mamayogibear

I did not know it was possible to get an 'over payment' of financial aid. The school I have gone to has an average cost of attendance and that is the maximum amount of financial aid. After tuition, books, supplies, transportation there is about $1200 left over per month. That is much less than the cost of living where I live (a studio is $800+ utilities). I had to use mine to pay daycare expenses and work to pay rent and bills. But If I actually had left over money I would buy a new computer, mine is from around 2005! If you are feeling altruistic you could offer it to another student with more expenses and less aid than you.

So it's a bit more complicated here. I went to the department of liscensing and explained what was going on but they could not get my cars out of my name unless I gave them the VIN and plate numbers which of course are on the paperwork that my ex has! So I had to file a request with the department of disclosure to get the VIN and plate numbers of all the vehicles in my name. However I was told that this can take four to six weeks! Hopefully it will be on the quicker end of things and I will only have to foot the bill for a month of daycare.

Yeah I had a momentary year long lapse of judgment where we got back together. All was well and he bought another car, he always uses some stupid line like he left his wallet at the place he bought the car or at a gas station so I have to 'just run in and register it' so we don't get pulled over for expired tags. I thought he got the original one out of my name when he sold it but I guess not. And now that school starts in a couple of days he's saying he won't watch the kids! Thanks for the advice everyone I was super stressed when I posted this at four am after not sleeping because of stress. I will file for child support but I don't know if it'll do any good because of the cars being an 'asset'. Hopefully if I go to the DOL they will help me figure out how to sign the cars over to him without any paperwork. That's my plan for the day. Thanks again everyone, I really love all the kindness here on all nurses:yeah:

So I have finally been accepted into a program that I can afford. But now I am faced with a issue about child care. While struggling to do my prereqs I worked part time and took out loans to pay daycare for my daughter. I do not qualify for state funding because my ex wont get his car out of my name and would not watch her so I had to get a loan to pay daycare. He had been saying all summer he would watch the kids (we now have two) while I am in school and working part time. Well yesterday he told me he is not going to watch his kids while I go to school because it will not be worth it money wise! He works from home as a computer programmer and web designer so his schedule is totally open! My classes start Monday and I have no clue what I am going to do. I have talked to the school financial aid office and tried to figure out additional funding for daycare but since I now have two kids there is no way to get a loan big enough to cover the cost. In one year our oldest will be in pre school then I could afford to send the baby to daycare with loan money. I have called DSHS and they will not help with daycare funding unless he gets his cars out of my name, he now has several of them. I can't believe I am on this public form at four in the morning asking for help on how to get daycare paid for for my kids. If I don't figure out something by Monday I am going to have to drop the program since if you don't show up the first day your spot goes to someone on the waitlist. The school only admits once a year so it's not like I can deffer until January. There are a few schools in my state that have classes that start Winter term but the only community college is a lottery where only 25 out of hundreds of applications get in! I think my only options is to move back to Cali and live with my parents and try to go to Cal State Fresno or Stanislaus State or one of the community colleges in between the two. Because then my folks would watch my kids for free. But I'm almost thirty years old and have not lived with my parents since I was a teenager so I would feel really silly reverting to that. :heartbeatall of you for reading my four am can't sleep because I'm panicking vent!

Yay on becoming a CNA to work while doing pre-reqs. I think it is a lot more difficult than just taking classes like some people get to do but at least you will be spending time caring for people:)

If the only reason you would consider changing programs is because of the commute I would stay in the program that you are in. Also you should think about who ever was on the alternate list that did not get in because you took that spot. It would be really unfair to them if you left after one term because it was inconvenient for you. I am moving to a new town to go to nursing school and other students who still live with their parents are commuting an hour each day. I chose to move because for the price of my 500 sqft studio where I live now I can rent a 2 bed house with a garage and a yard in the small town the school is in.

Hey Spore, thanks for asking:) I hope to someday be a midwife at a free standing birth center. Or a family nurse practitioner and work in conjunction with a chiro or naturopath. But I also want to work in an ER or ICU for a few years once becoming an RN to get the most exposure and experience that I can before settling down into a specialty. I have been accepted into a ADN program that starts in one week! I have completed pre-reqs for BSN programs with a 4.0 but due to financial reasons I am choosing the ADN program since the community is cheaper and safer than the city the other school is in. Oh and I am also a CNA.

