good a sign.

You are taking a risk, moving to another part of the country and then trying to go to nursing school.  You won't know anyone other than your boyfriend, and he will have to live on base while in flight school.  You'll get to see him on weekends at best.  Your support base will be somewhere else in the country.  Not necessarily a problem since many students go across the country for college, but if you are going for emotional reasons and it doesn't work out, you could affect your schooling negatively.

I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just asking you to ask yourself hard questions to see if you can live with the answers.

If your plan to move is a mutual one, and you are in a serious and committed relationship, then my best wishes.

When looking into local nursing schools, a good indicator is to look up their NCLEX pass rate with the State Board of Nursing.  This is publicly available information and should be online at their website.  Compare pass rates, and apply to the best schools.  The NCLEX changed recently, so scores nationwide have dipped a bit in the past year.  Avoid any school on probation with the Board--they are having faculty issues.

The NCLEX is a national licensing exam.  All nursing graduates take the same test, administered by a private company.  Faculty have access to a test plan, but no access to questions.  It is impossible to teach to the NCLEX, which is a computer adaptive test that adjusts itself based on the answers the student gives to questions.  So if a school has a good pass rate (above 90%), then likely it is a good school.

Hi everyone, I'm currently considering enrollment with Kennedy Global Nursing School. 9 mo. of the courses are online and the last three months ( the clinicals) will take place in the Phillipines. It sounds good to me. I love to travel. The opportunity to obtain my LPN license in 12 months is great timing for me. I spoke with an administator at the school. She stated that after the clinicals in the Phillipines, I could complete the state LPN exam here in the U.S. Another benefit is that the tution seems to be cheaper then other schools I've considered (5,500USD) and they claim to have aprox 95% success rate. I just want to make sure it's legit before I continue and pay for any classes or books. If you know anything about this school or if you can direct me to more information, please let me know ASAP. Thank you!

Hey Everyone,

Thank you all very much for taking the time to write back to me. Your feedback is all very helpful. To answer a few of the "tough questions" posed by theala, yes he has brought up marriage. Many times, in fact. We've been together for 9 months now, which--in my book--isn't all that long. I'm not one to fall for guys hard OR fast, and I've certainly never EVER considered being a "military wife". I've always been very career/academically driven and independent. If I had time for a boyfriend in my rare spare time, then great. However, this relationship was different from the start. I'm very close with his family and he with mine. He's already looked at rings, so I'm confident this is indeed going somewhere.

Secondly, I agree with applying to schools with the best programs over just following someone else's life wherever it leads. Couldn't agree more, in fact. On the other hand, my state only offers one accelerated nursing program and it doesn't have a cohort starting in spring (the ideal time for me). Therefore, I won't be sticking around the neightborhood anyway. While, I will apply to this local school, I'll also be applying to a few others.  The only schools I'm applying to in hopes that he'll receive similar orders are in Oklahoma. There are several universities within a few hours of two of the four potential bases he'll land at. Other than that, there are a handfull of programs I'm looking into outside of the area of my bf.

What do you all know about the Oklahoma University system or Mt. Carmel in Ohio (if anything)?

Thanks guys! I really appreciate it!

The link to the ranking of nursing schools was great. Just realize that this is only BSN or higher programs. Which is great for those who can afford that route initially. My state, GA has several excellent schools, one actually within driving distance for me, however I choose to go ASN first. It depends on what works for your situation.

First time pass rate on NCLEX would be my first marker to check on a school. Also check on how many students complete courses on time.  This tells you if they have a high drop rate.