College Network students?????

jlwlln · Mar 8, 2006

I am currently studying college network books for Nursing program at Excelsior college. There is lots of material in books and I find them to be beneficial for me.

fry.girl · Mar 8, 2006

I would only suggest College Network to people interested in the LPN to BSN offered by Indiana State University. You have to use College Network for that program...

but for those interested in the LPN to ASN (which is through Excelsior College). You can get the same books and materials on your own for a small fraction of the cost...just sign up with Excelsior College directly, use their free study guides and order the books they suggest. You will save a load of money...

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Mar 9, 2006

I agree with cbarnett2. There have been a lot of similar threads where people have weighed in one this subject. It works well for some, but don't let anyone convince you that you have to study through a publishing company like TCN in order to make it.

ashemson · Mar 9, 2006

Thanks for the reply guys, but when TCN rep was talking to me, he said that thru Excelsior you have to buy a ton of books, and with TCN all you have is the study guides. And also, TCN offers you a ton of extras, like provides you w/ NCLEX material, etc. I am not arguing, I am just trying to figure out if it's all worth it, and it helps to hear from you guys who have experienced it!

fry.girl · Mar 9, 2006

I guess the question for me would be "What is the price tag?". I have bought all my books from half.com and spent less than $300. I just joined an online study course that is $40 per exam. I have worked out my budget and I should not spend more than $6,000 for everything including CPNE prep and travel. I am planning to buy a Saunders NCLEX Review Book & CD like I did for the PN exam.

Not sure what TCN charges, but if it is significantly more than 6K with everything included, I would rethink it. I know several people doing Excelsior, some using a publishing company and others directly through EC. I have never heard someone that went through EC say they wished they had used a publishing company, but I have heard many say they wished they had not forked over money to a publishing company.

Ultimately it is a personal choice, just don't let anyone tell you that you have to use their materials to be successful. There is no magical way to get through this program, no matter how much you spend you will have to be self motivated in the end.

Best wishes in your decision and with your education...

91CRN · Mar 9, 2006

i am a new excelsior college student just bought my books for my first class--what is the college network? i would love to have study guides instead of just massive texts. i think i was warned about companies offering study guides---i am wondering if this is one of those--maybe not since most seem to have a favorable view.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Mar 10, 2006

The College Network is a publishing company. I didn't use them, but the problem that I hear most frequently is that these companies get you into a contract which is hard to get out of if you decide you don't want to continue with them. There was a recent post here which described a very dishonest phone call from a publishing company representative.

The other thing is that having a reference textbook or two is a good thing for future reference. If you're trying to look up a slightly obscure pediatric procedure, it's probably more likely to be covered in the Wong & Whaley's text than the publishing company's study guides.

sweetneek1 · Mar 13, 2006

The College Network Books Are About $350 Per Book-excelsior College Materials Are Cheaper-but If You Like Studing From One Book-i Agree That Going To Half.com Or Ebay Would Be A Good Option

yvette7719 · Mar 18, 2006

i am in the same boat you are.actually, the current cost per study guide is 445.00. that is pretty high for me,but to each is own. i do like the fact that you are guaranteed to pass the courses.

someone responded and recommended the lvn to bsn program from college network. however, when i met with a representative who said that it was not accredited in some states??? this program would be better because they accept financial aid.

ms_cat · Mar 24, 2006

I made the mistake of buying the guides from Chancellor's - another publishing company. Before it was said and done I owed them over $3000, not including the money I still had to pay Excelsior for enrollment and testing and Excelsior will tell you not to buy these guides because they are not at all affiliated with the college. The publishing companies try to make you believe that your testing fees ($215/test x 7) are included in your financing- but look closely, because they are not! Your clinical fees due to Excelsior are not included either!

After all is said and done, the guides are helpful- I just passed NC 1 last Tuesday :) however, I would have saved a ton of money had I purchased the books from Excelsior, used my LPN books for reference, and guided my study with the FREE content guides from Excelsior.

If you have an extra $3000 to throw away the guides are great, but my intentions were to save money... BTW, if you are one day late on your payment to them, forget about getting anymore guides until you pay IN FULL.

91CRN · Mar 24, 2006

I made the mistake of buying the guides from Chancellor's - another publishing company. Before it was said and done I owed them over $3000, not including the money I still had to pay Excelsior for enrollment and testing and Excelsior will tell you not to buy these guides because they are not at all affiliated with the college. The publishing companies try to make you believe that your testing fees ($215/test x 7) are included in your financing- but look closely, because they are not! Your clinical fees due to Excelsior are not included either!
After all is said and done, the guides are helpful- I just passed NC 1 last Tuesday :) however, I would have saved a ton of money had I purchased the books from Excelsior, used my LPN books for reference, and guided my study with the FREE content guides from Excelsior.
If you have an extra $3000 to throw away the guides are great, but my intentions were to save money... BTW, if you are one day late on your payment to them, forget about getting anymore guides until you pay IN FULL.

I am sooo sorry to hear that. I am studying for my first exam--community health nursing. I bought the books and downloaded the study guide. I think I will like this venue. I know it seems expensive but it actually is comparable to the state colleges in CA---the books are even cheaper. I paid 130$ for my (paperback) math book at the local CC--my 2 books for comm health were cheaper than that--and hard back! CA is such a rip-off when it comes to education, and texts are the BIGGEST SCAM EVER!!! There is NO WAY they should cost what they do.