Nursing Tuition off the Chain!! Need Help!!

rayshanna · May 30, 2009

I think instead of focusing on the school name you should focus on their NCLEX pass rate. I'm sure that there is a school in your area that has an affordable nursing program with an excellent pass rate. Please consider the current economy. I know it will get better, but do you really want to hang yourself out there to dry? Say you do get a cosigner and somehow find a lender to loan you 100% of your tuition, with the current credit crunch you;ll be in debt the next 15-20 years of your life and for what? I do understand where you are coming from though, so please do not choose lightly.

CuriousMe · May 30, 2009

I have heard of some grad schools giving preferance to applicants who completed their undergrad with them. And of course, graduating from an accredited program is a must. But I have yet to hear someone say they were accepted into a program primarily b/c they went to a prestigous/expensive school. Work experience, undergrad GPA, GRE scores, written essays, and interviewing skills seem to be the areas prospective students are told to focus on from those in the know. Just from what i have seen anyways.
I would be interested in hearing from someone who was certain that the school they graduated from snagged them a spot in a highly competitve grad program. Maybe these people just don't feel the need to mention it since its a moot point for someone who is seeking advice that already has their BSN?

No, I don't think that an undergrad degree from a prestigious school will overcome bad grades or test scores, an unimpressive essay and a lousy interview....but if there are multiple candidates who's grades and test scores are as good as yours, who have an equally good essay and interview....then I absolutely believe that where the undergrad degree is from could make a difference.

Obviously, this isn't the kind of thing the school will list as a requirement on their website....but how could it not matter at all? That's like saying that an undergrad degree from an Ivy League school won't be helpful when applying to med school....of course it will. It won't replace grades, scores, etc....but when everyone applying has great grades, scores, etc... then small distinctions can make the difference.

elkpark · May 30, 2009

I agree that a prestigious undergrad school name may give one a slight edge in getting accepted to grad school, all other things being equal (as CuriousMe noted, it won't compensate for bad grades, weak recommendations or interview, etc.), but I think it's hard to make the case that the slight edge given is, by itself, worth the big difference in cost. In my own case, I got accepted to both the prestigious, v. competitive graduate programs to which I applied with a BSN from a perfectly ordinary, undistinguished state university. Obviously, my inexpensive undergrad program didn't handicap me in the admissions process.

I would never encourage anyone to attend an expensive program at a "name" school primarily because of the name of the school. That's not to say, however, that there aren't plenty of other good reasons to attend an expensive school -- there are lots of factors to consider, and the "best" program for a particular person is a v. personal choice.

allnurses Guide · May 31, 2009

Go to a cheaper school if you can't afford it. Who needs the added stress of financial worries to add to the stress of nursing school? Not to mention graduating with significant debt. I hire people, and I don't care where they went to school. I care how well they did (wherever it was), how well they interview, and what their referees have to say about them.

I really think the only consideration should be to go to the best school that you can afford.

tfleuter, BSN, RN · May 31, 2009

Obviously, this isn't the kind of thing the school will list as a requirement on their website....but how could it not matter at all?

I don't think that it won't matter at all, but I am questioning whether it is worth the additional $50K - $100K in tution fees for the advantage you may have in the event that applicant #31 and applicant #32 have everything in common except for where they went to school. I guess that answer may be different for everyone, but for me it is a definate "no."

JomoNurse · Jun 1, 2009

Whyyyyyyyyy are you doing this to yourself? You'll be over 100,000 in debt, and you'll only have your RN. It's just not justifiable sweetie. You'll never be able to pay that back. Take a few years and do the JC route. I did the JC route for my RN and it only cost me about $3,000 total, for the 2 years. Then, if you'd like, you can go get your BSN at a cheap state university for about $10,000 total. Grad nursing schools don't care WHERE your diploma comes from as long as it is accredited. They care about your grades.

An RN salary is not worth $100,000 of school loan debt. Not even close. That's something an MD would do, not an RN. I hope you really think this through before you proceed. Think with your mind, and NOT your emotions.

