Some backdrop: I went to a traditional 4 year school for my first degree then went to a community college for my associate degree in nursing. While I worked as a nurse, I received my BSN online from Penn State University, which is a flagship state school in PA which a very good academic reputation. It is currently the highest ranked school in the country that offers a totally online RN to BSN option.
My question is, in contrast to attending a highly reputable, cheaper state school, why do many associate degree nurses opt to complete their BSN online at for profit universities like Kaplan, Phoenix, Chamberlain, and Grand Canyon? The for-profits are way more expensive and encourage you to take out loans. Those schools cost more, are less reputable, and aren't any more convenient than the online public state school options. They are also notorious for piranha-like, harassing recruiting tactics and baracuda-style collection practices. So for what purpose..? To what end..?
I recognize that a large portion of the nursing world does not care where you got your nursing degree. But, a significant portion does. One of the most frequent questions I get asked by my colleagues in a new unit is "where did you go to school?" I would be horrified and embarrassed if I had to reply with "University of Phoenix," "Kaplan," or "The Grand Canyon." So what piece of information am I missing here? Why are those schools so attractive?
To add to that.. Chamberlain is not an online program. Their BSN program is conducted in a building with all the bells and whistles (if not more) that "traditional" programs have.
I got my ADN from a state university and honestly, the education was non existent. Too many required courses that had nothing to do with the major and more to do with boosting profit and providing a source of income for those "Professors" who chose to be music history graduates and the like. They couldn't find a job for their degree so they went to the university to teach required courses such as art history, music history or the more modern human relations type of courses. It simply justified their existence and raised the cost of education with no real benefit to the student. I received my bachelors degree from a private catholic college with a reputation as a great nursing school. It was done in the cohort format and, while there was some "Fluff" courses to align with requirements for accreditation, it was more geared to nursing and actual classes for the degree. I am currently shopping around for grad school and am open to all types of schools, public, private and for profit.
Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
I went to chamberlain. My thoughts...
What makes you think penn state is cheaper? It may be...but according to their website the per credit cost is very similar to chamberlain. Cost...similar.
I chose chamberlain because of friends who had a great experience. I too had a great experience. I had nobody hounding me for anything.
Chamberlain was very up front about everything I needed.
Penn state...I won't go there. Ever. I don't care of it's free. You probably can guess my issue...I don't agree with the attitudes of many and thought the guilt was obvious. I will be sad if my children went to penn state.
Tokmom, I don't understand where your hostility is coming from. Openyourmind never mentioned your college being a crap school and I read all the posts here including hers. You seem to be attacking everyone who have a different view from you.
You accused people from insulting your school/non-profit schools but turn around and do the same to them by saying "Many of us don't need Prof's spoon feeding us information. We are grown adults that can read, write and decipher theory on our own without face-face contact."
Am sure everyone who is or who went to nursing school can read and write regardless of what school they went to. While I don't care what colleges nurses went to, people have different views whether we like it or not. This post is getting too serous for all the wrong reasons, we are humans and we learn everyday. No matter the amount of degrees a person has, they do not know everything and may say something out of context. And you can correct them.
People have different opinions, "A person's trash might be another person's treasure!"
Tokmom, I don't understand where your hostility is coming from. Openyourmind never mentioned your college being a crap school and I read all the posts here including hers. You seem to be attacking everyone who have a different view from you.
You accused people from insulting your school/non-profit schools but turn around and do the same to them by saying "Many of us don't need Prof's spoon feeding us information. We are grown adults that can read, write and decipher theory on our own without face-face contact."
Am sure everyone who is or who went to nursing school can read and write regardless of what school they went to. While I don't care what colleges nurses went to, people have different views whether we like it or not. This post is getting too serous for all the wrong reasons, we are humans and we learn everyday. No matter the amount of degrees a person has, they do not know everything and may say something out of context. And you can correct them.
People have different opinions, "A person's trash might be another person's treasure!"
Very true!
If people have the financial capability of going to a for-profit school, good for them. I just personally don't have that option. My tush needed to get in a school with very low tuition costs, and that alone was half the battle because around here it's very difficult to get in.
Tokmom, nobody is out to get you or was even personally attacking you. You can find relief that I or anybody else probably do not care where you went to school. ?
I attended UI Urbana undergrad. Grad school at Columbia in Chicago. Moved to Orlando and started working for University of Phoenix. Graduated with the MHA. And as part of my severance from lay off I finish my MAED/Adult Education and Training in August. Then to nursing school.
I have worked harder than any student at state school for my degrees. I have a higher gpa than all the students in my classes at the community college where I attended for my pre reqs. I have a 3.94 in Valencia College and 3.9 at University of Phoenix. I am a finance counselor in an ER and I assure you I am on top of it in six months than the nurses and some of the staff who have worked there for more than five years.
I'd say it is best not to make an assumption about something you have not personally experienced. And if you can attend an earn your degrees for less then consider yourself fortunate.
If we really want to talk about assumption: I'm not sure how someone can compare and say they worked harder than any other student for their degree. Every student is different. For me it's not about that. It's about the costs to attend. My initial statement was that the affordable schools in my area are a lot more competitive than the for-profit schools. Not necessarily how hard their program was. Nursing programs are hard, period. ?
I did during my ADN class, yes. My RN-BSN classes, no. Most of us work as nurses, so get that clinical component during work. We mostly focus on the leadership and management aspect that we didn't do in our ADN programs.
Well the only thing that I have to add to this foolishness is the fact that I am currently attending a for profit school in an BSN-to-RN program. My school currently has a 98 percent pass rate for the nclex and when people see me in my school uniform I'm proud not ashamed because numbers never lie and our record speaks for itself. Sit on that.
PrismRN
810 Posts
You do realize you just said
and then called someone a "loser" all in the same post, right?