EC BSN Program

Nursing Students Excelsior

Published

Specializes in Tele/Neuro/Trauma.

I know there are plenty of threads on here about this, but they're a little old. I am looking for any recent EC grads looking to start the program maybe in Spring... I gotta wait until after I get my tax return, LOL. Loops are you gonna be my BSN buddy???

I have read some good and some not so good things about the program, so I had a couple questions and was hoping someone here could help:

1. Federal Financial Aid--is it different than ADN program, since these are courses? Can you use a Pell Grant?

2. I've read there are alot of video components complete with critical elements...please tell me this isn't CPNE deja vu?

3. How are the courses set up, are they blackboard and discussion or lots of essays to send in?

4. Do you still get a couple extra credits of elective for being an EC alum?

5. Do they take everything from their own ADN program--ie Life Span Psych, Sociology, etc.??

6. Can I take a few of the exams without being enrolled to see if I like it (ie Stats and Management in Nursing?)

That's a good start for now. I've called and they mailed me a bunch of crap but it's not too helpful. Any advice or info would be appreciated!!!!! :-)

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Specializes in Surgery, Med/Surg/ICU, OB-Peds, Ophth.

I agree, I got the same bunch of crap mailed to me and it didn't answer any or my questions...when I called to get get some answers I got the same crap mailed to me again :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Tele/Neuro/Trauma.

I am looking at a few other schools too, Loops. I really love EC and how it was set up but I am making a sheet on all the BSN options for me and I need to pick one soon. The big seller for me is gonna be the transfer in policy. I know EC gives something lke 65 or 68 credits which is really good.

I am also looking at Fort Hays State and Slippery Rocks University, they are accredited and the cost is decent. I am just waiting to hear whether they are EC friendly since almost all of my pre-reqs are from EC, and I don't wanna have to repeat.

I am hoping someone here will give us some insight!!! I am hoping to start by April or May to get it done this year, once I get out of school mode, it's going to be very hard to get me back in!!!

Are you looking at the RN-MSN option too w/EC? I was looking at the one for nursing education, but if I'm gonna go that route, I might as well wait until my son is a little older and in school. I want to enjoy him while he's still a little snuggler and thinks I'm cool :-)

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I'm not positive about the BSN, but it looks like they are online classes. I'm in their MSN program and the classes require weekly substantive postings and, generally, one individual paper and one group paper per class. I've been impressed with the online, asynchronous format and have absolutely no complaints about Excelsior. That being said, given the opportunity and same cost I might have chosen a brick and mortar school, but that really wasn't an option for me. Have you tried speaking to a nursing advisor?

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Specializes in Tele/Neuro/Trauma.

Thank you for the info!! The RN-MSN seems like a great option with them. I have e-mailed my advisor from the ADN program but they want me to enroll before they can really tell me what I need, but they did offer me a discount on enrollment if I enroll within a year of November.

After getting my ADN w/EC, I have no desire to ever sit in a classroom again. I am definately in love with the freedom from distance learning. A friend of mine is going to UCF online but since I did almost all my pre-reqs with EC, I'd have to repeat alot of them to get in.

I know this is a really dumb question, but how do the group projects work, since it's not face to face?

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I too am interested in any info about the BSN from EC. They gave me 12 semester credits for my Hebrew so I do not want to go with another school and have to take a bunch of art classes.

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I just signed up today, in fact, and one good thing I can tell you is that there is no more video component, as of the first week of January! The BSN and MSN programs are eligible for financial aid and the advisor encouraged me to sign up with FAFSA as soon as possible.

The advisor also told me that there have been some curriculum changes; that there is one class that you test out of, and 6 online courses, if I recall correctly (might be 7, not sure). She said they usually figure that you will need to spend 15 hours a week per 3 credit hours studying and posting online. A few courses are 15 weeks, but most of the nursing courses are 8 weeks. Courses seems to start every other month, such as March and May. I have no clue if they take summer break or anything.

