maffechr

I was just curious if anybody had an opinion on this matter. I have a Bachelor's in Business Management and a Masters in Pubic Administration/ Health Care Administration. I would like to pursue a nursing degree, and given the fact that I already have a significant amount of student loans to pay back, I obviously want to get the best bang for my buck. I have looked at both ADN programs in New Jersey, such as Brookdale Community College, and BSN programs (such as UMDNJ's Part-time BSN program), and it's hard to ignore the significant price differential between the BSN vs. ADN. I'm 26, and while I'm still young, I'd like to become a BSN before I'm all done. So that has to factor in the equation, although I'd be willing to bridge from an RN to BSN to save the money. Given this situation, I have two questions: 1) Will I run into any resistance from employers with only a ADN, despite the fact I have a master's degree in another non-nursing field? 2) If choose to do a BSN program, I would likely receive my BSN by the time I'm 30. If I chose a ADN program, it would probably be a few years later. Is there an opportunity cost of receiving a BSN a few years earlier, given the differences in tuition between the two degrees? Thanks to anybody who can help.

I didn't apply. I didn't start my prereqs yet.

I am interested in this program. I thank those who already posted in this thread and am wondering if anybody else has any experience in this program?

I pursued this degree well before the economic crisis. I had no idea what was going to happen when I graduated in terms of the economic environment. I'm not misinformed. The only difference is that you were able to find a well paying job during and after your undergrad studies. You were luckier than I was. I was a great student and a great worker. When did you graduate, by chance? Sorry, but I don't subscribe to the fact that the only people who should go to college are those that have money. That would make college the exclusive domain of the rich and powerful. I don't buy into that. Neither should you.

Another privileged student. I didn't spend my money on the newest car or the newest phone during grad school. I didn't go out to parties during grad school. I was very stingy money-wise as a Grad student. Still didn't prevent me from racking up close to $65000 in undergrad and graduate debt. The bottom line is that today's jobs, especially for those of us who are inexperienced, do not cover the expenses of increasingly rising tuition. Now, I know you want to call us all lazy and moochers for taking out student loans, but that just isn't the truth. I worked damn hard in my dead end retail job during grad school. Didn't matter. Didn't come close to meeting expenses. Now, before you ask: I graduated with my Bachelors in Business Management in 2011. Now, before you say "what a stupid major", I know many people who graduated with this major years prior and are extremely successful in the workplace. Unfortunately, I graduated into the Great Recession. Bottom line is: don't judge. Not everyone was as lucky as you to avoid loans. The majority of people didn't take out loans because they were lazy.

Hopefully he or she realizes how lucky they are. And doesn't lecture us on the virtues of "personal responsibility".

Why look down at someone who is paying $1500 a month? Everybody has a different life path. Not everybody has the luxury of waiting 2-3 years for a community college nursing program to open up. Some of us have not been lucky enough to find high paying jobs, so we must rack up loans. I worked 20-30 hours a week at a dead end retail store after getting my bachelors, during my masters studies. I racked up the loans not because I was lazy, but because there were no other jobs available. It's easy to judge people now, but walk a mile in their shoes.

I am in the same situation, with around the same debt. (Around $70000 combining both undergrad and grad school). I am about to get my masters in Health Care Administration. I have been thinking about going to nursing school too. However, I will delay going to nursing school until I feel as if I can pay for most of nursing school out of pocket. I would recommend looking about IBR if you are truly intent on accumulating more student loan debt. It is about the only thing that will keep your student loan burden bearable,

There is a very ignorant strain of what I like to call the "pull yourselves up from your bootstraps" mentality throughout most of the replies in this thread. It is a mentality that favors diploma mil colleges and big banks over middle class and poor citizens. Many of the replies show an incredible arrogance of their own "personal responsibility", rather than an understanding of many of the nuances of our current student loan crisis. I will venture to guess that those who reply with such callousness have never had emergency medical bills, worked a low-wage job, or many other situations that disadvantage many of our current student loan borrowers. More than likely, many were born on third base and think they hit a triple...