Help choosing FNP school! Walden vs Bradley

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I have gone round and round with my school choices. I started last fall at Simmons but my student loans didn't go through and now I owe them money (>$10,000) so I can't continue there.

I want an RN to MSN program, this limits my options. I am currently accepted to Walden and set to start January, 7th. Now I found Bradley University and I am impressed with them so far but I haven't been able to find much online about them. The problem is they are quite a bit more expensive.

Please help me decide! I know Walden has some questionable reviews. I have heard good and bad but I know that with any online program I will be self-teaching so that is ok. What I want to know is whether it is worth paying so much more to Bradley. Do I get anything more with them than what I would get at Walden?

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

Why not a separate BSN? You could have completely paid for some of the programs around me (online from public schools) for the cost of, what?, one semester at Simmons.

And youll need your transcript from Simmons to transfer (you can't opt to leave that out). So you'll have to pay them off first.

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You know you'll have to pay Simmons, right? Would you be willing to go to a reputable school? Not a crappy school like Walden or Bradley?

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Is Bradley a crappy school? I haven't been able to find anything that says it's not good. I have found good info so far. Walden has very mixed. I need RN to MSN so my choices are limited.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
Is Bradley a crappy school? I haven't been able to find anything that says it's not good. I have found good info so far. Walden has very mixed. I need RN to MSN so my choices are limited.

Why do you NEED RN to MSN?

I think unless the school actually issues a BSN, going RN to MSN is kind of risky. The BSN completion is worthless unless you complete the MSN. So if you get into the MSN portion and need to take a break for whatever reason, you're left with a bunch of credits and no BSN.

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Is Bradley a crappy school? I haven't been able to find anything that says it's not good. I have found good info so far. Walden has very mixed. I need RN to MSN so my choices are limited.

Walden is not mixed. It's unanimously viewed as a subpar "school". And my understanding is that Bradley is in the same vein. It has no professors, the students teach themselves via reading and open book testing, etc. Crappy.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

I'm stuck on the RN to MSN thing because you'd have so many better options with a BSN.

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I will ask the advisor about not having professors, but I know they specifically mentioned professors for some of the classes and being available to help. I am wondering if you have confused Bradley with another school?

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

University of South Alabama has a decent reputation (a lot better than the schools you've listed) and has an RN to MSN option.

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