Finishing School at NYU undergrad. Really want to be a nurse. NEED ADVICE PLEASE

vervain · Apr 30, 2005

Hey there-

I'm a nursing student in NYC and will graduate with my RN in December (NCLEX willing). I have to say thatthere are an awful lot of opinions about obtaining the golden NYU degree. Many of my classmates at the community college that I attend think this is the golden egg and all the nurses that I know state that you can get your RN anywhere and do anything you want once you obtain it as long as you are motivated and a good nurse.

I was accepted at Hunter College for their BSN program and transferred out to BMCC (many thought this was insane, but I wanted the quick RN and to pay less money). Many people think that a community college is a poor education. Lot's of people think that Columbia and NYU aren't worth the money. Some say that you can't get hired without a BSN and that an RN isn't worth anything anymore. I know that the acceptabel GPA to get into the nursing program at my little community college is a 3.8 - obviously we have some smart nursing students.

We are still in a nursing shortage crisis and it isn't going away - so I say, get your degree. If you don't want to be a nutritionist - don't. Once you have your RN you will be able to pay back your loans and there are many ways to get federal loans forgiven etc... If you want to be a nurse you should go for it and figure out a way to raise your GPA. You wo't be happy with yourself if you don't... ya know?

BETSRN · May 1, 2005

Well everyone,
I really need as much advice from a professional as I can get. The issue at hand is that my GPA at NYU is not high enough to do an internal transfer into the nursing program and for that theywill not accept me. They know how much I had my heart set on it, but there is no time to bring my GPA up because I am not going to be a Junior. My real major is Nutriton, but they are telling me I am going to have to finish that major and if anything come back and do a 2nd degree in nursing, and thats maybe at NYU because I may not be accepted it. I don't know what to do because I have worked so hard to get there. I am crushed. I am 20 years old and I live alone, fully support myself. I have a lot of stressors [personal..family] in my life which never really let me focus. I have to register for next semester, and if I do that means its all nutrition courses, or possibly even food studies!! WHICH IS NOT MY THING. They just want me to get a degree. And they tell me that if I really want to be a nurse transfer out and finish somewhere else. In the condition my GPA is in, it is not strong enough for me to transfer because I wouldn't want to get stuck in a worse situation at another school than I am now. What should I do? I mean regardless, I want to be a nurse, and no one will put me down. And I know if I really want it I'm going to have to work for it, real hard. And I will. But should I waste the next 4 semesters [2 years] roughly, maybe a little less, at 20 yrs old by finishing at NYU with a degree I don't really want much. Or leave?.. It would kill me to leave, because all I keep telling myself is "All this work for nothing, all this money for nothing... [loans..grants....etc.] All this, to NOT get an NYU degree? What would YOU do? If you suggest finishing at NYU, where would you get your second degree? Please let me know ANY infomation that can help me ASAP I would really appreciate this. I want to reach my dreams. And counselors and advisors at school keep telling me forget nursing. NEVER.

You already have the courses you have completed. You have wasted NOTHING as yet. I would advise you to take a semester off (if need be), do some research and find out where you can find a nursing program. There are lots of nursing schools out there who would accept you and transfer the acceptable credits that you already have as well. I wouldn't be discouraged as yet. You haven't even looked around. How about Wagner College on Staten Island? They have an outstanding nursing program. It is worth a look. There are many types of programs. Can you come to Connecticut? We have many types of programs: from the hospital based to the BSN. The only hospital based program that is still alive and well at Bridgeport Hospital. It's a good program. There are several Associates programs and many BSN programs as well. It sounds as if you have at least two years of credits under your belt.

PM me is you would like and we can talk more. I am in Connecticut.

HillaryC, RN, CRNA · May 3, 2005

Hi,

I can sort of relate, because several years ago I found myself in a similar position. I was about halfway through a BA in psychology at a private university and realized I hated psych. I was so determined to 'finish what I'd started' that I continued, even though I hated all my classes and graduated with a mediocre GPA. My situation was different because I was just depleting my college fund -- I didn't have to worry about earning money for tuition or paying back loans (just wasting good money . I finished the degree, then worked for three years in jobs that weren't related to psych, but that did require a bachelor's. I then decided to go back to school for nursing -- something I'd always had in the back of my mind. I got an A.S. last spring and am now in an RN-MS program (I'm 27).

