Moving...need some advice.

[elfrangel]

A bit of background:
Hubby is a school teacher who will graduate with his Master's degree this summer and wants to continue on to get his PhD. I will graduate in May, take the NCLEX and get my RN. I want to continue on and get my Master's as well - either in Pediatrics or Neonatal care. Kiddo will be 4 in March, so we have to consider schools.


Options:
So far we are considering - Madison, WI; Columbia, MO; and (maybe) Memphis, TN


So....what are your thoughts?????

[AllegroRondo]

1. Madison and Columbia are both nice places

Madison is great, if you can take the snow, and the Packers religion that comes up every fall.

[elfrangel]

2. Actually, that's why Madison is on our short list.

We're big football fans, hubby was a big Packers fan back in the day. Snow...we'd love it. We're in Arkansas and hardly ever see the stuff. I figure in 2 years we'll see all we want of it and then some. LOL.

[SteelPenguin]

27. My problem with Madison wasn't the snow

It was the brutal cold. That wind kicks off the lakes and slams into the city. It's such a great town, but damn that place gets so cold with that wind chill in the winter time. Months at a time in the negatives (considering wind chill).

If you can stand it though it's a great place, but seriously....cold...

[SacredCow]

3. I've never lived in any of those places....

But have visited and really liked them all. Madison seemed to be a pretty hip, progressive place with a lot of charm so I'd probably put that one in first place.

[Pierre.Suave]

4. Minneapolis, Minnesota...

I swear, it is the COOLEST place to live, EVER!!!!!

Plus, we have excellent schools and hospitals here, and lots of them.

Weather is very similar to Madison too. Plus, if you like the outdoors, you will love it here.

[elfrangel]

7. Haven't looked at Minneapolis....

Will check it out though. Thanks.

[Pierre.Suave]

9. I highly recommend it

it is a great place to live, plenty of culture, great schools and hospitals.

If you have any questions about Minneapolis, feel free to ask.

[elfrangel]

13. I have tons.....LOL

The main thing is making sure that there is a college in or nearby that has the degree programs we're searching for.

Do you know of any???

[Pierre.Suave]

14. where to start...

the University of Minnesota for starters...where I will be starting med school next fall.

www.umn.edu

The University of St. Thomas

www.stthomas.edu

Gustavus

Augsburg

Macalester

St Kates

etc...

[krispos42]

24. Lots of nice towns with good schools here

plenty of culture in the Cities. I'm not that cultural, myself, so I didn't use it very much, but it's there. Target Center, State Theatre, Xcel Energy Center, Metrodome, etc. Minnesota State Fair, too. And two drive-in movies!!!!!!

University of Minnesota is there, as well as a slew of other ones. Lots of excellent hospitals, clinics, and doctors as well. And the Mayo Clinic is not too far away, a couple of hours by car down to Rochester.

St. Paul has an east-coast feel to it, sort of like Boston or Baltimore, while Minneapolis has a midwestern feel to it, like Chicago. And the downtowns are only 10 miles apart and the cities share a common border.

And pretty good transportation system, unlike the East Coast. Every time I go back to visit my family in Connecticut and I have to drive on the roads there, I want to start screaming and throwing things. No tolls, either.

If you live in Apple Valley or Burnsville, you're close to a lot of good stuff. Mall of America with the indoor amusement park and the terminus of the Light-Rail line to downtown Minneapolis and the Dome. Ikea is across the street from MoA, and so is the world's largest indoor water park. The Minneapolis-St. Paul airport is also right across the street from the MoA and on the light-rail line.

I used to take a bus from Apple Valley to the MoA, then jump on the light rail to the airport to grab a plane. Free transfers, $1.50. About 12 miles from the MoA, 30 minutes on the bus.

And the MSP airport is clean, well-run, well-laid-out, and new. Only the best for Larry Craig, after all!

Greyhound has a terminal in Minneapolis, and Amtrak has a station in St. Paul. Plenty of transportation options.

As to the weather... well, hell, you have a thermostat. Buy a house with an attached garage and you only have to suffer the cold when going from a parking lot to a store! It's not like you have ot go chop up a few cords of wood to heat your home!

A remote car starter would probably be a good investment as well.

[elfrangel]

25. Thanks for the tips...

I'm checking the schools out now. So far, I have found one school with hubby's selected degree and no school with mine.

I'm graduating with an Associates in Nursing, but I still take the NCLEX and have the RN title with passing. Most schools want a BSN before going on to the MSN. The schools found in the cities listed in the OP, all offer an RM to MSN bridge program. Ultimately, that is what I need so I won't be in school for the next 5 years.

I'm still looking. Once my hubby gets home he'll start looking as well. He's really good at ferreting out information.

[Pierre.Suave]

28. Have you looked at the University of Minnesota?

They have a Masters of Nursing program. I know people in it.

What about it do you need to know?

[elfrangel]

30. Couple of things....

1. Do I need a BSN to get into it, and if so, is there a RN to BSN program?

2. Does the college have a DMA in music education?

[Pierre.Suave]

35. let me gather the info...

and get back to you.

[jmrobins00]

5. Madison

My bf lived there for high school and part of college and raves about it. He moved around a lot when he was a kid and he always says he'd move back there in a heartbeat. Though he loves snow and the Packers, so that might have something to do with it. We've visited there a couple of times and it's a great town.

