RoseYonnex

Hi Roxie, I am taking pre-reqs at Colorado Mountain College, which is part of what you call the Glenwood Springs Community College. I live in Breckenridge. The good news is CMC is a government subsidized school and it is cheap if you are a in-district resident. It is $41 a credit hour! I haven't found anything that cheap anywhere. You have to have lived in the district for a year to get that rate. I have heard good things about the school. The only thing is, it's not a school where you put your name on the waiting list. They accept you based on grades, and from what I hear it is competitive. Rosie

If you go to a community college in Colorado (I assume you are from colorado) the tuition rates are low. Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood is $40 a credit hour. Front Range is $60. If you get into one of these schools, I would just self-pay. Ending up with all those student loans at the end is nasty!! I would highly recommend to anyone not to go into debt for a career that really doesn't pay that much at the lower levels. (But that is just one person's opinion) I have been there, done that with student loans. There is also a program for rural nurses in Colorado. (I don't think it's specific to colorado). But if you have taken out student loans, at the end of your schooling you can made a 2-3 year committment to work at a rural hospital in exchange for repayment of your loans. Here is a link to that program: http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/loanrepay.htm Good luck with your school!! Rosie

Melanie, Thanks for info. I hope the school in colorado is like that. That would be great to have that choice! Happy Holidays! Rosie

I live in Breckenridge. I am considering Front Range, Arapahoe Community College, or Glenwood Springs. (It's actually a shorter drive to denver than to Glenwood) I am wondering with these two-year ASN programs if I can work while in school? Are you actually in class/clinicals five days a week? I have a flexible work schedule and can work around a 2-3 day a week schedule that changes all the time, but I cannot stop working altogether and need some days during the week off to work. I am just trying to figure out how to accomplish nursing school and life without opting for an on-line school. So any info would be great. Rosie

Cupid, I live in Breckenridge, CO. I am taking pre-reqs to get into nursing school. The main hospital in Summit and Eagle Counties is in Vail. It is called Vail Valley Medical Center. There are satalite "stations" around the counties. I would just go to their site to see if you can get any info on salaries. My husband lived in Vail for 10 years and taught skiing at for Vail Resorts. (That is the company that owns Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Arapahoe Basin ski areas.) Vail has the most acerage-wise for skiing of all the resorts. My husband hates the skiing in Breckenridge compared to Vail!! Vail, out of all the places in Summit and Eagle Counties, is the most expensive place to live. Most people in Vail proper are second homeowners and not "locals". The locals tend to live on the outskirts of Vail in Avon, Edwards, Gypsum, Eagle because it is too expensive. Housing in Vail ranges on the low end a house for $350,000 and up. One-bedroom condos start at $120,000 approx. Townhomes for $250,000 approx. Something to keep in mind is, in general, the closer you live to the ski lifts, the more expensive. The mountain biking (we are big mountain bikers) is great in Vail. There are trails all over. Also, not too far away is also Moab, UT (3.5 hrs away) and Fruita, CO (2.5 hrs away near Grand Junction). Moab is a mountian biker's paradise. They have "slick rock" to ride on. Hard rock formations that your tires grip very well on. It is definitely advanced riding and too much for me!! But, my husband can't get enough of it. Fruita, CO is more intermediate and beginner riding, and it is my favorite place! The summers here are the best, 80 degrees every day. They are short, but beautiful. Any other question, feel free to email me! Rosie

Shenandoah, I am taking pre-reqs to get into school now. I read your post on Front Range, and have a couple of questions. From the time you put yourself on the wait list, how long did it take you to get in? Do you think you can actually work full time and still be in school? My understanding is it was "really" full time. I would love to go to Front Range, but I need to work. Do you have any idea of the program schedule, like, for instance, you are in class and average of 3 days a week or 2 days a week? Thanks, Rosie

Hi Mazie! I live in Breckenridge, CO. I am currently taking pre-requisites to get into nursing school. Right now I am a court reporter and own a business. But I can tell you that the cost of living that you quoted is about right. It is very expensive to live here because it is basically ski towns in Summit and Eagle Counties. (if it wasn't for the ski industry, there would be no towns!) There are a lot of second homeowners around. You can, however, sometimes save some money by living off of the beaten path if you are willing to drive. Where are you planning to move to exactly? Just to give you an overview of the area: Summit County includes the cities of Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon, Keystone. And Eagle County includes the towns of Vail, Beaver Creek, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum. Those are the major cities in the counties. The "Vail" area is approximately 45 minutes over Vail Pass from Frisco on I-70. The main hospital in this area is the Vail Valley Medical Center and is located in Vail. However, they are planning to build a hospital in Frisco in the near future. I'm hoping that by the time I get out of school that may be finished. There is a small medical center in Frisco, and there is one in Breckenridge. But most of those patients are eventually taken to the main hospital in Vail. Everybody who has a baby in Summit County does it at the Vail hospital. I don't really think that the hospital pays more for the cost of living (at least that I've heard). Most "locals" as we call them, just live in smaller homes compared to the rest of the country. People just adapt. The quality of life is much better if you like the out doors. The great majority of the people move here because they love to ski, they love snow, and the summers are awesome!! People here buy a modest place, then they gradually move up house-wise once they have built up equity in the home. But, there is no place to buy for $65,000!!! (I wish!) I would say the average home price is $300,000 for a small home. Then maybe $200,000 for a townhome. The Vail area is generally more expensive than Summit County. One thing to note for the state of Colorado in general is that there is no difference in salary between an RN that has a bachelors and an associates-degree RN. (So if you get your bachelors, you may as well get your master's to get a pay increase.) I don't know if it is different in Texas, but that is one thing to consider if you have to start over and start at the bottom again. Anyway...I hope I've been helpful! If you have any more questions, please email me! Rosie