Rue or Excelsior?

[Sarahbellum0525]

Seemed a little strange to me.....

thank you!

[Sarahbellum0525]

Not only was the rep's attitude weird, it was somewhat fraudulent and misleading. An ethical, honest rep who had a shred of integrity would have mentioned that RUE's study materials are intended to serve as preparation for Excelsior College's exams and courses.

However, this particular rep presented RUE as if it was an actual distance-based school of nursing, which seems shady and scheisty to me. Then again, telling the truth might have prevented this salesperson from making the sale if the customer knew the whole truth.

She tried to have me sign the paperwork within the first 20 minutes of speaking with her about the program, when I was just looking to get more information. Looking into it, I think EC MAY be a little more expensive than RUE, but EC is still looking like the better option. I mean, offering me a vacation after I pass the NCLEX, paid in full by RUE?

I don't know about that. Another thing, on their site (RUE) it says that their grants are based on financial need, she offered me a 1200$ grant, without any sort of information about my financial status??

Its funny that I'm not getting any replies from current RUE students...

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Looking into it, I think EC MAY be a little more expensive than RUE, but EC is still looking like the better option.

Let me clarify. RUE is a publishing company. It is not a school. It is not a nursing program. RUE does not grant degrees. RUE has no students because they are not a school, and therefore, cannot enroll students. EC is not more expensive than RUE.

You will spend about $9,000 to $10,000 for RUE's books and study materials in addition to the $8,000 to $10,000 you will spend on Excelsior. So let me break it down:

$9,000 (RUE) + $10,000 (Excelsior) = $18,000 total

or... $10,000 (Excelsior) + $1,000 (secondhand study materials) = $11,000 total

[Sarahbellum0525]

Let me clarify. RUE is a publishing company. It is not a school. It is not a nursing program. RUE does not grant degrees. RUE has no students because they are not a school, and therefore, cannot enroll students. EC is not more expensive than RUE.

You will spend about $9,000 to $10,000 for RUE's books and study materials in addition to the $8,000 to $10,000 you will spend on Excelsior. So let me break it down:

$9,000 (RUE) + $10,000 (Excelsior) = $18,000 total

or... $10,000 (Excelsior) + $1,000 (secondhand study materials) = $11,000 total

thank you, it's just so confusing to me, because I can see where you're paying for excelsior from the contract she sent me. She did not tell me (but I found it in the fine print) that you may have extra charges for their books and everything... Just doesn't say how much. That's how I'm getting confused.

[Nibbles1]

I'm going strictly through EC and paying about 7800.00 total. Good luck!

[Sarahbellum0525]

Thank you, THANK YOU! :)

is that including any gen-ed requirements?

[Nibbles1]

I had all of my pre required classes finished except Information Literacy and I take that Aug 25th. The reason I chose EC is because I wsd tired of waiting for a traditional school and all crap I was having to do to just to be considered. I was about to start the BSN program @UAMS when hubby was transferred to Dallas area.

[Sarahbellum0525]

That's not so bad then. I don't do well in a traditional classroom setting. That's why I decided to start looking at options for online schooling. It's just in NYS, none of my credits from my LPN schooling will transfer over to a college.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

It's very rare that credits/units from an LPN program (usually considered a vocational program rather than a collegiate program) will transfer over to a college ASN or university BSN program. The most I have seen is LPN license/experience credit given for lower level nursing credits sometimes requiring a test or skills demonstration.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Sarah, here are a couple of links that you might find helpful:

https://allnurses.com/excelsior-college-online/excelsior-college-distance-808335.html

https://allnurses.com/excelsior-college-online/clinical-performance-nursing-884109.html

In the first article, there is a link to a calculation worksheet on the EC website.

[LPN2RNLIZ]

So happy everyone wrote back explaining that RUE and CN are not schools. I was very confused to hear LPN's saying they were attending RUE University..... Thanks to these blogs I too, was saved and learned the difference. Excelsior gives you the exam content. I used the practice exams cause they are worth every cent. I bought used books off amazon and purchased Study Group 101 off EBay. That's how I have done it so far and I am 3 exams away from FCCA with no fails to date. You can do it without the 9000 buckaroos from RUE!!!! ? Best of luck!!!!!

[monkeyhq]

My experiences with test prep companies is that they are almost always a complete rip off. If you are considering Excelsior, go to their website and query "credit by exam", "advisory", and "open education". You will get a detailed catalog of credit by exam offerings, including what CLEP and DSST subjects are accepted. The Advisory posted at Excelsior is specifically related to the nefarious methods some Test Prep companies use to get students to sign contracts. And the Open Education resources list is exceptional and they only include those that they have reviewed to be appropriate for their exams! FREE or low cost listings of course work you can take/watch/engage to learn about different subjects. Also, for every test authored by Excelsior, they do list the resources you need to pass the exam, complete with book title, and study guides that will specify chapter coverage and the percentage of questions from each category.

Truly, you don't need a Test Prep company. They are trying to make a buck, so buyer beware.