Help! Best route to get a BSN

dorkypanda · Oct 19, 2014

Well the thing is you could go directly into a BSN program if you want to and if you've got the financial means to. you could also do the associates degree first if you want but it's cheaper than the BSN program.

you could complete prereqs for 1-2 years. After that you can apply to BSN programs if you qualify with pretty good grades and test score if needed. depends on your state if BSN programs are competitive to get into. The associates program will be less competitive perhaps depending on your area. If you do associates degree program at a cc you will eventually go on to do RN to BSN program. it's longer if you do it associates first and then RN to BSN but only by a year or so compared to BSN directly.

you must check nursing programs you're interested in to see if they accept ap scores and what those ap scores translate into in terms of grading. Like let's say they do recognize ap scores of 3 and higher but what letter grade does that correspond to for a college level course? if it is a C I think it's better if you took the actual class.you have to read up on this carefully!

ixchel · Oct 19, 2014

A lot of people do go to community college as a big step toward their nursing careers. But, there are several reasons why they may choose to do so, and it is not generally a retirement. If you are able to go straight to university and stay there 4 years with full support and absolutely no other life details that are "in the way", going to university for a BSN from day one is the least complicated, most direct method of getting from point A to point B (BSN, RN).

If you'd like to message privately, we can look at your school choices together and walk through advantages or disadvantages of each option you have. These choices really depend on all of the factors you have going for or against you while you're in school. Is money an issue? Time? Travel distance? Do the schools themselves have strong programs? All kinds of questions to figure out up front. Get in touch! If you're unable to PM yet, I'll send you my email address.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Oct 20, 2014

A lot of people do go to community college as a big step toward their nursing careers. But, there are several reasons why they may choose to do so, and it is not generally a retirement. If you are able to go straight to university and stay there 4 years with full support and absolutely no other life details that are "in the way", going to university for a BSN from day one is the least complicated, most direct method of getting from point A to point B (BSN, RN).
If you'd like to message privately, we can look at your school choices together and walk through advantages or disadvantages of each option you have. These choices really depend on all of the factors you have going for or against you while you're in school. Is money an issue? Time? Travel distance? Do the schools themselves have strong programs? All kinds of questions to figure out up front. Get in touch! If you're unable to PM yet, I'll send you my email address.

Well said.

To add: factor in your area, and what your options are; meaning, your grades (sound likes you are on the right track), college placement (meaning how will they handle your AP courses), SAT and ACT scores, and financial aid package, and how you want to position yourself in terms of obtaining your education.

I will say you need to get your BSN. you can start at the community college level, get all your pre requisites (required courses) at the community college, get a general education associates and move on to a university BSN program for the nursing courses, OR go into a university BSN program and take your pre req's and core courses there.

Search for accredited universities and colleges in your area; Google ACEN and CCNE, those are the accrediting bodies for nursing programs that meet and exceed nursing program requirements; match those colleges with your state BON, to ensure they are also approved by the BON to graduate individual programs (they usually are, but check just in case) and make a list to apply to programs. Try to go to open houses if they have any, as well as start applying to them NOW for the following year. Try to reach out their program counselors and if possible, reach out by phone or in person to talk to them about their programs if possible.

Best wishes. :up:

RunBabyRN · Oct 20, 2014

You can go for your BSN without obtaining your ADN first. Many people attend a community college for their prerequisites (anatomy, physiology and so forth) and general ed, then transfer to a university for the actual nursing program. This is often the least expensive route. You'll need to keep your GPA as high as possible, as programs are very competitive. Also, it's good to research how much, if any, preference is given to "native" students, meaning students already attending the university. Most universities don't offer preference (or much) anymore.

You may be able to take courses in college now, which will count toward both high school and college credits. Research this option!

A friendly heads up, if your screen name is your real name, consider changing it. It's important to protect your identity on such a public forum. :)

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Oct 20, 2014

It sounds like you are getting some good advice. You need to first know your situation, are your grades adequate for admission to a competitive BSN program? Will whatever path you you choose apply your AP classes toward college credit? How are your financials? Will you be able to just focus on school or will you need to work to live? If you will need to work you either need to arrange your work schedule around school or find a school with flexible scheduling options. How much financial aid to you expect to receive? Look at scholarships and grants before loans as they won't need to be paid back. Do a lot of research on the programs you are interested in. Look of course at cost of the program, but also look at quality of education. Ask about the graduation rate, the NCLEX pass rate, the job offer after graduation rate and ask current and former students their opinion of the program. There is definitely more than one way to get to the BNS goal. In the end, only you can determine the best route for you.

SummerWertz · Oct 20, 2014

I'm going to tell you all the things that I wish someone would have told me when I was where you are now. When I was in highschool, I too didn't have much help from the guidance department. No one told me anything, and I was a first generation student, so my parents weren't able to help me much. I applied to two universities and got accepted to both. I chose the liberal arts college because I didn't like the area the other school was in. I started freshman year as pre-med. At the time, it didn't matter where I went to school because you could do pre-med anywhere. But second semester of sophomore year I decided to do nursing instead....and my school didn't have a nursing program.

I met with an advisor and found out that I could stay at my college and take pre-reqs for nursing and then apply to BSN programs. So I did. And here I am as a senior with a 3.0 stuck at my college unable to take the last pre-req that I need. I am now having to transfer to the other school I applied to in high school just to take the class that I need and to save money because I also found out my student loans are capping off in two years. I'm stuck in a hard position because my grades and gpa are not nearly competitive enough for BSN programs.

My suggestion to you. Either start off at a community college with a nursing program, take the pre-reqs and get your associates degree. Or, go to university for a year for the college experience, take the prereqs, and then switch to the associates program. You do the associates program for two years and you can easily bridge to the BSN program in a year. You can even take BSN classes online now.

If I had it to do over again I would have transferred to an associates program right when I found out I wanted to do nursing. I'm heavily in student loan debt, my grades aren't as good as they could have been because I went with a hard major, and the waiting lists for ADN programs are a year long in my area. I'm a senior in college and won't even be able to start the ADN program until the spring of 2016 if I don't get accepted into a BSN program.

Don't make the same mistakes that I did. There is more than one way to get a nursing degree and just because you do an associates program doesn't mean you have to stop there. In hindsight, it would have been the cheaper and faster way to do it.

dajaenicole · Jan 6, 2015

this response was really helpful for i am in the same situation listed above and would like more insight would you mind providing me with your email address?