schooling advice

[irwink007]

Hi! My name is Kayleen. I am a senior in high school and I have had my heart set on nursing since a very young age. I have applied to liberal arts colleges and 4 year bsn schools. I get different advice from different people. Some say you should get a broad based background at a liberal arts college and then go into nursing that way if you ever change your mind you have the BS/BA behind you. Then, others say that if you know you want to be a nurse then you should go to the nursing school, get your bachelors in nursing there, then move on to get msn etc in just a year and be at the top in just 5 years. Any advice? Im looking to talk to both nurses who went both routes so any insiders opinion is greatly appreciated!! thanks!

[caliotter3]

The advantage to attending the first two years of college at the school where you might continue on to the BSN is that it is easier, transition wise. A four year liberal arts degree is fine if you have the time and money. However, most students today will attend a two year college, then transfer to a four year college in order to save money. As you know, nursing schools are hard to get accepted to. The four year BSN programs, generally, are not as difficult admissions wise, by word of mouth. Many people apply to all the schools that are near and far until they get accepted. Many people try their hardest to get into an ASN program rather than a BSN program, because they want to get their RN quicker, and start working faster. With waiting lists and impacted programs, often the 4 yr program can be completed before being accepted into a 2 yr program. You need to look at all the options that are available to you, what your hopes are, and what suits your academic profile, your money situation, and your need to enter the workforce when you set about to compare schools. You may find that like most students, your ultimate decision on nursing school, will depend on which school accepts you and when. Good luck with this big decision.