nursing school

Hi College Senior,

That is a wonderful question but not easily answered. Here are some Q and A situations to consider: In state vs out of state, commuter student vs living on a campus, total cost, what field of nursing you think you want to end up in (this will probably change many times), how long do you want to invest in school, and do you need to find work immediately to help put yourself in a better financial situation or to get points on your nursing school application? Lastly, what are your grades like in high school? Are you a great student or an average student? Make an excel spreadsheet to compare colleges that you are considering and look them over with parents or advisors.

If you have no financial limitations, are a 4.0 out of 4.0 scale student, and want to graduate with a BSRN then aim high and go for Emory or Georgia Health Scineces University (GA Medical College). If that is not your situation then use what you have or will have when deciding where to apply.

Maybe you would enjoy transferring to another college after you do your core work. A lot of students save as much money as they can during the first two years of college and go to junior college. It's smart but you may want the "entire" college experience and attending a school like UGA or GA Tech with 30,000 +/- students is appealing to you.

Basically, find out who you are and find a school that fits you, or challenges and grows you as a person, or simply prepares you for a wonderful life in healthcare. Know what you can handle in the way of peer pressure, financial obligations, and academic vs work demands. College is demanding but rewarding as well.

One thouhgt for you, some schools are starting to require pre nursing students to obtain a CNA license prior to applying to a nursing program. A smart thing to do might be to take a 30-90 day class at a continuing education facility (costs can widely range from $500-$2200) during one of your summers. You can take continuing education classes in addition to regular college credit classes but many students would become overwhelmed to do so. Summer or December break is best for CEU's.

Only advice I would like to give is:

Go for the BSN - in the long run and with the way nursing is heading overall you are going to need it - in some facilites you do now even to be considered for hire. If you go for ADN then decide to go back later it will be more difficult most likely because you will have a job etc.

As far as applying..given the competitiveness of nursing schools...I'd apply to several if you can afford the application fees. Choose any school that is accredited obviously. I've not heard of any requiring a CNA license prior to admission to a program or to becoming a nurse. If that is the case, I personally would skip that school.

Good luck!