Excelsior College

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Hi guys

This is the first time I have ever posted on this site but I have also only had by LVN license for one month. My mother in law is also an LVN and has been for around thirty years. I have recently convinced her to complete the LVN to RN transition with me. I told her she has gotten paid LVN pay to do RN work for to long. No offense but she works her butt off. We live about three hours apart and both work full time. Due to this we have decided to do this through EC. I was telling her that I was going to get all of the advised text books and read and study. She says she just wants to study the outlines and study guides. I told her with her experience she might be able to pull this off but as for me I really want to study and do well if for nothing more for myself and my own peace of mind. However, when I started checking on the prices for all the text EC recommends I began panicking due to all of the money I just spent in LVN school. Any suggestions on how to study and does anyone have any of these books they want to get rid of.

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I just signed up to EC as well for my LPN to RN and I can not believe how expensive it is. Do you know of anyone who has gone through the program? Is it truly a good program?

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Don't buy all of those books just yet. I bought them and hardly used them.

I passed all of my exams, almost all "A"s, using Mosby NCLEX-RN review book. I studied the EC outlines for each exam, then read and reviewed the material for that particular exam in the mosby book.

Try that first and take your first nursing concepts exam before you decide to buy all of those expensive textbooks.

If you don't do so well on your first exam and need additional material, then think about buying the books.

And please do not go through an expensive publishing company (Rue, college Network, etc.) you don't need them and they will rip you off.

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Has anyone taken the American Literature CLEP? Is the Concise Anthology of Amer. Lit all I need?:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Neuro, Acute, Geriatrics, Rehab, Oncology.

Talk to your advisor at Excelsior to see what is accepted. I used CLEP for many of my generals and they are great, cheaper than ECs and accepted.I took Analyzing and interpreting Lit and got and A. I did not study and ripped through it in less than an hour

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My advice to you would be to throughly check out the program first. I am taking courses through The College Network and I would not recommend this. I met with a rep. from College Network and he failed to tell me about the return and withdrawl procedures. After you have received all your books via UPS then you only have 3 days to look them over and decide if the program will work. He failed to mention any of this to me. So, I have a loan for $3500 for books that I can't return now. The $3500 is just for books and then you still have to pay for each test which averages between $100-$300 per test. If you are book smart it might be a good program, but I'm a very hands on person. Good Luck to You!

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Let's say I choose TCN but have not received all my books. The cancellation is good until you recieve all of the books? I was told 3 days after you sign it's a done deal. Please respond, this is beautiful, because clearly it's not working for me.

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Let me correct myself. I went and got my paperwork and it states that you have 3 days to withdrawl after you have signed. So, in 3 days I was just starting to get the 1st shippment of books.

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Sheesh, I thought this was my window of opportunity. I can't believe I let them rip me off. I called the recruiter and said "Hey, I'm vulnerable, rip me off." Then they want you to recruit others, to get your books free possibly. I'm sorry but I have a heart, and a monthly bill for the next 5 years. Laugh inside,cry aloud!!!!:lol2: :bluecry1:

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Hi...I have a question. Were you actually enrolled in Excelsior or did you just register to take exams? I'm trying to figure out if they offer study guides and course outlines specific to each exam (ex. NC1 & 2, A&P, micro). I saw on the website that they offer free content guides to enrolled students, but I plan to take a few exams BEFORE I actually enroll in the degree program.

P.S...I've already decided that I'm not going to use RUE, College Network, etc. So I'd like to find out if Excelsior actually offers study outlines to "unenrolled" students. Thanks.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
Hi...I have a question. Were you actually enrolled in Excelsior or did you just register to take exams? I'm trying to figure out if they offer study guides and course outlines specific to each exam (ex. NC1 & 2, A&P, micro). I saw on the website that they offer free content guides to enrolled students, but I plan to take a few exams BEFORE I actually enroll in the degree program.

P.S...I've already decided that I'm not going to use RUE, College Network, etc. So I'd like to find out if Excelsior actually offers study outlines to "unenrolled" students. Thanks.

To answer your question, you may download all the study guides for free before enrolling but you can only take NC 1 and 2 without being enrolled. For the remaining tests and to transfer credits, you have to be enrolled in the program like any other school. You don't need to go through Rue, TCN, or any other vendor to enroll in EC, and I would personally advise against it. There are plenty of Yahoo study groups devoted solely to EC with a plethora of information to help you get through. Get a really good NCLEX-RN study guide to provide good concise information on disease and disease processes. The tests are pricey, but nothing more than you would pay for a three, four, or six credit nursing course. Also, you may be able to waive NC1 with your LPN course information, so you should definitely ask your advisor about whether your situation applies.:clown:

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Thank you, KiyasMom and congratulations. I'm aware that I'll have to actually enroll before I can take NC 3-6 and I'll definitely do that. I'm just delaying enrollment because as of now I'm still an LPN student but I want to take the pre-reqs...A&P, micro, etc. I will definitely look into possibly having NC 1 waived once I've completed my program...September '06 ...I'm so excited :).

P.S...which NCLEX-RN book would you recommend? I have Saunder's for the NCLEX-PN but I've found that Mosby's is better.

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