[Shakespeare]

6. Instead of Memphis, why not Nashville?

Better hospitals (including Vanderbilt, the big teaching hospital), multiiple colleges to choose from, beautiful area, mild weather, low cost of living, etc. Have you looked into that city?

[elfrangel]

11. We ruled out Nashville....

Several schools have my degree, but we couldn't find a school with the degree program my husband is searching for...at least that is what I remember. I could be wrong.

I'll have to do some more research.

[ceile]

8. Never been to any of those places.

But if teacher pay wasn't so low and cost of living so high, I'd say come to Austin. Saw that you live in AR, so you could handle the heat. :-)
Good luck choosing!

[elfrangel]

12. Thanks....

we're trying to escape the heat, so I vetoed Texas right off the bat.

[grace0418]

10. Of those three I definitely choose Madison.

It's a very cool place.

[ThomCat]

15. My thoughts are

that you're both very incredibly hard working people to be both in graduate problems, working careers, and raising a child at the very same time.

Wow! :)

[elfrangel]

16. I think we're nuts..LOL

I've waited 10 years to graduate college, much less get my Neonatal certification. Hubby wants to work at the collegiate level in music or at the national level in curriculum.

Really, now is the best time for us to make some sort of big move. We're ready, it's just figuring out where the heck to go! :)

[Pierre.Suave]

21. Have you heard about the

music here in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Orchestra?

We got so much here, it is amazing. You should come up and see Minneapolis before making a decision.

[elfrangel]

26. Shameless kick again...

:kick:

[elfrangel]

17. Kick

:kick:

[huskerlaw]

18. Madison is lovely...Columbia not so much.

And I haven't spent any time in Memphis.

Madison is a great college town, very liberal, very fun. Also, not completely out of the question to head down to Chicago for some quality big-city time.

Columbia, on the other hand, is in the middle of BFE. But then again, maybe you'd like that. I just wasn't very impressed. Also, then you'd have to deal with Mizzou fans. (It's the University of Missouri, you losers. Calling it Mizzou makes you sound like a freakin' moron.) I got my Master's from there...didn't really enjoy it.

Best of luck!

[bif]

19. I 'd go for Madison

Mainly because I don't like the south that much. But I'd check out Ann Arbor--fantastic place to live.

[Pierre.Suave]

20. ...

why?

[bif]

22. Why don't I like the south?

Blue state bias, I guess.

[Pierre.Suave]

23. not the south, Ann Arbor...

why would anyone want to move to Ann Arbor.

Been there, done that. Other than the school, which was the only reason i was there, it is the most boring place on the planet. And where is there to go? Detroit? Sure, if you got a bulletproof vest. Not to mention jobs, do they have those in Michigan anymore?

of all the places to go or move, Ann Arbor and the entire state of michigan is on the bottom of the list.

[elfrangel]

29. Kick for the PM crowd

:kick:


Come on y'all....I need some assistance!!!!!

[SPKrazy]

31. cold but liberal

Madison WI

Memphis would be fun, but I would be hesitant to live there myself.

I've heard Columbia is a nice place, but another cold one too.

[Suich]

32. On moving day,

"pack" the remotes in your glove compartment.

:hi:

[harmonicon]

33. I've never lived in any of those places, but I've visited them all

Well, not knowing much about you and your hubby, it's hard to say. Madison is nice, if you don't mind being around a lot of young students. Memphis is gorgeous. Have you thought about Chicago? There are loads of Universities in the city, but I don't know if it would be the kind of place to have small Children (can't let them run around the neighbourhood, and really not after dark in most places).

[FloridaJudy]

34. If you are sports fans

Had you considered Gainesville, Florida? BIG football town.

We have a MSN program here, and a RN to BSN program with the local JC.

Housing costs are very reasonable, compared to other college towns. I should warn you that the weather is hellish during the summer, but delightful for most of the school year.

[MadHound]

36. LIving in the Mid Missouri area, I'd have to recommend University of Missouri

My Mom got her BSN and masters from MU, I've known several people who've gone through the masters and doctorate degree program for education and loved it.

There is a wealth of employment opportunities for you here, Columbia has more hospital beds per person than virtually anywhere, three hospitals, a cancer hospital, Rusk Rehap, etc. etc.

Columbia's public education just got overall good marks also, and it has always been a strong, well funded school system.

Columbia itself is a college town that is going through some growing pains, going from a funky little college town to a much larger college town. With a population around 110,000 it still isn't all that big. The politics are pretty liberal, and community involvement is high in politics and civic issues. Culturally we're not the wasteland many would like to portray us to be. We have clubs downtown that attract top notch acts, along with street festivals that do the same. If you're more into the high brow stuff, we get people like Itzhak Pearlman and Yo Yo Ma in on a regular basis, along with ballet, opera, etc.

The countryside around Columbia is beautiful, lush and green, with many places to go out nearby and enjoy it.

As far as sports go, well the Missouri football team is kicking ass, and will continue to do so. The MU basketball team is a team going in the right direction, though still in recovery. Plus you're just one hundred and twenty five miles from either KC or St. Louis sports, Rams, Chiefs, Cardinals or Royals, your choice.

Come by and check it out sometime, I think that you'll fall in love with the place, many have.