ADN vs BSN My daughter and I having a heated Discussion!

UTRN2005 · Jan 8, 2005

If you're willing to pay for an ADN why not just give her the money that that program would cost and tell her she can use it for either program but that if she chose the BSN she would be responsible for making up the tuition difference? That's what may parents did regarding in-state publc vs. out-of-state or private universities. Ultimately if the BSN is her goal I feel that it would be better to just go ahead and get the BSN. A lot of people always plan on returning to school but never actually do it. There are also a lot of scholarships, grants, and loans available. I actually got $4500 for this year alone. Even if she needs to get loans interest rates are low and college loans are considered "good debt" in that going into debt now will increase your earning potential in the future. On a personal note, and I know this is going to draw heat, I can't imagine what my reaction would have been if my parents had told me to go for an associate's degree when a BSN was my goal. I probably would have felt like they didn't believe I could do it. But whatever, just my speculation.

rnmi2004 · Jan 9, 2005

If this truly is the major issue between you & your daughter right now, do you realize how fortunate you are? I hope you give her a big hug & thank her for being such a great kid.

mitchsmom · Jan 9, 2005

I'm in the camp that says do BSN if possible... get the highest level of education.... keep the most doors open. Plus, the BSN money issue will seem like nothing compared to the med school money issue if she continues on with that route.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Jan 9, 2005

I can only speak for myself. If I hadn't gone for my BSN first and gotten it over with, I would have never considered later going back for further college. I did it. I'm glad I did, especially at the age I am now. I really think not having it would have been a psychological barrier for me entertaining further college later in my life. Now, after going to grad school twice (MSEd, MSN), I'm beginning to consider going back for a Doctorate. Again, however, looking back, I may have never considered it if I hadn't gotten the BSN. But, I can only speak for myself. In this sense, I can relate to your daughter. If you are young, unmarried, and without kids...go for it if you can while the motivation and energy are there. Nursing has changed so much since I began 19 years ago. Your and her needs as students may be totally different because the amount of time you two will have left to offer your careers. Something to think about.

LPNtoBSNstudent, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2005

If this truly is the major issue between you & your daughter right now, do you realize how fortunate you are? I hope you give her a big hug & thank her for being such a great kid.

I totally agree. Many people are thrilled that their child wants to go to college at all.

NOIRLINCOLN · Jan 9, 2005

If this truly is the major issue between you & your daughter right now, do you realize how fortunate you are? I hope you give her a big hug & thank her for being such a great kid.

She has been an excellent student and I give her lots of praise. I am grateful for her achievements. She is so self motivated she attends catholic church every Sunday alone b/c I live in a different state than she does. Yes, this is a great dilemma!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2005

She has been an excellent student and I give her lots of praise. I am grateful for her achievements. She is so self motivated she attends catholic church every Sunday alone b/c I live in a different state than she does. Yes, this is a great dilemma!

Yep, you are fortunate to have such a self-motivated daughter. There are a lot of good practicle reasons why getting the ADN now is a good idea. Those are the same reasons many of us went for the ADN first.

I know you only want the best for her good. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

anc33 · Jan 9, 2005

My daughter has taken, with the exception of A&P I&2, her prereqs. She is taking both this summer. She will be eligible to enter the ADN program this fall. I am so excited about her getting her uniform, white shoes, stethescope, nursing care plan sheets, and clinically rotating this fall! She is contemplating going to a BSN program instead. The BSN program at the university is $455.00 per credit hr as opposed to $81.00 at the Jr college. Obviously money is an issue for us, and I do not want her to go into debt. I told her that it is best to take her NCLEX asap and not to put unnecessary time and info between that time. I also feel that she will get more nursing experience by doing it what I call the 2+1 way, which is the bridge program rather than the 3+0 way, not to mention that the hospital will probably pay for the bridged year. I do not like (4) yr colleges b/c I have never had as great an exp. at any of them as at the community colleges. I have gone to (4) diff (4) yr colleges, and (2) diff community colleges. I am currently enrolled in an ADN community college program and I love my instructors! She will be going to a different community college in a different state. I am very familiar with the community college that she will, God willin', go to this fall, b/c I graduated from there with an AS degree and she has taken all her prereqs except Micro there. We disagree every night about this decision b/c I do not feel that more general education classes will make her a better nurse, and it will cost her a year of work. She plans to meet with the (4) colleges and find out if she can enter with sophomore status. I have looked at some of the (4) yr curriculums and they are absurd. They require pathophysiology (4) cr, pharmacology (3) cr, foundations (5) cr, nutrition (3) cr, and sociology (3) cr this is a ttl of (18) cr which is inhumane, as opposed to (8) cr at the Jr college. I really feel that (18) cr is a recipe for failure. She tells me that she wants to be challenged, live on campus, she is convinced that she can have a social life while going to nursing school, and has long range plans to go to med school. I tell her lets make small successes, and then progress to bigger ones.

