OctoberLovey

first i'm not trying to start an argument or anything, just wanted to hopefully shine a little sunlight on those who do want to go to a technical school! :) (and maybe just to clarify that this is not how all technical colleges are) i'm a student at a technical college myself and although there are things i don't like about it, i am completely happy with the decision i made. 1) when you all apply to these technical colleges they tell u that they are competitive, but they are not... (they try 2 make it seem that way... but do you no of any1 who has been denied?) mci is absolutely a competitive school. there were people i went to pre-reqs with that were not chosen for our rn program (some of which attended the lpn program here). the same thing with sentara's program. i know quite a few people who were not accepted there for the rn program who were already working as lpns. 2) the price is ridiculous (no matter what u can afford...loans have to be repaid) -keep in mind.... all college education is expensive, without grants or scholarships. remember, once you get through the nursing program, you should be able at least put away enough money to pay the minimum payments. 4) plan for the future and don't get so excited about a program because its short (u may need the money & the title for the now... but will it be worth the cost/interest in the future) again, all college education is expensive and all loans eventually do add on interest. the bright side is there are always going to be sick people (or at least enough idiots who hurt themself and require hospital care :chuckle) and they are always going to require some kind of nursing care. there are always better jobs and better money out there somewhere for nurses. 3) credits don’t transfer (nowhere...they will tell you about how they are schev certified but that doesn't necessarily mean that another school will accept them) i am a little more unsure of this one, but i do beleive that it's usually only pre-req credits that don't transfer from technical schools. but i could be wrong on this one so if i am, i'm sorry!!! at least in this program, all our degree credits will transfer (at least to nsu. lol) 5) if you are planning to pursue a degree beyond the 1 being provided to you by the technical school... then you will still have to spend thousands of more dollars on the next degree. it may take a bit of searching, but there are more reasonably priced programs to "upgrade" your degree. most technical schools are even offering bsn programs now instead of just diploma and associates. mci is currently offering a bsn program for it's rn students. as well as the sentara program which just recently switched to a bsn program. and like i said, i'm really not trying to argue, this is just what i've experienced. i realize that condensed technical colleges are not for everyone (and yes.. they may have there downfalls, but i'm a firm beleiver of you get out of school what you put in it). sometimes i wish i had gone somewhere a little less fast paced, but overall i'm happy with the decision about which school i attend. so while there will always be arguments over if it's better to go to a technical college over an actual university type, you have to look at the pros and cons of both. :innerconf

I got lucky with all the financial aid stuff. I got the stafford loan and then one personal loan to cover the shortfall. Which left me with a $75 monthly payment. This program is definantly fast paced. I would suggest not working if you can, because it's a lot easier. I was working during the pre-reqs and the beginning of the program but I just couldn't do it anymore. I quit working, got rid of my apartment, and moved back in with my parents. It takes a lot more stress off of me at least, not having to work. But don't worry if you do have to work, there are a lot of people in my class who have to work full time and go to school full time and have children .. And some of them are pulling in the top grades! So there are definantly ways to make it work. good luck with talking to financial aid or the admin rep.

Hey Congratulations on getting in! I was so excited when I got that phone call! I'm at the Va Beach campus too. I'm in my fourth mod of the actual program. It gets pretty tough but I like it there. I'm sure I'll see you around eventually. lol :)

delvenia - It sounds like we may be attending the same school. Your schedule & time frame sounds like mine. :wink2: I was told too, going into my nursing program, that working was kind of looked down on. Right before I started, I quit my job and moved back home just so I didn't have to work. Although now I've got an interview on Tuesday, just for work on Fri & Sat nights and Sun mornings. There are alot of students I go to class with that work, have kids, and go to school all at the same time. While I think it's better to not have to work as much, I do think it's manageable.