blue2008

I really really want to thank you guys for helping me w/ clovis. I have not been in school for 11 years and took the accuplacer test before x'mas and i totally aced it due to all of you guys telling me to prepare and practice and practice. on all the grammar stuff I was told perfect is 120 same w/ elementary algebra and i got 119.1 on all. Then for college math we only needed 70 to get to college algebra. I hit 98 and can go to math 111, stats 213. because of all of your support and advice i still took the lower college algebra math 110. Lovin it totally and i'm just so elated i scored so high despite being so worried if i even remember all this stuff. It was a great x'mas present from all of you who helped me not to take it all lightly and it paid off. thank you so very very much and i wish you all the best in your endeavors. Anyone who needs to ask for help on math etc let me know.

hi and welcome back to CT. I am new in CT so I don't know much of the areas yet. As far as commute mine will be just over 15 minutes. Before I talk about Lincoln let me tell you that if you got alot of your general ed done like AP I and II etc and they are c+ or better and you have a grade point average of 2.5 or better, please look into St. Vincent's College. Once you are in the school you are already pretty much accepted into your major which is RN. There some things that could be a problem like I believe 25% of your credits can be transefered. But its good to know once you are in the college you are in the program. If you go the LPN route, March is the start date for Lincoln. Porter Chester starts I believe in April or May. Because you are coming it later, I suggest you make calls and find out about Porter Chester in Rocky Hill since they are starting late. If you do want to to go to Lincoln (I like my advisor by the way) He told me to go ahead and pass on his info to you. Refer to my friend named Rolando so he knows we talked about you. To get into Lincoln you take one pre test (easy stuff) that takes about 10 mins. after your interview. Then you schedule to take english and math tests. The math covers algebra, percents conversion, geometry will help you (its not alot of geometry but know basic stuff like right triangles etc.) English is just grammar and reading comprehension. Much like accuplacer although I will say most grammar tests are not clear, the one in Lincoln in straight forward. good luck and let me know how else I can help.

The cost for Porter Chester is starting next year is $36k, much more than that of Lincoln but i heard it is very selective and limited seats of probably 15-20 depending on which location. The rocky hill location will not start jan anymore, it will be april

as far as i know you have to apply for there financing programs if you don't have enough for your FAFSA (and you wont). The payment plans all depend some are based on credit some are not. The extra that FAFSA doesn't cover enters a payment plan: some earning interest some not earning interest but you must pay every month. It is strict and missing payments longer than 60 days is an automatic boot from the program. As for nights, they are longer 22 months vice day 15 months. However, it is slower pace and you study probably 2 chapters a day vice 4 to 5. It is expensive at $30k plus. It all depends on your situation. Please check on evening programs as far as externship/clinicals. You may be doing night classes but clinicals could be in the mornings, so verify with them. happy holidays!!

so no full time?

is it per diem in nursing homes/LTC? This is where I wanted to be.

Hi CTstudent, Thanks for helping me a while back. Do you mind sending a PM regarding Gateway and who your contact was? They sent me an e-mail and said I have to submit an unofficial transcript....lazy answer in my opinion. I also talked to Housatonic since they work with BHSN. I was set on BHSN or St. Vincent's but Housatonic's answer to Clovis and their policy to talk to you in general has turned me off. They WILL NOT accept Clovis math and science due to it being online. I understand science but math???? You can't even leave a message w/ the nursing director there. You have to show up at the college and hope to have an appt w/ her to get your questions answered. Silly... Also I not only passed but aced my college algebra clep exam. It was a year ago so i'm going to brush up before my accuplacer test. But when i submitted this to Housatonic, they said college algebra clep will give me only intermediate algebra with them. I was like "WHAT????" Heck i only got one wrong answer lol. So any help on who you talked to on Gateway will help. I will try to get them to put it in writing.

