ellarose

You ARE being judgemental. And, as someone else posted, don't judge someone unless you've walked a mile in their shoes. I like to think that this forum is a place where we can get advice and support from others who are possibly in the same situation. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I hate to see people being judged and not supported. After seeing your age, I can understand a little better where your comments are coming from. I am pretty sure you will change your opinions about many things over the course of your life. Honestly, I look back to when I was 22 and I am not even close to the same person. I chose to bring two beautiful babies into my family PRIOR to returning to school, so that I could have them in my life and create the family that I have been wanting for many years. Remember, do not judge others. Yes, my entire family will be sacrificing a lot over 2.5 years so that we can make our lives better in the long run. My kids will be 4 and 6 when I get out of school, and hopefully will hardly remember the time I didn't spend with them. One thing I see with parents who attend rigorous and demanding graduate programs is that they seem to have a more well rounded quality of life. Basically, we are forced to step away from the books once in a while to spend quality time with our family. We have a greater focus in our lives than just ourselves. From your statement, you said that "your children will have a much easier life" if, as parents, we do not return to school. As I mentioned earlier, do not judge others. Do you really think my "children will have a much easier life" if I decided NOT to adopt them from their orphanages half way around the world because one day I wanted to go back to school and become a CRNA? Do you think they are better off being ignored, strapped to bamboo potty chairs, not being educated, and having no way to make a living for themselves other than probably prostitution and poverty once they leave the orphanage at age 16 or 18? Or, do you think they are better off here in a loving family, with a supportive and loving extended family nearby, living in a beautiful home with a pool in their back yard, private school, many activities at their fingertips, and the opportunity for their mother to show them how it is possible to be a strong & educated woman who can have a good career and make a great living for herself. I want to be a role model for my children. I think it is important for children to see that it takes hard work, dedication and sacrifice sometimes, in order to reach their goals. And, there is an end in site. After 2.5 years, it will be over, and our lives will hopefully be richer in every way because of it.

Hi, Everything I have been reading on the loan thread has made it seem like it is sooo easy to get student loans for CRNA school. Sallie Mae Tuition Answer loan and Wells Fargo Connection Loan seemed like the best, so I applied. I have been getting nothing but a HUGE runaround from both. Everytime I call they tell me I need something else and then say to call back in 48 hours. And they never call or email me to let me know that they need something new. The only people I can actually get to talk to me are reading directly off of a computer screen and tell me that I am unable to talk to the "processing department". "Call back in 48 hours when they have reviewed the new information and have made a decision". I have A++ credit and have already paid back $100,000 in student loans in less than 3 years. One of the problems is my "debt to income ratio", because we have numerous mortgages on rental properties. We get income on all of these properties to more than pay the mortgages and costs, but on our income taxes we show a loss, so they claim that we have no income to cover the mortgages. But, we are not allowed to talk to anyone at either Sallie Mae or Wells Fargo to go through each debt on our credit and explain. Every time I call, someone puts a note in the computer and tells me to call back in 48 hours. No one will let us talk to anyone who knows anything. The cycle is endless!:angryfire Sorry for ranting and raving, but I am so frustrated. I NEVER in a million years thought that I would have trouble getting loans for grad school. It is really starting to worry me. Has anyone had any problems like this and if so, how did you go about resolving it? I was wondering if maybe I could go into an actual Wells Fargo office and sit down with someone to go over our finances. They are complicated and the loan offices are just doing simple computations. Thanks for listening.

Some hospitals don't allow Crocs because of the holes in the tops of the shoes. Safety hazard I guess.

Ok, so maybe 10 times more intense, or even 2 or 3 times harder. It was just an exaggeration to make a point. I still don't see any undergraduate nursing program being close to the difficulty and amount of time that you will need to dedicate to a CRNA program. I completed 53 credits in 12 months, including 2 graduate nursing classes, and all clinicals. I commuted at least 1.5 to 2.5 hours a day and still graduated with a 3.5. I did not, however, have children at this time. That is a whole different issue. During this time my husband was going through a very intense 3 year graduate program and I didn't put in half of the time he put into his program. CRNA grad school and BSN undergrad school are just going to be on a completely different level. From what I have heard, I don't think we can compare our undergraduate nursing programs to our CRNA programs. I have never heard of anyone being at an advantage applying to CRNA school because they graduated from an accelerated BSN program. But, then again I am not in everyone's interviews or on an admission committee. I just haven't heard this before. Of course, this is all just my opinion. Good luck in school and in applying to CRNA school!

I graduated from an accelerated BSN program and don't expect CRNA school to be ANYTHING like it. BSN was a breeze. I expect CRNA school to be 100 times harder, from what I have heard anyway.

Panel interviews are meant to try and intimidate you in the interview. That is not necessarily how they will treat you in school. Just remember, it is how you handle yourself in a difficult interview that is the test, not just if you get the answers correct.

Applied to 2, waitlisted at one and accepted to one. ALL my sciences were over 10 years old, many 15 years old. I only had to take a recent Chem class for both and it didn't have to be organic. I just retook Gen Chem I and got a B in it. My BSN gpa was 3.54, my first bachelor's degree was a 3.63, and my science GPA was 2.98. They look at the overall person.

I would contact the CRNA director at the hospital and let them know your situation. They should be able to set something up. I have never gotten a job in a hospital by applying at human resources. I find out who the manager is and email and call them directly. Never had a problem.

Hey thanks! Yes, I had it and got in. They let me know less than a week after the interview! I'll be starting Barry in Jan 2007. The interview process was very low key. Overview of program, 25 question critical care written test, and a pretty short personal interview. They really seem to care about your overall experience and who you are. Not just purely about CCRN, science gpa, etc.

