How is One to Make it as a Nursing Student and Parent

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Hi, I am 23. I am 5 classes away from getting my Bachelors Degree. I have made up my mind that I want to pursue nursing. I am thinking of going to Keiser University for their ASN, and then finishing up my bachelors in one semester once I get my RN.

I know this sounds crazy, but my reasoning for this is that if I graduate, I will not be eligible for financial aid(Pell grants) and I will have to pay out of pocket. I have a 1-year-old child and I wont be able to work as much to pay for school and living expenses.

My main goal is to not waste anymore time and get into a program as soon as possible. Keiser is were I can start ASAP. I don't want to take out anymore loans. Im in so much debt already. I also want to relocate to South Florida for to the program (Closer to some family). Does anyone have any advise on my plan of action and how I could get financial help while in my RN program?

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Seems like an abuse of the system. What will your Bachelors degree be in?

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Seems like an abuse of the system. What will your Bachelors degree be in?

The ''system'' has already been abused; and ALL of US has a role in IT.

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I think you have to do what makes sense financially. As far as "abuse of the system" goes, I think that may be a bit excessive. If you qualify for a pell grant then you are obviously lower income and you deserve it. You are trying to choose the path that will help you best support your family and self. I admire you for that. When you apply for aid in the program, you have to divulge how much school you have completed so far. If you give that info and they still approve you for a grant then I certainly don't see the harm with it! Good for you for making a better life for your family :-)

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I think you have to do what makes sense financially. As far as "abuse of the system" goes, I think that may be a bit excessive. If you qualify for a pell grant then you are obviously lower income and you deserve it. You are trying to choose the path that will help you best support your family and self. I admire you for that. When you apply for aid in the program, you have to divulge how much school you have completed so far. If you give that info and they still approve you for a grant then I certainly don't see the harm with it! Good for you for making a better life for your family :-)

Thank you for the encouragement!

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One thing you have to be careful with is when you go for your ADN is if the college you attend is going to transfer in the credits you have towards your Bachelors. If they do, that will drive your attempted hours up above what is allowed.

Federal aid allows you 150% of the credit hours to get a degree. So you can attempt 90 credit hours (if 60 credit hours are required for an associates) before you will have to file an appeal with FA. Even if the hours don't count toward your ADN the hours you have attempted will count towards your FA (granted this only applies if they require you to submit your previous transcripts and what transfers to the new college).

In case you are wondering how I know this, I work for a community college and we just had a meeting with FA talking about attempted hours and what is allowed under the regulations.

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My Major is in Political Science.

I think one can only abuse the government if they plan to live off of it forever. I am trying to become a RN the quickest way possible so I don't have to be on government assistance. With that said, There is no abuse in my eyes.

If I start the ASN program Aug.12', then I will be done by next Dec. So that is only 16 months.

I figure I need to stop wasting time in something that I will not have a higher chance in getting a job and i DONT want to go to law school.

I have my CNA and Phlebotomy certificate, so i am familiar with how nursing can be. I love working with people and children and I don't want to sit in a office all day.

My biggest problem is family. I know they will look at me like i'm crazy, but NONE of them have helped me while I have been in college. I have built my credit, bought my first car, got my apartment and everything on my own with my daughter. But I am still afraid of what they will say. I need more of a support system than them talking down on me. Maybe I will just not talk to anyone for the whole year until I finish my ASN. lol

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WOW!! Thanks for that information. I think I will have to do an appeal then. I will be transferring in credits so I won't have to take so many pre-reqs.

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I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully the place you attend for your ADN doesn't require transcripts from previous college work.

The way it works at the college I work at is if the classes transfers it goes on the new transcript whether or not it counts towards the degree the person is trying to obtain.

The college I have applied to for my ADN, only requires you to submit your transcripts if you want to use classes to count for your degree.

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WOW!! Thanks for that information. I think I will have to do an appeal then. I will be transferring in credits so I won't have to take so many pre-reqs.

You will be filing an appeal based on going over maximum time frame. You will need to meet with an advisor to fill out paperwork and they should help you get the appeal rolling.

If you explain to the advisor and FA why you went over and what your plans are you should have a good chance of getting the extra funds.

Best of luck! I hope you are able to get into the program and get the support you need!

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You will be filing an appeal based on going over maximum time frame. You will need to meet with an advisor to fill out paperwork and they should help you get the appeal rolling.

If you explain to the advisor and FA why you went over and what your plans are you should have a good chance of getting the extra funds.

Best of luck! I hope you are able to get into the program and get the support you need!

Thank you for that insight. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

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I would be VERY careful about this. This past fall I spoke with the financial aid office at my school about changing my major to nursing. I had previously declared a Health Sciences major to pick away at as many nursing courses as possible while biding my time to get into the program. When I spoke to the FA office they told me I could certainly change my major to nursing this late in the game, but they wouldn't recommend it.

The director of FA explained to me that the government checks up on these things and if they catch you jumping ship when you are close to graduating from one bachelors degree and accepting grants towards another degree the government considers it FRAUD :eek: and you will have to pay back what you have been awarded. If you ask me it isn't worth the risk. Just graduate and go to an ASN. You may be able to apply for scholarships to help. The last thing any young mother needs is to be found guilty of fraud in the eyes of the government. If you are caught you will probably be ineligible for financial aid. Don't do it, definitely not a good idea. :no:

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