Since I got my RN through Excelsior, they waived the application fee and a big chunk of the enrollment fee; they charged me $395 to enroll. The pre-reqs I took for the RN are all valid for the BSN, and also the MSN, by the way. I did not find any huge advantage in enrolling in the RN-MSN program; as I recall, it saved you like 2 classes but also puts the BSN farther away. In my situation, it was much more advantageous to get the BSN as soon as possible. The way we figured up the classes, I have 15 hours more of pre-reqs to take, and I could be done in 2 years if taking 2 classes at a time is not too much for me. Hope that helps!

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Specializes in Tele/Neuro/Trauma.
I just signed up today, in fact, and one good thing I can tell you is that there is no more video component, as of the first week of January! The BSN and MSN programs are eligible for financial aid and the advisor encouraged me to sign up with FAFSA as soon as possible.

The advisor also told me that there have been some curriculum changes; that there is one class that you test out of, and 6 online courses, if I recall correctly (might be 7, not sure). She said they usually figure that you will need to spend 15 hours a week per 3 credit hours studying and posting online. A few courses are 15 weeks, but most of the nursing courses are 8 weeks. Courses seems to start every other month, such as March and May. I have no clue if they take summer break or anything.

Since I got my RN through Excelsior, they waived the application fee and a big chunk of the enrollment fee; they charged me $395 to enroll. The pre-reqs I took for the RN are all valid for the BSN, and also the MSN, by the way. I did not find any huge advantage in enrolling in the RN-MSN program; as I recall, it saved you like 2 classes but also puts the BSN farther away. In my situation, it was much more advantageous to get the BSN as soon as possible. The way we figured up the classes, I have 15 hours more of pre-reqs to take, and I could be done in 2 years if taking 2 classes at a time is not too much for me. Hope that helps!

This was SO helpful!!! Thank you so much!! :-)

I pretty much had my heart set on getting my BSN through EC anyways, I just wanted to learn a little more about it... so the financial aid + discount for being an EC alum + generous transfer in = sold!!!

I will probably start up in May, tho I may try and test out of Stats, Ethics and some of the other testable gen-eds before then. Anyone else starting up soon??

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Cobweb, thanks from me too. I just talked and verified everything you said. I will have to pass the boards and get a few electives under my belt before I sign on to the BSN.
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Specializes in Surgery, Med/Surg/ICU, OB-Peds, Ophth.
I am looking at a few other schools too, Loops. I really love EC and how it was set up but I am making a sheet on all the BSN options for me and I need to pick one soon. The big seller for me is gonna be the transfer in policy. I know EC gives something lke 65 or 68 credits which is really good.

I am also looking at Fort Hays State and Slippery Rocks University, they are accredited and the cost is decent. I am just waiting to hear whether they are EC friendly since almost all of my pre-reqs are from EC, and I don't wanna have to repeat.

I am hoping someone here will give us some insight!!! I am hoping to start by April or May to get it done this year, once I get out of school mode, it's going to be very hard to get me back in!!!

Are you looking at the RN-MSN option too w/EC? I was looking at the one for nursing education, but if I'm gonna go that route, I might as well wait until my son is a little older and in school. I want to enjoy him while he's still a little snuggler and thinks I'm cool :-)

I am looking into the MSN option Beachie, but the odds of a career in nursing education around my area would be so slim that I have put that on the back burner for now. There was a sticky in our distance learnin board before we converted to this new board that had info on some online programs are pulling out of some states and Minnesota was one of them. I need to find out more info on what that was all about before I keep going I suppose. I didn't really understand what the article meant.

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Specializes in geri,acute,subacute,correctional,pysch,.

Wow, I had no idea about the videos no longer being needed. I am currently taking nursing research and professional transitions. The next classes I was dreading because of the much heard about horrid video component. SO HAPPY :w00t:I will not have

to do it. This post and Cobweb you have made my day!:thankya:

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Lol, I share your happiness :) I'm glad for you and me both!

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