ADN vs BSN before MSN

Students Pre-Nursing

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I know the question gets asked a lot but my situation is a little complicated. I got accepted to an ADN program for Fall with the possibility of a BSN merger collaborative that would start after second semester. I am still waiting to hear back from another school that is a bsn program but its for profit and very expensive. Here is the thing, I have my husbands GI bill to use and want to use it wisely. He gave a few months to each of our kids so I have 3 years. I want to get my MSN in midwifery after I become an RN so should I

1.go with the cheaper ADN program and not use any GI bill that will take 2 years without the bsn merger and then use my GI bill for my MSN that will take 3 years through frontiers RN-MSN program?

2. Use 2 years of the GI bill for the expensive school and have my BSN in 2 years and then use the remaining 1 year on my MSN?

3. Or I can go to the cheaper adn school and maybe get accepted into the bsn merger which will use 1.5 years of my GI bill and I would be done in 2.5 years then can use 1.5 on my MSN? My husband is pushing for me to go to the expensive school because it would be easier on us. Its in a better location and the schedule is easier so I would be driving a lot less. I don't mind getting my adn doing an RN-MSN program but worried about not having a BSN in the meantime and if that would hurt me in finding a job at a hospital. I didn't think I would get into this adn program so my head is kind of spinning still figuring out what to do. I have heard some hospitals help with tuition for graduate degrees. Is that a possibility I should look for after becoming an RN?

Specializes in Varied.

Worry about the now. You cannot predict whether or not your plans will change in the mean time. Do you guys make too much to utilize the Pell grant? You CANNOT use the Pell grant during your MSN program.

NewNurs2020

199 Posts

I have 3 more semesters of pell grant I can use and I got a scholarship for 1200 this fall. I'll definitely be applying for more scholarships throughout school as well.

Specializes in Varied.
I have 3 more semesters of pell grant I can use and I got a scholarship for 1200 this fall. I'll definitely be applying for more scholarships throughout school as well.

Go to cheaper school and use Pell grant first! If your main concern is cost, this is the best option. Especially because community colleges can offer smaller grants and scholarships to their students (at least mine did.)

Graduate school its loans or scholarships. Scholarships are hard to come by, not impossible, just hard. Especially for the first semester.

NewNurs2020

199 Posts

Thank you. I think that is what I will do. I know financially it makes the most sense.

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