[Audi02]

I love this thread. It is so nice to hear from people going through the same thing as I am. I can relate to the financial problems. There is no assistance for people in our situation. And most of us are now in bigger financial obligations than we were in our original college years. I'm just starting nursing school, and praying I can keep up with my mortgage over the next two years. I am choosing the AS degree just for financial reasons. the community college is the only way I can afford to go. Does anyone know if this is a major pay difference when we start work? I'm also very stressed about doing this. What if I hate this as much as my first degree. I'm scared to waste 2 years of my life and a lot of debt, just to be right back where I was before. It is very exciting, but very scary.

[Ru004]

It's good to know your not alone. I've been accepted into nursing program for this coming fall at a community college and thank goodness the program isn't that expensive because I don't want to take out any substantial amount in school loans. It is true that you have more responsibilty when returning to school ( car payment, school loans,rent, etc.). For the next 2 years things are going to be tight but I think it will be worth it in the end. I've had to stop beating myself up about not going to nursing school the first time around but I do realize I didn't know what I wanted to do as a 19 year old college student so everything happens when it's supposed to.

[cokeforbreakfast]

I would love it if this new thread were available!

[GaMBA]

Originally Posted by Audi02

I'm also very stressed about doing this. What if I hate this as much as my first degree. I'm scared to waste 2 years of my life and a lot of debt, just to be right back where I was before. It is very exciting, but very scary.

I totally hear ya! I feel the exact same way, which is why I intend to thoroughly check out this profession before committing to join it. I don't hate my first 2 degrees, on the contrary I'm glad I have them as they've been very helpful and will continue to be so (BA in Econ and an MBA). The skills and education from those 2 degree programs are very transferrable. However, I do have the same concerns that you do about "wasting time". They say no education is wasted, but still, who wants to put in all that time, effort and $$ to get a nursing degree just to find out you don't want to do that...either.

What appeals the most to me about nursing versus a lot of other careers I've looked into is the flexibility it has in terms of career options. There are so many options and they all seem to pay fairly well for the most part. Also, it's nice to know that our previous education--no matter how different it was from nursing--could end up being a huge benefit to us in our new careers.

[indysmom]

I completely agree. A lot of the issues faced by second degree students, whether due to the different demographics of the group, the different programs we apply to, and the different requirements for each program make the discussions among this group unique. I understand the technological limitations, but in this instance, the additional bandwith for the forum, may reap enormous benefits in customer service, but also increase the cohesiveness of the forums and reduce the size and dilution of some of the larger forums.
Is there a specific process that we need to follow to initiate a new forum?
And finally, with regard to student loans, I just have to mention that they will very soon be deducting my payment from my social security check (if I'm lucky enough to get one of those)!!!!

[SarahFutureRN]

I'm not going to actually get into the nursing program for a few years due to a wait list, so I haven't started to really looking into how I will pay for it. I am paying for the pre-reqs out of pocket .I am planning to save up money, pay off debts, and hopefully pay in cash when the time comes.

However, after reading this yesterday I decided to talk to WellsFargo. I scheduled for someone to call me to discuss student loans. I explained my situation to him (I have an AA and a BS and would like to go back for a ADN, and I already owe money to WF for student loans). He said I am viewed no different than any other undergraduate and can borrow more federal loans as an undergraduate. Is this true? I wasn't sure if he knew what he was talking about? He kept asking what grade level I would be counted as. I'm not sure? Are we considered Freshman again? I have 124 credits!

[lifesacomedy]

I love this! Thank you! Often times I have to type out the whole darn story and we second or third degree students in our second career are truly a unique bunch (and truly sometimes, I feel like we're a whole different animal, too). There seem to be some common struggles:

money (money, money, money)
drive (read: we overwork ourselves both in school, jobs, and homes)

We just tend to carry loads that younger or first degree students haven't acquired yet (mortgages, car payments, a standard of living that we have already become used to, sometimes kids, pets,ridiculous class loads plus full or part time jobs, prior debts...I could go on, but I won't). And that's not a value judgment, of course...just my reality.

It's nice to know there are others out there as "crazy as I am" (according to less-encumbered students in my classes).

Thanks for creating this space!

[LStiff]

I agree! I'm 27, work full time and attend school at night. I'm lucky enough to work at the hospital and the school is literally right there so I can park in 1 place all day and night! It's tough to juggle all of the things that live includes and then say "Hey I want to be a nurse" lol I think in the end we will be happy we made the effort!

[WantAccel.BSN]

I agree that an additional forum would be appropriate, and appreciated. Okay, this financial aid thing has me concerned. I have a pretty substantial debt from the year I spent in law school (and it was a public institution!!! Geez!). Anyway, am I understanding this correctly--that I will not be able to borrow additional monies for an accelerated BSN? Will someone please clarify?

You 2nd degreers rock!

[LoriS]

Originally Posted by SarahFutureRN

I'm not going to actually get into the nursing program for a few years due to a wait list, so I haven't started to really looking into how I will pay for it. I am paying for the pre-reqs out of pocket .I am planning to save up money, pay off debts, and hopefully pay in cash when the time comes.

However, after reading this yesterday I decided to talk to WellsFargo. I scheduled for someone to call me to discuss student loans. I explained my situation to him (I have an AA and a BS and would like to go back for a ADN, and I already owe money to WF for student loans). He said I am viewed no different than any other undergraduate and can borrow more federal loans as an undergraduate. Is this true? I wasn't sure if he knew what he was talking about? He kept asking what grade level I would be counted as. I'm not sure? Are we considered Freshman again? I have 124 credits!

As a second-degree student, you are eligible for Federal student LOANS, but not Federal GRANTS. There is a cap to the total amount of Federal loans you can have, but I don't know the exact dollar amount. I am so glad I kept my first-degree Federal student loan borrowing to a minimum! 'Cause man, now I *need* that money.