I'm trying to figure out if I'm in a good position to take on an ABSN at a private college - Or what other alternatives might be better for me to pursue.
About myself:
Going back to school as a 30 year old, This would be my 2nd degree, First one was in Hotel Management however seems with the way things are hospitality will be down for awhile. Nursing has been a desire of mine for years, after recently being furloughed now is the time if any for me to pursue it!
I found a program that would allow me to finish relatively quickly in 12 months with the total amount equaling 63K (books included). I don't have any existing debt and have about 45k in savings. However the thought of spending 63k on a BSN is still a little scary. I've been living on my own since my first degree 10 years ago, though would bite the bullet and move back in with family to save while completing the ABSN.
I've done research into other programs in the area, however this one requires the least amount of pre-reqs (only 4) and can allow me to really get right in from the get-go and finish in the most timely manner.
What are your thoughts? Go for it or continue to explore other nursing options? Any feedback would be most appreciated.
Good luck on getting into that CC with all their crazy point schemes based on: 1) must have high GPA, 2) high TEAS/HESI, 3) prior degree, 4) all classes taken at the school, 5) total point ranked admit list, etc. and one per year starts with a whopping 20-40 students per class. It's a roll of the dice if you even get in each year. What if it takes you 5 years to get in, how much money/promotion/salary increase lost is that?
This is very location dependent. True, CCs are very competitive, but different states have different rules. In some places you go on a waitlist that might last years before you get in. Other places start fresh each year. For admission in my state, you need a high nursing (not general) GPA, good TEAS scores, and good grade in A&P1. But you don't need a prior degree, and your courses can be taken wherever you want. If you do poorly in a class, you can retake it and the higher grade counts. 75% of the cohort is from rank, and 25% from lottery of all other qualified applicants. There are multiple CCs with nursing programs, and while a couple of them are smaller (30-50 person cohorts), others are much larger (~150 person cohorts). It's not a big state, either. Many people with strong academic backgrounds get in first try no problem.
That said, after getting into that excellent CC program, I turned down my seat and went with a public university ABSN. The private programs were too expensive for me to justify, but my husband and I considered the value of getting to work earlier with an ABSN, and decided the public university tuition was worth it. Of course, predicted earnings are just that - predictions. I ended up getting pregnant my final semester, and started work right around the time I would have started anyway if I'd done the CC program. Oh well, it was a good plan.
I'm trying to figure out if I'm in a good position to take on an ABSN at a private college - Or what other alternatives might be better for me to pursue.
About myself:
Going back to school as a 30 year old, This would be my 2nd degree, First one was in Hotel Management however seems with the way things are hospitality will be down for awhile. Nursing has been a desire of mine for years, after recently being furloughed now is the time if any for me to pursue it!
I found a program that would allow me to finish relatively quickly in 12 months with the total amount equaling 63K (books included). I don't have any existing debt and have about 45k in savings. However the thought of spending 63k on a BSN is still a little scary. I've been living on my own since my first degree 10 years ago, though would bite the bullet and move back in with family to save while completing the ABSN.
I've done research into other programs in the area, however this one requires the least amount of pre-reqs (only 4) and can allow me to really get right in from the get-go and finish in the most timely manner.
What are your thoughts? Go for it or continue to explore other nursing options? Any feedback would be most appreciated.
I was in a similar situation. There are so many factors, it's definitely a hard decision to make.
Going back to school sucks especially because you have work and life experience. But school is easier with maturity in some ways too.
Make sure you want to do this. I would suggest volunteering in a hospital if possible.
An ABSN is a good option even if it's more expensive. If a 2 yr program is 30k you still lose on ~60k opportunity cost if you had been working as a nurse for a years.
Even if you have the saved money you may want to take federal loans that start after graduation. The reason is to keep cash on hand and you may be eligible for scholarships and grants. The Nurse Corps scholarship is a good one and some state gov's have bachelor loan repayments like California: https://oshpd.ca.gov/loans-scholarships-grants/loan-repayment/bsnlrp/
For me it was a matter of working in a job that makes a difference and something I could enjoy for the next 30+ years of my life. It cost a lot but it was worth it. Good luck!
If you don’t mind asking why did you study hotel mgmt if there is no financial stability? I have a ba In hr mgmt and that was a terrible mistake. There fore we ba holders either have to start from scratch from the ADN/tbsn or take 15 units or more per semester and spend lots of money in the absn program.
Well there was stability, I’ve worked since graduation for 7 years. However with the recent economic crisis with the virus, hotel / hospitaltiy management in particular has been severely impacted. Now I’m exploring healthcare which can withstand pretty much any kind of crisis.
I went the ABSN route and I'm older than you. I'll make the difference up in salary. Also - it seemed almost impossible to get through the community college pre-reqs. I seriously had a pre-req to Anatomy. I already have a BS degree, I've taken organic Chemistry and you want me to take a pre-req to anatomy? Nope. It would have cost me so much more to "save" money.
