Published
Federal Student Loans
a scholarship/loan (I have to work for a year in a certain area or pay them back, there are conditions but they forgive it all if I meet them)
scholarships
tuition grant from my university
savings
I have a consulting gig on the side, but don't do it very often
I had planned to sign a contract with the hospital here and do more of the "work in an underserved area and we'll give you money" things, but they all dried up about half-way through my first semester. Fun times.
The way I paid for NS is that I passed on the more expensive programs and went to the local CC for my degree. I paid it in full each semester so I had no debt when I graduated. I'm doing the same with the BSN--I'm working, so I'm only going part-time...but because it's part-time, every tuition bill gets paid in full.
If you really can avoid student loans, avoid them. Otherwise look for a loan that gives you a grace period after graduation before you pay it back (so you can look for that elusive GN job) and also borrow only what you need.
Also, look at getting textbooks from places other than the campus bookstore. You can save quite a bit ordering them from amazon.com, bn.com, or half.com.
For the pricey LVN program that I completed in 2005, I financed the entire tuition with a private student loan. This loan has since been repaid.
I attended an RN bridge program (associates degree) last year and, as unpopular as this seems, I worked full-time while attending school full-time. I paid the school $500 monthly in cash toward my tuition, which reduced the amount that I had to borrow. I financed the remainder with Stafford government student loans.
CSellers3
20 Posts
Hi everyone!!
Im beginning to get very stressed and I haven't even started NS yet. Im starting to think I might not even make it that far :
. Im enrolled in an Accelerated BSN program at Chamberlain college of nursing, and im suppose to be starting in October. The tuition there is very pricey. I got some money for school through fafsa and I also recieved a few scholarships. But i still have quite a bit left to cover. How have you all paid for school? just loans? or what?