2 yr or 4 yr college path?

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

I went to one of the aforementioned schools and I will say that we did not have ANY students transfer into the nursing program Junior year after doing their first 2 years at a community college. Nursing classes started freshman year with Professional Nursing in the spring and we took several nursing classes sophomore year so it would not have been possible to transfer in and complete just the last 2 years. It would have taken longer, because the transfer student would need to complete the classes she missed Freshman and Sophomore year, which are pre-reqs to the Junior year classes. Also, there were no spots in the program come junior year for transfers. Some students from other majors transferred in sophomore year but anyone who transferred after first semester sophomore year found themselves at least a semester behind.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

She needs to take into account financing. Is she including living expenses in her estimation? Sometimes living expenses are not paid and so she may need to shell out several thousand more. Also, is it 7k per semester or per year?

I know when I went to OSU before transferring, OSU required close to 12k to live on a dorm. I personally don't think she should worry too much about prestige. Yes it seems nice but no one really cares where you graduate from in the nursing world. I have a community college degree and had no issues getting a job because I made myself competitive through other activities like volunteering on a fire department and working as a paramedic.

It is better if she can select a school that will cover as much as they can.

Zyprexa_Ho · Apr 11, 2016

Don't forget to factor in the opportunity cost. Getting to work a year sooner (which is generally the case with an ASN) can let you make a whole extra year's salary that you have to factor into the mix.

ThatOneDude822 · Apr 11, 2016

If I was in her shoes, NYU would be out so fast. I turned down my top 2 dream schools (both of which I was accepted to) because room and board was going to be $14K/yr. I come from a similar background - parents had low income; filed bankruptcy so I was denied parent plus loans/private loans; I basically depend on the FAFSA to help me get through school. So no way would I even consider a school that costs $70k.

To me, it sounds like she has her heart set on going to the biggest, most prestigious university with all of the name recognition, but she really needs to stop thinking like that in my honest opinion. The thing about nursing, is most employers don't care where you got your degree. A BSN is a BSN is a BSN, and an RN license is an RN license. Going to a "prestigious" institution isn't considered "impressive" in nursing - from what I hear (I'm still a nursing student, so I have no experience of my own for applying for an RN job) employers look more for your ability to learn/adapt quickly and think critically. If a community college grad can do those things better than someone who went to the most prestigious school in the country, then the community college grad will probably get the job.

I would look at BC's and CWRU's nursing programs. Do either of them offer extra points for continuing students when applying to the nursing programs (continuing students = students who were already enrolled to the university prior to applying for the program)? If so, I would go to the top choice between those two (look at NCLEX Pass Rates) if she can afford it on her unsubsidized/subsidized loans and/or working part time. If they don't offer extra points for continuing students (or if she just can't afford it) I would do prereqs and gen ed at a CC and then a year or two from now, reevaluate where she is. Is she in a better spot financially where she could transfer to a BSN program, or is she still struggling financially? There is nothing wrong with getting an ADN then completing a RN to BSN bridge if she can't afford the other options. These are all paths to the same goal, and it doesn't matter which one she chooses because they have all produced highly successful nurses.

danyoon1019 · Apr 15, 2016

Thank you for your input, KelRN215!

My sister heard back from the schools and they all agree with what you said - transferring is pretty hard so thanks to you, she is planning on going straight to one of these schools!

danyoon1019 · Apr 15, 2016

Thank you applesxoranges, ThatOneDude822, jsfarri for your inputs!

Yes, all her expenses are included in the calculations so compared to other colleges and universities, it doesn't seem like much to take out ~10K per year but given her young age and our financial background, it seems like she's a bit afraid to take out loans and going into debt.

She also is an overachiever, especially when it comes to her academics so I mean no disrespect to community college programs or ADNs but she wants to get something equivalent to what she invested during her school year. She did consider the community college option quite seriously but after hearing from the schools that she had in mind, that their transfer rates were quite low, I think she's leaning more towards the 4yr route.

But yes, she is considering BC and CWRU more since they offered the most.

_____

You're absolutely right, jsfarri. I think that was also another factor that helped her choose the 4 year route over the 2 year route.

______

ThatOneDude822, you've been an especially big help to my sister. Thank you. Unfortunately, from what I heard back from my sister what that those schools do not offer such programs.

Like you mentioned, she's most likely going to give up NYU because of the exorbitant tuition and given BC and CWRU, she is most likely going to go to BC. They seem to have a better BSN program overall and also their MSN program appealing to her as well.