hmjensen

I'm 30 and will be starting my first ever college course in one month. I'm married and have three kids and I WILL acheive my goals! Don't feel discouraged. You know what you want to do and nothing should hold you back from that. There are many many students out there (myself included) who have gotten a much later start. You got this. :)

You're absolutely right. A lot of big cities do have bad reputations because of their bad areas. I didn't mean to offend anyone by my comment and I apologize if I did. I guess I only know the areas I have been through and applied that experience to the whole city. Oakland is actually has the closest CRNA school to me and I have no idea what to do either.

I'm from Northern California and I'm sorry but there is no way in hell I would go to school in Oakland. Hell, if it means running out of gas or stopping in Oakland to fill up, I'd rather get stranded on the freeway. As far as Michele Le's murder, that was a different situation altogether as she was personally targeted by someone she knew...that poor girl. Do you have the option of moving further up north where it's cheaper to live? We have several community colleges near Sacramento that offer an ADN, most of which are in perfectly safe areas...plus you would save money not being in the Bay Area. Just a thought. Good luck!!

I have an addiction to office supplies. Pens, post-it's, sticky flags, notebooks, etc. It's actually quite serious. I am getting ready to start my prereqs and did some seriously extensive research on what supplies I need to stock up on. Ha! The pen I use at work is a Pilot Easytouch retractable fine point. It is the most glorious instrument I have encountered in quite some time. My previous favorite was a freebie from a pharmaceutical rep. When it ran out of ink I said (out loud), "oh no. No no no! Don't do this! Nooooo!" I need to find some form of Pens Anonymous ASAP.

Two retakes = taking TEAS three times, no? You should get clarification. Instead of asking "how many retakes..." ask them how many times you are allowed to take the exam total. Good luck. :)

Thanks again, all, for your advice. Since I'm a first time student, I don't get priority registration and Biology is filling up fast. I don't think I'll make it in this semester. I can't register for another week and there's only one open class left. I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on Bio though because, like you said, it's a prereq for everything! Another question I just thought of: I plan on taking a course during summer and those are accelerated. Which classes would and would not be a good idea to take on an accelerated basis?

I have nothing. I'm starting from scratch Spring '12 semester. Highly nerveracking.

I'll be working fulltime and have three kids at home. I was planning on starting slow to get back in the swing of being in school. In future semesters, if I feel I can handle more, I will take on more. For now, I'm thinking one or two classes...so about 8 units.

I took my Placement Exam today and now have an accurate list of courses I can register for. I haven't been in school of any kind since 1999 and am wondering: From those of you who have completed (or at least started) prereqs, which classes should I take first? My options right now are: English 1A, Biology, Math (Elementary Algebra lmao), Sociology or Speech (Group Discussion). Which classes should I start with? I'm kind of overwhelmed right now and could really use some help deciding. Thanks!!

Thank you all so much for your replies. I will definitely check into whether or not I can test out of some classes. I have nothing but a high school diploma...and that was in 1999. I am reviewing math before I take the placement exam simply because I have forgotten almost everything. I kick myself everyday for not going to the university I was accepted to back then. Do you guys know what type of loan I can get to cover school and living expenses? That is the last resort option but I feel like I need to know all my options to make the best decision. I have put off going to college for 12 years. Now is the time to not only go back to school, but to accomplish the goals I have always had for myself. I need to make the right choices because this IS going to happen! Thanks again. :)

I met with the counselor at our local community college yesterday. She helped me make a list of all prerequisites I would need to transfer to the State University's BSN program. I knew there would be a ton of classes to take, but was not prepared to see how long that list ended up. I am working fulltime and have three kids at home. Because of how competitive nursing programs are, I pretty much have no choice but to get a 4.0 GPA. In order to not get too overwhelmed and keep my grades at their highest, I don't see how I can take on more than two classes at a time! Taking two classes in the fall, two in the spring and one in the summer makes my prerequisites last FOUR YEARS! I wish I could just quit my job and get it all done...but I can't. We need the income. Anyone have any advice? There has to be something I haven't thought of. How many prereqs did your program have and how long did they take to complete?