peanutfish

If you chose nursing for the money? Then I have to wonder how you got through school (and life) without any knowledge of business or technology or consulting...

This is a great place for dogs and their people. What Pentagon City lacks in charm, it makes up for in convenience. I'm biased towards to the DC side of the river (and with Reagan Ntl being on the blue and yellow lines, it's really easy to get to) but you probably can't go too far wrong in Northern VA. Back when we were dating, my husband lived in the Ballston neighborhood. If NoVa is where you settle in, you'll love the access to walks on the Potomac and Roosevelt Island.

Hi SK13! I lived in Austin for a few years in the 90s and it's still one of my favorite places in the world. Coming from Texas, the summers in DC will not shock you (they will shock some people, you just won't be among them) and will even seem surprisingly brief. Most of Foggy Botton is consumed by the Kennedy Center and various institutions (OAS, Peace, GWU, etc.). If you have your heart set on the neighborhood, then you'll be glad to know there's a Trader Joe's. My dentist is there. I like the place well enough, but if you want neighbors to nod hello (not to mention be able to borrow a cup of sugar) it's not that. If you want to walk to Georgetown Hospital (St. Mary's at 3700 Reservoir Rd. NW), I would suggest the Burleith area (aka "North Georgetown" but only in realtor-speak). If you want easy access, pick any neighborhood in DC that's either south of Florida Ave. or west of Rock Creek Park and have a wealth of bus lines. Neighborhoods that do not fall into that category, but are very livable and popular, and are a relative bargain which might come up on a search include: Capitol Hill, H St. NE, Bloomingdale, Shaw, 14th St., U St.). (Georgetown is one of several universities that calls DC its home, and so you can find pockets of collegiate life around the campuses of GW, AU, Catholic, and Howard.) Depending where you live, parking is either easy or a nightmare. One of the flats I rented when I lived in the Adams Morgan neighborhood used to include a parking space. After I got rid of my car, I was able to sub-let my parking space for $150 per month. That was 15 years ago. Be prepared for approx. $1800 monthly rent, not including parking (as low as $1500 for a 1 or 2BR in some up-and-coming hipster neighborhoods, and $2500 for 2BR high-end spaces and ugly corporate rentals in Crystal City). Public transportation here is amazing: between metro and the buses you can get anywhere (and if you're in a hurry, an Uber ride is maybe $6 or $7). If you need to have a car, then I would recommend choosing a neighborhood where you can park easily and not have a headache about it. Actually getting to and from Georgetown is pretty straitforward. Hope this helps, I will refine the answer if necessary.

Hello future classmates. I actually live "in the District" which is one reason that Georgetown is my first choice above UMD (still waiting to hear about financial aid before making a commitment). I know the city pretty well, so if you have questions about housing I can try to help. I saw that someone mentioned Arlington. My husband lived in the Ballston neighborhood back when we were dating, it's probably more expensive now. The truth is that as long as you are metro accesible (bus lines as well as metro trains) it's very easy to get around here. Convenience to a point on the Circulator buses will save you precious time over metro to Foggy Bottom and then walking into Georgetown (there is no metro stop in Georgetown). I'm planning to attend the reception on the 6th, I hope to meet some of you.

My father is a retired surgeon. So is one of my uncles. Another is a retired anesthesiologist. Two of my cousins are physicians. When I told my father (hesitantly) that I'm considering trading in my MBA for going back to school and studying nursing, he said it was a great idea, and I should consider putting in a year to specialize (such as cardiac step-down). I admitted I had been a little concerned he'd be disappointed in what I was suggesting and his exact words: "You'd make a great nurse, use your brain and your skills; in this climate you'd be crazy to become a doctor." I am not a nurse, I'm interested in becoming one. I'm just sharing the perspective of someone who comes from a family of many doctors: you don't/won't have anything to be "ashamed" of. Good luck to you, whatever your choice.

OP again. There's so much great information here, thank you to all respondents. What I'm ultimately interested in is something specialized like cardiac or ICU. I've defaulted to looking at 2nd Bachelor BSN/Accelerated BSN programs because in my initial research those are the programs that seem to be marketing to me because I have degrees in unrelated fields. The CNL program at Georgetown costs about the same as a 2nd Bachelor's BSN program at Catholic U. (Both are in DC). As of a year ago, Georgetown no longer offers an accelerated BSN program, only the MSN - CNL route for previous degree holders. It seems like one has to go out of one's way to find an ASN program in this area (inside the District) though there is one nearby in Maryland at Montgomery County Community College. You've given me much food for thought, thank you.

This would be student loans. In my area (DC Metro) there are several options, such as accelerated BSN and 2nd BSN for people who already have a Bachelor's degree. However, it looks like the MSN takes the same amount of time and costs about the same. I'm particularly interested in cardiac care, ICU, or something specialized.

I'm in my 40s, and looking at a career change to nursing. I have a Masters in an unrelated field (MBA) and am working on the pre-requisites for a Master's in Nursing - CNL program. It's not an inexpensive option, but otoh, I'm not in my 20's with time to work and pursue the degree at my leisure. Am I better off getting an Associate's degree and starting to work in a clinical setting? Or dive straight in? I'm fairly certain about the sort of environment I'd like to specialize in, but this looks like one of the more expensive ways to go about it. I don't have an extra decade or two to spare though. Advice and insight welcome.