I've been toying with the idea of a career change from doing lab work for a biotech company to nursing for years. Finally I've decided I'm really over working in a lab and my best option is a whole new career and nursing has the largest appeal for me of all my options involving going back to school. I'm soon to be 34 years old and earned a BS in biology with a minor in psychology back in 2004.
I just enrolled at NOVA and start my first pre-req online class on Monday. I've spent the last few weeks looking at all the information I can find about the Accelerated BSN programs in the northern VA area and GMU and Marymount seem like the best options... Favoring GMU for pricing reasons. So far the plan is to apply to both programs next year once I've completed the pre-reqs at NOVA.
Marymount requires Chemistry much more recently than I completed it which GMU doesn't. I'll likely go the CLEP route but as it'll be cheaper but man it'll be a pain in the butt going through all the information and studying up on my own. Big montivation to lean even more towards GMU and not bother with Chemistry again haha.
Anyways, just curious to hear from anyone else currently looking into the programs or recently gone though either of them for feedback on their experiences and such. I'm excited to get started on a new career path but it's going to be a somewhat long journey an from what I've read pretty hectic once you're in a program.
Sounds like you have a great plan! Just another note, you can get a tax credit (American Opportunity Tax credit?) for your NOVA classes if your adjusted gross income is under $80k single, $160k married. I also filled out the FAFSA and will rely on loans to pay for the ABSN since it's only a year and will use savings for living expenses.
It seems that many schools are starting to phase out the ABSN and converting them to CNL programs (e.g., Georgetown, Hopkins), so hopefully you can apply to the ABSN programs while they're still around. It sounds like you'll be applying to GMU at the end of this year on Dec 2016-Jan 2017 and maybe finishing up pre-reqs while waiting for an admissions decision. (I did 3 last semester, put in my application, and now finishing up 3 this semester.) Again, you'll be in great shape and good luck!!
Good to know about the tax credit. I'll have to write that down for myself for next year when I do my taxes. Started my first pre-req class in February so it's all 2016 taxes. I am under the $80k mark.
Will FAFSA help when it's based off you're last tax year when you were still working? Or is there an option to enter saying you WON'T be working during school over the year you are applying for? I'm still in the early stages of figuring this all out.
I'm the same in my plans to get a loan to cover school costs and use my savings for living expenses while in school. I didn't hear anything about phasing out ABSN programs when I attended information sessions at both GMU and Marymount and there were a number of other people there looking to apply for the Fall 2017 enrollment.
I've got 5 classes to take, 6 if I end up having to take Chemistry again for Marymount. All but finished with BioEthics, and halfway through A&P I already. Plan to finish the classes quickly then focus on studying for the HESI A2 so I do well on that.
Glad they aren't phasing out the ABSN at GMU and Marymount! I filled out the FAFSA for the 2016-2017 school year, and it's based on my 2015 tax return (it imported information from the IRS database since I filed my taxes pretty early). And there's no option to say you won't be working the next year.
I'm sure you'll do well on the HESI. It's mostly vocab/grammar, and the math section has an electronic calculator you can use (so I don't really understand the point of the math section at all if you're allowed a calculator). The anatomy/physiology section is the trickiest part just because it's so general, and you really don't know what they'll ask, but it'll help to have recently taken AandP I and II.
Trhl09
19 Posts
Sounds like you have a great plan! Just another note, you can get a tax credit (American Opportunity Tax credit?) for your NOVA classes if your adjusted gross income is under $80k single, $160k married. I also filled out the FAFSA and will rely on loans to pay for the ABSN since it's only a year and will use savings for living expenses.
It seems that many schools are starting to phase out the ABSN and converting them to CNL programs (e.g., Georgetown, Hopkins), so hopefully you can apply to the ABSN programs while they're still around. It sounds like you'll be applying to GMU at the end of this year on Dec 2016-Jan 2017 and maybe finishing up pre-reqs while waiting for an admissions decision. (I did 3 last semester, put in my application, and now finishing up 3 this semester.) Again, you'll be in great shape and good luck!!