From a CC to UCLA ?

Hello there! Yes, it is possible to graduate from CC in 2 years if you go full-time. However, sometimes classes are impacted, so it can take longer to graduate if you can't get into all your required classes on schedule.

OK - take a deep breath! You are very young and you have plenty of time. There is no shame in taking longer to finish CC if you have to work. If you get good grades in CC, you are guaranteed acceptance to a Cal State or a UC, but obviously, there is no guarantee you will get into UCLA.

Here is my advice (I'm in California):

1. Get the very best grades you can. Aim for a 4.0.

2. You can get financial aid for CC, so make sure you fill out the FAFSA and talk to your financial aid office.

3. If you want to be a full-time student, I would advice working no more than 20 hours per week.

4. In order to get into UCLA, which is highly competitive, you will need to make your self stand out in some way, in addition to excellent grades. This can be diversity (your race, ethnicity, gender, etc), volunteer work related to healthcare, interesting life experience, and your goals in nursing (for example, say you are interested in rural nursing or other areas of high need for nurses).

5. Develop a close relationship with a student advisor and with some professors, so you can get their advice and get a letter of recommendation for 4 year college.

6. Be realistic - develop a list of nursing schools that you are interested in. There are many excellent BSN nursing schools in California. You will need to apply to several.

7. Apply to the private schools, too and don't be scared by the price tag. Private schools often have special scholarship money, so they can actually end up costing less than a UC.

8. Consider out of state schools. I ended up going to Johns Hopkins and 50% of the class were from California. I was accepted to the UCLA MECN program, but Hopkins was actually cheaper with the scholarships I got.

Many successful RNs and NPs started out at CC. So good luck!