Bio Major wanting to Switch, Need Advice

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  1. Should I finish my degree and do accelerated, or switch to nursing now?

    • 17
      Graduate with Bio and Apply to accelerated programs!
    • 8
      Switch major to nursing now and don't look back!
    • 2
      Other (Please explain if you choose this option)

27 members have participated

I am currently going into my senior year majoring in Biology. I will have to take summer classes in order to graduate on time but if I do this then I will have my BS in Biology by the end of summer 2013. My dilemma is that I now want to go into nursing because I don't know what I would do with a bio degree. The only problem is, I feel like I am wasting the time and money spent on my bio degree if i dont finish it because I am only 30 credits away from it.

My two options are this: 1) finish out the bio degree (will receive at end of summer 2013) and THEN apply to accelerated programs (in Indiana, thats where I live), or 2) switch my major to nursing now (which would mean staying at my current university for good), finish my prereqs over the next year, apply to nursing school for fall 2013 admission, and then do 3 years of nursing school.

Both plans end with me getting a BSN but I can't decide which one will be better for me! Do I finish out my degree? Or should I just switch now and not look back?

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated as I have been going back and forth for over a year now and I HAVE to register for classes now because they start next week. Thanks for the help!

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Specializes in CMSRN.

Before I answer, I have a couple of questions. How much longer will an ABSN take you after getting your Bio degree? Also, what will the price difference be between staying on and just doing your BSN and graduating but then going for your ABSN?

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

Well, like you said, either way will get you to your goal, so it's really a matter of preference. Personally, while I know the idea of abandoning a degree can be kind of depressing, I've never been of the opinion that by completing a degree you're never going to use and getting a piece of paper you're somehow getting your money and time's worth. To me it seems like just more time and money wasted. Maybe it would give you a sense of accomplishment and help you sleep at night, and that's cool, but you won't get your time or money back.

Speaking of money, I don't know if you use financial aid, but most first time college students are not aware that you actually cannot continue to get financial aid indefinitely. Once you max out at a certain number of credit hours, you're done. ABSN students pay a ton of money for their programs and many are unable to use federal aid. So I would look at your financial situation and the difference in cost and your ability to finance the different options.

What is the time difference between the two paths?

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I hadn't worked out the financial details until you mentioned it. I had figured the ABSN route would be cheaper, but it turns out that it is actually over $20,000 more than if I just change my major now.

As for the time for each route, in the best case scenario for route #1 I would graduate with my bio degree after summer of 2013, start my ABSN in the Fall of 2013, and graduate at the end of the fall 2014 semester (I would be 24 years old).

For route #2, I would graduate in the Spring of 2016 (at 25 years of age).

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I am glad you have started considering the financial aspects of your decision. They can be huge and life-changing. In some cases, you can become inelligible for certain types of financial aid once you have a Bacherlor's degree. In others, it moves you into programs that are simply more expensive to begin with. The costs add up quickly and it can take you years to pay back the additional loans required.

You can always go back and finish your biology degree later if you want to. Don't waste time, energy, or money getting a degree you don't need.

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Anyone else have comments/suggestions, or can you explain your choice? It seems to me that it is looking like it will be better to just change my major now, and that's what I've gathered from the people who have commented, but the poll results look different!

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If cost is a huge issue then changing now is probably the way to go. My thinking, however, is that you'll get caught up in nursing school and eventually a nursing job and will leave your biology major courses wasted, since those classes will eventually expire. If it was me and I could work out the finances I would finish the biology degree before pursuing nursing.

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

If you already decided that you absolutely want to go into nursing, why would you waste time on graduating with Bio degree and apply to ABSN? Who knows how long it will take you to get into an ABSN program given how competitive the programs are.

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If cost is a huge issue then changing now is probably the way to go. My thinking, however, is that you'll get caught up in nursing school and eventually a nursing job and will leave your biology major courses wasted, since those classes will eventually expire. If it was me and I could work out the finances I would finish the biology degree before pursuing nursing.

I understand what you are saying, but only to a point. Would they really be wasted if I was working successfully as a nurse? and what is the advantage of the bio degree? why do you say that you would finish that first?

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Not finishing your current degree is a MAJOR mistake.....here is why:

It will be more impressive on a job resume to have two degrees instead of one...since you are only 30 credits from graduating, you'll be wasting MORE MONEY on the classes that you finished that won't have anything to do with your nursing degree than the 30 that you have left.

If you are on financial aid...financial aid WILL CUT YOU OFF. You can only take X number of hours in an undergrad degree and after you reach a certain number (I'm wanting to say it's 140 hours), they cut off your financial aid to discourage professional students.

I think what is driving you is fear...most college seniors start getting very nervous about finishing their last year of college and it's common...school becomes a comfort zone because you've been doing it your entire life...b/c it means for the first time, you won't know exactly what you'll be doing when you graduate.

Finish your degree...then go back to nursing school if you want to.

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I'm in the same boat... I have 24 credits left to take and I'm considering not finishing it. I am scared that I won't have enough loan money etc. to get me through an adn or bsn program let alone an Absn because I have heard those are FAR more expensive. I'm 24 years old and poor so the main question to ask myself is "what is the quickest, less costly way to get to where I want to be in life?" I want to be a nurse and I want to start working as soon as possible so that I can go on to a masters in nursing. All the nursing schools require different pre-reqs that are not required in my biology undergrad. I think I'll be attending a community college this year to finish up pre-reqs, possibly certify in EMT for experience and a means of work, and then applying to nursing school!

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Also, It is not more impressive to hospitals etc. when you are looking for a nursing job to have 2 degrees.. What IS impressive to them is experience as EMT or CNA. They're impressed with experience in a hospital setting etc.

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