scrappymom

She doesn't officially "drop" any classes. She just stops going. By the time they figure out she's not coming back, she's already received all the grant $$. Again, this is according to her.

Thank you all for your advice!!! Here I was, ready to give up on financial aid (& consequently, my dreams), and you guys have given me hope again. I will definitely be filing an appeal; if that fails, contacting my congressman is the next step. Best wishes to all of you in pursuit of your dreams! :)

I was denied Financial Aid, but not for income reasons. Supposedly, I'm denied because I "failed to complete the minimum required hours" of classes last time I was in school. Several yrs. ago, I was attending part-time on a Pell grant while working full-time and caring for my 2 kids. Something traumatic happened to me, involving a stalker, police, and trial. I was forced to quit my classes, for my own safety and that of my family. At the time, I explained my reason for dropping out to the admissions office staff. I also paid for the unfinished classes. (The offender has served, to date, 9 yrs. in prison following conviction of that crime.) Now that I finally know what my true calling is (nursing), and my kids are grown & I am able to attend school full-time, I'm turned down for financial aid because of something terrible that happened to me years ago. The only thing I know to do is to appeal their decision..I wonder if it would help to 'prove my case' by showing them the police reports, etc.? Any advice is appreciated. Meanwhile, I know someone who is getting their 3rd school grant in 3 yrs., who never finishes any of the classes she starts! She is literally living off the grant $$, just enrolling and attending long enough to get the checks and cash them. She knows it's wrong, but doesn't care (obviously) and she makes no secret of it to her family and friends. Supposedly, hers are Pell grants. When I got a Pell grant 10 yrs. ago, I never received any actual money - it was paid directly to the school. How many other people get away with this crap? Okay - enough venting...but it's true. Just makes me so mad! :angryfire

Phew.. thanks! Just curious, though - why not schedule them back to back?

I'm just now enrolling, hoping to get into the nursing program for ADN. If I go f/t, which I plan to do, my schedule is going to be 18 - 19 hrs. per semester. On average, how long a day is that? My husband, who hasn't been to college in 40 yrs., says it's about 10 hrs. a day. Please tell me he's wrong...I have a disabled son I have to be home for after his daytime program.

A great big THANKS to everyone who responded to my questions! I was really getting down about this, wondering if I'd gotten my hopes up for nothing..You all make good points, and certain ones hit home with me: 'All of these time frames are subject to your own personal situation so they may be longer or shorter; they are just what I found from my research as I "started from scratch @ 48".' "Education at any age is a wonderful thing - too bad some of us don't realize that when we are young :-) " "There are different requirements depending on whether you pursue a degree from a community college or a traditional program." "Personally, I think there's no such thing as wasted education." "the best thing you can do is to contact your local college you plan on attending and speaking to a nursing adviser.." I had actually gotten to the point that I was AFRAID to see the nursing adviser @ school; that she would laugh me right out of her office. Is it hard to get financial aid for nursing school? I've done my FAFSA online, and more info was requested by the school, so I haven't given up on that quite yet.. I know I should explore avenues other than nursing, just to have a back-up in case I can't hack it or something...but nothing else sounds as good to me. What do you guys 'minor' in? If you have time, that is? (Do people our age who return to school even have a minor? LOL) Again, thanks for your kind advice, and I'll keep you posted if you'll do the same for me...it's nice to know I'm not the only "old lady" swingin' in the wind! :bowingpur

Hi All, After 18+ yrs. of caring for my multi-handicapped son & my husband (Cirrhosis, hemorrhagic strokes, RA, OSA), I finally decided to try nursing school. I just applied to college for financial aid, but haven't had the interview w/the nursing program for application yet..hopefully will do next week. I'm in western Arkansas, and thought there was a shortage of nurses so I wouldn't have a hard time finding a job after graduation..now, after reading some of the posts here, I'm not so sure. Esp. w/the recession as it is. I have tons of questions that I'm hoping some of the more learned folks here can answer for me, but for now I'll start w/just a couple. (Please bear w/me in my ignorance.) 1. Starting from scratch, and going to school full-time, how many years does it take to become a RN? 2. Has anyone had problems finding a nursing job in Arkansas? Thanks! I need all the advice I can get! Scrappymom :icon_roll

My heart goes out to everyone who's going through this right now - both patients and caregivers. Our family is also experiencing it at the moment. My question is how long can the 'final stage' (wasting) last? Does age make a difference? My MIL is 91, with acute asthma, pneumonia & congestive heart failure. She's currently past the acceptance stage and her kidneys are shutting down; she's extremely weak and can't swallow more than a few ice chips. thanks, Scrappymom