Need help deciding between 2 year BSN program and asn then RN-BSN route?

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2 year BSN program:

Pros:

-I have been accepted to the program

-I would start in the Fall 2021 semester and end in the Spring 2023 semester with a BSN degree.

-high NCLEX rate

-while the tuition is high my grandmother (who I am living with now) said that I can keep living with her after I graduate from the program so I do not have to worry about paying for housing/food

-diverse student population

-easier to commute to since my grandmother can drop me off on the way to work (eventually, I will likely be driving my self. I am in the process of working towards getting a license)

-my grandmother (who has been letting me live with her, doesn't ask me to pay rent/for food) seems to prefer this option

Cons:

- tuition will equate to $50,000 (potentially $30,000 if I get a scholarship they offer. I know grade wise I exceed the requirements for this scholarship, but top priority is given to residents of the state and I am out of state)- assuming I do not get the scholarship that will leave $35,000 left to pay in private loans (I have $14,900 left in federal loans). I am already $10,100 loans in debt from my first bachelor's

-after speaking with students further along in the program I was told that the school does not help with applying to jobs (at the same time I heard from a small amount of students that the school does help)

-while there is a high NCLEX rate a good portion of students drop out

-I've heard the professors are hit or miss and, as a student you have to do a lot/some self-teaching

-apparently no pinning ceremony ( IDK if that will be different in the Spring 2023 semester)

 

ASN program (w/ a dual enrollment BSN relationship with nearby institutions)

Pros:

-cheaper

-I have taken a lot of the courses needed for both the ASN and the prereqs for the dual enrollment BSN program, which would hopefully decrease the amount of tie I would be in the program

- dual enrollment (I meet most, if not all, of the prereqs to dually enroll in a nearby institution to work towards my BSN)

-has more clinical hours than the 2 year BSN program

- has a high NCLEX rate (and not as many students drop out so, the NCLEX rate has a larger sample size than the 2 year BSN option)

 

Cons:

-I have not applied yet so I do not know if I will get in

-I would not start until the Spring 2022 semester (if I get in. I spoke with an advisor and she seemed confident that I would get in, but that doesn't really mean anything)

-will be more difficult to commute to (it is 40 minutes away (less if I take the highway) from the house. I am learning how to drive ( I have 30 practice hours left until I can take the test) and my grandmother has offered to help me finance a car, but she isn't confident that I will be ready enough to drive to the school)

-I am sorry to bring diversity into this, but the school is less diverse ( I went to a majority white institution in college where my race was the minority (5%). The 2 year BSN option has a more diverse student population and that would be a nice/different experience to have

-since I will be starting later (if I get in) that means I will be responsible for caring for my grandfather longer. He has dementia and is in mid- mid/late stages ( can't really communicate, can't feed himself, kind of acts a little like a toddler ( for lack of a better word) at this point, has stopped bathing for the past few months and has defiantly resisted our help so, he smells not the best). If I do the BSN route, my grandmother said she would hire an aide to care for him while we are at school/work

-may take a little longer

 

So, yeah. I am leaning towards the 2 year BSN program, but the private loans and the uncertainty of the future are giving me pause. While my grandmother has said that I can continue living with her after I earn my BSN from the 2 year program I don't know where she will be 2 years from now. She is pre-diabetic and has back/knee/feet problems. Also, eventually my grandfather will likely need to be put in a care facility and that can be expensive. So I'm worried that may not be a feasible option in the future. If it matters, I am 23.

 

I know this is a lot, but I am really struggling with this decision. My advisor has given me extra time to sign my DOI for the 2 year BSN program (the deadline was 5/1), but I know there are people on the waitlist. I did ask if I can defer a semester (which would give me time to hear back from the cc option/figure out my finances), but I haven't got a straight answer on that.

 

Furthermore, since my grandmother seems to prefer the 2 year BSN program I feel a little obligated to just go through with it. She's been helpful with teaching me how to drive, has offered to help me finance a car, has been helping my mom financially since I was born, is letting me live with her even though I do not pay rent or for food ( I do help take care of my grandfather, but I don't feel like that's much).

 

 

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Specializes in Physiology, CM, consulting, nsg edu, LNC, COB.

Take the BSN program now, while you can, because you'll have more in the long run. The fact that your grandmother is willing to help (and do NOT underestimate the great value she places on your helping with her failing husband) is frosting on the cake. Doubtless you will be able to help her more later, too.

Lots of people will say do the ASN, go to work sooner to earn money, and you can take the extra coursework for the BSN later, and maybe you'll find an employer who will subsidize you. Sometimes, though, life has a way of getting in the way. I know a lot of folks who listened to that advice and somehow never quite got around to it, or got married and had kids, or did it and didn't realize how hard it was going to be while working a real job and dropped out. If you have the choice to do it now, grab it.

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Specializes in MICU.

 

If you have the means, go BSN! It seems you prefer the atmosphere and it would be a more streamlined process + the aide helping ease your load. However, as the previous poster said..I AM one of those ladies who hypes up ADN/ASN progams ?

I started my ADN program and found out I was pregnant..then that my baby would have a facial birth defect. We worked through it, and I graduated on time. The professors were hit or miss: either loved them or hated them. This is unspecific as every program has that ONE professor you want to shake mercilessly. It just so happened my ADN program had an excellent reputation within the community, so I landed myself a nurse extern job while in school. I completed my Pre-BSN classes (all courses that are prereqs to a BSN program) along with my ADN curriculum, then dual enrolled in a RN-BSN program that ran concurrently with my ADN program. I took my BSN classes during the Summer and did 1-2 during the semesters. The best thing? This was cheap. I was fully funded by grants. School would have been 1-2.5K a semester which is definitely not bad when you only have 4 semesters. I graduated this Spring 2021 with a New Grad RN job in the Medical ICU, and work parttime till I transfer over to that position on 7/26. I loved my ADN program. It awarded me financial ease, a challenging but excellent education, I graduate with my BSN this Fall 2021..it all fell together. Life does happen, however as long as you push forward you can do it. I ended up hospitalized with AFib a month ago in the middle of finals season. Somehow I went from having a few life threatening arrhythmias, to being able to get out and graduate on time. If you put your mind to it, you can definitely achieve it! So, I'll get off my soap box ? I would say think it over! 

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Specializes in NICU.

I would go the BSN route. Free housing and transportation is a big plus. You do not have to worry about balancing a job to pay bills and school. You are already accepted into the program, it starts sooner, and get your BSN quicker. ASN admission is not a guarantee. 

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Specializes in Psych/Med Surg/Ortho/Tele/Peds.

Take the BSN. You've already been accepted and it looks like you will go further faster. I know from experience.  I took the ASN route and I am doing well, but if I had the chance to complete a BSN from the start, I would have.

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Hey, thank you everyone. They ended up offering me a scholarship, which means, I shouldn’t have to worry about private loans. So, I accepted my seat last week! ?

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On 5/21/2021 at 7:31 AM, Stressed1998 said:

Hey, thank you everyone. They ended up offering me a scholarship, which means, I shouldn’t have to worry about private loans. So, I accepted my seat last week! ?

That is so awesome! Good luck on your nursing school journey! 

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