JomoNurse · Jun 1, 2009

I had to post another post.

DON'T DO THIS!!!!!!

It's absolutely insane that you would even consider $100k for an RN. That just.......................boggles my mind.

allnurses Guide · Jun 1, 2009

Whyyyyyyyyy are you doing this to yourself? You'll be over 100,000 in debt, and you'll only have your RN.

"Only" have your RN? Interesting view.

CuriousMe · Jun 1, 2009

When it comes right down to it, it depends on what you're looking for. If you are looking for the least expensive way to obtain your RN, then obviously this isn't the plan.

However, the money spent wouldn't "just be for your RN" (lovely phrase there by another poster huh?) it would be for a bachelors of science from Drexel. There's often a reason that great programs are considered great programs. You'll likely be taught by leaders in the nursing field, have access to Drexel's nursing resources (labs, simulations, etc) not to mention being able to take advantage of the rest of what Drexel offers....maybe use the elelctives required for your degree to get a minor in another discipline.

Of course it's expensive, so this is an important decision. But to say that there's no bennefit to a degree from a great institution is just short sited. I'm assuming that you did look into the program and know it's positives. I would definately make sure you knew as much about their program as possible before making a decision. If you haven't done so already, have them give you a tour of campus, speak to students and find out what they like and don't like about their program.

I'm assuming they've already given you a financial aid package? I would also talk to their financial aid office again and let them know that tutition might make it tough for your to accept admission and ask if there's any other aid available, just to double check that there's no other aid available. You may also want to talk to someone at the school of nursing, sometimes they'll have scholarships administerred by the school of nursing that aren't given out by the financial aid office.

Best of luck and congratulations in getting accepted.

nlion87 · Jun 1, 2009

Does PA have a loan forgiveness program?

JoI8815 · Jun 1, 2009

Does PA have a loan forgiveness program?

I'm not absolutely sure, but I believe that they most likely do. The thing that kills me is I know there's a lot of things out there...this is America!!! Which means that I have sooo many options and opportunities...its getting your hands on these opportunities is what's challenging! For instance - there was this program in Chicago where a school was offering free tuition if you agree to work with their hospital for two years! I mean, if given the opportunity to do something like this, I would drop everything and do it because I'm young and its just me...This information was ONLY accessible to a certain group of people and by the time I found out, the program was filled :cry:

But Thanks to everyone for your opinions and advice...I really appreciate it. But to the people who say it's "ONLY AN RN" I really wasn't looking at it in this way. I have a genuine passion for nursing and I want to be the best nurse there is and Drexel offers a superb program. Yes I've researched the school and found out that Drexel's graduates leaves with a lot more knowledge than the graduates from a certificate program or another school...no offense to anyone else and I'm pretty sure that overtime, while you attain your experience, you'll eventually learn more things. I mean its expensive, but its a really good program....But I've thought about it and decided to look into other schools because it is a little too much and just thinking about it is stressing me out. I do want to go for my MSN so I need the cheapest route for my BSN and therefore Drexel is just not for me...The good news is that there are other cheaper schools that's still accepting applicants so I'm currently working on that. Well, they're not cheap per se but they're a lot cheaper than Drexel :hngon:If I don't get in...well, there's always next year and I'm def not the type of person to NOT go back to school...I'm gonna get this regardless of what it takes or how long it takes...Thanks again to everyone:loveya:

ccjus123 · Jun 1, 2009

"Only" have your RN? Interesting view.

Only have your RN IS RIGHT!!! I don't think the poster meant than an RN degree is insignificant but 100,000K debt for an RN degree is just ridiculous! We're talking about logic here people. The only jobs that I can think of where students come right out of school making atleast 100,000K to compensate for the amount of school debt they'll have is an MD or an attorney ( I work for them right now and they get well over 100,000k to start plus other added perks ($$).

Other jobs in finance might also start off substantially well but not quite at the 100K mark...