Moonspellpecado

Hey all, I need help. I completed all my pre reqs in Washington state, we did quarters. I am being forced to relocate to Los Angeles and am finding that I don't meet credit requirements. Most schools are semesters, so I am coming up short on credits Any suggestions for how to fix this? I've had 2 schools tell me I need to retake all my science courses to meet the minimum credits needed... So discouraging! I have 10 years experience as an MA, and a 3.78gpa... did I just waste a ton of time and money?

Hey all! Perhaps this has been asked before, but I couldn't find it. I want to get your two cents on this. Right now I am a year and a half away from applying for nursing school. I am a single 27yo gal who supports herself 100%, no kiddos, no help from family. Currently I am working full time as an MA and going to school full time. I am planning to cut down to working little to none while in the nursing program. I do not have family I can move in with. I rent a room in a house from a woman to try and keep expenses down as much as possible. There is my back story. Here is my real question. I am taking out loans to pay for school and stashing away money to pay for living expenses while in the nursing program. Is it best to continue to do this so I know my personal expenses will be close to being covered while in school, resulting in less loans later for personal expenses. OR should I be paying off all student loans now and not be stashing money? I get an extremely low interest rate (about 3.4-3.8%), where if I take out additional personal loans while in the nursing program the interest rate could double. And one more weird question that someone might have an answer to. Right now I am stashing money in a fireproof gun safe I have that is bolted to the ground However, I would love to have it in an account where it can accrue interest! If I put it into an account though, my FAFSA see it and I will receive no financial aid. Any ideas for a work around on this? :) Thank you all for taking the time to read this!!! ~Erica

Kaiser treats their MAs very well. The pay is well above the average of anywhere else you would work as an MA and the benefits are nice. Also, they are union. I have been an MA for 5 years an love it, BUT, I am going back for my RN in the summer. RN degree opens more doors and better pay if you are on your own. If you need a decent paying job just for a 2nd income in the house, going to school for an MA is quick, easy, and the hours are not as demanding.

Thank you all for the replies. It's good to hear from actual students that they still have some lives outside of school. This was my biggest concern. I have 2 years before I really have to worry about the nursing school craziness, until then it's pre-reqs. How many of you worked part time while doing nursing school? How many of you used student loans to pay for living expenses while in nursing school? Pros and cons of each appreciated. Minus the whole you'll have to pay back more at the end. I would need less than 10k for 2 years of living expenses if I concentrated on just nursing school (stupid car payment)

Hi all, I am a Medical Assistant in Urgent Care and have been for 5 years. I want to do more with life in the medical field and have decided to return to school for a BSN. I have to take 1-2 years of pre-reqs and then 2 years in a nursing program. What I want to know is do you still have a life outside of the nursing program? I hear soo many horror stories of losing friends and relationships over nursing school. I will be working 10-20 hours a week at my current job (just to pay bills). I have no kids, I'm not a party type, but I do have a loving boyfriend. He's already told me that he will do all he can to support me through these next few years, but with all humans, we need personal time. How do you all manage this while going to school?