Recent Excelsior Graduates

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · Jul 9, 2005

I am an LPN student about to graduate in Sept. I was banking on going to Excelsior. I have been trying to do research about excelsior and I have been getting mixed signals...
Those who have graduated within a year from EC please advise...
Advantages, disadvantages, and all.
thank you.

Excelsior graduate may 2005 - passed NCLEX 6/2005

:chuckle :balloons: . Advantages: I didn't have time in my schedule to attend classes. My best study time was between 8:30pm and 11:00 (I'm calling this my midnight diploma program :), because my family was asleep. I could also work at a pace that I felt comfortable with - with my family and work schedule, sometimes I had lots of extra time/sometimes no extra time.

Disadvantages: You HAVE be very motivated and disciplined and this is not easy. It took several tries before I stayed on track. I did this by setting goals for each test date on my frig and telling my family they needed to help me stay committed to these goals. (This included even extended family who saw these goals during holiday visits, etc.). My kids got a great kick out of "Mom you'd better study for this next test coming up. And what grade did YOU get today!" The cost is kind of high, but it was nice to "pay as you go". Seems to spread it out a little more than paying for a semester at a time. Was nice to complete this with no student loans to pay back. Another tip: There is a lot posted about study guides from other companies, both good and bad. These study guides are expensive if purchased directly from the complany. My advice would be to look on ebay for used study guides from Chancellor, RUE, College Network, etc. They are much, much cheaper ($250-$300/new vs $40-50/used). Just make sure you are getting a recent copy and not something 5 years old. Some will tell you that all you need is the EC study guides, but I personally thought the study guides really focused in on what I needed to know and the practice tests at the end were invaluable. This program is not for everyone, but if you are motivated and reasonably intellegent (remember you have to teach yourself!) then this is a great program. Good luck to you