Why The University of Pennsylvania?

I'll give a bit of background info- don't tune out yet.  My husband and I moved from Texas (where I was born and raised) to New Jersey 5 years ago. Never in a million years did I think I'd call New Jersey home-- never.

I decided to take a job in Philadelphia working in a surgical ICU, seeing a lot of post-op cardiac bypass patients, something I knew nothing about.  I still vividly remember crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge for the first time to go to my job interview.  It was my first time driving in Philadelphia and in a less than luxurious 15 yr old Jeep Wrangler with an incredibly difficult clutch.  It was a cold day in February and I was nervous.  The interview went well and I was offered the job.

Fast forward 2 years and I was trying to decide where to go to NP school.  If you know anything about Philadelphia, you know that there are about 35 colleges-- well, not quite but close.  I knew that the University of Pennsylvania had/has a great reputation, but a hefty price tag. I decided to attend Univ. of Penn's open house and I was sold.

There were several former and current students at the open house who had impressive resumes and great job offers.  I got a great vibe from everyone I met.  I was impressed by Carrie, MSN, ACNP the associate program director.  Above all, the biggest selling point was Penn's reputation.  Penn's program has an excellent network of NP and MD preceptors in a variety of clinical settings.  In addition, I did not want to have to find my own clinical rotations-- something I knew I would have to do if I attended other programs in the area.

Sure, I'm probably going to have to sell my firstborn child to pay back my loans, but so far I've been very impressed with the program.  The professors have been incredibly knowledgeable and experts in their field.  Often times, physicians and NP's from Penn Medicine lecture on topics for which they are expert clinicians.

Also, Penn Nursing School expects that each grad student will publish a paper while in the program.  They emphasize nursing and medical research, making it an integral part of almost every lecture and class.

If you're looking for a top nursing school, I would highly recommend The University of Pennsylvania.


Are you currently trying to decide where to go to graduate school?  How did you make your decision?  Are you happy with your choice?