Need education advice!!

U.S.A. Arizona

Published

Specializes in CNA.

To my surprise I recieved two letters in the mail today. The first was a financial aid award letter for a Federal Stafford loan for Summer 2 at Rio Salado. I'd been waiting on this, so huge sigh of relief. I can finally get started on pre-reqs!!

THEN-- I get a letter from Central Arizona College saying they are offering me a 4 semester scholarship. I have to be enrolled in at least 12 credits per semester and it has to be consecutive.

Free school sounds REALLY nice but 12 credits seems like A LOT. I don't work, I am a stay at home mom. The rio Salado online college seems ideal to me.

But also, I wonder if I go the CAC route then if I was lucky and got into the nursing program within 1-2 semesters I'd have at least 1 year of nursing school paid for. (Assuming the scholarship covers that)..

Just confused. Would you take the scholarship or just go the "at my leisure" route via rio salado?

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Specializes in CNA.

Also, for the CAC nursing pre-reqs it says this:

  • Eligible to register for MAT 121
  • Eligible to register for ENG101

So does that mean you don't have to have them completed at the time of your application just be eligible?

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Did you get the results back from your placement tests? I believe that is what that might be saying....you got marks high enough to register for those level classes. I personally did not test real high in math and so I need to take the algebra under MAT 121. So, that is my guess as to what that says. Also, did you apply for a scholarship to central Arizona college? Wow, that is really cool! Im not sure what to say. What are the pros and cons? I'd love a scholarship like that!

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I'd take the CAC. Take the free school...

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

I agree. I'd take the scholarship. They might even renew your scholarship for your last year of nursing school since nursing goes beyond 4 semesters at the CC level. It's pretty common for scholarships to renew if your GPA is good.

Also, if you've never been a full-time student, getting accustomed to a full-time school work load will prep you for the work load of nursing school. I think of this because I have a classmate, a stay at home mom who doesn't work, who did all of her pre-reqs one class at a time through Rio Salado, then started in-person nursing school full-time. She says the adjustment was HUGE.

Here's another idea: I bet you can get some of your classes at CAC online?

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I would go to CAC for the free college. 12 credits is full time, but it's a bare minimum full time course load. I work 50 hours a week and take 45 credits a year and I'm alright. It takes good time management, but I think it'll be good practice for nursing school.

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Specializes in CNA.

WOW, I can't thank everyone enough for the advice. I learned a lot reading your replies.

I didn't know 12 credits was the minimum for full time. That makes me feel better. 12 seemed overwhelming for some reason!

The only thing that is confusing to me is mapping everything out in my head. I need to work out how many credit hours all the pre-reqs are, and then figure out what classes I can take when I am done with those to keep up the 12 credit hour minimum while I wait for nursing school acceptance. If there are any co-reqs, I guess I can work on those.

I am going to call CAC first thing on monday and ask a ton of questions.

Thanks again for the advice!!

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Specializes in CNA.
Did you get the results back from your placement tests? I believe that is what that might be saying....you got marks high enough to register for those level classes. I personally did not test real high in math and so I need to take the algebra under MAT 121. So, that is my guess as to what that says. Also, did you apply for a scholarship to central Arizona college? Wow, that is really cool! Im not sure what to say. What are the pros and cons? I'd love a scholarship like that!

I actually got the scholarship from a "high" GED test score I took. I wasn't expecting it. I haven't taken any placement tests, still need to do that!!

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
WOW, I can't thank everyone enough for the advice. I learned a lot reading your replies.

I didn't know 12 credits was the minimum for full time. That makes me feel better. 12 seemed overwhelming for some reason!

The only thing that is confusing to me is mapping everything out in my head. I need to work out how many credit hours all the pre-reqs are, and then figure out what classes I can take when I am done with those to keep up the 12 credit hour minimum while I wait for nursing school acceptance. If there are any co-reqs, I guess I can work on those.

I am going to call CAC first thing on monday and ask a ton of questions.

Thanks again for the advice!!

If this is your first semester, I'd be careful to not load yourself up on too much math and science in the same semester.

My first semester of college, I took 12 credits. I also padded those 12 credits with a credit Pilates class and some other fru fru class. It helped to give me a gentle intro to being a full-time student, and I really needed that because college was so foreign to me.

About your question regarding what Maricopa will accept for transfer - you've just got to ask an adviser at a Maricopa community college. I know Rio has online advising.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
I would go to CAC for the free college. 12 credits is full time, but it's a bare minimum full time course load. I work 50 hours a week and take 45 credits a year and I'm alright. It takes good time management, but I think it'll be good practice for nursing school.

Keep in mind, this college/work load is highly unusual. I take 18 credits per semester, and it maxes me out. I only work maybe 6-8 hours per week at the most.

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Keep in mind, this college/work load is highly unusual. I take 18 credits per semester, and it maxes me out. I only work maybe 6-8 hours per week at the most.

I second that. My work load and school load are highly unusual. I don't ever suggest that anyone take on the load that I have, but I wanted to point out that it is possible.

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WOW, I can't thank everyone enough for the advice. I learned a lot reading your replies.

I didn't know 12 credits was the minimum for full time. That makes me feel better. 12 seemed overwhelming for some reason!

The only thing that is confusing to me is mapping everything out in my head. I need to work out how many credit hours all the pre-reqs are, and then figure out what classes I can take when I am done with those to keep up the 12 credit hour minimum while I wait for nursing school acceptance. If there are any co-reqs, I guess I can work on those.

I am going to call CAC first thing on monday and ask a ton of questions.

Thanks again for the advice!!

12 credits is the lowest amount of credits that someone can take and still be considered a full time student. It'll be about 4 classes (give or take, pending upon how many classes you take with labs and how many "silly" courses [like ceramics and swimming] that you take). 12 credits is definitely a very real workload, but I have faith that you can handle it, especially if your first semester you take 3 "real" courses and maybe a yoga and ceramics class to make up the other necessary credits.

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