rnlicious

Congrats!!

Congrats!

Hi, from what I could remember, I was paying about $800/month out of pocket tuition on top of my GI BIll, plus I ended up with a $4500 loan at the end of the two year program. The extra $800 I just get from my BAH and some disability. Not bad as others end up with $60 k..Thanks!

Hi Shonda, Her name is -------------- and I believe she went to the Orange County campus. I will let her know in advance that someone will be getting in touch with her. When are you starting in West Coast?

I graduated in January 2012. The BRN wasn't using Breeze back then. I received my letter fast, within two weeks of passing my finals. Within a week I received my interim permit.I took the test last week of February. I am not sure how they do it now with Breeze. It must be frustrating to wait that long. Before we graduated, our DON was already talking about our test application might be delayed but it has something to do with the DCA handling BRN stuff (I'm not sure of the exact details). Thankfully it didn't happen to our batch. I just hope they finish processing soon. It's nerve racking to wait long to take a test, it's like prolonging the agony.

I have heard of West Coast University, but I personally haven't heard of any bad things about it. In fact, I have a friend who recently graduated from West Coast University last year got her BSN and she's working at a hospital in Northridge in LA. I can get you in contact with her if you need information or would like to inquire about her experience with the school. I know it's an expensive school, I heard $120 k so she used vocational rehab instead of GI Bill. Voc rehab pays for everything unlike Post 9/11 so you don't end up with a huge student loan. The only thing is that you probably would only get about $800 BAH. With Post 9/11, you get the full BAH but they only pay up to the highest in state tuition. So it's something to think about. These are for profit schools so regardless they will be expensive; it does not mean they are bad. I'm just saying don't be scared that no one will hire you if you graduate from a private for profit school instead of a state school. As long as you have a license and not picky with your first nursing job you will have an edge. It's a tricky world when it comes to job hunting. So if you feel like West Coast is for you, then by all means don't worry about what people say who's never even been there. As far as state school, I know University of Texas at Arlington, University of San Francisco and University of Louisiana as well will take Kaplan. They are all online. I got accepted at University of Texas however I decided to go with Chamberlain because fo the schedule. I never really looked for a traditional school but I'm sure you will find one if you just look. Good luck.

You are only stuck if you allow yourself to be. With that said, having an RN license opens up a lot of opportunities that enables you to fulfill your passion. My classmates have since moved on to get their Bachelors degree in Nursing. I myself will have my BSN from Chamberlain College of Nursing, a CCNE accredited Nursing Program in two weeks. I don't let my school define me as a nurse and quite honestly, Kaplan was a stepping stone that provided me a with a strong foundation in nursing. I never once thought of it as a waste of time, nor GI Bill money. In fact, it's money well spent.

Hi NurseMorse, As soon as the school submit all your paperwork (and they are pretty quick to do this, within a week after you pass your finals), you will receive the testing letter from ATT that allows you to schedule for the test. You can test within a month after passing finals, or maybe sooner if you are ready. I studied for a whole month before taking the test.

Hi JLNGGDN, Thank you for the question. I used the Post 9/11 GI Bill. I did receive a housing allowance although most of the time it took a while for me to get it, about a month late, but I do get back pay. I received $2100 approx/month as I was enrolled full time. However, please contact GI Bill hotline and also the va rep in school because the last time I was there, I was told the the VA was changing their policy and was prorating the BAH now. Supposedly they base the housing payment on the number of semester credit you are taking whether you are full time or not. I hope I answered your question. Good luck!

You're welcome pls keep me posted. I'd love to hear from other Kaplan students regarding their experience :-)

Hi Yajaira21, I'm sorry for not responding sooner. I've been busy taking care of my baby. Regarding the wonderlic, is it the short test (I think around 10-15 min test) that you take first thing before getting admitted? I've taken the test but honestly I don't remember what's on the test since it's been so long (2009). I took that test before I took the teas test to get in the RN program though. But don't worry, even the admission counselor who took care of me said the test normally doesn't make sense, and most of the time nobody ever finishes the test. They normally have you test to see if you qualify for their RN or LVN program. Sometimes if you score high they might encourage you to do the RN program instead. But that's according to my friend who's currently doing the LVN program in Kaplan (due to graduate this October). It's still up to you to decide what program you want. I hope I answered your questions. I apologize if I can't tell you much since LVN program is not my "forte" :-). I encourage you to set up an appointment with an admissions counselor. Good luck and hope to see you in the nursing field soon!

Hi, When I was enrolled the program cost approx. $55k including prerequisites. I had most of my prereqs except for a&up and sociology so I was able to get my cost down. At the same time I am a military veteran so I was entitled to discount. Also I used my GI bill. I still had to take out a loan since GI bill does not cover everything for me. I am not sure how much the whole program costs by now.

Thank you and good luck to you as well! I'm happy that my experience shed some light on your research/ career decisions.

You are welcome! Good luck on your journey towards your nursing career. We (my classmates and I) were all approved by the BRN to sit for the NCLEX without problems. I never had a hard time looking for a school who will accept my Kaplan background to pursue higher education.And those schools are CCNE accredited and regionally accredited. You just have to do your own research and figure out what's best for you regardless of what everyone says. I have an active California RN license issued by the BRN as of now. Good luck again!

Kaplan also has amazing instructors. I can say they genuinely care about their student's success not only in the program but also in the nursing field.