thanks for all the help everyone. I was just looking at regular gen eds really so I will probably do clovis once I get confirmation. It wont take me 4 years to do so like Thornbird said, you just have to plan. I am also aware of charter oak, CT league of nursing and BHSN all mention that their bridge program IS FROM charter oak. Thornbird, I respect your willingness to give us the bad side to being an lpn. However for some of us who have certain needs and want the experience and don't need to work in a hospital but rather work in LTC, it is ok to go thru LPN school for now. I don't plan on living in CT all my life, I'm not even from here and would rather be in a city witn more minorities and culture. But for now, I like some programs and CT is not bad (just remember i came from a sunny state lol). We LPNs just have to hope our experience wont be the way you describe, as its a deterenent to those who aspire to make these decisions in life. LPN schools if 15 months, i can get 3 or 4 gen eds out before i start lpn school. After that its just taking psych and a&P a semester and child psych and a&p II the next semester. That would be roughly a year. Add lpn w/ that and its not so bad considering you can get into the bridge program and sit in the 2nd year of RN and finish. You can also go to St. Vincent. Its not easy to get in but its not impossible. People starting out from scratch to finish an RN is fine but for those who need to work to support a family, I'll take the LPN course and get my experience first. Learning as an RN w/ no real experience doesnt make me better than an LPN w/ 3 or even 1 years experience. That is my take and so far I will go that route. Wish all of you well, with this economy things will always be tough but just go for the program tha enables you to do what you like. I come from a family of lawyers, I can be a damn good one as well but I choose this because I wont be happy in the legal system. Its hardly "just".

I know what you mean and that is admirable that you are helping your daughter and putting her first. My husband had a terrible ex wife who refuses to pay for any education for their children but she wants all the perks of getting all his high income. I wont get into all the bad things but let's just say he pays for everything and pays 35k for junior high school for both!!! We are liquidating all we have saved just to do this because the mother refuses to help or get them into a school that will help keep their college savings ugh. I am becoming an lpn instead of an rn partly due to this. The children deserve to be taken care of but their mother should help....she just uses them as meal tickets. so my point is, i admire you for being who you are to your daughter. People talk about dead beat dads but they forget there are moms out there who just don't care just the same. One day your daughter will know how loved and blessed she is because of you. I sadly have to let go of St. Vincent because it will take me longer to get my RN and work. If I get my lpn I can work, get some gen eds w/ lower tuition at a community college, then go back to St. Vincent or BHSN. My husband and I cried when I had to let go of going to St. Vincent....but God will provide and I hope to be successful as an LPN then get my RN later.

congrats 2bnurse!!! wow they sent your letter to someone else lol. I am very very happy for you. It will take me some time (my gpa in highschool is ok) so I think I should try to give them 4.0 gpa's in my LPN and regular college when I'm done w/ those. But I hope to be part of BHSN I would say 2011 :).

HI Future, Congrats on getting in to BHSN. I am new here and have talked to admissions on what is required. The website listed requirements it only had like english, chem. I know A&P I and II should be there but are those pre or co requisites? I will apply once I finish being an LPN. What path did you take to get in? Did you do all your gen eds and if so what were they? I know BHSN doesn't require math like other community colleges but until I get their info package, thought I'd ask here. I would PM you but I still don't have that feature. thanks

hi Pixie, Again you have been so helpful on this board. I think I read on another thread that you already in your RN program? If so congratulations. Just wanted to say that you are an inspiration to me as well. Due to a terrible assault after high school graduation, I couldn't go to college for over 14 years. Now that I can, and awake from my comma, I have to start all over again and felt I was too old or too late. But your story gives me inspiration. You just keep going and things in life come that i out of your control, yet you are here and nothing is stopping you from your goals. I hope to find the strength to do the same. God Bless

hiya :) I wud pm you but i don't think i have the feature yet til 15 posts. This will be number 12 lol.

Hi I am new to the board and will be starting my LPN at Lincoln Tech New Britain in March. I am still looking into Bridgeport Hospital and St. Vincent's for RN but right now Lincoln is where I am headed. Just wanted to know what people think of the LPN market out there. I am not turned off by working in LTC, but just wanted to hear from others about what they thought of the LPN market. Looking to hear from you :)

Thank you, you have been so very helpful. I did finally get to talk BHSN and it has been very very encouraging to know what it is we are applying for. I am being told something different at 3 rivers but for all you know it was miscommunication. BHSN did say there is a slight difference between them and the community college program. i thank you for all your help!

thank you for the information. I have left messages for nearly 2 weeks with them and no one has contacted me. I will get some clarification but if you don't mind I would like to ask you about the 2nd year part. To my understanding of other nursing programs in other schools, you take your teas then hope to get selected. Once selected, the nursing program must recommend you eligible for the bridge program. two parts to this I need to ask: 1) i like the idea that there may be more seats by the second year so we LPNs have a better chance but aren't we selected into the nursing program for its first year....then IF we are eligible for the bridge that is how we can go into the 2nd year. If this is the case, are we not trying to enter in the first year like everyone else? 2) in 3 rivers they said if you get selected into their program, you are then recommended for the bridge, then you can sit on the second semester....which is still in the 1st year and not the second year no? hope i asked clearly....been studying 24 hours now lol.

