Please help: Trying to get into nursing without federal student aid

[aniandr]

Hi Everyone,

I just joined the site so that I could try and get some feedback on an issue that has been racking my brain for a couple of weeks now.

At 17, I made the mistake of going to a university out of my state and ill-prepared and I wound up dropping out (or kicked out, rather) because I could not afford the remainder of my tuition AFTER HAVING FEDERAL LOANS TAKEN OUT. Because I was a teenager and really didn't know what all of this meant, the federal loans went into default. Since I had three federal loans, I am only able to pay one at a time and requested forbearance on the other two. I go back and forth paying on different loans. It's really depressing.

Now, at 24, I am just now realizing that my interest in the medical field combined with my core beliefs may actually mean that I'm more suited to be a nurse than many other professions. My problem with returning to school is that I am now married with a small son and I support both of them on a $30K a year income. It makes things very difficult for me and I've been really down about the entire situation. I even had some very extreme thoughts because I just feel like I can't really take it.

What I would like to know is, what would the posters here suggest I do to try and break into the field without the use of federal financial aid? I have been reading up on routes to being a CNA and LPN, but is investing time and energy into CNA training likely to open the gateway to reimbursement for higher education? Is there any logical way I could go about this without having to touch federal aid, since I am banned from this until all loans are out of default? I am in New York, by the way. I've been looking up scholarships, but many of those seem to be towards BSN degrees and there's no way I could afford that right now. Personal loans are also out of the question because my credit is horrible now because of the defaulted loans. It's a negative cycle that I am trying to get out of.

Also, just as a side question, how valuable is it for a nurse to be multilingual? I'm relatively fluent in Mandarin, brushing up on Spanish, and conversational in a few other languages. I was thinking about pursuing certification in medical interpreting. Is this something that would seem useful to couple with nursing?

I would really appreciate if I could just speak to someone with experience for some encouragement and guidance. I just feel really discouraged about everything and it would brighten everything up if it seemed like there might be a way out of this towards progress.

[Jules A, MSN]

Hi and welcome,

I put myself through a community college without any loans but I worked the entire time. It was relatively cheap, imo, about $3,000 for my LPN and another $3,000 for my RN. I got my LPN first which allowed me a decent paying job with flexible hours, benefits and some tuition reimbursement toward my RN. It can be done although it won't be as easy as those who have Mommy and Daddy to pay their expenses so they can "focus on school" but the end result is the same and I am very proud of the sacrifices I pushed through to become a nurse. Good luck.

[aniandr]

Thanks for your response. What state are you in? All of the community colleges that I can find here in NY seem to be charging $6,000 to $10,000 around here for the LPN. I found some programs sponsored by the city itself that cost about $2,500, but it seems completely filled and they don't seem to be allowing for applications yet for the next cycle (or maybe I haven't been looking in the right places or calling the right numbers).

I've been trying to think of how I can save up, but unless I go on a long fast I'm not sure how I'll be able to do it at the moment. Maybe I can save over years and then be able to do it.

Thanks.

[aniandr]

Hey! I've miraculously been able to solve this. Federal aid is no longer a biggie. I called them up to straighten things out. Seems my payments have been making things easier for me. I'll be eligible in a month. Even if something were to happen, I can consolidate with the WIlliam D Ford program to make me qualified (but interest rates would be through the window).

Thanks for your help! (Mods can close this now, unless someone else can be helped with this information)