Pre-Nursing Seeks Advice From Current/Former Students

[brookiebird, EMT-B]

Hi!  I hope its okay to post here, I was hoping to get some insight from current/former nursing students, if anyone cares to read. ? I apologize in advance for the length. 

I'm a pre-nursing student attending community college in CA.  I'm currently on track to apply to programs for the Spring 2023 cycle.  

I'm looking to avoid relocating at all costs, and this currently leaves me with one option for a BSN program that I'm really excited about (CSULB).  I have a couple safety ADN programs in mind as well.  There's one other BSN program in my area (UCI) that requires quite a few extra prerequisites, almost all of which are 5-unit science courses with a lab.  UCI only offers Fall start dates, but I've figured out that if I take 2-3 extra classes between the upcoming Spring and fall semesters, I'll be eligible to apply to UCI for Fall 2023 (they allow up to 3 prereqs to be completed during the Summer prior to a fall start date).  

Basically, what I'm trying to decide is whether its worth the extra classes to expand my application pool by one school, and a competitive one at that.  UCI doesn't list any kind of application point system on their website, so its hard to tell how I would measure up against other applicants.  On the other hand, I'm pretty confident about getting in to at least one ADN program for Spring 2023.  My idea is that if I don't get into CSULB, I will go ahead and start a community college ADN program in the Spring but fill out my application for UCI Fall 2023, and switch schools if I get in.  UCI is a fairly prestigious school in my area, and I love the idea that I might end up with a chance at attending.  The extra classes should be doable with my schedule as well, but to be honest I'm dreading them.

One concern I have is that I don't expect any of the nursing classes I've already taken at that point to transfer, and I'm worried about the cost/wasted money/resources associated with switching schools after one semester in a program.  I'm sure that a lot of this is going to be unique to the program, but if anyone has any insight into what this would look like in terms of cost or anything else I haven't considered, I'd love to hear it. I'm also open to any other advice in this process, if anyone wants to tell me that all these extra prereqs for one school is a little ridiculous, for instance. ? Thanks in advance!