Should I start at a university or community college?

Nursing Students General Students

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Hi everybody! I need a little bit of advice. I am planning to start nursing school in the fall of 2005. What I want to to know is this: In your opinion, is it a better idea to go straight to the college/university that you plan to graduate from or should you do your general classes at a community college and then transfer after two years? I know that the community college would be cheaper, but some people have pointed out that you miss out on getting to know the people that you will be studying with in school. I would love to get some different opinions. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! :)

I have had some experience at both community college and unversity nursing schools so I have some advise that I had wish I had known before. I started out at a private collge for my pre-requisites but I was pre-med so that messed me up. After about 2 years I decided to do nursing and finished my pre-requisites in the next year. Well then I started this private schools nursing program but got sick after a year and had to take some time off. Went to community college next cause it was close to home and CHEAPER!

If I had to do it all over again I would just start out at a community college and get my associates of nursing all in 2 years. If I would of done that I would of saved my self of all these loans I have totaling $30,000! It makes me sick to know what I could of done to save money. Oh well. The only good part is that at private college I joined a sorority and was active in school programs so it was fun and made lots of friends. That is what I would of missed by going to a community college.

And the whole BSN or associates degree thing. I don't care if I just have an associates degree, it really doesn't matter to me cause I don't feel like I would want to go up in management or go back to school for more training. If worst comes to worst I can always go back and get my BSN night school or something but I doubt I would want to do that.

Thanks my silly advise. Curleysue :Melody:

Specializes in Home Health Care.

I'm going to a two yr college first, because it's cheaper and only 20 minutes from home verses very expensive & 2 1/2 hours from home.(Big factor for decision being a wife & mother of three young children) My C.C has a bridge class to BSN that I can take on the ICN through the University of Iowa with out leaving my C.C campus.

Specializes in MICU, CVICU.

I went straight into a university. I was ready to move away and enjoyed it much better than I would have at a community college. I felt like I learned more and was more challenged in my classes too. I've taken some summer classes at a community college and I felt like I didn't learn as much in those as I did in the classes I took at the university. I'm not saying all schools are like this but that has been my experience. Yeah community college is cheaper, but I felt like the education I received at the university has been much better. Also, if you start at community college and try to transfer you need to make sure ahead of time that your credits will transfer to your new school. Personally though, if you feel ready/mature enough to go to a university then I would just go for it. You can find financial aid if you need it. In my class I can see a difference in the level of preparation between the people that took A&P at the university and those that took it at community college. Again this has been my experience, and not everyone will agree with it. All schools are different.

I would say CC because they are cheaper and at least at the ones near me the classes, especially for the sciences, are less than 30 people versus 200 at the university. That makes having a relationship witht the teacher possible and so it is easier to ask for help, etc. Of course they are not all like that so check around.

I would compare the programs before deciding. Some CC colleges have better programs than the universities, and visa versa. For me personally, I like the CC better. Classes are smaller and (from what I've heard from some nurses) the CC college here requires more clinical hours so you get more experience. But we didn't have a pathophysiology course like the local university has, and I think that would have been really helpful.

Do some research about programs you are interested at both types of schools, and I'm sure you'll figure out what is best for you.

Megan

I guess it would depend on the community college I currently go to a community college, but before I came here I was at a universit. At the university the classes had so many students in them the professors didn't even know who I was, at the community college it seems you get more interaction with the teachers and since the classes aren't as large you can get one on one interaction, and I have learned so much at the community college. I have never been so enlightened, but when I get my associates I have no choice but to go back to the university for my BSN.

Well, I received my AA degree from a community college and am darn proud of it. I think that the education I received was first rate, especially the science classes. Instead of being in lecture rooms of hundreds of students, I was able to have more one to one contact with my professors who would normally have no more than 50. Now, I'll be headed off to a Upper Division BSN program and since all of my classes are finished, I will still be in smaller classes. I guess I'm getting the best of both worlds.

Do what is best for you...look into both programs, visit both campuses and try to talk with both instructors and students attending, if you can.

Kris

i just want to say that i was having doubts myself as to the road to take either university or cc.. i am enrolled in community college now taking my prerequisites first before i enroll in the nursing program. but as curlysue stated i think id prefer going to cc to get an asociate then continue my education as i wish to at a university.

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