I was told by an excelsior advisor that if you graduated from their college, got your RN etc for let's say NY and then practice for many years as a nurse there is a problem moving to states like CA. CA will not transfer your licensure even if you have been a full blown RN for years just because you got your education from Excelsior....at least that is what one advisor in the college said. Will call another to confirm because I thought once an RN why would they care what college you got your degree from? They said it is due to not having enough clinicals.

Hi Regi, did you have to take an accuplacer test for math etc in Clovis or did they just let you choose what classes you could take? Thanks :)

I have read so many who really bash Lincoln Tech. I will be there march 09 and it was a long hard decision. If I knew of the state colleges I would have tried for them but i was too late to apply and well, some life issues have me changing gears so I can earn sooner than later. Also I know alot of people in nursing homes when I volunteer so it would be nice to work there and help them further. Anyone going to Lincoln new brit this march? How do you feel about it? Are there any graduates from there or those who are in there now? How do you feel? I know most say its not worth the tuition but that is not my issue. Just want to know what people experience there. Also for those who are lpns in private tech schools what is your route to RN? ultimately I want to get my MSN and be an NP. Any help would be appreciated as I have to pick up alot of gen eds and "start over" since I graduated over 10 years ago and was assaulted which stopped my scholastic career. All better now but have to start over since my transcripts are too old. I heard that you still have to take the teas test to earn a seat in a nursing program before you can even do a bridge....and that doesn't even cover the gen eds. Anyone have any thoughts on how this works? My research has hit a wall since most wont talk about it and the nice person at CLN still needs to get up to speed on it. Until then, just want to get info to plan my academic path. thanks in advance!

hi Regi, you have no idea what a gold mine it was to read all your info. I have so many gen eds to do because my high school classes are too old and i didn't have money nor time to go to a community college here since all my funding is in lincoln for march 09. I will call clovis today thanks so very much! Are you just getting your gen eds out of the way? are you working on an lpn or RN in clovis or here in CT because I think I read you got in to Kaynor (congrats if its true)! Hope you don't mind me asking for advice on what gen eds are good in clovis. I am thinking english, psy, college math, sociology, and maybe bio. May i pm you when the feature is available to me?

I think she said take the accuplacer. Sorry its late and I could be reading wrong but i think what was meant is that if you already took the course and they wont transfer, CT Community College will let you take an accuplacer test (its not clep) its a placement test. If you show that you pass their intermediate algebra which i think is MAT 136 and 137 then you don't have to take a math class to qualify for the nursing program. So if the credit wont transfer, just take the placement test and prove you know your algebra :).

I start March as well, congrats to you!! I will be in New Britain day program. Wish you all the best!!

from what i know, P&C is a private tech school so you will most likely do your gen eds all over unlike state tech schools. Silly in my opinion but that's how it goes. I will be in the same boat and will look into Indiana State like Thornbird suggested but do some research. I was going to do Excelsior but there are now 5 states that will never allow an RN who got their education from excelsior to be licensed in their state. Ones I could think of was CA and Georgia. This is due to lack of clinicals. Indiana might still be good because they have clinicals. Just remember even though you can do a bridge program this just means you can skip first semester of the nursing component if you get accepted to the community college nursing program. It doesn't mean you will not take A&P all over just cuz you did it in a private tech school.

This is a great post. I'm a new member and had to make a painful decision between lpn or rn. Then lpn state tech or private. In the end I could not wait for state tech, "found out about them late in the game" so I went for Lincoln because I liked their externship. Yes I read lots of bad reviews from people about Lincoln so i will post that in another thread but want to ask a question on bridgeport. I get no call backs from them and the CLN has a new person who is still trying to get familiar w/ bridge programs. If you go through bridgeport and housatonic to meet gen eds etc, do you still need to take the ati teas test to see if you are accepted in the nursing program? As an lpn it was discouraging to learn in other community colleges that you have to take the teas test like a regular student who just took his gen eds (even though you already have an lpn). I agree there should be a test but feel if we are lumped with students who just went to a community college to get prereqs, no experience etc, it sends a statement that we lpns are no better even though we went thru an extensive program not to mention gained experience. So do you know bridgeport, if they require the teas test, ranking, random and then wait list situation? Also for all those who take the lpn route and decide to pay tons of money, I applaud you (i had to make take this route myself). To me that shows dedication. I did shadow some upper level RN supervisors who told me that the pay for starting lpns (in LTC) is easy 50k in CT. And from what I know, lpns are needed still. I may not be a senior member like the other poster who says we can't get a job, but from what I am seeing on the field, yes we are needed and wanted. Be it an RN or LPN you are doing a service to human kind, so more power to you what ever path you choose first.