I have gone through a long and tough road on the pathway to nursing. I never realized how difficult it was to get into a program in order to get my nursing career started.Unfortunately, I've learned the hard way and at 26 I have finally been accepted into a program.
However, this program is an accelerated for-profit university and the prices are ridiculous! I have nearly maxed out all of my financial aid assistance, and will now have to rely on private loans. By the time I finish the program, I will be over $100k in debt and this will only be for my Bachelor's degree. My question is although I've always wanted to become a nurse, is it worth being in serious debt?
The interests rate on these loans are unbelievable and I don't want to live my life with the burden of paying off this unreasonable amount of student debt. I've tried the ADN route but I was denied acceptance in those programs. My grades aren't horrible at all, but it seems that each year the required GPA of potential students are higher and higher. I don't feel like I deserve this but unfortunately, this is the cards that I'm dealt with.
My questions again are do you think I should or shouldn't attend this for profit program that will leave me with frightening debt? And should I consider a different career in the health care field? Since things are clearly not working out in Nursing. Thanks
Dear Is Nursing School Worth 100K in Debt,
That's a serious consideration and a lot of debt. It sounds like you are already in debt for schooling (you must have a Bachelor's degree to qualify for an accelerated program) and now you need to fund nursing school.
Depending where you live, and given your age (still young), you can make a good living as an RN. If, as you say, this program is your only option, then you could instead look at ways to pay off loans once you graduate. There are ways to pay back or forgive student loans. You could consider the military or the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment. Check out the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment NHSC Jobs Center for specifics.
You might consider working for a time and putting your nursing career on the back burner while you re-evaluate your financial situation.
The variable we can't quantify here is how badly you want to be an RN. If it's your life dream, will you always have regrets if you don't go for it? Or is this life telling you to go a different direction? The answer does lie within you.