I still haven't decided if I regret finishing the B.A. If I was in your position -- supporting myself and paying a lot of money for classes -- I think I'd want to be completely sure that I was committed to the classes I was taking. You can't change the past, but you can control whether you continue on a path you know isn't right. I understand not wanting the last two years to be for nothing, but isn't it better to regret two years than four?

I'm not sure I understand why your counselors are discouraging you from nursing. I'm a new nurse -- so maybe I just need some more time to become completely jaded -- but so far, I don't think it's a half-bad career option :) It offers a lot of flexibility, great job security, and decent pay.

If you're only two years into your degree, is it safe to assume a good number of the classes you've taken were general education? What I'm thinking is, the classes you've taken will probably not be wasted. I tend to think of my B.A. as being 'used for its parts'. I was able to use some credits toward my A.S., and many as prereqs for my BSN/MS program.

As someone else mentioned, could you take a semester off to explore your options? Alternatively, are there some classes you could take at NYU that would also work in a nursing degree? (e.g., anatomy/physiology, microbiology, chemistry, even English/History/Statistics). I think your focus should be on taking classes that can go toward a nursing degree and doing as well in them as you can to bring up your GPA.

I understand the desire to get the degree from a "name" school, but you may want to consider putting that on hold for now, and coming back to it later? There's no shame in getting an Associate's degree, then continuing to get your bachelor's from a name school after you have your RN (and letting your hospital pay for it!). I'm a little biased, but after spending $100K+ on my first degree, I think the A.S. is a fantastic little option -- especially for a young person supporting herself through school. You can spend much less money getting the license, and then let your employer pay for the rest of your education :) This is not to say that you shouldn't consider the other RN options -- like I said, I'm just biased :)

I wish you the best :) At 20, It's great that you've figured out what you want to do :) Try not to beat yourself up for not starting out on the nursing track! All your hard work isn't wasted; you're just changing paths. There's nothing wrong with that!

Take care,

Hillary

Well everyone,
I really need as much advice from a professional as I can get. The issue at hand is that my GPA at NYU is not high enough to do an internal transfer into the nursing program and for that theywill not accept me. They know how much I had my heart set on it, but there is no time to bring my GPA up because I am not going to be a Junior. My real major is Nutriton, but they are telling me I am going to have to finish that major and if anything come back and do a 2nd degree in nursing, and thats maybe at NYU because I may not be accepted it. I don't know what to do because I have worked so hard to get there. I am crushed. I am 20 years old and I live alone, fully support myself. I have a lot of stressors [personal..family] in my life which never really let me focus. I have to register for next semester, and if I do that means its all nutrition courses, or possibly even food studies!! WHICH IS NOT MY THING. They just want me to get a degree. And they tell me that if I really want to be a nurse transfer out and finish somewhere else. In the condition my GPA is in, it is not strong enough for me to transfer because I wouldn't want to get stuck in a worse situation at another school than I am now. What should I do? I mean regardless, I want to be a nurse, and no one will put me down. And I know if I really want it I'm going to have to work for it, real hard. And I will. But should I waste the next 4 semesters [2 years] roughly, maybe a little less, at 20 yrs old by finishing at NYU with a degree I don't really want much. Or leave?.. It would kill me to leave, because all I keep telling myself is "All this work for nothing, all this money for nothing... [loans..grants....etc.] All this, to NOT get an NYU degree? What would YOU do? If you suggest finishing at NYU, where would you get your second degree? Please let me know ANY infomation that can help me ASAP I would really appreciate this. I want to reach my dreams. And counselors and advisors at school keep telling me forget nursing. NEVER.

Jetaime684 · May 9, 2005

Just wanted to throw it out there that u arent alone!

