I need help!! I need everyones opinion!!

Are you wanting your BSN OR ADN???

Well...I guess this is how it goes.

ADN through anything other than CSN is a joke and basically they can walk on your ass in an instant. Do a search for carrington college (Apollo College) and you'll see what I mean. Any private school will be taking about 70k out of your pocket. Even if you go to CSN and get an ADN you'll still have to go and get your BSN at some point because most hospitals are REQUIRING BSN degrees by a certain point, even Sunrise Hospital is requiring ALL their ADN's to upgrade to a BSN or get kicked to the curb. Otherwise the other benifit of the BSN is in a crappy job market as we are in right now....BSN speaks much higher than ADN.

BSN options are two: UNLV or NSC....right now UNLV is looking at cutting the Nursing program (article from earlier in the month: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/03/even-unlvs-nursing-school-steels-cuts/ )

Take a tour...make the decision on your own research.

Schools in the Las Vegas Area:

ADN:

Everest: Provisional accreditation only, Private College, I don't know anything else about them.

ITT Tech: Provisional accreditation only, I believe they have stopped accepting students due to low NCLEX pass rates and are ending their program.

National University: Provisional accreditation only, Private College, I don't know anything else about them.

CSN: Public Community College. Probably the best, and only viable ADN program in Las Vegas. 2 year program after prerequisites. All the students I know that went there enjoyed the program and have since passed their NCLEX. Relatively inexpensive. Admission is done for fall and spring, and lately the lowest entering scores have been ridiculously high, above 27. They have both part time and full time programs, however after you complete the prerequisites(you will also need the optional ones done to have a chance of getting in), even the full time program is really part time. You can find more information on their web page: http://sites.csn.edu/health/nursing/nursing-rn.html

BSN:

UNLV: Public University. This is the college I was accepted into and currently attend. 48 students accepted each semester(fall spring and summer). The program is 18 months long, 4 semesters with classes every semester including the summer, after completion of prerequisites. Competition is very high, more than 2 students apply for every spot. The instructors are very knowledgeable but very strict and hold you to a very high standard. Lab facilities are shared with NSC and the Med school. I have about 4 weeks left in my first semester and so far so good, we have only lost 2 students out of 48. If you have any specific question feel free to ask. http://nursing.unlv.edu/

NSC: Public College. Part time and full time programs. Accelerated program for individuals with a bachelors degree. UNLV and NSC share the same lab facility. Of the classes I have taken at NSC(all non nursing) the staff was very knowledgeable and helpful, generally smaller class sizes than those found at UNLV or CSN. I believe the part time program is easier to get into than full time. However the full time slots were cut back a while ago. The students I know that go there enjoy it. The college is relatively new, less than 10 years I believe. Students are only accepted spring and fall, and only the accelerated program has classes over the summer. http://nsc.nevada.edu/83.asp

USN: Private university, 40 thousand dollars for 18 month program, after prerequisites. From the students I know that go there, there is a high drop out rate within the first semester. 90% or better is required on all tests. I hear the instructors are good. http://www.usn.edu/

Touro: Private university, they cancled their spring class due to low NCLEX pass rates. I don't know if they will be accepting students for spring. Approximatively 40 thousand dollars. Accelerated 18 month program after prerequisites. http://www.tun.touro.edu/

Not the best indicator but decent to see how good or bad a school is: NCLEX pass scores. They are contained in the PDF documents: http://www.nursingboard.state.nv.us/annual%20reports/

Well...I guess this is how it goes.

BSN options are two: UNLV or NSC....right now UNLV is looking at cutting the Nursing program (article from earlier in the month: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/03/even-unlvs-nursing-school-steels-cuts/ )

That article is well over a year old and no longer applicable. The UNLV nursing program has gone to differential tuition and is one of the only programs in the state, nursing or otherwise, not in any danger of being cut now. The latest news is that CSN and NSC are going to merge, however that has yet to be decided. http://www.lvrj.com/news/proposal-would-eliminate-nevada-state-college-other-schools-117773073.html

Thanks guys for your input. I have already started my application process with NSC and CSN. I know alot of people that go to USN, and they agree that the program is hard but doable. The one part they don't agree on is the teachers, they have told me that all the good teachers are leaving, and sometimes they test on stuff that was not presented in lecture or in the book (that is not the case with all the professors though).

Schools in the Las Vegas Area:

ADN:

Everest: Provisional accreditation only, Private College, I don't know anything else about them.

ITT Tech: Provisional accreditation only, I believe they have stopped accepting students due to low NCLEX pass rates and are ending their program.

National University: Provisional accreditation only, Private College, I don't know anything else about them.

CSN: Public Community College. Probably the best, and only viable ADN program in Las Vegas. 2 year program after prerequisites. All the students I know that went there enjoyed the program and have since passed their NCLEX. Relatively inexpensive. Admission is done for fall and spring, and lately the lowest entering scores have been ridiculously high, above 27. They have both part time and full time programs, however after you complete the prerequisites(you will also need the optional ones done to have a chance of getting in), even the full time program is really part time. You can find more information on their web page: http://sites.csn.edu/health/nursing/nursing-rn.html

BSN:

UNLV: Public University. This is the college I was accepted into and currently attend. 48 students accepted each semester(fall spring and summer). The program is 18 months long, 4 semesters with classes every semester including the summer, after completion of prerequisites. Competition is very high, more than 2 students apply for every spot. The instructors are very knowledgeable but very strict and hold you to a very high standard. Lab facilities are shared with NSC and the Med school. I have about 4 weeks left in my first semester and so far so good, we have only lost 2 students out of 48. If you have any specific question feel free to ask. http://nursing.unlv.edu/

NSC: Public College. Part time and full time programs. Accelerated program for individuals with a bachelors degree. UNLV and NSC share the same lab facility. Of the classes I have taken at NSC(all non nursing) the staff was very knowledgeable and helpful, generally smaller class sizes than those found at UNLV or CSN. I believe the part time program is easier to get into than full time. However the full time slots were cut back a while ago. The students I know that go there enjoy it. The college is relatively new, less than 10 years I believe. Students are only accepted spring and fall, and only the accelerated program has classes over the summer. http://nsc.nevada.edu/83.asp

USN: Private university, 40 thousand dollars for 18 month program, after prerequisites. From the students I know that go there, there is a high drop out rate within the first semester. 90% or better is required on all tests. I hear the instructors are good. http://www.usn.edu/

Touro: Private university, they cancled their spring class due to low NCLEX pass rates. I don't know if they will be accepting students for spring. Approximatively 40 thousand dollars. Accelerated 18 month program after prerequisites. http://www.tun.touro.edu/

Not the best indicator but decent to see how good or bad a school is: NCLEX pass scores. They are contained in the PDF documents: http://www.nursingboard.state.nv.us/annual%20reports/

EDIT: It is carrington college that has stopped accepting students, ITT tech appears to still be accepting.

That article is well over a year old and no longer applicable. The UNLV nursing program has gone to differential tuition and is one of the only programs in the state, nursing or otherwise, not in any danger of being cut now. The latest news is that CSN and NSC are going to merge, however that has yet to be decided. http://www.lvrj.com/news/proposal-would-eliminate-nevada-state-college-other-schools-117773073.html

ok, well I still paid less than you did for the same BSN..Differential tuition or not I see your 2700 tuition plus parking permit to my $1623.75 and no parking for the same 15 credits. see ya