Christ vs. Good Sam

Jennifer7076 · Mar 20, 2009

i go to cincinnati state right now, so i used their code, so i guess that works for me. the lady i spoke with said they hoped to have financial aid by the fall, so if that’s the case i can pay for the first semester, but there’s no way i could pay for anymore than that. i rely on those student loans! how many generals do you have done? i'm hoping they'll take all of mine and i'll only have the 13 credit hours that you're required to take with them. well keep your head up about the money!! remember where there's a will there's a way!

grechi2009 · Mar 20, 2009

I only have English, psych, soc, effective public speaking. i need all of the science requirements still like a and p 1 and 2, micro. i have other credits from uc but they are needed for a bsn like english 102, 103, history, stats, development, fine arts, blah i am sure you have all of them to. i am sure they will get their financial aid by the fall i just hope i can pay for it til they do. i guess thats my main concern but i will find out when we get our financial packet soon then i wil be able to make a decision. i heard cincinnati state has a waiting list for their nursing program is that true? i have heard is a very well known program.

Jennifer7076 · Mar 21, 2009

cincinnati state does have a waiting list!! they tell you 2 to 3 years.... and you don't get on the list until you're done with all your generals. so i've been going there part-time since 2006 and i'm just finishing up micro and then i'll be on their waiting list, this is why i started applying to other schools. i can't wait another 2 possibly 3 years... i would be in school for 7 years and only have an associate's degree. i hope we get the packets soon!! it's killing me sitting around not knowing what's going on!

grechi2009 · Mar 24, 2009

i might do the 3 year track now i that i just looked at it depending if i would still be considered full time or part time. but i am just ready to get in and get out lol. will you be going for your bsn later on? i am taking child dev, health stats, and biochem at uc this spring so i can transfer those credits later on for a RN to BSN program. :coollook:

SweetNSassyRN2B · Mar 24, 2009

Hey everyone... I am a current student at Christ and I LOVE it. I started out on the 2 year tract and everything was going great. Unfortunately I got pneumonia the first week in February and had to drop back to the three year. My advice is this: IF you have all your gen. ed's done, then I'd go for the 2 year tract. I know a ton of people that were trying to take NUR 100, NUR 110, NUR 120 (which includes clinical), and A&P I. They were all really struggling. Pretty much any other gen ed would work with nursing classes, but A&P is tough. Thankfully I had taken anatomy and phys at UC and it transferred in. I felt that going into the nursing classes with a background in A&P really helped me out. Several of the faculty feel that students should not be forced to take these classes concurrently, as it is really difficult.

Bottom line is; I love being a student at Christ!! I love all the instructors, and the clinical experience is amazing! Starting with the second week of the first semester, we were starting our clinicals. Other programs seemed to wait much longer. If anyone has any questions... feel free to PM me, and I'd be glad to answer them.

Oh and by the way... you should all be dancing around patting yourselves on the back incessantly because YOU GOT INTO NURSING SCHOOL!!! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU DID IT!

Amanda

grechi2009 · Mar 25, 2009

so you saying if a student has not taken a and p they should not do the 2 yr track? i still have to take a and p 1 and 2 thats the only gen ed i need..where did you do the clincals..did you work while in the program? how much did you spend on books...thanks for your advice

SweetNSassyRN2B · Mar 25, 2009

I'm not completely trying to steer you away from taking A&P + nursing classes... I'm just sharing what I've heard from many students and faculty. If you choose to do the 2 year tract and take A&P you will have a lot of work ahead of you. That being said, I do know students who did it and did it well. It's up to you how much stress you're willing to take on. If they are the only 2 gen eds you need, then I'd give it a shot... you can always back off and take the three year tract if you need to.

My first semester of clinicals I was at the Christ hospital on the Cardiovascular Step-down unit. It was amazing!!! I got to see patients pre and post op (open heart surgery), chest tubes, amputees, telemetry, lung cancer, and peritoneal dialysis. Basically any patient on that floor has some kind of a cardio-thoracic condition. It was an amazing experience. The nurses on the floor were very good with students. My second semester I was on the orthopedic/neurology floor at Christ. I was only there for 2 weeks before my pnemonia, but I really liked it as well!!

