Anyone heard of College Network LVN to BSN

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2008

The College Network is not an LVN-to-RN program. The College Network is nothing more than a publishing company engaged in the business of selling study materials that eventually lead to a nursing degree from ISU. Therefore, ISU is the school you're really dealing with.

Most people are able to earn their LVN-to-RN bridge program nursing degree from ISU without ever going through expensive publishing companies such as the College Network. In addition, people have attempted to get out of contracts drawn by TCN, and all were unsuccessful.

Buyer beware. . .

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2008

Click on this link for more info on Indiana State's program:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f99/lpn-lvn-bsn-program-online-148482.html

elevateHOB · Oct 19, 2008

Stay away, their finance company destroyed my credit!!!!!!!!

prisonlvnca · Nov 5, 2008

I work with a lot of LVNs who also bought into this program and many want to shoot themselves in the foot including myself. I get a stomach ache when I look at the books sitting in my closet. 1) you will have to spend a non refundable about 5-7 thousand and continue to make monthly payments until paid off----they make financing VERY easy. 2) Everything is distanced and YOU have to pave your own way for everything including sigining yourself up and paying extra to take the tests. My advise is this if you have them come to your house to give you more info- have someone with you as support to help you NOT sign up at that visit but wait until you've checked all your options other than them. The sales pitch is very enticing. Remember how we all passed the program in a group with due dates set out for us the support of doing it together with an end date in sight if we just did what our instructors told us to do. This is not the same and I feel that I am " handicaped" for this type of study as are most nurses. Most people do not continue after signing up ( contract) - they find another route fully online or in a classroom and still have to pay for that. I am looking for a program where there is a place people go to and learn together, test together with the end date in sight. If I just do what they want me to do I will get there someday and with the fact there are people I know who have actually succeded that way and are working in the hospitals. Please look into everything before buying into this. There are other ways.

HeatheraLPN · Nov 7, 2008

I am interested in testing out but can not afford TCN. I would be interested in buying books if someone has them available

raebabelvn, LVN · Nov 22, 2008

I am interested in testing out but can not afford TCN. I would be interested in buying books if someone has them available

I have a meeting with a rep on Monday. There is a thread that is really good... its the Indiana State BSN thread, it has like 500 replies. I'd read that.

I'm not gonna buy through TCN, check Amazon, Half.com or eBay

Best of luck to you!

SDMamma · Nov 23, 2008

I work with a lot of LVNs who also bought into this program and many want to shoot themselves in the foot including myself. Please look into everything before buying into this. There are other ways.

I really have to second the opinions of this post. I have a co-worker who has been enrolled in their LVN-BSN program for 5 years!! She works 2 fulltime lvn jobs just to keep up with the loans and there is no end in sight for her degree. She has zero time to pursue the clinical portion, as she is working so hard just to make the payments and to work on the online portion. I know its easy to get sucked into the car salesman like pitch of the college network people, but this program is really for people who are entirely self-motivated and self-taught. Run for the hills...:nono:There are so many better options out there.

A6fan · Nov 24, 2008

I am currently testing out with Excelsior and I purchased ALL my materials on Ebay. I almost fell for the TCN B.S. but had the good sense to read this site the day after I signed and immediately cancelled (By phone, certified letter, and email!). I bought the Nursing concepts books first as the "new" cirriculum isn't easy to find just yet. I put together the material into topics based on the free study guides and then keep taking practice tests over and over until I know the material cold. I end up with about 600 possible questions per test and the technique works for me!

I enrolled in Excelsior right off the bat and haven't looked back!

lvnandmomx3 · Nov 24, 2008

They are on the Ca BON website. But it's ISU in partnership with Sonoma State University. http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/onlineprograms.shtml .

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Nov 24, 2008

I am interested in testing out but can not afford TCN. I would be interested in buying books if someone has them available

Do not do TCN. It is not a school.

Christine

raebabelvn, LVN · Nov 25, 2008

Do not do TCN. It is not a school.

TCN is a publishing company. I just had a meeting with a rep and he never claimed to be a school. They do offer academic support, which is nice. He told me the total to test out with buying all the modules through them would be like $13k. They have financing. Personally, I can't afford that. But he gave me a list of all the courses I need to have completed, whether by CC or CLEPing, to gain entrance to ISU. I even told him I might do Phase I on my own and go through them for Phase II. If you want to do ISUs program but can't afford TCN, have a meeting, get the course list, and search for the modules on eBay or Amazon.