Change school plans?

[coffee and toast]

Looking for opinions on a hard decision:

I was accepted to an accelerated BSN program to start in Fall. It turns out I am getting less financial aid than the fin. aid office originally had thought. It translates to an ADDITIONAL 10k in loans I will need to take out - and with interest, this could be 16k-20k (I would have to take out private loans, in addition to the fed. loans). There are of course federal loan forgiveness programs, and I am very willing to work in high needs areas - BUT - those are all HUGE "what ifs" and I don't want to rack up debt assuming my government will fix it for me later..... I always knew this school was more costly - but it was below a threshold of "risk I'll assume" before this change - now its just over that threshold - but I'm trying to weigh whether I'm on grounds to back out.....

An alternative "plan" came to mind: Wait, reapply for a different in-state accelerated BSN (SUNY Binghamton), hope to get in (my grades are good, but still a risk you know). It would mean starting in May instead of August, and graduating a semester later (SUNY Binghamton is a 12 mo. program instead of the 15 month program I am in, so a little lost time is "made up".) The instate option is always cheaper - but until the change in my fin. aid package, the difference was something I was OK with.

The financial benefit of waiting is immeasurable, but how to compare that with other factors? With the instate school I'll start out with 0-10k in loans. With the program I'm in, it could be more like 40k-50k (with tuition increases). Thats huge. I know I plan to specialize and do an Psychiatric NP program eventually - so I have that looming promise of a higher paying career, however, it means I'm also factoring paying for a graduate education. I do hope to find a hospital to work in for a while that has an education benefit program, but thats another "if".

I know there were reasons I chose the program I am currently set to enroll in (liked the faculty, liked the school, good reputation) , I've heard mixed reviews about SUNY Bing., but because I'm local to the area, I think I'm more likely to get personal experience reviews than I am for a program further away, so by sampling alone I'm liking to hear both good and bad.

Some of my other worries are:

- I was worried about the 12 month "super condensed" BAT program at SUNY Bing. Is it enough time for professional development and socialization as a nurse to sink in and be ready to work? 15 month programs do give you more time to have it "sink in". I'm not as worried about having to cram the science in (I am sure I can do that) but I am worried about the more subtle process of gaining confidence and growing into a professional identity.

-Would I be in a worse spot for a job by going to Bing, then planning to move out of state and get licensed and employed? (The other School is in an area we are planning to live long term.

-The Binghamton program is less oriented towards finding a specialization - I know I want to do Psychiatric NP graduate school in the long run. The other school very strongly advertises giving students a connection/opportunity within a specialty focus, I would have both the clinical in psych + opportunity for a preceptorship in Psych. --- Will going to a school that lets me do a preceptorship and learn under clinical instructors trained in that specialty be a big benefit to me in the long run?

- There's also the "can I get in again" question. I'd hate to "look a gift horse in the mouth" and turn down my current school. I am very thankful to be accepted, and its an unknown of course to walk away from that opportunity and just assume I'd get in somewhere else again. Who knows how competitive admissions will be next year right?

Any thoughts anyone has would be great, especially if anyone has any insight on my specific bulleted points. I know the final decision is mine, but those bullets are the places I'm just "stuck on" and would prefer to have seasoned advice to help me find an answer. I'm so sad I found out about this change in Fin. Aid so late in the process. I've already sent in deposits, bought books, and taken a class for this program!

Thanks guys....

[CrazierThanYou]

None of us can really tell you what to do because we don't know what is best for YOU.

Good luck!

[coffee and toast]

I completely understand it's a personal decision :) Just was curious if anyone would have any feedback -- see any major fault -- in some of my logic of my OP. Sometimes its hard to see the big picture when you're in the middle of it!

[RebeccaV]

I understand, and yes only you can make the right choice. I think the waiting is a better option if you are concerned with the amount of debt. Everyone acquires student loan debt. Why not find out what your payments would be and how long it would take to pay off the loans, if it isn't terrible go with your orginal idea.