Published Aug 25, 2005
lbennett_71
8 Posts
Almost faxed the info to Rue today to start with them and then I found this website--am REALLY confused now.. After reading many posts I have decided to check out EC tomorrow.... am worried about some things though...#1 Rue seemed to be the easiest as far as payment b/c everything was included, If I go straight through EC do I have to come up with a lot more money up front for books and study guides or is all of that included in price??? #2 Rue was going to charge me 99 now and 99 a month and that's it. How does EC charge? #3 I have read alot that it is hard to get your books from Rue-that they took awhile to send you your next items, how true is that?? Please help soon!!! I am in a crunch for time here!!!!
willtm
128 Posts
You can dowload the EC content guides for FREE from the Excelsior website. You can purchase the textbooks you want to use from either ebay or Amazon for cheap. Go to yahoo.com and search the groups for excelsior rn students. A good group is rnstudygroup. Go through the files and you will find a wealth of information to aid your studies for FREE--look for Lisa's notes in particular. I strongly urge you to go the yahoo groups. The people are a huge help in addition to the files and study aids.
When you are ready to take your test you sign up for it through EC and pay the fee for the test. They just had a rate hike, so I'm not sure what they are charging now for the tests. You pay for one test at a time. You can take the first two nursing concepts test without registering and paying the enrollment fee. When you get to the point that you have to enroll EC offers a payment plan.
Rue is going to charge you a lot of money for study guides that may or may not help you pass the tests. If you REALLY feel like you need a 3rd party study guide look on ebay, buying them used will save you tons of money.
Good luck:)
Jo Dirt
3,270 Posts
$99 down and $99 a month may seem like a cheaper price to pay now but believe me, it in the long run you will end up paying A LOT more by using one of the publishing companies. By a lot more I mean THOUSANDS of dollars more. Best to just tighten your belt and fork over the seemingly high enrollment fee directly to Excelsior.
Have someone from Excelsior explain it to you.
Do a search on here and you can find many disgruntled people who signed a contract with Rue or some other publishing company and have nothing but regrets.
elkpark
14,633 Posts
I agree -- if you have not already done so, do yourself a favor and search and review the older threads here about people's experiences with and opinions about Rue.
You may also want to review some of the existing threads about EC.
Katmease
89 Posts
Like the others said, save your money. You will be paying Rue on top of the Excelsior costs. When I did Excelsior's program, they have their own bookstore. Also, you will have access to their site for students that has a special section that students sell their books and online study groups for classes.
Nascar nurse, ASN, RN
2,218 Posts
DON'T DO IT!! I payed thousands of wasted dollars to a publishing company. They got rich - I got poor. Go to ebay and buy used books/study guides (usually can get them for around $50 - sometimes less).
SierraC
75 Posts
I second that!!! Don't do it. The EC study guides are free and really that is all you need. I did'nt even buy the books from EC ...I just used all my old nursing books. If i did not have the books i needed...i went to ebay.
Spazzy Nurse, RN
499 Posts
OMG I am so glad that you found us and that you didn't sign with RUE!!! I made that horrible mistake and I will spend the rest of my days pleading with people not to make that same mistake. I could go on and on and on (and have many times in other threads about this same topic) but I think the others said it best. You will spend SO much more if you go with them. Plus they have a shady operation, having staff members pose as students on the boards talking up RUE and saying how wonderful it is (yes I know this for a fact).
PM me if you need more info. And again, way to go for doing some research before signing. You're a lot smarter than I was. :uhoh21:
barbiedee
167 Posts
Hey Spazz, as usual, I totally agree with you! I did go with a study guide company (not Rue). It was only after paying thousands of dollars to this study guide company that I realized the same study guides were available USED on eBay. For me, the study guides were the way to go. However, I never pay full price for ANYTHING, so why didn't I do my homework first and buy them off of eBay??? This site has been a money saver for a lot of people due to these posts, too bad I didn't find this site sooner!
Just sign me,
Smarter but poorer