Community College v. Four Year

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Hi All!

I got accepted into SFSU but now my financial situation has given me few options for continuing with my nursing education. I likely will not have a financial benefactor who will support me all through SFSU, so I either must take out loans and get a job for the next four years to get through SFSU or drop out of SFSU right now and attend community college to complete prerequisites and general education then transfer to a four year institution with a nursing program (hopefully with a scholarship or savings or loans). SFSU starts next month, and I am chewing my nails over my options.

Becoming a nurse means so much to me, but I am not sure which route seems better to take. Which route is more worth it?

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

My advice is very simple. Do what you can afford. Only you truly know your situation well enough to determine what you can afford and what you can't. A good place to start is the financial aid office. They can often help you go through your finances and determine if you're eligible for financial aid, and when.

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I have been accepted into SFSU as an undergraduate freshman with the intent on applying to their Nursing Program. However, my financial situation has changed and now I must choose between going to SFSU and paying my way with jobs and loans and scholarships or drop my admission and start my college years at a community college.

If I go to SFSU and don't get into the program, will my options to get into a different school be very limited? If I go to community college for general education and prerequisites, are my chances of being accepted into a nursing program at a four year institution better?

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Do your prereqs at SFCC or another community college. It is a waste of money to do your general ed and prereqs at a university, and it generally doesn't give you any more preference for the BSN program than you would have if you attended a local CC. The only preference pertaining to where you did your prereqs is some extra points or slant toward people who do their prereqs in local schools (so, for example, if you went to SFCC versus a CC in SoCal, you'd have preference).

Wherever you do your prereqs, your options will be the same. Regardless, you need to ensure your GPA is top notch, and you'll want to apply to as many programs as are feasible for you to attend when the time comes.

A friendly heads up, change your screen name to something more anonymous. There are a lot of reasons to protect your identity on a public forum, especially once you're a nurse. :)

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