Which route to take?

Let me google that for you

I didn't ask what graduate school was? Lmao

After you get your BSN, you apply to grad schools. A graduate degree is a master's degree and the schools generally require a certain GPA, letter of recommendations, etc. Once you figure out where you want to go and get accepted, you go and get your master's (in nursing).

After you get your BSN, you apply to grad schools. A graduate degree is a master's degree and the schools generally require a certain GPA, letter of recommendations, etc. Once you figure out where you want to go and get accepted, you go and get your master's (in nursing).

Thank you. Lastly, if you don't mind, can you give me maybe a short list of graduate schools for nursing in California that are known to have great programs?

Many NP programs require 1-2 years of critical care or ICU experience. Even if your program does not it is a very good idea to get some RN experience before becoming an NP. Having no clinical knowledge or experience is a very bad combination for a person with such great responsibility's like an NP.

Thank you. Lastly, if you don't mind, can you give me maybe a short list of graduate schools for nursing in California that are known to have great programs?

I know nothing about the schools in California but this link should help Board of Registered Nursing - Advanced Practice Programs

I know nothing about the schools in California but this link should help Board of Registered Nursing - Advanced Practice Programs

This was of much help. Thank you

I didn't ask what graduate school was? Lmao

From Google: "graduate school: division of a university offering advanced programs beyond the bachelor's degree." So, if a graduate school offers degrees beyond bachelor's degrees, then you have to go to graduate school to get a master's degree (MSN)

You're getting ahead of yourself. For some of these schools, like CSULB and CSUF, you're not officially a nursing student until after you complete the nursing program pre-requisites in your first and second years and have to re-apply for the nursing program for your third and fourth years. You're technically a pre-nursing major as a freshman admit, not an actual nursing major. I have many friends that started as "nursing majors" at CSUF, but didn't actually get into the nursing program after they completed their first two years because their grades weren't competitive enough. So your first step is to get excellent grades. Focus on that. Think about graduate school once you're in your junior year and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Grad school doesn't matter if your undergrad grades suck. Grad school doesn't matter if you couldn't even get into an RN program because your pre-req grades suck. My point? Your GRADES are everything at this point, don't worry about grad school right now.

If I were in your shoes, I would go to UCI if I were accepted. Unlike CSUF and CSULB, UCI doesn't make you a pre-nursing major if you're admitted into the nursing major as a freshman admit. You're actually a nursing major, you just can't start the nursing classes until you've finished the nursing pre-requisites. I can't speak of SDSU since I know nothing about it, but I bet it's similar to CSUF and CSULB. Given this point, I take back that your first step is to get excellent grades. Your first step is to go back and look at the fine print concerning the nursing programs of all the schools you applied to. Based on your original post, you don't sound like you knew that you're technically not going to be a nursing major once you start at CSULB. It doesn't seem like you knew you had to re-apply to the nursing program after you complete the pre-reqs in the first two years. So really, grad school should be the last thing you should be thinking about right now. You need to go back and review the fine print of these undergrad nursing programs first. Then get good grades. Then worry about grad school.

From Google: "graduate school: division of a university offering advanced programs beyond the bachelor's degree." So, if a graduate school offers degrees beyond bachelor's degrees, then you have to go to graduate school to get a master's degree (MSN)

Oh. Sorry, I just don't know much about the college system(obviously) as I am the first of my family to be attending a university right out of high school. I thought that there might've been other routes available to get a masters degree other than graduate school such as online programs and such.

You're getting ahead of yourself. For some of these schools, like CSULB and CSUF, you're not officially a nursing student until after you complete the nursing program pre-requisites in your first and second years and have to re-apply for the nursing program for your third and fourth years. You're technically a pre-nursing major as a freshman admit, not an actual nursing major. I have many friends that started as "nursing majors" at CSUF, but didn't actually get into the nursing program after they completed their first two years because their grades weren't competitive enough. So your first step is to get excellent grades. Focus on that. Think about graduate school once you're in your junior year and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Grad school doesn't matter if your undergrad grades suck. Grad school doesn't matter if you couldn't even get into an RN program because your pre-req grades suck. My point? Your GRADES are everything at this point, don't worry about grad school right now.

If I were in your shoes, I would go to UCI if I were accepted. Unlike CSUF and CSULB, UCI doesn't make you a pre-nursing major if you're admitted into the nursing major as a freshman admit. You're actually a nursing major, you just can't start the nursing classes until you've finished the nursing pre-requisites. I can't speak of SDSU since I know nothing about it, but I bet it's similar to CSUF and CSULB. Given this point, I take back that your first step is to get excellent grades. Your first step is to go back and look at the fine print concerning the nursing programs of all the schools you applied to. Based on your original post, you don't sound like you knew that you're technically not going to be a nursing major once you start at CSULB. It doesn't seem like you knew you had to re-apply to the nursing program after you complete the pre-reqs in the first two years. So really, grad school should be the last thing you should be thinking about right now. You need to go back and review the fine print of these undergrad nursing programs first. Then get good grades. Then worry about grad school.

I guess I do sound misinformed, but I did at least know that, at schools like csulb and csuf, you have to do well in your pre-nursing courses and then reapply for the actual nursing program. I've been told at least that much. And I see your point with UCI. It's making me rethink attending one of the csu's and instead trying to get into UCI. But I'll have to wait and see if I get accepted. I have some confidence in my application; hopefully, things will work out. Thanks

Oh. Sorry, I just don't know much about the college system(obviously) as I am the first of my family to be attending a university right out of high school. I thought that there might've been other routes available to get a masters degree other than graduate school such as online programs and such.

I totally get how confusing all this college business can be when you're the first in your family to go through it. Especially in nursing, where there are so many levels of practice and options for entry into those different levels. I won't go into all the options, since most options won't apply to you (i.e. RN to BSN, LVN to RN, ADN to MSN, etc.).

Let's look into your options once you've completed a BSN. You can either go into a traditional entry Master's program or Doctorate program. Master's nursing programs tend to be MSNs, doctorate programs are either DNPs or PhDs. DNPs are more common. Both are research oriented. I myself don't really know the difference, but there are lots of resources available online or posts in this forum that try to explain the difference. Here's one: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/dnp/ContrastGrid.pdf.

To practice as an NP, you'll need a Master's at the very least, but you can also be an NP with a DNP or PhD. Being an NP is about licensure and not degree. For example, I can be an RN with an ADN, BSN, or no degree at all if I were a previous LVN that took the 30-unit option in California. As long as the requirements for the RN license are met by the nursing program, the actual degree you hold doesn't matter. Same thing with NP. If the requirements for NP certification are met by the graduate program, it doesn't matter if it is an MSN, DNP, or PhD, although most PhD programs don't usually cater to preparing someone for clinical practice and instead focus on academic research. As such, you'll likely be looking into traditional MSN or DNP programs if you're looking into becoming an NP after your BSN.

MSN or DNP programs can be classroom, online, or a mix of both. Online graduate programs are still graduate programs, the only difference is the way in which the educational material is delivered. The type of program you apply to (online or in-person) comes down to the type of learner you are. Being online doesn't mean a program is sub-par. Many reputable, well-regarded, traditional universities offer online versions of their programs.

Anyway, you wouldn't be applying to graduate schools until your senior year of your BSN program at the earliest, similarly to the way you are applying to universities now for your undergrad in your senior year of high school. This is why I keep saying not to worry about it right now, it's still another 4 years away at the earliest.