Need help making college decision!!! Please help!!!

[roddyt]

Hi, I am a Nursing student currently enrolled in a 4 year bachelor's program at Alfred State College in New York. I have completed my first year of pre-requisites and have just finished my first semester of nursing courses and clinical. I am located in western New York while my family lives in New York City. I have recently had some change of heart on my location of college and want to transfer back home. Partly because my grandfather has recently gotten sick and I want to be at home with my family during this time as well as get my degree. The problem is, most 4 year bachelor's programs in the city require you to have a 3.0 cumulative average to even apply to them and I currently have a 2.8. Also, I also want to get my degree faster so I've been thinking about switching to an Associate's in Nursing because Community Colleges only require a 2.0-2.5 GPA to be accepted and also to get done faster but my concern is that I would have to start the full two years over and have been in college for almost 4 years anyway, which would defeat the purpose of changing to an associate's degree. So my question is, would I be able to continue on in an associates program and finish in a year? Also, if anyone is from the Queens/Brooklyn area and could tell me a good school to get an associates in nursing at and where I would be able to continue on without restarting, I would appreciate it.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

First, both of the application GPAs (BSN 3.0, ASN 2.0-2.5) are the minimunce GPA required to apply. The actual acceptance GPAs are going to be much higher (3.25-3.75). Second, unless it is an extension of your current school, most likely your nursing core classes will not transfer. This will mean starting over with your nursing classes at the new school, if you are actually admitted. You are better off finishing at your current school.

[emily34812]

I agree with the other poster in this thread. Nursing programs especially in NYC are increasingly competitive. The minimum is the applications they just won't throw out when they get them. I would greatly encourage you to stay in your program if at all possible.

[AliNajaCat]

Also, you'll be discarding your present stuff and starting over. It is vanishingly rare for nursing classes to be accepted in transfer.

Don't think I'm being mean here, because this is kindly meant: In your nursing career you will have many, many times when you will not be able to do things with family because of work obligations. You sound young and it might be your first time away from home. Stick it out, though-- you're in a good program, you get a lot of vacation time in college (oh, yes, you do.... a lot more than you'll get when you're employed) so use those times to check in with your family, use Skype and FaceBook (but NOT so much that you eat into your study time), and the semesters will fly by. This too shall pass.

Good luck.