Irish_mist, I am a first semester student. I have a bachelors degree as well. I decided on NCTC for many reasons; smaller class size, high NCLEX-RN pass rate, and cost. The 2year program and one year bridge is less expensive than those accelerated tracks that can run up to $60,000.00. as for tattoos you just cover them. I have wrist tat and I cover it with a watch. Hope this helps best of luck!