I'm really tired right now but I thought you said you were going to stop saying the word 'gravy' they don't even look or sound the same but I was rotfl after reading that:)

Does being a bartender count as a real career? Before that I was a waitress and both jobs raked in the tips and most nights were lots of fun! But after becoming a mom I decided something was lacking from my profession. In my original college days as a teenager I took some non-credit classes in massage, acupuncture, Reiki, herbology, reflexology, aromatherapy and all those other complementary medicines that most nurses won't touch with a ten foot pole. I loved the material I learned and integrated these modalities into my everyday life and the lives of those around me. I had never thought of making a career of compassion and caring since the few people I knew who finished massage programs were out of money and still waiting tables. My sister suggested I look into becoming a nurse. So I figured I'd give the classes a try.At first I was a bit apprehensive about diving into a career of allopathic medicine. But after reading a bit about nursing and caring theory and holistic nursing it dawned on me that this is what I had been waiting for. Oh why didn't I give this major a try a decade ago?

I took classes on campus for a year doing prereqs for the community college then they switched to a random lottery instead of a point based/grade based system so I went for another year doing pre-reqs for the university here. Then I took time off to have a kid and work as a CNA. Then after getting accepted I realized I can't afford the BSN program since it is a private school and if I get the maximum of loans I will not have any money for my kids expenses! So now three years later I am finally starting a ADN program at a different community college. So um it took me two applications and three years to finally get to start a nursing program!

Sweetie I hate to break it to you but you will not be brining home $1800 a month even if you got the maximum student loans! Perhaps it's time to take a look at your budget and become more frugal. I am a single mom and have to work as a CNA while in school to pay rent and have to max out on student loans to pay for my kids daycare! I would suggest becoming a CNA and working while taking pre-reqs part time. Good luck

As a single mom to two kids who worked while completing pre-reqs and maintained a 4.0 gpa, I do not like your argument that grades are not an accurate predictor. True someone may earn all A's but not be compassionate and comprehend caring theory but I doubt someone would continue far if they do not truly care about being a nurse. There are also some students who despite a desire and want to become a nurse are not quite smart enough to make the cut, this may be a sad fact for those students but will likely be better for society as a whole. After all if someone crumbles under the stress and pressure of a simple test, how will that person hold up under the real pressure of saving someones life.

Hello, I was looking at the Arizona State BSN programs and noticed there is an accelerated program starting next fall that is held at the Mayo Clinic. Is anyone on here a student in this program? Has anyone applied and not gotten in? Is it at the Mayo in Scottsdale or Phoenix? The next incoming class for this program is in Fall 2012, is anyone applying? I contacted the school today to find out about pre-reqs and it seems to be English, Anatomy, Physiology, Micro, Chem and Statistics. I am considering applying since I have a 4.0 in all of those courses, except my intro to chem is over ten years old, however I have taken biochem just a couple of years ago. Does anyone know if this would be acceptable or if I would have to redo regular Chem? Any information is appreciated! Thanks

I completed all my prereqs almost two years ago! I had to take time off for my family but am finally starting nursing school this fall! I feel like I have forgotten a lot of the important things from A&P, micro and biochem but am not going to stress it. I have the information and when I encounter it again it will probably 'click'. I really wish I had saved all of my notes from school since I made a bunch of great study guides and note cards!

Oh yeah and... Also I hear good things about meal planning. Like cook a few days worth of meals over the weekend and freeze it so if you want to spend time studying instead of cooking just toss in the oven or crockpot to reheat. Or maybe if your lucky you can get your hubby to cook for you;) I have no hubby so I am going to get into the meal planning as much as I can. However I eat a lot of salads so I guess those will just go in the fridge instead. For things you 'need' I would say a recorder so you can listen to lectures while going for walks or playing at the playground or even washing dishes. I am pondering getting a livescribe pen but I am not sure if it is worth/if i can make the investment in to one. Oh and a giant waterbottle so you can keep hydrated during lecture. Best wishes to you and yours!