Should I stay at a community college?

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  1. Should I stay at a community college to finish my pre-reqs or go to Unitek/Samuel Merritt?

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      Community College
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      Unitek

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Hello fellow nurses!

I am in a dilemma right now and I just wanted to see what your opinions were. So this is my third year at De Anza Community College (California) and would be my fourth if I decided to stay for another year. So, unfortunately, I thought it would be a good idea to finish my GEDs before I started my nursing pre-reqs and when I tried to apply to various colleges, no one really accepted me for first major which was nursing.

So my question is, should I stay at a CC to finish my pre reqs and transfer once I am done? or should I attend an accelerated school such as Unitek or Samuel Merrit to become an LVN and then pursue a BSN?

Thank you so much!

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I believe some of the most important thing you need to look at when thinking about trade school is the tuition, job outlook and wage. Can you afford the tuition? If not will the loans cover all the tuition? If they cannot, are you able to cover the remaining cost out of pocket? and I am not sure how the job prospect is or income for an LVN but will you be able to find a job and make enough to pay back those loans? Loans can be a burden after graduating and something people do not really look into before committing.

Another question you may want to think about is will your prereq courses for LVN transfer over to an RN program. I believe if you attend a trade school some of your course work may not transfer over and you will have to take it again at an accredited college or university.

I have a few friends who became LVN and went onto a BSN program after a few years working. So it is possible, but you have to decide whether your current situation (i.e life, finances, time, wants and needs) will permit you to go this route.

If you do not mind me asking are there reasons as to why these other colleges or university have not accepted you?

Can you contact the college/university recruiter and ask them to go over your application and see what areas you can work on?

In my experience I had a very low GPA before being accepted into an RN program. I had a 2.7 GPA, it was the bare minimum but I worked with the recruiter retook courses and stayed in contact with them throughout my progress. I truly believed the recruiter vouched for my admission.

To me it seems you are very close to getting into a RN program. You should contact the schools you want to get in and ask them what areas you are lacking and see if you can improve in those areas for another year at CC to save money.

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No traditional university level BSN program is going to accept you until you've completed your pre-requisites. Even if you already had bachelors in another discipline. You can knock out your pre-reqs in two semesters easily. I just did.

Get them done and then apply to a BSN program. If you go full time this summer and this fall, you might even find a local university that offers a Spring cohort.

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You need to do your homework on finding a school to attend once your prerequisite courses are done. Do not think Samuel Merritt has an LVN program. And most LVN proprietary programs do not have prerequisite courses. Suggest you speak to your current school's nursing advisor.

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I don't think LPN programs give you a degree. I got an associate's degree with an RN at my community college. Then a lot of those classes helped me toward my BSN. The LPN school near me is over $30,000 and the classes are community college here is significantly less expensive. Most of the LPNs I know plan to get there RN soon after they complete the LPN program. You need those prerequisites for a BSN so why not get them done now while you are still in school. I think it is easier to stay in school rather than return to school in the future.

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