I worked 24 hours/week at a mental health facility near my home. I think it was the perfect amount of hours. I know a lot of people that tried to work close to full time and they ended up having to drop back to the three year tract, or they didn't come back for second semester. I would try to get a position at Christ hospital or something in the medical field as they will be more flexible with your school schedule. Just my opinion.

Books. Get ready for some sticker shock... the total for books and supplies for the first semester was about $1000. That being said, that was ALMOST all the nursing books for the entire program. For some reason they have you buy them up front. The only other books you'll need to buy will be for your gen ed's, and a pediatric/maternity nursing book, and a mental health nursing book. They may have changed this for the Fall of 2009 class. I would ask someone at the college and see so you can start saving. They didn't give any of us a heads up, so I about fainted when I saw the total.

Also, do not think you have to buy all your books from Dubois Bookstore. You can go to the store and write down the title, author(s), and ISBN number and look on amazon, half.com, etc to find them much cheaper. If you find the price online is about the same as the bookstore; then go ahead and get them there. Just know there are other options out there. Just a little something no one told me 6 years ago coming out of high school.

Speaking of which, are you a high school student, college student, been out of school for awhile? Just wondering. Jeez, I wrote you a novel, lol. Hope that helps!

Amanda

grechi2009 · Mar 25, 2009

hahaha no you were very helpful making me wish you would have wrote more lol i am currently at uc i am 20 years old so u do to the math it has only been 2 years since i got a high school so i am still trying to find my way as they say lol i am sure the gen eds from uc will transfer to christ i just have a lot going on i am trying to move by june to a 5 bedroom house with my sister and friends and just want to know how soon i should start taking care of things but i still dont know how i am going to pay for christ since they still dont offer financial aid but i know they will soon since they just got accredited by the higher learning commission!!:yeah:i hope they can still offer me a grant or a scholarship because my parents cant provide for me or my school and as far as the books and supplies all that stuff would have to come out my paycheck plus rent, phone, food, clothes, etc. i work at childrens as a room service att bringing the food to the patients so i am hoping i can move up to something that deals with nursing pretty soon.

SweetNSassyRN2B · Mar 25, 2009

Wow, I'm so jealous of you because you work at Children's!! I've been trying to get a job there for over 2 years I'm begining to think you have to know someone who already works there. Anyway... have they sent out any information on financial aid yet? Last year they had a "financial aid session" where all newly accepted students could come and hear about the aid available. If they aren't doing anything like that then here is the email of the financial aid person at the college [email protected] She is very nice and helpful. If money is going to be a thorn in your dream, I'd choose to do the 3 year tract. Only because that way you don't have to purchase all those nursing books until 2010, and you can do 1 or 2 classes a semester and cut down on tuition cost that way. But I would wait to make that decision until after you have seen what kind of scholarships/grants/etc are available. Best of luck!!! I'm always willing to help!

Amanda

Jennifer7076 · Mar 25, 2009

so i have to buy all of my books up front? i'm freaking out about how to come up with this much money! do you know if you work for christ, will they pay for any of my tuition? if you could guess, how much would you say your 1st semester cost? just so i have some idea of how much i need.

SweetNSassyRN2B · Mar 25, 2009

Jennifer,

I would contact the college and see if they have changed the book issue. Maybe they had us buy all of ours up front because they were contracted with a different bookstore than they are now. I looked up my tuition and for only nursing classes, plus all associated fees, the total comes to almost $3000. I know it's a lot, and I'm really sorry that they are no longer offering the tuition benefit award. I'm also not sure about working for Christ and them paying for part of your tuition. I'm sure that they offer that benefit, I just don't work for Christ hospital. I would contact the hospital's HR department and check with them. Keep your head up and remember how much you want this!! There's a way... you just may have to search for it :wink2: Any other questions, just ask!!

Amanda

Jennifer7076 · Mar 25, 2009

Thanks for all the advice!!