I need help finding a new nursing program!

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Hi I am currently a student at west coast university and need to transfer... I have run into numerous problems with the campus as far as their class disorganization with blackboard and the rude financial aid office people... I can't afford my 2nd year and I am one term away from starting core. I need a similar program to transfer to as almost all of my general classes are completed... I transferred from Mt. Sac but west coast was perfect because it didn't look at my overall GPA which is very low due to family obligations... I am stuck in a hard place because I want to start fresh but don't know how.. Can someone please give me advice I would greatly appreciate it.

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Call a number of colleges in your preferred geographic area (google "accredited nursing programs, (state)" and speak to the admissions counselors. As a rule, coursework credits from for-profit schools are notoriously difficult to transfer. You may have to start over, and by that I mean, go to a reputable community college and begin your prerequisites again. If they accept any of your credits, bonus. If they don't and you learned the material well at WCU, you should be able to up your GPA considerably, which will improve your chances of admission to the nursing component of the program after the prerequisites. Yes, you would have to do that.

Why pay big bucks** (and incur huge loans) to a for-profit school whose credits might not transfer (but the loans are still due) when there are so many good community colleges and public universities to take your prereqs? If it's a GPA problem, no matter what the cause, you're going to have to fix that before any legitimate nursing program will take you.

Good luck.

** I notice on their website that their 39-month BSN course is $139,000. No, that is not a typo. One hundred thirty nine thousand dollars. That is obscene, and if you are already stuck for loans, I am sorry for you. You could have paid for a first-class degree from a real college or university for a lot less than that. But there's that GPA issue.. and damn WCU for preying on people like that.

There really is no legitimate substitute for education and achievement. But the WCUs of this world will find a market with people who think they can get one without meeting real educational qualifications for admission.

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Thank you! I appreciate the honesty.. I thought it would be a faster way to start my dream job since I felt I wasn't getting anywhere at a Community College but now I'm stuck with a $30,000 loan and nothing to show for it after long sleepless night of hard work.. I was afraid of having to start over because I wanted to start my career and still be young. It looks like that might be my only option is going back to a community college and really making sure I get A's in all of my classes. The response I got from WCU was sickening they basically said they could care less about my financial standing and would be dropped if I could not secure loans, when I asked them for advice on how to go about it they pretty much said its up to me to figure it out and they couldn't help... All that school cares about is money and ratings. I have had some wonderful professors but the schools values are troubling.

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Why would you expect to be able to attend a school where you are not paying the tuition? ANY college is going to tell you to pay your tuition bill. It is not the schools responsibility to find you student loans. They also do not have a requirement to offer you "advice" on getting a loan. That is 100% on you as an adult in an adult world. If they told you it is your responsibility to get a loan...yes..it is YOUR responsibility to get a loan if you need one. There is no "advice". You go do it or you do not do it. If you do not have the credit to get the loan then that is on you. I paid for my BSN with the GI Bill and worked while in school.

Why is it "sickening" for them to expect you to pay the bill? Who else is going to pay it? Forget the "rude" stuff as there are rude people everywhere.

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Thank you! I appreciate the honesty.. I thought it would be a faster way to start my dream job since I felt I wasn't getting anywhere at a Community College but now I'm stuck with a $30,000 loan and nothing to show for it after long sleepless night of hard work.. I was afraid of having to start over because I wanted to start my career and still be young. It looks like that might be my only option is going back to a community college and really making sure I get A's in all of my classes.

My oldest CC student was 63. There are threads here on AN (use the search feature, top of the page) that discuss how old people were when they began and finished. Short answer, if you say, "I'll be forty by the time I finish!" you can say to yourself, "I'll be forty anyway."

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

I am almost 28 and will be graduating this December. I started my nursing school journey at almost 22. I had a few set backs along the way and was only able to do pre reqs part time and retook for personal reasons in failing. I do not consider myself old and do not feel like everyone can and needs to rush through education. Some people are nurses at 22 because they knew right out of highschool what they wanted and went for it. Some either start school later in life or change careers. I don't know ho wold you are, but there is a 25 year age span in my cohort. And not mostly fresh 20s a a few "older" students. It really a mix of all ages in there. Don't let age lead you to poor financial decisions. But also consider that if you are in the "older" crowd, it is even more reason not to accrue high debt amounts for your education.

