Mamba49

If you're a junior, I would say get your bachelor's but definitely take the 5-7 prerequisites required for whichever schools you're applying to (apply to more than one and make sure you take everything you need). You might push back graduating with your first bachelor's by a semester, but all your prerequs will be covered. Then you apply to ABSN programs, and you might have to take a loan out for that, but most are 12-15 months.

That's been my gripe from the get-go.

I get that, but when did a B+ in Organic Chemistry become "not good enough" for nursing school, yet an A in General Freshman Chemistry is the goal? Mediocrity at it's finest...

I agree there are some difficult professors at community colleges across the country, but I will stand by my own experience. The class I took at community college and received an A in, was a class at the university known for it's difficulty. Most people tried to take it at a community college over the summer in order to avoid taking it at the university. Also, my other point being that class level and difficulty should come into play. Anyone who's taken an OChem class knows it is much more difficult than a General Chem class. But according to Nursing Schools, Chemistry is the prerequisite. Shouldn't the person who took OChem and received the B+ be recognized over the student who took the General Chemistry and received the A? Maybe I see things differently? But if someone is my doctor or nurse, I want the person who challenged themselves, took the Organic Chemistry along with any other possible higher level prerequisite at the prestigious university. There's a reason Johns Hopkins is $90,000 for an Accelerated BSN.

Ok - I'll probably get some slack for this, but here's my issue with nursing program requirements: Many programs are GPA based - I get that, but that doesn't mean it's right. Now don't get me wrong, I believe GPA to be an important factor in deciding who gets in where. But what classes individuals took and where they took them, should also be an important factor. If "John" took Organic Chem, Medical Microbio, Statistics, etc. at University of Texas and received a B/B+ average (3.0 - 3.4), and "Mike" took General Chem, Nursing Microbio, Statistics, etc. at Southern Austin Community College and received an A (4.0), at many schools Mike would have the edge. I'm sorry but I think that's ridiculous. I've taken a class here and there at a community college over the summer, so I'm not knocking CCs, but I honestly believe the classes are easier at the CC level in comparison to the same classes at the university level. So Yes, GPA is important, but if I took higher level science classes and challenged myself, took them only one time, at a prestigious university and have a 3.3 cumulative GPA with 80 credit hours , and I am applying for a nursing program agains "Mike" and his 30 credit hours (only prerequisite) at a CC and his 4.0 - I could be waitlisted, and he will get accepted into many programs over me. So wrong, on so many levels. Agree or disagree?

Oops - another thing to keep in mind, you said your husband graduated in 2003. Some ABSN programs have time limits put on certain prerequisites (5 yrs, 7 yrs, 10 yrs), so make sure to check that out also, in case he needs to update a prerequisite. And as soon as you move to Florida, have him meet with ABSN advisors at the universities he's considering attending.

Check with the universities for residency requirements, but most of the time, if you live and work in the state for a year (12 consecutive months), have a drivers license from that state, and are a registered voter in that state- you're considered a resident. So here's what I would suggest: 1. Move to Florida (if that's where you want to live), 2. Take the required prerequisites still needed (anatomy, statistics, psych, etc) at a local community college, to save money, (while you're also establishing residency), 3. Then apply to Accelerated BSN programs in Florida (because now it will be in-state tuition.) This path will accomplish all your husbands goals in the cheapest and most efficient way possible. One year to establish residency while simultaneously taking required prereque's - then another 12-15 months for a BSN - 2 to 2 1/2 years total. And trust me he'd rather have a BSN than an LPN, ASN, or RN. It's much appealing to employers.

nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetists require masters degrees, so you will have additional loans, but both of course help people (hello, it's nursing) and both receive 6 digit salaries.

Thanks for the info - did you find a job relatively quickly after graduating from the program?

I would suggest to look into the Accelerated Nursing Programs in your area or at schools you'd be interested in attending. Accelerated programs prequesites are usually pretty similiar, but they can vary a bit from school to school. Yes - an accelerated program sounds like your best bet. If you have a Bachelors in an area, other than nursing (which you do), take the prerequisites necessary (usually - Anatomy, Physiology, BioChem, Chem, nutrition, Psych, Stats, & Human Growth-Accross a lifespan, but some schools may want others like - organic chem, ethics, or med term, ). Then apply to an Accelerated program, and you can get your BSN. Depending on how many prerequ's you need, you can have your BSN in a reasonable amount of time, mainly because Accelerated Programs tend to be 12 - 15 months and usually consecutive semesters (summer, fall, spring, summer). You could be done in 2-3 years, depending on how many prerequ's you want to take each semester and depending on of course what you've taken so far. Good Luck!

Both are excellent nursing programs. Both are widely respected in the large hospitals in the St. Louis area. And I believe both have really good acceptance rates. Goldfarb's is probably a bit easier to get into because of their rolling schedule, so if you don't get in in the fall, you can roll over to the spring, and so on - while UMSL is a once a year start date. But I would say if you exceed both minimum GPA requirements (Goldfarb's 3.2 Accelerated, 3.0 Upper Level, and UMSL's 3.0 Accelerated), you'll get in. You might spend time on a waitlist, depending on your GPA, but so many people I know apply to many nursing schools which means schools go thru their waitlists pretty quickly once people make their decisions. I had a 3.3 overall gpa and a 3.4 science gpa, and I got into both programs, although I was a second round at UMSL. Keep in mind that Goldfarb is more expensive (about $10,000 more for their accelerated program compared to UMSL's) and probably 15-20,000 more for their Upper Level Program compared to UMSL's Accelerated Program. Which is why I chose UMSL - and so far it's challeging but I absolutely love it! But honestly, I don't think you could go wrong either way! - Best of luck to you in all your endeavors.