Any Accelerated BSN at IUPUI Fall applicants?

Aww. I'm really sorry to hear you had to go through all of that. I'm sure that was an emotionally draining experience. I just finished studying and writing a paper about prenatal development (so pregnancy complications and outcomes are fresh on my mind right now). All three of your children are doing well now, I hope.

It seems like at least part of the impact of that experience has been positive. I hope you're excited about your choice to pursue nursing. I'm excited for you!

Oh yes the experience definitely had positive aspects. That son is now 12yrs old and is taller than me! I think that is why my body tried to kick him out early--at 6 wks early, he already weighed 6 lb 1 oz at birth and was 19" long. If he had been fullterm I would have been looking at probably a 9+ pounder. He was off the charts for height and weight by the time he was 2 mos old (which age-corrected was only about 2 wks old). Anyway, I experienced a lot during that pg and my other two (preterm labor, mag sulfate, terbutaline, bedrest, spinal headache after delivery, NICU; then with my second pg I had natural childbirth; with the third I had Group B strep+/antibiotics before delivery, pitocin, another spinal headache; and breastfeeding.) So I figure I've got a lot of personal experience to share with other women going through some of the same things.

Csab:

The Equivalent of IUPUI's math 118 at Ivy Tech is Math 135 (finite mathematics), which is acceptable as a prereq for statistics and for the science cluster. It took me a while to figure it out, but I understand it works ok...

anomaly,

Thanks for the info. I had just estimated the program cost based on tuition per credit hour and a high-level estimate for books and other fees, but I didn't include living expenses in the $20K. That's what I'm most nervous about paying for, since I don't want to have to sell my house while in school. My husband and I are trying to save like crazy right now. I haven't heard anything else about scholarships. I called Clarian the other day to get more info on their scholarships, but the person in charge of the program was out. I'm going to try and call again later this week. Since I was lucky in that my parents were able to pay for my first degree out of pocket, I am now clueless about loans. Do student loans cover living expenses (to a reasonable extent) as well and how do they determine how much will be covered?

Also, to everyone wondering about the new requirement for science courses, I was told by an advisor that the science courses do have to be completed two semesters prior to that for which you are applying. So, for example, if you're applying for Spring 2011, the science pre-reqs must be completed by the end of 2010 summer sessions. I think the reason is so they can make sure that these courses are included in the GPA that they consider for admission. Even though applications can be submitted before the end of the summer semesters they state in the program admission criteria that the GPA through the end of that semester is used for your application consideration. Makes sense, since they don't send out acceptance letters until December.

Jones,

Statistics (E270) is offered at IUPUI via an Internet course I believe every semester. I actually took it as an undergrad but have to re-take it because it's now over seven years old. I find that pretty humorous considering I'm a financial analyst and use statistics every day. Oh well.

Jlynn,

I believe loans depend on a number of factors. I was extremely lucky and received a full ride for my undergraduate degree, but have always filled out the FAFSA because my family's income level fell under the poverty line. As a result, I have always been offered federal loans including Perkins, Stafford, and Plus loans.

This website seems to have some good information regarding federal loans:
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebA...udentloans.jsp

Federal loans appear to have different interest rates and payment stipulations than private loans, which I have even less experience with. They also require you to fill out a FAFSA. It appears that your school receives your FAFSA information, evaluates which federal loans you may be eligible for, and then reports those to you.

FAFSA forms typically have priority deadlines between February 1 and March 15, depending on which school you are applying to, and cover entire school years from Fall-Summer. So, say you submitted a FAFSA application on Feb. 1, 2009 for the 2009-2010 school year, it would cover Fall '09, Spring '10, and Summer '10. It is based on your tax return for the prior year ('09-'10 is based on 2008 tax return), your age, marital status, and a variety of other factors.

You might want to check out the FAFSA website at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

When you fill out a FAFSA, if you meet certain requirements, it may also render you eligible for certain federal grants, such as Pell, SEOG, or SMART grants, which do not have to be paid back.

In the past, my financial aid packages, regardless of my scholarship packages, have always covered tuition and all estimated expenses (including books, transportation, general fees, and room & board).

I'm not sure what else might be different about a private loan, but I'm sure you are considered based on the same criteria that would make you eligible for a credit card or any other form of credit. I would guess that you could take out as much as you estimate you would need to pay your tuition and cover monthly expenses, as the responsibility is yours to repay the loan.

I'm sorry if you were already familiar with any of this. Hopefully it is helpful. I know that some people have never filled out a FAFSA before and have no experience with federal loans or grants.

Jlynn,

I had planned on contacting Clarian and Community once I was finished with my midterms, but perhaps we could each contact one of the hospitals and share notes?

csab,

It definitely seems like you'll have a great ability to empathize with your patients given the diverse experiences you've had with your own children.

jlynn, etc.,

I called the nursing department the other day and found out that only students in the program are eligible to apply for the long list of scholarships that can be found on their website.

Just thought I would share that with anyone else who might be wondering.