How old were you when starting prereqs and did it discourage you?

[princesax11]

I just turned 22 and a lot of people I went to high school with are graduating with a bachelor's degree this spring. So I am feeling a little discouraged and sad.

I started community college right out of high school. I was a little lazy and didn't want hard classes so I went with elementary education even though I wasn't too sure about it. Well a year and a half into it I discovered nursing was where I really wanted to be so I changed majors and took classes for the local ADN program at my community college. I went to a information session and got misleading information that I could apply then with just a few prereqs done so I applied. I got a letter telling me I needed to finish all my prereqs before I could apply and the admissions advisor changed.

So feeling defeated I took a semester off which turned into two when my part time job's company declared bankruptcy and I had to work full time to help. This summer I moved from NJ to FL and have to wait until Fall 2013 to get instate tuition to finish my last 4 prereqs here. I wanted to take maybe a class or two until I was instate then I saw the price was almost 400 per credit! Yikes, I can't afford 1,200-1,600$ a class!

I have 5 prereqs done that apply to the program down here and my gpa is a 3.6. If I get in when I plan to I will be 26 when I graduate with a ADN. I can't get into a BSN program because my overall gpa in the classes I don't need anymore is still calculated into a lot of admissions which is only a 3.1.

I guess I am just looking for words of encouragement and your stories to help. I look forward to hearing some uplifting answers! :)

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

I started prereqs at 32. I graduated from an ABSN at age 34.

I WISH I had done this at 24! I'd be up for military retirement in four years!

Carolina,

Which Accelerated BSN program did you do? I'm wanting to do Baylor University's ABSN program.

[bopeep82]

My husband is active duty and we have three kids. I originally started school in 2005. I just now got accepted into nursing school. I was never discouraged. I'm also 31. I realized early that I couldn't have it all at the same time. I had my family first, then went to school. Now, I'm entering nursing school and all my children are school aged. It hasn't been easy and I've been disgruntled a lot, but looking back I wouldn't really want it another way.