Wait-listed and Denied. HELP!

[aliciaro]

Nursing has been my only career goal since I was about 10-years old. I can't see myself doing anything else. Unfortunately, getting a seat in a nursing program today is highly competitive! I have a 3.4 cum. GPA and about a 3.2 pre-req GPA...I also have good experience, I'm a CNA, I interned at a hospital, I studied abroad through a program called "Health in Brazil" and I did a few other things to boost my resume. However, I've been wait-listed and denied by several nursing schools, like UB, Brockport, Stonybrook, etc.

I am currently a student at UB, graduating with a B.A. in Health & Human Services in May. So I have been looking for an accelerated nursing program to attend next year and I would like to stay in New York (upstate or city). I heard that the private schools are easier to get into and less competitive, but they are more money. I am worried about having to pay back too much loans in the future!

My other option is to work as a CNA at a nursing home for a year and get in the union, so then they will pay for my tuition...but that would be about another 2-3 years! And I just spent 4 years in college getting a degree that I'm not even interested in using. So, I don't want to spend another 2-3 years tryna get another bachelor's degree.

So, I would like to know if anyone can tell me what my best option is...take out the loans for a private accelerated program or get in the union and have them pay for it?

Also, if I decide to take out the loans, are there any hospitals in NY that pays back nurses' school loans???

Please help or give me some advice! Thank you. :)

[caliotter3]

Even if the union pays for it, you still have to be accepted at a program. Suggest you expand your application efforts until you find a program. Or, you can repeat courses and take other measures to increase your chances at repeat applications where you have already applied. If you have any C's in prerequisite courses, especially the sciences, repeat the course, provided your school allows it and the programs you are applying to will consider the new grade. Alternatively, you can obtain an LPN license and look for an LPN to RN program. The LPN license may help in that respect and you could earn more money while continuing your efforts at finding an RN program. Good luck.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

As you've discovered already, enrollment into nursing programs is highly competitive. I wonder why, since you said you've only ever wanted to be a nurse since you were ten years old, you are getting a four-year BA degree in something....relatively unusable....and something you aren't interested in.....instead of a BSN degree? I don't get this....?

At any rate, I wouldn't go into debt for nursing school; the job market is tight and expectations that you would make tons of money (enough to pay off hefty loans) isn't reasonable. Along with that, you can forget about hospitals in NY paying off new nurses' loans....you'd be lucky to land a job, forget about tuition forgiveness!

Not sure what direction to steer you, except to open your eyes to the job outlook in NY for new grads.....it ain't pretty. Is there a reason you couldn't work WHILE going to school, rather than going the loan route?

I'm thinking that to increase your chance of acceptance to a nursing program, you might need to be willing to relocate. If you cannot get into a school in your region, and the cost of loans is high and the job prospects are low....what does that tell you?

You might also consider becoming a CNA and working in a HOSPITAL, not a nursing home: ancillary staff already employed by a facility stand a better chance at becoming nursing staff once a position opens (and you are qualified, because you will have been going to school while working there). Additionally, ONCE employed, you might qualify for some tuition reimbursement from the facility; keep in mind this is no longer commonplace but it is out there for some, so it's worth looking into.

Good luck!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

If you can get paid tuition do it. That student debt will follow you around like a noose around your neck for years and years. You will want that money for house and car payments.