Be Careful

Another tip to add: Some technical schools allow you to start the program in high school (senior year) and you only pay a fraction of the price as an adult would pay.

That's the only reason I continued my education at a technical school because I got through my first year of PN without spending more then $500. It's always worth checking into if you are a senior because you can get your license 1 year after high school and continue your education.

first i'm not trying to start an argument or anything, just wanted to hopefully shine a little sunlight on those who do want to go to a technical school! :) (and maybe just to clarify that this is not how all technical colleges are) i'm a student at a technical college myself and although there are things i don't like about it, i am completely happy with the decision i made.

1) when you all apply to these technical colleges they tell u that they are competitive, but they are not... (they try 2 make it seem that way... but do you no of any1 who has been denied?)

mci is absolutely a competitive school. there were people i went to pre-reqs with that were not chosen for our rn program (some of which attended the lpn program here). the same thing with sentara's program. i know quite a few people who were not accepted there for the rn program who were already working as lpns.

2) the price is ridiculous (no matter what u can afford...loans have to be repaid)

-keep in mind.... all college education is expensive, without grants or scholarships. remember, once you get through the nursing program, you should be able at least put away enough money to pay the minimum payments.

4) plan for the future and don't get so excited about a program because its short (u may need the money & the title for the now... but will it be worth the cost/interest in the future)

again, all college education is expensive and all loans eventually do add on interest. the bright side is there are always going to be sick people (or at least enough idiots who hurt themself and require hospital care :chuckle) and they are always going to require some kind of nursing care. there are always better jobs and better money out there somewhere for nurses.

3) credits don’t transfer (nowhere...they will tell you about how they are schev certified but that doesn't necessarily mean that another school will accept them)

i am a little more unsure of this one, but i do beleive that it's usually only pre-req credits that don't transfer from technical schools. but i could be wrong on this one so if i am, i'm sorry!!! at least in this program, all our degree credits will transfer (at least to nsu. lol)

5) if you are planning to pursue a degree beyond the 1 being provided to you by the technical school... then you will still have to spend thousands of more dollars on the next degree.

it may take a bit of searching, but there are more reasonably priced programs to "upgrade" your degree. most technical schools are even offering bsn programs now instead of just diploma and associates. mci is currently offering a bsn program for it's rn students. as well as the sentara program which just recently switched to a bsn program.

and like i said, i'm really not trying to argue, this is just what i've experienced. i realize that condensed technical colleges are not for everyone (and yes.. they may have there downfalls, but i'm a firm beleiver of you get out of school what you put in it). sometimes i wish i had gone somewhere a little less fast paced, but overall i'm happy with the decision about which school i attend.

so while there will always be arguments over if it's better to go to a technical college over an actual university type, you have to look at the pros and cons of both. :innerconf