Newbie please bare with me :)

What specifically are you looking for as far as information goes?

I went to RN school at a California community college where there was no tuition at the time. That same nursing shortage they say we have these days is the same one they told us we had 30 years ago. I don't think it's ever going to go away! After I became an RN I was able to get tuition reimbursement assistance from my employer to help pay for some of my BSN classes. It took me another 11 years after my graduation from the community college to finish my BSN. It was the best thing I ever did for myself.

As an old student (sometimes my parents worried that I was going to be a professional student), there are a few things I would advise you to do. First of all, get a copy of the college catalog for the college you want to go to (Quincy, you said?) That catalog has all the information you would ever want to know about the college. The first part of it will have information on how to apply, what you need to get admitted as a student, cost of tuition, how to get financial aid, academic policies, the courses that the college requires you take in order to get a degree from them, and a whole lot of red tape stuff. The remainder of the catalog is usually organized into the various departments of the college that offer degrees in all the different subject areas. Nursing will be in there somewhere. At the nursing section will be the more specific information on how to get into the nursing program and what the pre-requisites and criteria are that the school of nursing looks at in each candidate who applies to the school of nursing. (The school of nursing is just a division of the college.) There will also be a list of the nursing classes and a description of each class. To graduate you will have to satisfy not only the requirements of the nursing program, but also the general education requirements of the college itself. Those will be classes like English Composition, Psychology, Math, etc. Each college is a little different in what they require of their students in order to graduate. This is why the college catalog is so important to have. It will tell you in black and white what classes you are going to have to take to get your degree.

You can get a contact number for the department of nursing at the college from the catalog or by calling the college's main switchboard. From the department of nursing you can usually get an admission packet. This is a packet of information that pertains to applying to the nursing program. You must first be what is called a matriculated student of the college (that means that you applied, were accepted and can take classes there), and then you must also file an application for the nursing program. The packet of information will have all the information you need to know to apply to the nursing program.

After you've gone through all these materials it would be a good idea to get an appointment with a couselor for the nursing program. You usually do not have to be a registered student of the college to get one of these appointments. Just be aware that there are certain times during the academic year when the counselors are extremely busy because of students trying to get registered into classes. Mid-semester is usually a good time to get in to see these counselors.

So, that is where you start in your search of information. When you are ready, you fill out an application and apply to the college. You will need to have copies of your high school transcripts sent to them. Then, you just wait to hear that you have been accepted so you can register for your first classes.

Here is a link to the home page of your college: http://www.quincycollege.edu/index.htm and this is the link into their section on Allied Health and Nursing Programs http://www.quincycollege.edu/qc/programs/allied.htm

Good luck! Have fun reading!