LisaWantsBSN

Adviser Jim Ryan can help.

Hi Jenners I am sorry I am not sure about Sallie Mae giving you more money or not but I would get a current credit check. The academic adviser I spoke to at Chamberlain said that one girl thought she had great credit and then was blindsided by some mess up on her credit. It wasn't her fault but she had to get it straightened out. I never heard about them being full or not. I got accepted about 3 weeks ago, I think. Your GPA is fine unless everyone has super high ones. I know they look at that as well as the HESI score. I only scored a bit higher than you on this last one. The first one I got in the 90s. That was a year ago and before I took the science courses. So go figure that one out. lol. I think you have a good shot. I only got on the alternate list at my community college. They are harder to get into because of the cost. I got a call from my adviser to tell me I was accepted and then he set me up with an appt with him to sign some papers and give him a check for a drug test, then appt with financial aid adviser, then went right to the drug test down the street. Then they are to contact me I think in January to set up my schedule. I have some of the pre reqs done so they will have to change it around but they do like to stick to the schedule they have online on their site. Good Luck and hope to see you. Let me know what happens. Lisa

Look at my post all about how the scholarships, loans, and grants work. It is an earlier post but pretty long to write again. Ask if you have any questions after you see it. Good luck!! It sounds like you don't need much. I don't think anyone can bomb the HESI test either.

Hi Lucky. You have a good GPA and that should get you in. No adviser will tell you for sure. The adviser you talked to doesn't even make the decision. He just knows what you need for a good chance. I do have a question. Does your university offer a nursing program? Are you at a state school or private? Chamberlain is very expensive. I turned them down the first time to go to a community college to get some of the science pre reqs out of the way and was accepted again a year later with a lower score on the entrance exam. I think you have a really great chance if Chamberlain is the way you want to go.

Good you don't have a degree because you will most likely be eligible for Federal grants and scholarships. All that money you don't ever have to pay back. You will for sure get loans and most likely you will get subsidized loans. That means you don't start accruing interest until 6 months after you graduate. I wasn't able to get any of those, only unsubsidized loans. That means I start accruing interest the moment I start. I was accepted 2 times. I turned it down the first time and this time I am to start in Feb. 2011. They go off your wages from the previous year. They looked at my wages (none) and my husband's and decided what we got. I believe if you aren't working and weren't working last year and are a single parent you will get the most of everything from FAFSA. You can do the computer worksheet and make an appt with Chamberlain 5 days later and find out exactly what you can and can't get. I think you will be able to finance your entire education. Yes, private loans are a little harder to get but can be done because Wells Fargo and Sallie Mae do collegiate loans. I can't say for sure because I don't know you or your income of last year but I can bet you won't have to deal with the private loans. I would say fill out the info online and talk to a counselor there. Have you taken the HESI test? I can't remember if I read that.

Working the FAFSA is easy to do on the computer these days. You need your last tax forms. Chamberlain will find out how much you get in about 5 days. If you already have a degree you are not eligible for federal grants or scholarships. Also the amount of loans you can get depends on how much money you made last year or your parents if you are under a certain age. Not sure the age. I was only able to get some in loans and the rest need to be private loans. Wells Fargo and Sallie Mae have some and the interest is based on your credit score. The federal gov't loans are at 6.8% right now. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Only accredited because they changed to a pre-bachelor program. you aren't done when you finish the ADN, you need to complete the BSN to have it accredited. The phone number is on the website to get further information. The LPN program is accredited.

Just to add, COD's RN program hasn't been accredited for the last 5 years so they are working on getting it but now they call it a pre-bachelor program and after you complete the 2 years, you get your BSN there but your degree would be from Northern or Benedictine. As for your chances of getting in when in the alternate stage, I have a friend that got in the RN program when she was on the alternate list. People change their minds, get into better schools, and like the last poster stated, they drop out so you have an okay chance of getting in. They count all the pre reqs the same. They look at the PAX the most. I did hear someone say they would be changing what they will take for a score to a higher number. I don't know what the number is going to be. So you could have a 4.0 gpa and a not so hot score on the pax test and not get in. Chamberlain costs 67,000 bucks without any pre reqs. I got into that school. I am able to get some loans but only unsubsidized. The rest I have to get a private loan for. I have a BA so no grants or federal scholarships for me. But they go based on need for the unsubsidized loans and grants. But you get a BSN at the end and that school has been around forever. It has a good reputation.

