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Russell Sage College earned a prestigious Nursing badge from the most recent U.S. News & World Report annual “Best Colleges” ranking — and in June 2023, Sage was included on the Phi Theta Kappa honor society’s Transfer Honor Roll for the fourth year in a row.
Below, two students describe how Sage’s distinct strengths in Nursing education and supporting transfer students are helping them meet their personal and professional goals.
Tobore Abamwa
“I heard great reviews about Russell Sage College and was told that their nursing program had been up and running for the past 100 years. My thought process was that if it’s been around for that long, it has to be good,” said Tobore Abamwa, who attended SUNY Old Westbury before he transferred to Sage in January 2023.
“The transfer experience was smooth and extremely easy,” he continued, describing the assistance he received from the Office of Admission. “I was initially worried because I started my transfer process right before Christmas and New Years, but they were on top of everything despite the holidays.”
Tobore found the same responsiveness from other campus offices, too. “The Financial Aid office is very helpful when I need questions about scholarships and loans answered,” he said.
Sage’s Collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program — sponsored by the New York State Department of Education — has been another valuable resource.
“CSTEP has provided me with tutors, scrubs, stipends which I put towards my textbooks, and more,” he said. “It’s comforting to know that so many resources are available.”
Tobore said he is attracted to a nursing career for the flexibility and room for growth, and that he’d like to start his career in an intensive care unit. He’s also interested in working for a travel nursing agency and serving in short-term positions around the country before he returns to school to become a nurse anesthetist.
“My professors in lectures, labs, and simulations provide me with all of the knowledge necessary to reach this goal,” he said.
Sandy Toure
Sandy Toure always wanted to work in the healthcare field, and thought about going to college for biology and applying to medical school or physician assistant programs.
Then her mom pointed out that those paths would require extra years of school, while a nursing major would allow her to start her career with a bachelor’s but also offer opportunities for advanced degrees, career growth, and specialization.
“I gave nursing a chance,” said Sandy, who began at another small private college in New York in fall 2020 and transferred to Russell Sage’s nursing program in 2023.
“The program I was in before was very competitive, and it felt like the teachers didn’t really go out of their way,” said Sandy. ”But here at Russell Sage, you can see that they want the students to pass with a lot of opportunities they provide. It was just a big, huge difference from my first experience.”
Equally important, she’s found her classmates to be equally supportive, whether they are sharing notes with each other or leading peer tutoring sessions.
“CSTEP has this tutoring program, held by students that already took the class. That helped me,” she said. “This semester I’ve finished with 90s!”
“I used the resources that I was given, and it helped a lot. I’m ready to do it for the next three semesters.”
Sandy is a patient care assistant at Albany Medical Center, which is helping her to get a feel for where she might like to specialize as a nurse.
“They float me to different units, and I really love that, so I can get a chance to figure out what I really want to do,” she said, then added, “I do like to work with pediatrics and newborns.”