Do NOT use your savings to pay for your tuition though. Use it to live on for that year and whatever you have left once your student loans come due - put it on them then.
Basically plan to have at least 1 test each week if not 2 or 3. I was in a 16 month program and barely worked and they told us not to work if we wanted to do well. It was hell sometimes. I also had a 3 hour total commute per day so that didn't help either but it was rough regardless.
WOW! CONGRATS on getting through the program! Thank you much for the advice on everything - Yeah the community college pre-reqs I looked at seemed kind of nuts and would put me in school for years.
As far as the loans go, could be a good ideal actually. The plan was to move back in with the parents to save on my savings and use it towards school, but with loans I could get my own apartment for a year (and have savings left over) which honeslty would be a much more ideal situation for myself.
The question I would want to know of the 63k colledge, what is their sucess rate for nursing students passing their NCLEX first time around.
I have heard on here mainly how private colleges do not well set their students up for passing their NCLEX
This is program specific. A well established private institution and produce great NCLEX pass rates. It's best that the OP do her research. Not all schools are treated and looked upon equally.
This is program specific. A well established private institution and produce great NCLEX pass rates. It's best that the OP do her research. Not all schools are treated and looked upon equally.
Agreed. My university’s rate is 100%. A few others I considered are well below that, but so is their tuition...
Colleges know exactly how to game the pass rate thing regardless of the quality of their program. Simple: Exit exams that one must pass with a certain proficiency in order to receive ATT. If you're going to care about pass rates you should also care about attrition rates and also the number of people who finished all course sequences (and/or graduated) but have not received ATT.
As far as the loans go, could be a good ideal actually. The plan was to move back in with the parents to save on my savings and use it towards school, but with loans I could get my own apartment for a year (and have savings left over) which honeslty would be a much more ideal situation for myself.
Would you go that route as well?
I would do whatever grants you peace and study time. My daughter was in college as well but she lived on campus - studying when she was home was significantly more difficult. My fella understood not to talk to me when I was studying (he would appear, make eye contact and walk away - the signal he wanted me when I could take a break), but she would just randomly walk in, sit down and want to have all sorts of conversations at all hours of the day and night and my brain doesn't work like that. If you can stay with your parents and lock yourself up - save as much $$ as you can. I bought a cheap house prior to school, thankfully my car made it through school and I just traded her in, and now we are saving for a house. Its really about your priorities. I have plenty of credit card bills at the moment, but I also have money in savings to pay them off as soon as I start my job. I want to make sure covid doesn't resurge and my job isn't furloughed or my offer is rescinded or something equally possible. Don't spend $$ where you don't absolutely have to.
I'm having a similar conversation with my kid. She is hoping for a job offer at a place 70 miles from our home (roughly 1 hour and 20 minute drive). It is a "plant" environment so probably 4 - ten hour days per week - I told her to do the math, and if she can stomach living at home for just 18 months, she will have saved enough money for a down payment on her own home close to that job. Once she realized that having her own home by the age of 25 was possible - her whole attitude changed. It is all about what is most important to you.
That's a really high price for a nursing program. I wouldn't pay that unless I were rich or had no other alternatives. Now is a great time to research different programs. Many states have community colleges with stellar reputations and low price tags. Yes, the good programs tend to be competitive, but please at least look into them.
Alternately, have you looked to see what your state universities might offer? My state has two ABSN programs at public universities.
It might also be possible for you to gain admission to a state school as an undergraduate transfer student in the traditional nursing program. It would probably be about 2 years (plus prerequisites) to go that route, but you'd come out of it with a much cheaper BSN. Lots of people overlook this option because they're looking for a self-contained program, like an ABSN, but a little more digging on your part might find a reputable affordable option.
Before you plunk down that kind of cash on an ABSN, look to see what other options are out there.
Hi, can you tell me which state school you are talking about? I am interested. thanks!
turtlesRcool
718 Posts
This is very location dependent. True, CCs are very competitive, but different states have different rules. In some places you go on a waitlist that might last years before you get in. Other places start fresh each year. For admission in my state, you need a high nursing (not general) GPA, good TEAS scores, and good grade in A&P1. But you don't need a prior degree, and your courses can be taken wherever you want. If you do poorly in a class, you can retake it and the higher grade counts. 75% of the cohort is from rank, and 25% from lottery of all other qualified applicants. There are multiple CCs with nursing programs, and while a couple of them are smaller (30-50 person cohorts), others are much larger (~150 person cohorts). It's not a big state, either. Many people with strong academic backgrounds get in first try no problem.
That said, after getting into that excellent CC program, I turned down my seat and went with a public university ABSN. The private programs were too expensive for me to justify, but my husband and I considered the value of getting to work earlier with an ABSN, and decided the public university tuition was worth it. Of course, predicted earnings are just that - predictions. I ended up getting pregnant my final semester, and started work right around the time I would have started anyway if I'd done the CC program. Oh well, it was a good plan.