In highschool I worked my butt off (never met anyone who ever studied as much as me) to get into a really good college. So i got there and personal/family issues made it really hard to concentrate. I ended up doing fairly well in some classes, and well, some of them I just plain didnt bother to go to cuz i was too depressed. Even tho I had worked for so long to get there, poured a lot of blood sweat and tears into it, there just werent any benefits to finishing school there. LIke NYU, it costs around 45K a year to go to. I left and it was the best decision i ever made. I too had loans, and to this day, I am SO GLAD i didnt fork out another 20 grand per semester, and more importantly, glad I didnt waste anymore of my time. In all honesty, private schools are the biggest joke. Not all of us have trust funds, so lets get with the real world here. If you want to be a nurse, just go to a public school. Look at the job market for nurses...its not exactly cut-throat. Finish going to NYU if u wanna throw money down the toilet. Dont get anymore loans, hun, for a degree that you wont use at all. You wont even be happy, and its only gonna haunt u for a very, very, very long time. I actually did research on the internet as to how much student debt is too much....from what I gather, take what you wil expect to be paid as a newgrad, and your loan payments shouldnt exceed 30% of your income.

My best advice to you...consider the amount of money u will have to pump into this seemingly worthless degree. You're going to have to go back to school most likely to finish nursing school prereqs...and to get into nursing school these days u still have to have a really good GPA to get into nursing school. Can you afford to live with more debt? If you can afford it, finish your degree and work to save up to send yourself to school. Research other schools in your area to find out which ones consider you total collegiate GPA (yah, they might look at your NYU GPA) for admissions, and some might just look at prereqs. If i was from your area, id give you recommendations on schools to look into.

But again, you arent alone...ditch NYU, view it as a good learning experience, and move on.

epiphany · Jun 1, 2005

Well everyone,
I really need as much advice from a professional as I can get. The issue at hand is that my GPA at NYU is not high enough to do an internal transfer into the nursing program and for that theywill not accept me. They know how much I had my heart set on it, but there is no time to bring my GPA up because I am not going to be a Junior. My real major is Nutriton, but they are telling me I am going to have to finish that major and if anything come back and do a 2nd degree in nursing, and thats maybe at NYU because I may not be accepted it. I don't know what to do because I have worked so hard to get there. I am crushed. I am 20 years old and I live alone, fully support myself. I have a lot of stressors [personal..family] in my life which never really let me focus. I have to register for next semester, and if I do that means its all nutrition courses, or possibly even food studies!! WHICH IS NOT MY THING. They just want me to get a degree. And they tell me that if I really want to be a nurse transfer out and finish somewhere else. In the condition my GPA is in, it is not strong enough for me to transfer because I wouldn't want to get stuck in a worse situation at another school than I am now. What should I do? I mean regardless, I want to be a nurse, and no one will put me down. And I know if I really want it I'm going to have to work for it, real hard. And I will. But should I waste the next 4 semesters [2 years] roughly, maybe a little less, at 20 yrs old by finishing at NYU with a degree I don't really want much. Or leave?.. It would kill me to leave, because all I keep telling myself is "All this work for nothing, all this money for nothing... [loans..grants....etc.] All this, to NOT get an NYU degree? What would YOU do? If you suggest finishing at NYU, where would you get your second degree? Please let me know ANY infomation that can help me ASAP I would really appreciate this. I want to reach my dreams. And counselors and advisors at school keep telling me forget nursing. NEVER.

I wanted to go to NYU as well, but decided on Hunter because I could finish a year earlier. Here I am graduated, and shopping for a job, and I honestly don't believe that NYU grads have more choices than me or any of my classmates.

I AM going to their grad program part-time this fall, but I chose NYU because of the program I wanted, the schedule I wanted, and the clinicals they provided. Their reputation alone does not help me with my future. My self-advocacy, my reputation, my networking, stuff that I wrote and published, those are the things that are helping me. What I am trying to say is, you don't need NYU enough to stick it out another year or too, when you can already by that time be working in a place you like. My advice is to shop around for a place that will help you finish the fastest.