[AmandaRN2be]

Wow you sound like me. Second career, student loan debt etc. I'm 29 now and I'll be getting ready to turn 31 when I graduate Nursing school.

I just started taking prereqs at the closest Community College. When I got close enough I applied to UMD, got in, and decided to stick with the Community College because there NCLEX pass rate was excellent, I lived minutes away, and don't have to pay for parking. Plus, my whole Nursing school education is going to cost me what a year at UMD would (and we all know what Hopkins costs).

I don't have children yet so I probably could've gone for the BSN off the bat, but with the loan debt I already have and they fact that I need to work at least part-time to afford living expenses made me reconsider where to go.

I plan I going for my BSN and possibly my MSN right after I finish, but I'm going to let whatever hospital I work for pick up the bill for that.

It might be the long way around, but it is also the cheaper way around and I have no doubt that I'm getting a quality education where I am.

Just go for it though! You have a lot of great programs to choose from in Maryland. I definitely think it's a good idea to at least do your prereq's at the CC...and if you plan on UMD you have to do that anyway.

Good luck!!