Confused on applying to colleges for nursing

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Apr 20, 2020

Pre-nursing is not a major. It is just a designation that universities use to put you in a category. Some universities may label pre-nursing students as "Nursing- Non Designated" or "General Studies". I wouldn't worry too much about it. The schools deal with pre-nursing students every semester. They have a category to place pre-nursing students before they are accepted.

Guest1142305 · Apr 20, 2020

Young on, you have many options. Since you are in high school, try to knockout as much college as you can while in high school if that’s a possibility in your state. Pell grants are your friend.

look into clep, AP credit, straighterline, aleks, etc as ways to accelerate your genera education and nursing prerequisites and graduate faster. With some schools it’s possible to complete the entire degree through sufficiency testing (TESU, charter oak, etc) and get your bachelors incredibly fast. Then you could do a direct entry accelerated MSN or BSN program to become a nurse faster.

you also have the option of joining the military to help fund your education and have a guaranteed job when you graduate.

you could do an ADN program at a local cc if you want the slow but cheap way to become a nurse, but to me the sufficiency testing to race through a bachelors in whatever followed by a second degree BSN or MSN program makes more sense. The extra money those programs cost vs. getting to work earlier makes up for the difference.

it all boils down to how smart, motivated, and/or crazy you are. You can do a traditional path, or create your own. I finished most of my bachelors online.

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2020

When you are applying to schools, just check that you want nursing as your major. As with other programs that are very specific in the courses and order of courses prenursing, nursing, it is technically all the same, prenursing just typically is when you are taking more of the core courses such as your science and social science courses.

If there is some questions on which you need to check, just give the school a call or do an on-line chat with someone from the school.

Also, when you are on the school's webpage, usually if you click on the program they will give you instructions on how to apply.

As for taking college courses while in high school, it may not benefit you 100% as there are specific sequences courses need to be taken and not all schools will accept credits from just any school. Those would be questions to ask the school. Do that BEFORE you take any college courses or credits.

Guest1142305 · Apr 20, 2020

Here’s a plan that gives you the information on how to test out of all but 2 classes from a BA in psychology degree at TESU.

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/JSD's_BA_in_Psychology

If you have the chops to do it, you could accelerate yourself past a lot of hoops. Not everyone can handle doing stuff like that though. For me, independent self study is the way to go. I get so bored at the regular pace of college. It’s like a race of turtles to me. This month I got ace credit for intro to statistics & precalculus through aleks, and on straighterline business statistics, and will finish Chemistry 1 before my 1 month subscription to straighterline expires. What that looks like in real life is something like 50 straight hours a week of studying and practicing problems. It’s hard, but doable.

CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2020

All the above information is great. I would add one thing more. Check into your prospective college's NCLEX pass rate-this is a good indication of overall performance.