Just write the truth and how you really feel. If you are motivated and excited about going to school and becoming a CRNA, express that in your letter. Don't try to BS anybody, they will probably see right through it.

Yeah, for anyone who doesn't have kids or who doesn't have to use daycare, it is HUGE STICKER SHOCK!! As far as holding off on school, NO WAY!! I am in and going. I won't leave it up to chance that I will get in two or three years from now. It's hard enough as it is and I got in on my first try :balloons: . Like everything else in life, we will just suck it up and do what is needed to achieve our goals. Honestly, I think $200,000 in school loans is completely do-able and hope to have it paid off in 3 years. We already paid off $100,000 in school loans in 5 years and never made more than $100,000 a year combined. Day care sucks but it is unfortunately, for us, a necessary evil. Thanks.

Carolinapooh, I agree with you completely, but unfortunately there is a "stigma" surrounding nurses who want to go to NA school. It is not the same for nurses who want to go for their NP or CNS. Don't know why it is, it is just my experience and have heard the same from others.

We have already increased our deductibles on all of our insurances. Any advice on specific insurance companies? Just curious, what do you pay for day care and where do you live? I have yet to find a full time day care for toddlers less than $650 per month each.

No, I haven't taken it, and don't plan to. I am just finishing up a 5 credit online chem class this semester, and don't plan to crack a book until January!! From what I hear, everyone says to take it easy, relax just before school starts (they even said that in the interview), and that everything we will need to know in school they will teach us. Plus, don't want to spend the $1000 plus for the class.

A lot of nurses will get offended when you tell them you are becoming a nurse soley for the purpose of becoming a CRNA. For some reason, many seem to take it as an insult that you are using their profession as a stepping stone to something better and that nursing just isn't good enough for you. Be careful in your nursing career, because it does seem that there is a stigma surrounding people who have the goal of becoming a CRNA, especially if that is the only reason why you became a nurse. As far as interviewing for CRNA school, I would think it would be impressive that you knew what your ultimate goal was and were willing to go through what you needed to do to get there. Good luck and I wish you the best.

This is for a family of four. $1300 - $1900 per month just for day care. Remember, this is for a 2 and 3 year old and for all of you who have kids in day care, you know it is not cheap. We don't have the option of our family or friends watching our children full-time for free. Private health insurance costs anywhere from $750 per month to over $1000 per month. Individual health plans are more expensive with younger children and get cheaper once they are school age. These policies also don't cover pre-existing conditions. So if you have asthma, htn, etc., none of those expenses of Rx's, dr.'s visits, etc. will be covered. So, just day care and health insurance is $2000-$3000 a month. That leaves us with $1500-$2500 per month to live off of. If there is anyone who seriously thinks that this kind of money would allow a family of four to live like kings, I would like to know where you live and how you do it. Our Estimated Budget Housing PITI = $1000 per month (Hillsborough county Florida taxes are 2.4% of your purchase price, so a $250,000 house has taxes of $500 a month!) Gas & Elec. = $200 water and sewer = $100 HOA = $50 Car ins. = $200 fuel = $350 Car Maint = $100 Food & toiletries = $600 (No, I don't think this is excessive for a family of four.) Health ins = $750 (My husband is self-employed, so for those who have no idea what it costs to get individual insurance, $750 is actually cheap) Life Ins = $100 Cell phones = $100 (no house phone) Internet/Cable = $100 (internet of course required for school) Professional licensure and fees = $200 (required) Daycare = $1500 _____________ Grand total of $5350 per month (I guess I actually UNDERESTIMATED our expenses). This doesn't even include any gifts, clothing, entertainment, or emergency/unforseen costs. So, if anyone has any advice on how a family of four living in Florida can DECREASE this proposed budget, please let me know.

Two. 1 waitlisted, 1 accepted.

I'm still in search of a good, reasonable plan. Where I am, Kaiser is over $1000 per month for a family of 4!! So, anything less than that is reasonable. Florida doesn't have Kaiser, so I'm not sure who we will be using.

Barry University January 2007!! :balloons:

Hi, I will be starting school in January and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on affordable health insurance for a family of 4? I carry my health insurance right now through my job, and obviously that will be gone once school starts. Thanks

Hi, I am in the process of interviewing to hopefully start school either this fall or January. My husband and I are going through our budget and finances, trying to figure out how much everything will cost. From our calculations, we will have minimum expenses of $4,500 per month, NOT including my school tuition, books, and fees. We have been downsizing, liquidating and paying everything off. (No car loans, no credit card debt, and almost no mortgage, etc.). One of our biggest expenses is day care. If my husband works full time, it might not be worth it. We are thinking of him staying home with our kids, who are 2 and 3. I will take out enough school loans to live off of and pay for school. However, that puts loans at about $150,000 for the entire program. Has anyone else done this? Has anyone else taken out $50,000 per year just to live off of?

Great, thanks for the info!

Hi All, I have been researching these boards for a couple of years now and have done all the searches on interviews. I just found out today that I HAVE AN INTERVIEW with Barry !!! :smiley_aa However, I have not found anything specific on these boards regarding Barry University's interview process. I was wondering if anyone could give me a heads up on what to expect during the interview. Do they focus mostly on CCRN/critical care type questions? Personal questions? Or, both? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just interviewed at TWU and most of the interview was CCRN/clinical stuff. Just hoping for a heads up on what to expect at Barry. Thanks in advance. Feel free to PM me. Ella Rose