Private schools in the West Coast?

msitz13 · Oct 19, 2004

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. Im definitely going to visit the school this wk. Even though I've pretty much decided to go there, supposing they accept me. I don't know the rules of conduct or or chapel practices and I need to know exactly what is expected of me so I can plan and make sure I can meet their expectations. I am christian so I don't have a problem with bible studies or chapel/worship. Thank you!!!!:)

I attended Point Loma Nazarene University (class of 1997). I miss living on that gorgeous campus and enjoying San Diego. It was a great experience. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is willing to take out student loans or has the means to pay the high tuition. I am still paying on my student loans. I ended up getting about 25,000 in grants and scholarships and I took out about 25,000 in loans. My parents also paid about 16,000. It was not cheap, but it was worth it for me to have my BSN and finish in 4 years. The hospitals that you have your clinicals in are large teaching facilities with opportunities to experience a wide variety of patients and meet advanced practice nurses of all types. My instructors were very approachable and available. It was a challenging program but I can see the difference in my education when working with nurses with degrees from less challenging programs. (I work on a crazy med/surg floor in a large hospital in LA.)
You do have to remember that it is a private CHRISTIAN university and has a lot of rules and moral conduct agreements. All freshman and sophomores have to live on campus too unless they are living with family. Chapel was mandatory when I attended also. I haven't visited in a few years so I don't know what has changed. My advice is to visit any colleges you are interested in first and make sure it is worth the investment for you. Make sure you can live with the conduct rules and the general atmosphere of a Christian student body.
Look at the junior college programs too. There are good ones out there for people who need flexible classes etc. There are many ADN RNs out there with excellent knowledge and skills so I am not saying you have to have the BSN. I had a personal goal of obtaining a Bachelors degree or higher regardless of which career I chose. Good luck in choosing a college and a career! :)