After going over your OP again I have some additional questions/comments.

It sounds to me like you might be more excited about the prospect of becoming a nurse than your daughter is. Don't push her to do something, especially nursing, that she is not 100% into. Nursing is a wonderful profession if you love it enough to look beyond all of the negatives that go along with the job. Beyond that, being a nurse first does not necessarily give one an advanage when applying to med schools. Med schools want students who took challenging courses at competitive universities. People are expect to take 15 credits of organic chem, physics, genetics, calc, etc all in the same semester. The approach you are reccomending might backfire in the long run if med school really is your daughter's goal. Plus, college is a wonderful place for a person to find themselves. I had the opportunity to take ancient greek, architecture, politics, criminal law, osteology along with various other courses. Believe it or not all of these have helped me become a better nurse! And, having that background shores up my committment to the nursing profession now. Talk to financial aid about scholarships (I got my first degree paid for in total and $20,000 for my BSN all for being a great student) and loans and let her follow her dream.

NOIRLINCOLN · Jan 11, 2005

We went to the (4) yr college today and spoke with the marketing person. I was not impressed. The marketing person told my daughter that inspite of the fact that she has most all of the freshman classes completed they can not offer her sophomore status. My daughter asked the marketing person what would she be doing with her time since she has already completed most all of the freshman coursework, and she was advised to take an EMT program or minor in something while she waits to get into the sophomore year. NOT!! I DON'T THINK SO!!! We peeped our heads into some classrooms, but did not really get to see much. We then went to the (2) yr college. We picked up information, and the (2) yr application came in the mail :balloons: . We went to the bookstore and looked at nursing, anatomy, and lifespan books. Both of these schools share the same clinical sites. My daughter did not really seem impressed with either school. On Wed we will go talk to the counselor at the (2) yr college. The counselor has graduate degrees from the (4) yr college that my daughter is considering even though she works at the (2) yr college, so she will be able to offer a more balanced view. My daughter did say that she is pursuing scholarships, but if the scholarships are not adequate then there is no way she is going to go into debt for her RN.

loriangel14, RN · Jan 11, 2005

Most of the opinions you state in your post seem to be yours and not your daughters. Has it ever occurred to you that this is her life and not yours? As far as I know going into debt to get your RN is quite common and if she is making decent money when she gets out she will be able to pay it off. Now is the time to do it when she is young and has no dependents. You don't mention how old your daughter is but you come accross as very controlling and unwilling to let your daughter make her own decisions. I think you should stop trying to run your daughters life.

NOIRLINCOLN · Jan 11, 2005

Most of the opinions you state in your post seem to be yours and not your daughters. Has it ever occurred to you that this is her life and not yours? As far as I know going into debt to get your RN is quite common and if she is making decent money when she gets out she will be able to pay it off. Now is the time to do it when she is young and has no dependents. You don't mention how old your daughter is but you come accross as very controlling and unwilling to let your daughter make her own decisions. I think you should stop trying to run your daughters life.

My daughter is (17) yrs she will be (18) yrs on the 18 Jan, in a few days. The whole beauty of the (2) yr ADN program is that she will not have to come out and owe. I have school loans, and trust me it is not a picnic! I am teaching my daughter the serious value of saving money while she is young, not spending and owing. My daughter will be graduated from high school with approx (30) credits, and she and I both intend for her to use this as a propellor not as a backstepper. Why you stated yourself 10/3/2004:

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Hang in there! I am 38 and in my second year of my rpn. Part time nights. When my marriage broke up I ended up doing homecare and that rekindled my interest in nursing. I agree with other posters that you do better as a mature student. I really want this now and life experiences help.I am by no means the oldest in my class, proving you are never too old to go after your dreams.

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jan 11, 2005

the marketing person told my daughter that inspite of the fact that she has most all of the freshman classes completed they can not offer her sophomore status. my daughter asked the marketing person what would she be doing with her time since she has already completed most all of the freshman coursework, and she was advised to take an emt program or minor in something while she waits to get into the sophomore year.

that seems a little strange. if she has nothing left to do before soph. year, how can they hold her back from taking the next level courses? so she would have to be a freshman again (or is she only in hs now?) now your talking about extra $$ (or loans) to buy time, right?

how does she feel about this? would you consider another 4yr school? is her heart set on this particular school for some reason? or is it the 'going away' thing that she really wants?

and do you feel she can truly appreciate the consequences of the student loans? i know at 18, i didn't. i, like most, fell into that credit card trap. you have loans. right? does she grasp the timeframe, and the amount, and the interest??? i'm not in your situation, but if she's a smart girl, and you feel she can appreciate the consequences, maybe you should consider letting her make the choice herself. of course, there's the loan issue. if you feel she may end up defaulting (and then if falls on you), then that's a problem.

this is obviously a tough decision for both of you to make. you obviously care aboiut her, and want the best for her. boy, do i appreciate pre-k even more now :chuckle