4 year or community college to do prereqs....

I don't think it's a matter of what 'looks' better, more that the 4 year school you plan to transfer to fully accepts the classes you'd be taking at the community college. Other than that, if it was me, once I found out that my credits would be transferrable, I'd do as much at the community college level as I could - you're talking quite a bit of money saved.

I had a BA as well so had to take nearly every pre-requisite (not much from a Humanities degree transfers to a Science one). I think an admissions committee would be looking at your GPA, etc... rather than the letterhead on your transcript(s).

Yes! Colleges do look where you take your pre-req's but not every program is the same! For example - I also have my BA and am also taking pre-req's for 3 different schools right now in the Detroit, MI area. 2 of the 3 schools (Oakland, and U of D Mercy) do not care where you take your pre-req's as long as they are the right equivalent of their own courses. However, Wayne State does care, and gives higher priority to students who take their pre-req's at their school opposed to anywhere else. So you really need to figure out what the program you intend to apply to wants.

My personal advice - I have found that the pre-req's I have personally taken at community college have been MUCH easier then ones taken at a traditional 4 year school, especially those upper level sciences like Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology and Organic Chemistry. Not saying this is ALWAYS the case, but overall it has been true for me. Right now there is so much competition to get into a program that the higher the GPA the better the chance you have at actually getting in (which is why I have to apply to 3 programs and pray I get into at least one!)

I would definitely do your homework with the schools you are looking to apply to and see what they say before you start enrolling. Call and talk to an admissions counselor for the program you are trying to enter. And YES - Community college is way cheeper :) GOOD LUCK!

If you're planning on transferring to a 4 year university for your BSN, check with them first to make sure that any classes you take from a community college will transfer. I have a previous bachelor's degree as well. I ran into some trouble with one advisor that told me that if I took my pre-reqs from a CC that they wouldn't transfer. They only take up to 64 credit hours from a CC. Of course, I've never taken any classes from a CC before so it shouldn't have been a problem.. but sometimes they're weird about things like that. Better to be safe than sorry.

I did actually end up taking the classes from the CC. The only other issue that I've run into is the fact that I can't get financial aid for taking classes at the CC since I already have a degree. I could get financial aid at any 4 year school and if I was in the nursing program at the CC, I could file for a hardship and receive it then.. but just for my pre-reqs at the CC, no such luck. That's something else to consider.

In my experience, the classes at the CC have been "easier" ..but that's actually pretty subjective. I was previously enrolled in A&P I at the 4 year school, but dropped due to the instructor. She was confusing and really didn't care if she was helping her students understand the material or not.. all she cared about was her research. I decided to try the CC and love the instructors. It's still a tough class, but the way the information is presented is just 100x better. I'm still having to put forth a lot of effort to learn the material, but it's not a struggle like it was before. Of course, your experience might be completely different. I would still suggest talking to actual students at your prospective schools if you can to get their opinions on the instructors..because they're also an important factor.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide!