Psata

Despite a gazillion of warnings, students continue to flock to these unaccredited institutions whose sole purpose is to rip-off the federal government (subsidized loans, Pell Grants, etc.) and unsuspecting students. Even though Dade Medical is now out of business, these students will simply move on to the next school of similar ilk. The majority of these students are not ready academically to attend college, even a for-profit one.

A fact that most fail to comprehend. A large number of tertiary institutions grant extra points for incoming freshman due to "legacy", the mere fact that a parent/parents graduated from that institution. Recruited athletes typically also have a leg up on the competition during the admission process. In-State student typically are favoured more than out of state applicants at most State Flagship Universities. Are these scenarios reverse discrimination? These days, Asian students are being shunned at a lot of prestigious, highly ranked Universities (especially STEM-related research Universities) due to their superior SAT/ACT scores, GPA and outstanding ECs. I have never heard a white person saying it is unfair to discriminate against Asians, since they stand to benefit from such discrimination during the admission process. At UC Berkeley, with over 35% Asians, if the system was left unchecked, probably 80% of the student body at Berkeley (and the other top UCs) would be Asians. The realities are, diversity, whether based on race or geographical factors, are reasonable considerations during the admission process. There are Engineering schools that actively seek out women applicants to their Engineering program. To the OP, you should apply to a wide range of Nursing programs and do become attached to any one school. Irrespective of your race, applying to nursing school will be a highly competitive process in and by itself. The fact that you have completed both a Bachelor's and Masters degree, shows that race was not a hinderance and might have helped. Good luck!

Is there any reason why you are looking at Online only option? Online Programs are convenient, but the quality of the education process at a lot of Online Institutions are questionable. I would definitely rule out University of Phoenix and any of the For-Profit Universities. IMHO, I would look at Local Universities that have Online Programs, since Tuition is lower (in most cases) and are more reputable than their out of state peers (better name recognition). Also, why MSN in Education versus NP? I have family members who have done a pure MSN degree and felt they didn't learn anything of value or any marketable skill sets from doing that program.

Could you tell us what is your out-of-pocket tuition cost is? Do you HAVE to work? Are you commuting (from home) to the 4-year University or live on campus? Is this a For-Profit University? Maybe, attending a lower cost Community College and living at home might allow you to focus on your College work and avoid working all together. What Math course did you get the D grade in? Was remedial Math required? Please provide as much information so that others can offer good advice and a way forward. .......and not allowed to apply to another nursing school for so many years,.... Not sure what the above means, since one institution cannot control what another institution does.

Is this a BSN or ADN Program that you have been wait listed for? If an ADN, you could continue doing other BSN Prerequisites. Any reason why you haven't applied to other Nursing Programs, instead of putting all your eggs in one basket?

Are you nearing the end of your Freshman, Sophomore or Junior in College at the moment? How many credits have you completed so far and how many credits are required to graduate? What is your projected GPA by the end of this semester? Your grades will pretty much dictate your career options going forward. What college level science courses have you completed to date? There are many healthcare career options available to you, if you care to look into them (example, Cardiovascular Perfusionist, Nursing [CRNA, NP], Physician Assistant, Anesthesiologist Assistant, etc.). Most of these careers required a graduate degree, so getting the required prerequisites out of the way will be the most critical objective during your undergraduate program. Obviously, the prerequisites vary, depending on your final career choice, but there is some amount of overlap. Maybe you should envision what you see yourself see doing 5,10,15,20 years from now and what you think you will enjoy doing for the foreseeable future. Since you are unsure at this stage of the game, you might consider one of the professions with the greatest flexibility and one which give you enough wiggle room to transition into other areas of the profession, if you so desire in the future.

I disagree with the statement that pursuing a undergraduate degree in Nursing is "worst round about way to become a doctor". Many premed students do their undergraduate degree in one of the biological Sciences. Yet many also major in business, music, engineering, etc. I know I few who were Nursing Majors also. As long as you complete the Medical School prerequisites, graduate with a high GPA (>3.5 - 3.7) and have good MCAT Scores, you would likely be accepted into one or more medical school, irrespective of what your undergraduate degree was. I think, most Nursing students will have to spend a semester or two after the BSN degree, finishing up their Medical School prerequisites. It is my understanding that MED Schools frown on students who did their prerequisites at Community Cllleges or during the Summer Term. The realities are, the vast majority of undergraduate predmed students do not end up getting into medical school and have to seek out other career paths after graduation. Having a Nursing Degree (& license) will negate having to pursuing another undergraduate or graduate degree in order to get a decent/high paying career. It is an excellent fallback position, which has zero cost associated with this approach. How many threads we have seen on this forum where pred-med students who majored in Biological Sciences and are now looking into Accelerated BSN or Generic BSN programs? IMHO, getting your BSN first is a Win-Win situation for a student wishing to pursue a Medical Degree.

@ShondaJ appears to be either a major Stock Holder of the For Profit School or one of their unofficial recruiter. She tends to pop up out of the blue at the mere mention of the name West Coast University. She seems to have a vested interest in this overpriced school, with its low barrier to entry, mediocre NCLEX pass rate and unaccredited in some of their locations (Miami for example). @ShondaJ is part of the desperate subset potential nursing students that rely on schools like WCU as their last ditch effort at getting a BSN at any cost. I will ignore her going forward, since she adds little or no value to any discussion concerning WCU, as she is just a booster for that institution.

..................which means I would start my nursing courses as a freshman. Are you sure of the above? I thought that as part of the Generic Nursing Program, ALL students start their Nursing Courses in the second (Sophomore) Year? Are you saying that as a Hunters Nursing Honors Scholar Program participant some how circumvent this requirement?

Someone needs to protect you from yourself. First, you started out at Dade Medical College and for some reason, realizing that they were a fraud, went on to University of Southermost Florida (same owners as Dade Medical College). That School did not work out too well for you (I think you fail out of their program) and now you are looking at probably the MOST expensive For Profit Nursing Institution on the planet as your next stop. That would be three For-Profit Nursing program in a short time span. I am curious, how much Student Loan Debt have you accumulated to date and how do you think you will be able to afford WCU astronomical Tuition? Who will co-sign for all the debt, since I don't think you will be able to qualify for this level of student loan on your own? I know these Schools target students with very weak academic stats, so that this might be what appeals to you. Have you given it any thought, to start over at a Community College and put some effort into getting good grades and applying to Accredited Schools with a legitimate Nursing Program? You seem to be a sucker for these scams....when will you learn? There is no short cuts in life and you will find this out the hard way when it is time to pay back all this student loan debt and you have exhausted all available options and you have no Nursing degree to show for all this debt.

Your original post was slightly confusing. Are you saying that you have NOT taken the Nursing Prerequisite classes as of yet? It seems to me that you are getting ahead of yourself. If I was in your shoe and did not take the Nursing Prerequisites, then I would focus on getting them done and then worrying about getting into an ADN or BSN program. The most critical thing to do right now is getting your prerequisites done as soon as possible and yes, a Community College is your best option to do so, due to the lower cost of Community Colleges Courses. Are you planning on going to the Community College Full time or Part-time? Depending on job availability in your area for LPNs, you might consider doing an LPN first and then do an LPN-to-RN Bridge. That route seems to work for some individuals, especially if you have to work full time. Now is also a good time to weigh the pros and cons of an ADN versus a BSN Program.

How can an individual complete Science Prerequisites in two weeks? Why does the Florida BON allow these schools to exist? With such poor standards, how could any of their students even pass the NCLEX Exam? Which Hospital or Nursing Homes hire these students? Sadly, despite all the warning on this forum and on the Internet in general, students desperate to be nurses will always fall victim to these schools, since the Tuition is mostly covered by Federal Student Loans. The only way to get rid of these schools is to cut off all Federal Student Loans from these For Profit Schools. There are probably millions of these students out there who did not finish any of these programs and have Student Loan Debt of over $20K and no jobs/career. Prospective student should be aware of the bogus "good" reviews these schools receive online. In most cases, these reviews are written by the Employees of these Schools or their relatives.

@dc1994 Not only do "most" undergraduate Professors use questions from Questions Banks, they recycle most of their test questions. That is why students try to get past exams from students who have taken the course. It is now vogue to not to have the students keep the exam questions these days, but these past exams are still out there in the wild and cliques within your courses have these exam papers (believe or not). Now you know where at least a good number of her test questions come from and you can act accordingly.

You did say they were faking grades, among other things. That alone would raise some red flags in a lot of people's mind about the authenticity and capabilities of the graduates from this Institution. Of course, most employers do not view these graduates in a very good light to begin with and the fact that this school was shut down by the Federal Government will continue put these For Profit Trade Schools under a Microscope. The BON won't retroactively suspend licenses, since this would put them in a bad light...more like sleeping at the switch while Rome burns.

I just stringed a bunch of your comments together to highlight how dangerous For-Profit Universities can be and specifically, one of the most expensive of them all, WCU. Based on your own accounts (being a current/graduate of their program), they take in anyone, even [very] marginal candidates they know stands zero chance of completing their BSN Program and intentionally, weed out *numerous* (you word, not mine) so that these *Bad Apples* will not make it to the finish line and effectively, do not distort WCU's true NCLEX pass rate. In other words, the milked a large part of their student population of high tuition for 1 - 2 years, leaving them marred in excessive student loan debt and then kick them to the curb to face a lifetime burden with Student Loan Debt that could possibly exceed over $70K - $90K (estimated), with no degree and zero prospect of getting a job. In other words, the vast majority of WCU Entering students, end up existing the program in worst financial shape than when they enter. Why would you defend such a school is beyond comprehension. To compound the problem is all those parents and extended family members who get suckered into co-signing for these high interest rate, un-subsidized student loans and are left holding the bag when these marginal students get booted from WCU program, with no possibility of paying back these massive loans.