If you had the option...

[RHill9919]

I am in my last round of prereqs, finishing in December, but I will have to take the TEAS prior to January. I'm feeling a little rushed to prepare my applications, essays, finish prereqs, take TEAS...overwhelmed a bit.

I was planning to start an ABSN program in Summer 2014, either May or Aug depending on the school.

I've been offered to go on a trip to India, trekking in the Nepal Himalayas, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam from February to mid-May. An amazing opportunity, right? I've been to Nepal and India before, but would absolutely LOVE to go back and do different areas. What an experience and awesome thing to put on my resume and essay.

My problem is that if I go on this trip, I will be gone during the time interviews are requested and acceptance letters go out. Also, would not have enough time to complete background checks. Not to mention, when I returned from the trip, I would be in an extreme rush to move from where I live (Japan) to wherever the school is. Not exactly a easy flight with 2 dogs.

Do I go on the trip or not? I'm about to turn 28 years old, married to a Navy guy, no children. An alternative option would be to put school off for a few months and just go in Jan 2015 or as a last resort summer 2015, instead of this summer 2014. Even though I would be postponing school, it's not that much longer (less than a year) and it would give me plenty of time to prepare everything.

My thoughts are nursing school will always be there. It will be hard to get to do a trip like this if I have a full-time job, or especially children. At the same time ...I don't want to go to nursing school as a mother either. That's another subject. I know people do it all the time, and I'm not "planning" on kids until after I graduate, but you never know what can happen between now and then.

What would you do? I can't decide.

[BusyBee91]

I would do the trip, but I wonder if you can apply now and defer your acceptance for a semester (or year).

[RHill9919]

bumping this up for more opinions

[Wannabeeinscrubs, ADN, LPN, RN]

I would take the trip

[righteousjenn]

I've go to nursing school.

Once you've graduated, you can go on a million of those trips so it's not like it's a once in a lifetime thing.

I've been doing my prereqs WAYY too long and don't want to delay my acceptance any longer than i already have to.

[16mm]

The trip for sure! Once you finish nursing school that's crunch time to find a job, then once you have a job it would be next to impossible to do a trip like that. Starting a semester late in exchange for going on this awesome trip is more than a fair trade IMO.

[claritasd]

Trip. It sounds like an amazing opportunity and something you're really excited for (not that you're not excited about nursing school...). Once you finish school you COULD go on a trip like that, but there would be pressure to get a job as soon as possible and start paying off loans. Plus, if, like you mentioned, you have kids, that type of a trip would probably be off the table for a while. Not impossible, but it takes a special kind of person to do a huge trip like that with kids in tow.

My husband and I are finishing our Peace Corps service this December, and instead of rushing back for me to finish the prereqs in the spring semester and start school in the fall, we're planning to backpack around Brazil for 2-3 months. I'll take classes in the summer and fall, and start school hopefully in Jan 2015. So that's where this opinion is coming from.

[furelite]

Life is for the living and the young. Take the trip if it means no harm to your goals, future or current life. I don't see a downside, and I believe you really want to take the trip based on how you posed your question. It only puts school off by a few months, there is not harm to come from it. You may never have such an opportunity again. Life is unpredictable, you never know what is around the corner. The time to live is now.

[HammockBound]

I took the teas in the summer...my application is due by jan. 15 or so...and I was towards the end of ant 2. It was fine!

I would take it early so it is done. One less thing to worry about.

[runsalot]

Trip. Nursing school will wait. Will the trip?

[HammockBound]

forgot to add...yes...take your trip and enjoy! Then go to school. I would finish your Teas prior so you have no stress to think about!

[Kuriin, BSN, RN]

I would do the trip, but I wonder if you can apply now and defer your acceptance for a semester (or year).

They don't defer semesters because most nursing schools are based on cohorts.