Hi everyone! I hope you all had a nice Holiday. I posted this question on the Student Nursing board, but I wanted to get some advice from those of you who are in the same position I am in right now...

The application deadline for Fall of 08 is Feb. 1. I have all but one of my pre-reqs completed but I've been told by a few of the counselors at my school that if I apply, I probably would get in even though I'm short that one class. Otherwise, I will complete my Spring 08 course and wait until Feb 1 of 09 to apply for Fall of 09.

My problem now is that I have 3 kids. My oldest is in 3rd grade now (will be in 4th next fall) and my middle boy will be starting Kindergarten and my youngest who will be 3 will be starting pre-school. Because kindergarten is only 1/2 days, I would have to find day care for him and his little sister while I'm at school. My husband travels (nationally) for his job so he is unavailable to help out during the week. I'm also concerned, not so much about the 3 days of classtime/clinicals, but the outside time that is required for studying and care plans etc.

I could take the year off, hang out with my children, get the little ones back and forth to school without worrying about daycare etc. But... the requirements for Fall of 09 change a bit. I will have to re-take the math competency test, as mine will have expired by the time the application will be due. Also, they are adding a written essay, interview, and a higher GPA (which I still meet but geesh)...

DH is leaning towards me holding off a year so I can spend it with the kids and I totally agree. I just hate waiting another year to get this thing going, KWIM?? I am afraid to apply and just see what happens as I feel like if I get accepted and then bail, that will just leave a big black mark on my file for next year. But I'm also afraid to start school and have to worry about my children and who will be taking care of them. I just want to cry. I keep going back and forth as to what to do and I just can't come up with the right answer.

Do any of you have any advice for me? I'm sorry this is so long, I just really feel stuck. I hate that the requirements are changing for the following year, but I feel confident I'd do ok. It's just extra stuff I could avoid right now...

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. And if you have any words of wisdom, I would love to hear them. Thanks everyone for listening.

Jen

I too had to apply by Feb for Sept 08. In the fall my oldest will be starting 5th grade, my middle child will, like yours, be in half day class (but this is preK) and my youngest will be a year and a half. Even this last semester my middle childs preschool class let out 15 minutes before my math class did and so I had to arrange for my dad to pick her her up from school. (my parents watch the baby for my day classes and my husband is home for my night classes).

After this semester all of my prereqs are done and so if I do not get in the np this fall I too will have to wait an entire year, with no classes to take. I pray this does not happen as I fear I may get lazy and off track. Are you the type to maybe get off track if you take that much time off? I am trying to plan it all so that when I graduate ns I the kids will be in full day school so that at least if I work nights, I will be able to sleep while they are in school.

You are really the only one that can make the decision on what is best for your family. Nobody else knows the ins and outs of what you need to accomplish.

Good luck in your decision though!

Hi Jen :)

Congratulations on all your hard work, first of all! It sounds like you've done really well in your classes and pre-work.

IMO, it sounds like the only thing drawing you towards starting this year is that you've worked hard and don't want to lose momentum, but that your heart is really with staying an extra year with your kiddos. As a Mommy myself, my advice is...take your time to be with the little ones. Ultimately, that's what's important, especially since even with a bit of hassle you can still do school next year. Be with your kiddos, meet the extra requirements, and apply for 09, IMO.

Also..do you think that with this year, you could maybe volunteer or do some part-time CNA or related work to get some experience in that will help you in the future as well? Then you'll keep your momentum and feel like you're still working toward your goal rather than 'taking time off'.

Anyway, that's my honest opinion for you :) I hope you find the best thing for you and your family that feels right to you.

Blessings,

Daul

Thank you both for your replies. My heart is telling me to stay home. I don't think I'll lose my momentum (I hope LOL). This is something I've wanted for a really long time. I love school and I plan to continue on after I get my ADN. (just have someone else pay for it LOL).

I volunteer now at a hospital close by. I'm on the OB unit and I really love it, but I've been doing it almost 2 yrs now and it's getting a little boring. You know... you can only stock so many crackers before you go nuts. I'm hoping to find a job as a CNA until I start school. Just something casual that I can do here and there would be nice.

Well, again, thanks for your help. I'm really leaning towards a year off. I can really have more involvement in my older dd's school stuff too and that would be really nice as well.

Take care all! More advice would be great too!

Jen

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck and hope you find peace in whatever decision you make. As a mother myself, I know it can be agonizing (to put it mildly) to try to figure out what to do, when to do it, and weigh all the pros and cons.

Good luck!

Tiffany

I am waiting for the jan 09 np because of one class I need that is only offered in fall 08. This last semester fall 07,was hard for me because my son is in preschool and he got out at noon right when my math class started! Therefor I had to arrange for him to be picked up and taken to day care (whitch he hated the long days) and it was soo hard making him go! My daughter who is 1 thankfully went to the daycare on campus. Next semester I am trasfering my son to the college prescool for the remainder of the school yearso we will all be in one spot:yeah:But since I only need one more class for the np in the meantime I am going to start taking the prereqs for RN that way they will bve out of the way. Believe me I now how hard these decisions are to make and you will make the right one. I just wanted to let you know there are ways to get around it even though it can be a struggle at times.Hang in there and keep up the good work !!:yelclap:

I too waited for my youngest to start 1st grade before starting school. It would have just been too difficult otherwise. Remember that most schools have a 5 year time limit on science pre reqs. If you haven't officially started nursing school 5 years after completing whatever science course you will have to retake it before applying. There's no way I would want to take Biology, chem, a&p 1 & 2, pharmocology, patho, and psych all over again.

It may be possible to have your cake and eat it too.

Many schools allow you to defer your start date (for up to a year in some schools) once you have been accepted. If you are accepted now, and defer, they will not make you go through the additional requirements they are going to bring in for the next year AND you get to spend a year with your kids and get your head in a good place ready to start the following year.

Look at the school's policy, because there is a good chance you can do this. Good luck.