[yellow finch]

Originally Posted by JoJo_Ga_Girl

Currently tuition is $15,100 per semester. Fees, books, cost of living, etc. are not included in that figure. I can tell you that the average cost of attendance for the first year is over $45,000. First semester was 17 credit hours (4 classes) and clinical started the second half of the semester. As far as GPA, The minimum is 3.0. They really look at your entire admissions package. The essay is very important. I believe the average GPA for my class (Class of 2009) was 3.5. We are also extremely diverse...our class was the most diverse in history with people from all over the US and the world. It's been a wonderful experience. We try to incorporate the different cultures into our classes and it has been enlightening. We are a very close knit group and there is a friend every time you turn around.
Emory was the only school I applied to and I don't regret spending the money a single bit. It is truly worth it.
If there is anything else you would like to know, feel free to message me.

Ouch. That was more than my first undergrad degree. Granted, it didn't go anywhere, but it was a brand name school like Emory.

For the OP, I graduated from Kennesaw's accelerated program (2nd for the school) and have not had any difficulty obtaining jobs, grad school, and future NP jobs.

Just saying that you don't have to equate money with success.

Best of luck to you!

[zimsaint]

I am not sure why one would pay so much for an RN degree. Although Emory is a very good school it does not increase your chances of getting employment. In fact Emory Health System has so many RN job openings right now they are forced to contract with agencies for outrageous wages. They would hire any qualified person with an RN degree.........even if it was from Garage or Bus Stop University. My entire ADN RN degree cost less than $5,000, I passed the NCLEX RN on 1st attempt and got my license. Now I am doing my RN-BSN at Clayton State and it will cost me nothing thanks to the Hope Scholarship. To each his own but you are paying for designer brand when generic works just as well.

[merellis2009]

I second what Zimsaint said but I do believe it's worth it to at least go for the BSN to start out with. There is such a high need for RN's right now that no matter where you go to school, you WILL be able to find a job upon graduating and passing NCLEX. I stress that you find a great program but with the least cost possible. I say this because financial aid repayments can add up to be much more than you anticipated if you don't keep track of the costs related to your school. (I myself am paying over $500 a month for undergrad/graduate school repayments right now.)

Best of luck in your decisionmaking!

[JoJo_Ga_Girl]

Well Emory is a lot of money, but the connections to the world and research are amazing. Not to mention the way they treat us. It is a school where the students are #1 and they bend over backwards to see us succeed. The instructors give us their home and cell numbers, join us for lunch, study with us, etc. I can't speak for other nursing schools in GA and I am sure everyone is going to praise their own. Emory is all I know! It has been worth every dime and very few of those dimes will be out of my own pocket. They work hard to find you the financial aid you need and keep your out of pocket expenses to a minimum. My student loan payments after I graduate will be a lot less than $500/month because I've set them up to be service-cancellable. I don't mind working them off, I'll be working anyway and I intend to stay in GA after graduation. 50% of my tuition is paid for through Emory's NEAT program which is also service- cancellable and means a guaranteed job after graduation. They will even train you in a specialty area if you plan on advancing your degree.
There is no ASN program at Emory. I completed my pre-reqs at Gainesville State before starting nursing school...so that saved a bunch.
Wherever you end up you are going to come out a nurse. Do what you can to fulfill your dream and best of luck to you!

[neygray]

You're right JoJo GA girl about Emory being an excellent school . But as the others say, as long as you pass your NCLEX, a nurse is a nurse, is a nurse. The demand for nurses is so high right now, employers do not look at where you graduated. And any larger hospital will train you in a specialty area and pay for the specialized certifications if your facility requires them. I worked for the Medical Center of Central GA and they paid for chemotherapy classes, the certification, your ACLS classes and certification. Essentailly, if you needed it to perform the job for them, they would provide it.

[hrabell]

JoJo GA girl-
I am starting Emory's BSN/MSN segue program this Fall, so I guess that would make me a junior. I currently have no clue what my schedule with classes/clinicals will look like...could you give me an idea of a typical day? will I be on campus pretty much all day long? Also, you said you live far, I live far too and will be commuting about 100 miles a day. Have you met anyone at Emory that lives or commutes from the Villa Rica/Douglasville/Carrollton area that would be interested in carpooling? Thanks! See you this fall.

[Mexarican]

Brenau U is awesome! of course i currently attend. I just feel challenged and i like it that way. The instructors are available when you need them and they go out of their way to help. It's a private school and tuition is like $9,750 per semester so it is spendy. I don't regret spending the money cause i think it's worth it! Excellent NCLEX pass rate...from 2003 to 2006 they avg 92% pass rate.

Mex

[RwanRN2b]

Originally Posted by NurseBunky

I graduated from Gordon College and having nothing but great things to say about their program. It's an ADN program and they did a great job preparing us for what we would face as nurses. Other BSN schools I've heard that are great are;
Clayton State University
Kennesaw State University (but has a long wait list)
North Georgia College

Definiely check the pass rates and how many students start and actually graduate at each campus because it's very...very important! good luck to you!

Do you know if they have a waiting list and is it hard to get in? I have completed all my pre-req, just getting ready to apply for Spring 09