Need help deciding which nursing school to attend!

icesk8ermom · Apr 2, 2010

ok you have a tough decision...here are my thoughts:

first i don't know how hard it is to get into school where you are, here in ca it is very hard with long waits. if that is your case i would go with school #1 no questions asked.

school #1

$80 a unit is actually very cheap and to get a student loan and pay this back will be nothing! some states are hundreds of $$$ per unit for community colleges.

you have already been accepted..

downfall- it is far from your parents...

school #2

$80 a unit is actually very cheap and to get a student loan and pay this back will be nothing! some states are hundreds of $$$ per unit for community colleges.

it is close to home. not sure what your situation is...not sure is going back home is an option but something to keep in mind in case you need to finically you can still commute to school from here.

downfall- if you use the tuition reimbursement you will have to work full-time which will be very hard!!!

and you actually don't know if you can get in...

school #3

i don't think i would consider unless you go with #2 and something falls through

student loans are very easy to get and are paid back over a 7-10 year period with low interest rates which will keep you payments low if you won't be getting too much (which it sounds like you wont). i believe you will be able to get about $9,000 a year ($4,500 in spring and $4,500 in the fall). you just have to maintain 6 units (i think) per semester. and the money does not have to be used on just school...housing (rent) is part of school also if you get my hint.

i would not want to be in your shoes right now...best of luck with your decision. i am sorry i can not tell you what to do this is something you will need to weigh out all your pros and cons on yourself.

lease....do you have to resign or can you go month to month at the end of your lease?

foreverLaur · Apr 2, 2010

Month to month is 1.5 times my monthly rent which is $718 but they are jacking it up $895 so it would be $1342.50 a month to do month by month.

School #1 is about 45 mins from my parents and school #2 is about 1.5 hrs from my parents. I live right by school #2 now and love the area. School #3 is in between the two, but closer to my parents.

School #1 - start sooner, graduate sooner, small debt (on top of my $20k debt)

School #2 - start later, graduate later, stay in city i love, free school, keep good job

School #3 - bsn, more expensive

NurseKJ · Apr 7, 2010

Please do not take this as a snide remark, but why are you going to nursing school when your goal is to become a PA? I remember reading earlier posts that you said you already have a bachelors degree...

Personally, i would think long and hard before turning down a nursing school. On that note, though, why not keep school #2 in the back of your mind, and apply to PA school?

This is not intended to say "don't do nursing"-- it's just that your goal is to be a PA. (to note, if you need living expenses paid while in PA school b/c you can't work, have you thought about loans? schools well often let you borrow more than the cost of tuition to cover living expenses--- in the long wrong, a couple more thousand dollars will not be a big deal, when you figure you would make 1 1/2-2 times as much as a new grad PA vs. new grad RN--- depending on the area).

foreverLaur · Apr 7, 2010

I've thought about just going straight for PA school, but without much health care experience my application won't be strong and I have a ways to go to get my GPA up to where I want it to be. If PA school doesn't work out for a number of reasons, I'm left with nothing. If I get the nursing degree first, I'll be a much stronger applicant to PA school and I'll have a wonderful life-long carer I'll enjoy if it doesn't work out.

PA school is expensive at most places. I'm looking at leaving with $100,000 in debt when you factor in undergrad + all the courses to boost my GPA. Nursing school is free and there is at least a 50% chance nursing will end up being my life-long career.

NurseKJ · Apr 7, 2010

I see your point... it was just a thought- I really don't know much about PA school.

IMHO-- It wouldn't hurt to apply at the same time as your nursing schools though, you would only be out the application fee. And if you think about it, let's say they didn't like your application, but if they see that you worked to improve your stats and got an RN, ect., maybe it would impress them in the long run? maybe? idk?

Again, just my opinion- but I have come across quite a few of your posts on here and SDN, so just thought I'd mention what I've been wondering...

Best of luck.

foreverLaur · Apr 7, 2010

Well I'm not even eligible to apply yet. I haven't taken microbiology, biochem, a year of organic chem, etc. I've taken random bits and pieces of those classes here and there and most were at quarter schools which aren't enough credit hours for the PA schools (mostly on semesters). I also don't have a 3.0 GPA that is required for all the PA schools I'm interested in. I will once I finish nursing school though (I have a 4.0 for my past 40-50 hours... lost track and also in all my science coursework). I'm just trying to overcome my younger/clueless/immature years :)

PA schools are also very expensive to apply to. You have to pay the application fee, pay for CASPA to send your applications, pay the secondary application fee, and pay to take the GRE and have it sent to all the schools.