Pros and cons of Private & Community College?

RhodyGirl, RN · Jun 27, 2008

Ok. Here goes...

A community college is great for many reasons.

Cheap tuition, flexible scheduling, more accessible, most have quality programs, a good stepping stone for a 4 year degree...

But, most community colleges have EXTENSIVE wait lists for their health programs. These programs are popular because they are feasible for parents, 9-5ers, and people with all different life situations.

If you can handle the waiting and possibly being deferred/rejected one or more times....it's an all around good deal.

A private college is a place with sky high tuition. Though, you will get a good education and usually entry into nsg programs is not quite as competitive. Just remember....student loans are ok but be realistic as to what you can afford after graduation. I have a friend who went to Bentley College in MA and now has a student loan payment of $890/month.

I go to a public 4 year college. The tuition is about $5000/year for full time and I am getting a great education.

Also something to remember is the difference in degrees between schools. A community college will award you an ADN, which can get you into an entry level RN position.

A 4 year college awards a BSN, which also gets you into an entry level RN position, but there is more room for advancement later. I want to go to grad school, so I am going the BSN route.

elkpark · Jun 27, 2008

Also, keep in mind that the term "private college" covers a lot of territory. There are private colleges which are not-for-profit, well-known and long-established institutions of higher learning, often sponsored by a particular religious denomination or other entity, which provide a good education at a reasonable cost (although typically more than a public, state-funded community college or university). Then there are the private-for-profit, "proprietary" trade/vocational colleges which are primarily in the business of making money, and many (but certainly not all!) of those types of schools are little more than scams to bilk you out of tuition money.

Also, when it comes to the proprietary "schools," be very careful if you have any thought that you might want to continue your education in the future to further your career (and keep in mind that, even if you're not thinking that way now, you may well be in a few years!) There are a lot of nursing programs "out there" that meet the state BON requirements for graduates to be eligible for licensure, but, because some of these schools are not accredited by the agencies that accredit "regular" colleges and universities, graduates find that, when they try to return to school, none of their previous credits are transferable into other colleges/universities and they have to, basically, start all over again.

There are too many variables to be able to say that one type of school is always a good choice, and another type of school is always bad, but be very careful and alert when "shopping around" for a nursing program; be sure you understand what you're getting into, and that you're making the best choice for you in your particular circumstances.

Best wishes!

RhodyGirl, RN · Jun 27, 2008

elkpark-

Thanks for your post! You made some excellent points on issues I wasn't aware of.

CBsMommy · Jun 27, 2008

I am going to be on a waitlist for community college after this semester. The program at the community college is an excellent choice for me because 1) I won't end up with the student loans as I would going to a 4 year college, 2) after I start working for a medical facility I can always go back to get my RN, sometimes at the expense of my employer instead of me (saving me money). There are accelerated programs from ADN to RN so while I am getting the experience under my belt, like any nurse has to do, I will have "caught up" with the 4-year college students, 3) It gives me time to make money now to pay off my car and other bills before school starts, thus making it easier for me to reduce my work hours while I am in the ADN program, 4) I can spend time with my son before he enters kindergarten thus saving me money on daycare. So, community college works great in my situation. Weigh the benefits and rewards of all programs before you enter and I am confident you will make the right decision. Thanks!

kiss04bam · Jun 27, 2008

Well I just got a reply about tuition at the private college, he said it would cost $10,000.00 a year (which I would be going for 3 yrs)=$30,000 not including any additional general classes I may need!!!!

I could get thru this one quicker than the community college 3 years, 2 nights a week and every other weekend(totally works for my schedule though.)

Community College is ALOT less for their RN program which is less than $10,000 for the total program. I would need to go part-time=4 years not including any general education I may need (been out of high school over 10 yrs).

Heard that the CC is really really tough with tough instructors.

Private College I heard has GREAT staff and are willing to help everyone out.

MvbRn, ASN, BSN · Jun 27, 2008

I also attend a community college and the wait list are outrageous. My school just eliminated the waiting list, and for the last two semester have not accepted anyone, becuase of this. I think that something the college tries to trick you into taking classes you don't need so that they can make more money, but they would never tell you that. Loans are a major issue. even in Community College I have had to take out loans, because I used to work full time and now it is just my husband supporting us.

I think the best way is to go to each school and ask questions. I would make sure to do as many classes at the community college before transferring to the Private School.

GOOD LUCK

Absolutely13 · Jun 29, 2008

Great grades and no money, take the CC route. Average grades and someone else is paying for it, go private.

This is going to open a sociology debate! Remember, the people with the money always win.

baldee · Jun 29, 2008

Yes, I have come to the conclusion that CC's are great for pre-requisites, but fat chance on getting in ADN program w/

Its a situation current RN's don't mind I'm sure. But RN's will get the fees, insurance hikes, education expenses/time, job rotations, etc... It is a 'pot of gold under the rainbow' the educational and hospital (ie - free volunteer labor) institutions are taking advantage of.

It is continuous education, so factor that in your budget, and minus insurance costs. So the main thing is to budget your feeble existance and keep your bankruptcies down to every 10 years. :yeah: :yeah:

Woodenpug, BSN · Jun 29, 2008

I went to the CC for pre-reqs and state for the BSN. That was a poor choice because by the time I got into the "bottle-neck" pre-req course a new "bottle-neck" was required. I do have two undergraduate degrees to go along with the BSN, that counts as a perk, I think.

Few people who go to CC actually get the ADN in two years, it's more like three or four years. State BSN's are usually earned in five or six years. I'm told that in the University system, many people earn a BSN in four years.

elkpark · Jun 29, 2008

Yes, I have come to the conclusion that CC's are great for pre-requisites, but fat chance on getting in ADN program w/
Its a situation current RN's don't mind I'm sure. But RN's will get the fees, insurance hikes, education expenses/time, job rotations, etc... It is a 'pot of gold under the rainbow' the educational and hospital (ie - free volunteer labor) institutions are taking advantage of.
It is continuous education, so factor that in your budget, and minus insurance costs. So the main thing is to budget your feeble existance and keep your bankruptcies down to every 10 years. :yeah:

What an interesting and unusual perspective. I've taught in both community college ADN and state university BSN programs, inlcuding participating in the applicant selection process in both situations. The issue I've encountered with both types of programs is that, because they are more affordable, there are many, many, many more applicants than there are "slots" in the program -- the state uni BSN program in which I taught had >4 times as many applicants every year than the program could accept, and that's not an uncommon ratio. I understand it's much worse in some other parts of the country. In my experience (in both types of programs), no one involved in the admissions process was getting any kicks out of exercising "power"; it was a rather sad and unpleasant process, and everyone took their responsibility to make the best choices possible for the school, the public, and the individual applicants very seriously. Some method has to be used to determine which few applicants end up getting into the programs; if you don't like schools using GPA, what do you propose as a fair means of selecting applicants? (And keep in mind that whatever process you propose would have to be defensible in court whenever a disgruntled, disappointed student or her/his parents sues you because of feeling s/he was not treated fairly in the admissions process ... :))

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jun 29, 2008

Having being to both community colleges and private colleges the real difference is private colleges seem to have more resources in place to help you navigate the educational enviroment. at a community college good luck if you can find someone just to tell you simple things like where to get your id card. Depending on the college registering for the classes you need is going to take time. You can just enroll and get the classes you want. You have to mess around taking other classes just to get registration priority or beg your way into classes. That being said community is cheaper so the private you pay is not in $ terms but in level of hassle.

I'm not going to get into a cc vs private college debate and which is better overall because quit frankly its not helpful all colleges are different and everyone has their reason for choosing the college they do