AprilRN221

I'm 34 and I have two sons (11 and 12 years old). I'm also a widow and had almost no help with my kids. So I put off going to school. I am now done with my pre-reqs and will be starting a nursing program in January. So while our situations are different, I can understand your concerns. Unless you have a ton of support it will be very hard to go to school while the kids are young. I think that getting your education now is important. Maybe you can start an associate's program so you don't have to wait so long?!? Just an idea. You can always start working as a nurse with your associate's and then continue on with your bachelor's. Here's something to think about: Do you think you'd regret not getting your degree? If so, go ahead and pursue your career. Either way, it seems like you have a big decision to make and will definitely need your partner's support. Good luck!

I'm 34, I'm a widow, and I have two sons. I wish I had been a stellar student from the start; however, I was a mediocre student who has finally gotten it together. I attended and withdrew from classes at MDC repeatedly after years of depression from the loss of my spouse. I tried to get it together, I just couldn't. Fast forward, it's been nearly 10 years since his death, my kids are older (11 & 12) and it's much easier for me to be the dedicated student that I need to be. I am in a stable relationship and have a supportive partner. The problem is that I don't have the grades to get into any local non-profit colleges, they are just way to competitive for a student that previously withdrew from and/or failed several classes over the years. The best thing that has happened in regards to my spotty academic record is that I attended Keiser starting Jan. 2014. I took 5 classes there, earning four A's and one B, plus all my classes that transferred to Keiser were classes that I got A's in. I have a high GPA at Keiser and passed the TEAS with flying colors. I was accepted into Keiser's RN program for January 2015 start. I'm now a few weeks away from my start date and I am having second thoughts. Not about nursing, I am sure that I want to be a nurse. I've had years to ponder my career path, my fear is that I will need my Bachelors in order to get a job, so I applied at West Coast University after hearing a friend and former Keiser student rave about WCU. Now I am wondering if I should just pursue my BSN degree from entry level instead of first getting my RN and then working towards my BSN. Either way, I'm going to an expensive private school. The choice is now which route should I take to reach the end goal. I'm done with all pre-reqs required for the RN program at Keiser. Keiser's CORE RN program is 16 months long, after I complete the RN program I would be able to get my BSN, which would take about 20 months OR I can go to WCU for a max of 30 months and get my BSN (program is normally 39 months and includes pre-reqs, but I have 8/9 of the required GEN ED classes done, so I would have a max of 30 months total) Any thoughts from someone who has been in a similar position would be very much appreciated.