Why I chose Decker College

Written by: Angela

As a first-year student, I can attest that the college application process can be an extremely overwhelming and confusing process. Deciding where to spend the next four years of your educational career on top of juggling high school coursework, extracurriculars, and life in general is definitely not easy! I knew that I wanted to study to be a nurse, but with thousands of nursing programs across the United States, it was a lot to narrow down. I was looking for a university that was driving distance from my hometown, relatively affordable, and had several academic and extracurricular opportunities. So, here are a couple reasons why I chose Decker College at Binghamton!

1. Direct entry to nursing program

Binghamton University offers direct entry to the Decker nursing program, where students are directly admitted into the nursing major upon acceptance. In fact, Binghamton is one of the only SUNYs that offer this opportunity! This meant that I would be considered a nursing major as soon as I paid my enrollment deposit, saving me the trouble of applying again after two years of prerequisites with no guarantee of admission to the major. Being a part of Decker as a freshman has made so many resources available to me that wouldn't have been otherwise readily available. For example, living in the Nursing Learning Community (NLC) in Mountainview College placed me among fellow nursing students, who are all taking similar classes and were on the same track as I am. Additionally, the NLC Study Lounge offers study materials catered to nursing students and provides free study supplies as well as periodically hosting Decker Advising Drop-In Hours.

2. State-of-the-art facilities & hands-on experience

Going into nursing, I was worried about being unprepared for real-life nursing situations under time constraints and external pressures. Luckily, Decker is home to the Innovative Simulation and Practice Center (ISPC), the first nursing school in NY to be accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. In the ISPC, nursing students can gain hands-on healthcare experience in an educational environment alongside peers and with the guidance of instructors. I felt that the ISPC would really help me gain confidence as a healthcare provider and prepare me for clinicals starting mid-way through junior year. Additionally, Decker’s location within Johnson City provides students with easy access to valuable clinical settings and experiences. 

3. Diverse programs & a plethora of opportunities!

One of my non-negotiable qualities that I wanted in a college was that there would be several opportunities to advance both personal passions and professional goals. Beyond just the nursing major, Decker also offers minors in Forensic Health, Arts in Healthcare, Health and Wellness Studies, Public Health, and Speech and Hearing Science. Not only would I get to study nursing, but I’m also able to explore my secondary interest in forensics and take classes related to it. I was also really interested in the robust research opportunities at Decker, which has 9 research labs and offers an undergraduate nursing research seminar, which gave me an opportunity to involve myself in research. Beyond curricular opportunities, there are several student-led organizations like the Nursing Student Association and the Mary E. Mahoney Nursing Support Group that focus on professional development and networking, community involvement, and mentorship programs.  

There were many other factors that led to my choice to enroll at Binghamton University, but Decker College stood out to me because of its unique opportunities and innovative facilities. As a current student now, support resources like the Decker Division of Advising have helped me greatly in clarifying my future goals. 

Choosing a college is a huge milestone decision in almost every student’s career, and it felt like a total gamble at the time. Spending months weighing programs, looking at rankings, and student-to-faculty ratios, trying to predict where I’d truly fit in, was not easy. But as a Decker student, I can confidently say that choosing Decker is less of a conclusion I came to based on research and more of a realization that I really like it here!