As far as the school, it really isnt their job to find you loans. You need to apply using the FAFSA like everyone else. If you are already receiving federal loans and need more then A)RUN, because thats a lot of money to borrow, and B) you would need to contact private lenders for student loans and keep in mind their repayments terms are stricter then government loans. Don't get yourself even more in debt. 30,000 when you still have a whole program to go through is a lot. It is advised not to borrow more then you can reasonably make in your first year becasue the repayment amount will way to high and your take home pay will be crap. Seeing as youre at 30000 already you are likely more than halfway through the reasonable loan amount.

Take a step back and look at all your courses and grades. See what you have left to take after you find out what will transfer and focus on acing those courses through a CC. There really is no reason to go to a private school and pay private school tuition for basic pre reqs that can be taken at any CC for a fraction of the cost. For most nursing programs, what school your pre reqs dont really matter as long as they come from an accredited school.

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Why would you expect to be able to attend a school where you are not paying the tuition? ANY college is going to tell you to pay your tuition bill. It is not the schools responsibility to find you student loans. They also do not have a requirement to offer you "advice" on getting a loan. That is 100% on you as an adult in an adult world. If they told you it is your responsibility to get a loan...yes..it is YOUR responsibility to get a loan if you need one. There is no "advice". You go do it or you do not do it. If you do not have the credit to get the loan then that is on you. I paid for my BSN with the GI Bill and worked while in school.

Why is it "sickening" for them to expect you to pay the bill? Who else is going to pay it? Forget the "rude" stuff as there are rude people everywhere.

Well good for you and congratulations on your accomplishment unfortunately not all of us are as fortunate. However you completely misunderstood the reason I posted this... It has nothing to do with loans and my credit. I have no Financial Aid simply because my parents refuse to give their tax information and I am under 24 so in order to file I need that. I have filed plenty of appeals to WCU asking for dependency because of unfortunate circumstances and they simply don't care so excuse me but its absurd to get kicked out of a program I have already invested so much time and money into under circumstances I have no control over after the school initially said it would be no problem after I tried to withdrawal myself knowing I more than likely wouldn't be able to continue, they suckered me in for as much as they could get as long as they could get it. So to answer your question no I am not expecting to not pay tuition. Thank you for your input even though it was useless and out of line. Not everyone gets assistance the way you do or is looking for free handouts.. I work two jobs and go to school full time so take your unnecessary comments about being an "adult " else where.

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Well, you have told a cautionary tale to others about how you now know to get any promises in writing, shortcuts don't always get you there easier or sooner, and how hope is not a plan.

I know this is a crappy position in which you find yourself. In ten years you should be able to look back at it and laugh, if only ruefully. Good luck to you.

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Well, you have told a cautionary tale to others about how you now know to get any promises in writing, shortcuts don't always get you there easier or sooner, and how hope is not a plan.

I know this is a crappy position in which you find yourself. In ten years you should be able to look back at it and laugh, if only ruefully. Good luck to you.

Can only hope that the next time a prospective student comes to the site asking if it's a good idea to take on excessive financial burdens so that they can go to a questionable school (which doesn't have a problem with a low GPA) .... all so he/she can begin to earn bucks at the Dream Job that is sure to be waiting for them once they graduate.....we can only hope that he/she sees this and takes a LONG pause to reconsider.

OP, sorry you're stuck....but like GrnTea said, at least your story can serve as a warning to others :(

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OMG 30K in the hole with nothing to show for it YIKES. FYI my 2-year from a CC was around 24K.

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** I notice on their website that their 39-month BSN course is $139,000. No, that is not a typo. One hundred thirty nine thousand dollars.

Ok I honestly just spit water onto my computer. I'm speechless and that doesn't happen often. :no:

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Ok I honestly just spit water onto my computer. I'm speechless and that doesn't happen often. :no:

Oh, yes, that figure's been tossed around several times recently on AN. Students who "just can't wait" to attend a school that costs a reasonable sum will frequently ask if it's not worthwhile in the end because.....after all.....they can start working that much faster, right? Umm....not really.

General rule of thumb for borrowing funds for nursing school is to not take out more in loans than you can reasonably expect to earn in your first year of employment as a nurse. You know any nurses that pull in $140K straight out of the chute? Me neither ;)

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