USD is a better school. Your daughter wouldn't have any issues in either Brookings or Vermillion. They are both east river so there's that.

There is no better university in South Dakota for nursing than SDSU.

Brookings (SDSU) is a MUCH better town than Vermillion (USD). Better location, better shopping, dining, quality of living, etc. Brookings is VERY safe. Mostly just property crimes.

If your daughter or you are interested, I can put you in touch with someone from the nursing program.

Take a look at a map of SD. Missouri River runs roughly through the middle of the state. East River is more farming, West River is more ranching.

Junior year in high school is a perfect time for a prospective family visit. If you have the opportunity to visit both SDSU/Brookings and USD/Vermillion, you really should so you can see the differences for yourself.

As a former USD student if shes looking at a 4 year RN degree SDSU is the better school.   Both Brookings and Vermilion are both safe towns.  The biggest dangers in both town and most of the major risks are like any other small collage town.  Getting drunk and putting your self in a bad place.  Brookings probably has better shopping but both are less than 1 hour from Sioux Falls witch has a major airport and all the shopping and 2 major medical centers that recruit from SDSU.

While SDSU was recently named to the top 100 nursing schools in the nation, I wonder why when both Augustana and USD have higher NCLEX pass rates. I also very much disagree with Brookings being a better town than Vermillion, but I love the river.

To the OP,  have you looked at GPA requirements for SDSU? Is your daughter a 4.0 high school student? I think on campus admission was somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.7 for prerequisites for SDSU.

My wife is an assistant professor at SDSU. I am a third semester nursing student at USD as a non-traditional student.

Opinions vary. I was going to go to USD until I saw the town.

Would I live in Vermillion NOW? Sure. When I was a college student? No way.

Brookings is a great community.  It is very conservative though, which isn't a bad thing.

I graduated from SDSU in the early 2000's.  I loved everything about the experience.  It is a much larger school now but the feel around campus is still pretty similar.

My sister graduated from their nursing school and is now a LPN.  She liked it there also.

Make sure and visit.  The one thing that she probably won't like is the winter....

Yeah, but humidity and mosquitoes in the summer make it all worth while living here.

Honestly, it doesn't take too long to get accustomed to it. She probably won't be driving around much her first 2 years anyway so the winter road conditions shouldn't have a huge impact on her life.

The windchill right now is -37. Tell her to stay away. SDSU is actually shutting down today at 3pm and will not open until noon on Thursday due to dangerous windchills of up to -60. Every year I keep asking myself why the fuck I still live here...

Someone from Texas has no concept of what our weather is like right now.

Not something your imagination can work with.

Actually...  Someone from Texas does get it.  I've got family in Sioux Falls.  I've never lived there, but I've visited in winter.  Now the family has to come south for Winter because I won't go there this time of year.

My wife and my sister both got their nursing degrees from SDSU.  It’s a great program.  Brookings is a flourishing and clean community.  My wife also said that Augustana’s program is really good as well.

Vermillion is probably one of the more liberal towns in the state(excluding the reservations), while Brookings retains a more Ag School vibe.  I knew several kids kids from Texas and even rural Cali(25 years ago) that fit in well.

SDSU is a very good school and they are the only team in the country with the Jackrabbits as their nickname. They have done a lot expansion/building/upgrades over the past 8 years. Their sports teams are decent. The football team has gone to the playoffs the past several years, but can never get past NDSU. The football stadium has been renovated within the past 3 years and an indoor training facility has also been built. Dorms and classrooms have also been built. The student center has also had a renovation completed within the past 3 years and it has a Hate Chikin (Chick-Fil-A) inside.

The campus is open and it is easy to walk around- except when it is snowing sideways in a whiteout. It's pretty and green in the spring (unless there is a long winter) and the humidity is low and temperatures are nice in the summer.

Brookings is a great area. It is a college town, but not a college town. About half the population is students. From the center of town you can drive about 3.5 miles in any direction and be in the middle of a field. You go into the Walmart or Hy-Vee and the cashiers talk to you like you they know you are a local. The crime rate is almost non-existent. Worst crimes is College DUIs and students stealing bikes to ride back to the dorm after drinking at the bars. The people are friendly and the "down-town" area is small, but nice. Not a lot of food options, but what they have is usually good (try Backyard BBQ Grill, avoid Whiskey Creek). There is also a place called Nick's that has decent, but pricey, hamburger sliders that has been around since 1929.

Sioux Falls is just a little over/under 45 minutes away and they have a nice airport served by Delta/American/United.

Unfortunately, because Brookings is such a great area, it is growing and more industries are relocating there. It will lose it's charm in a few years.

I think it would be a good college environment for your daughter and she would get a good education there.

I think you mean there is more farming in Western Minnesota...

Wut?

Obviously a Freudian slip due to Bison awesomeness, Horns up!

for nursing it is ok

I have 3 degrees from SDSU.  it is an ag school.  with world class dairy, agronomy, & geography departments.For nursing I'd start her in online classes. until she gets past organic chemistry. which is the kill class for nursing.

Brookings is a very very hard city to find an apartment in. but about 15 minuets west is an very nice members only range. 200 meters with some side bays. they used to do 3 gun I have  not been up there in 8 years.

Well one wins Championships, the other are Jackrabbits...



(I kid, we're SD'an here now but me and my whole family, both mine and my wife's side, are still Bison and by the looks of the flags during the football season last fall it's a pretty even mix of Bison and Jacks, at least in my neighborhood)

SDSU is a good nursing school. My wife graduated there with biology degree and as RN.

The only part I didnt care for from the program was doing her onsite learning at various facilities including a few reservations and the state penitentiary.

Lots of area country kids go there. Big in AG programs. Might get a little redneck but that is better than most colleges in my opinion.

Brookings is nice and safe. Handful of good restaurants and a few decent hotels for visits. I prefer it vastly over USD/Vermillion.

They are adding to SDSU constantly as far as facilities too so amenities are upgrading.