No problem. All A's in all pre reqs but can't remember PAX score but guess it wasn't that good. I did get a 92.7% on the HESI A2 at Chamberlain. There was physics on the PAX and I never took it. I do know that the LPN is different. I would give you the name of someone to talk to at COD except everyone gave me a different answer to everything I ever asked.

I got on the ADN alternate list. They were looking at your PAX score to decide if they would pick you out. I also had to take the CNA class and they allowed me to take the first nursing class and THEN decide. I decided no once I found out they are not accredited in the RN program. They are in the LPN. They might have you take a class and THEN decide if you are in or out. I would also find out what kind of score they are looking for in the PAX. See if you might be able to take it again if you aren't happy with it. I just got into Chamberlain in Addison and start my BSN program in February. It is more expensive but they are accredited with the NLNAC and the CCNE. It's a 3 year program but I got a lot of the pre reqs done at COD so it won't take me that long. Good luck. Lisa

Hi nursetobeswife Chamberlain in Addison has a BSN program. It does include the prereqs. If he already has an assoc. in science he probably has some of the classes covered already. It is a 3 year program if you have nothing done yet. It would take less time and he will have a bachelor's at the end. I have a BA and took some of the pre reqs at my community college so I have some of it done. Your best bet is to give a call over there and have your husband sit down with an adviser to go over what he has already taken to see what he would have left. I just found out I got in and start in February. If you call over there, ask for Josh Ryan. He was a good adviser and helped me out. He will have to take the HESI A2, which is really easy. Needs a 2.75 gpa at least. Let me know if you have any other questions. Lisa

Thanks for answering, hiddencatRN It is an accelerated BSN program. You don't need any prereqs. They offer all of them. No summers off. I won't have to be there the full 3 years but there were a lot of my arts classes they wouldn't take. They have a program there where they read the catalog explanation of the class and if it is 80% of theirs, it counts. If not, it doesn't. I am taking 100 level classes again. It is very subjective. I only have one community college in my district and got on their alternate list with a 3.5 gpa. I took both A&P classes, the psych class they needed. Mine didn't count even though I have a minor in it. I took nutrition. My 3 English classes counted. I took chemistry but since I didn't have the microbiology, I have to take Chem/Micro together. I got an A in each class but Chemistry was difficult for me. I am worried about taking it again. I have talked to people who believe since I have one semester that shares the chem/micro as one semester class, it won't be as hard as the chemistry I took in one semester. They won't take my algebra class. It was the one that counted at a state school in the same state I am going to nursing school. I had the catalog description and they wouldn't take it. I have to take their algebra class and 2 other ones before that. I also have a stats class to take. I had the director of mathematics from my college send them the syllabus, which was almost exactly the same. They said it wasn't. I had the director of math at my college write the nursing school a letter. That didn't help either. I do still have economics to take, the 4 math classes, Ethics, and the chem/micro class. I did well in college when I got my BA but math took a lot for me to get. I studied just that class about 15 hours per week and I got a B. The 4 math classes at my nursing school requires a B to pass any of them. That is why my question was whether or not I should get a tutor day one. I am afraid of having to take any of them again. I was also worried about chem/micro because Chem was tough but I got an A. Micro was too much. I was just wondering if most have to take chem and micro all in one class in one semester? Does it require twice the work or is it geared a bit more to nursing? Thank you for your help. Lisa

Hi, I was hoping some nursing students could give me a little information. Thank you again for any help. I appreciate it so much. I have waited so long to get to this point and now I am just plain nervous. Lisa

Hi. I just got accepted in nursing school to get my BSN. It is an accelerated program do be completed in 3 years. I have taken some of the courses already at my community college but I do have more of the general education courses left to take. I have a BA already but they didn't accept my math class. I have to take a placement test or take 4 math classes, including statistics. I also dropped my micro class because I really couldn't keep up. This is a private school and very expensive and I am worried about these classes. Would it be a good idea to get a tutor right off the bat? I know it would be a lot cheaper than retaking the classes. All the math classes require a B to pass. Another strange thing is that micro class includes chemistry. Has anyone heard of that and how would you be able to do micro/chem in one semester? Thanks for any help. I am excited but very nervous after reading many posts here.

I never took SATs or ACTs, just went to junior college and transferred and got a BA. They said it was not needed so I am guessing no.