financial aid and course load

Nursing Students General Students

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hey guys, i found out last week that i got into my schools adn nursing program. they awarded me half my pell grant because the nursing courses are only 8 credit hours a semester which includes lecture lab and clinical. so if i remained with only the nursing courses i would have cover the rest of my tuition myself. if i took another class i would be considered full time and everything would be covered with the grant. my question is do you think it would be too much for me to take on the nursing courses plus say maybe a literature or ethics class? should i just focus on nursing or do you think it is doable? I only work part time about 14 hours a week. no kids or anything. thanks for any opinions and advice!

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I am starting the ADN program this fall as well and our nursing courses are only 9 credit hours so I am taking a Sociology class to bring myself up to full time and besides it goes towards my BSN so it all works out. I think it is completely doable since you don't have a family to contend with or to take care of, just yourself.

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Think it just depends on how well you are as a student and how comfortable you are with taking another class. Compare it to other prerequisites that you have taken. If you did really well in those classes then you can probably handle an extra class now. I would keep it simple so maybe just an online class class.

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Congrats on getting accepted! Taking an extra class is doable, but I would go with an easy class. Nothing that involves 10,000 word papers or anything like that. And agree with Barespot, take classes that will one day go towards your BSN. Best of Luck!

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At one time I took 14 units, the extra class was to fulfil at a mandatory upper class general ed since I'm doing BSN. That was one of my craziest school terms ever especially because I am in a quarter system, 14 units in 10 weeks is no small joke. But from that experience I learned how well to manage time. And yes I worked full time, and still do.

If you wish to be full time so that your tuition is covered, take very easy non-nursing classes. Most of the students in my cohort take jogging, pilates, or some other kinesiology classes that require very little writing and studying if at there is any. In any case, it is all doable :)

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I did the same as the others mentioned. Our first semester was also 8 credit hours, so I took two extra classes to bump it to full time.

I always feel credit hour jipped with the nursing classes! We only have one semester that is actually full time, the other three are part time credit hours (but sure doesn't feel like part time!! LOL!)

Good luck to you :D

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I'm facing the same dilemma. I start my ASN program on Aug. 18th. The 1 one nursing class I have (Foundations) is only 7 credit hours. I had to add a Healthcare class(4 cred. hrs) and I'm still not full-time. Luckily the Health class goes towards my Bachelor.

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Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown, PCU.

Look at your program. Does it have other classes that are required of it outside the nursing classes that you've already taken? That is how mine is. We have an 8 credit "Nursing" (I,II,III,IV) class each semester, and then there are the other classes for the ADN we're supposed to take as well. English, A&P, Micro., etc.. Normally these classes would put you above the 12 credit's needed for full time, but if you've done them then you need to select another class. Which, come next semester I will have to do.

My plan is to take classes that will be needed and transfer for my BSN. I'd suggest that, if you are planning to get your BSN. Otherwise, take a look at what is offered and find something that will INTEREST you. It will be a "less painful" class, and likely an easier one if you find the material interesting.

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Specializes in Cardiac, CVICU.

I run into a similar situation every semester! My nursing classes are less that 12 hours (even though 1 nursing credit takes the time and effort of 3 regular credits!), so I have to try to fit in other classes that I need for my degree. It's hard to schedule everything with the weird nursing class times and clinical hours that we have.

You really want to keep 12 hours or above to stay full time, which will give you more money and will defer your student loans. You should schedule your nursing classes and clinicals first and then fill in your schedule with classes that your major requires. If you don't have any other classes that you need, then fill it in with "fluff" classes. By "fluff" I mean online classes, art classes, 1 credit hour classes, and etc. My uni has some fun classes like croquet (Yes! We have a collegiate croquet team!), bowling, tennis, biblical literature, piano, vocal coaching, and film as literature, among others. We get a few credits for each of these and they don't really require that much effort, other than showing up to class.

Bonus Tip: My uni gave me ONE whole sparkly credit for just being CPR certified! I don't know if other schools offer this, but mine does - I just let them photocopy my card and they gave me a credit. The registrar also told me that I could get extra credits for any other certifications that I have - like ACLS, PALS, and etc. They also told me I could get credits for taking flying lessons! You might check with your registrar and see if they offer something of this nature.

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Bonus Tip: My uni gave me ONE whole sparkly credit for just being CPR certified! I don't know if other schools offer this, but mine does - I just let them photocopy my card and they gave me a credit. The registrar also told me that I could get extra credits for any other certifications that I have - like ACLS, PALS, and etc. They also told me I could get credits for taking flying lessons! You might check with your registrar and see if they offer something of this nature.

I totally forgot about this! See if your school offers these certifications, they count toward your credit hours. I got 2 credit hours for my BLS (for a 2 day class). That as enough to bump me to full time that particular semester. Good tip!!

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The other thing to consider to is that if you plan to further your education, you will need more classes to transfer for a BS/BA degree. Generals are usually pretty easy classes, like psych 101 and soc 101 classes. good luck!

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To make things even easier, you might look into if your school offers any online english/art classes. You generally need a few more of these classes for a BSN which you may pursue later in your career. Also, many online classes I took were only 5 weeks long and fairly simple, nothing that would interfere with your nursing courses too much.

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