Meeting with the TCN Rep in the morning

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I know it's kind of late, but I am still up so I figured I'd ask. Any advice on what questions to ask him to get the most out of our meeting? We will be talking about the ISU LPN to BSN program! Thanks in advance all!

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First of all, I'd say DONT SIGN ANYTHING AT ALL tomorrow. Meet, listen, but please dont sign without takin time to think it thru. TCN is expensive lol. Make sure ya get a list of required classes, and go from there:)

Good luck

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Do not sign anything. See what he has to say, ask your questions, then come back and do a more thorough search on this forum for what others have to say about using TCN for the ISU and Excelsior programs. Remember during his entire sales pitch that you do not have to go through TCN to complete the program.

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PLEASE DON'T SIGN! I signed their contract 6,000. Do not use their books; they are just a publishing company!

They are not the school they dont make the decisions!

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Oh, and those TCN study guides that Lisa paid $6000 for can be had for $15 to $30 apiece on ebay. You can obtain used ISU modules from other students by looking in their online student community.

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I won't be signing this morning for sure. Thank you all for the solid advice. I am just ready for him to get here and get this over with! I have read through all the posts I can find on this website about ISU and TCN, but I am sure I will have questions once he is gone. More to come! :specs:

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Why would you even have questions?? TCN is an unnecessary "middleman" that charges a lot of $$$ for study materials of dubious quality and utiliity that you can buy elsewhere for less, if you really want them. The TCN "rep" is a salesman, nothing else, who will tell you anything you want to hear to get you to sign a v. expensive contract that you won't be able to get out of later if you decide you're unhappy with the program (or simply don't need it).

Best wishes!

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While I understand they are salesmen they do come with valuable information about the programs. He gave me a ton of information to go through and the first thing out of his mouth was "we are a publishing company not a school". He also talked to me about my goals and gave me information on excelsior (since I would be an RN sooner) as well as ISU. He wasn't pushy at all.

I like things very organized, for that reason TCN actually appeals to me (still thinking, don't panic). I am curious as to why you say the materials are "dubious" have you read them? What do you not like about them. I am trying to make the best decision for me. I have looked on Ebay and realize they can be had for much less, I would just like to hear from someone who has actually used them, whether you went through TCN or bought them used. Thanks all!

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Specializes in Psych, LTC, Acute Care.

I hope you didn't sign. You can get in the ISU program with out TCN. They are overpriced publishing company. I would not entertain them.

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I used TCN's Study Guides for Excelsior's ADN program. The content in them did not match up, at times, with the questions on the tests; however, the basics were there. The only one I had to supplement was the one for Microbiology - I used a friend's Micro textbook. I also printed out Excelsior's outline for the tests -they were very detailed. That said, I do think that going thru TCN was WAY too expensive, I just didn't know any better at the time. Good luck.

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I bought two or three used TCN study guides on ebay, paid $15 for two of them and $20 for one. I glanced through each of them and ending up not studying from any of the three after about half an hour on the first one. I was very glad that I had not wasted any more money that the $50 I paid for three of them. Overrated and not useful in my opinion. And after I took the first test, I too, found that the guide did not match the test. This told me not to waste my time on the others.

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Specializes in 5yrs LPN , 2 yrs CNA.

I did buy TCN books...that being said i'll tell you the pros and cons of TCN.pros- the books have worked for me so far. I have passed 3 classes. they send you the books and you can also read them online. they give you 2 practice exams with each class. excelsior make you pay 60 for each practice exam...so that's a good deal I think from TCN. Also, if you don't have good credit or credit cards they do have a credit union that will lend you all the money you need for the modules, exam fees, and the cpne......now that being said......CONS- THERE ARE MANY...i wish I had found this site before I signed that dumb piece of paper because I did not know I could do this without buying from them. I realized they weren't a college but I thought hey I have to buy books from somewhere to go there why not TCN...well I didn't know u could use books off ebay to do it...which I should have cause I love shopping ebay...anyways the modules are like 400 dollars a piece ...i ended up borrowing 7000 dollars from their credit union...that also included exam fees though. but what I didn't know is that to get that exam money you have to fax your scores from your tests to them to prove you took it and so they know you are ready for next one. I don't own a fax machine so that's kinda going out of my way to find a place to fax from after every test I take. they also want a receipt faxed to them to prove that you paid that amt to the testing site so make sure you print and save all receipts!!! I just wish I knew then what I knew now cause I could have done this program a lot cheaper....

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