Hi! you all might have seen my other posts about the nursing major and that’s because the time for the class of 2021 to apply to colleges is closing in!! I am now trying to decide on how to go about going into the nursing field (which has a bunch of pathways).
I am currently in the process of graduating high school with my AS degree (assoc. in science), which will allow me to have around 2 yrs of uni. done. Would i be smart to get my BA in biology at a state school (my top choices are UNC and NC State) and then proceed in getting my ABSN? i feel like that would put less stress on me rather than going into a prenursing/direct entry major as i don’t have to worry about the certain requirements to stay in the program (not that i won’t be able to keep up, but that i am a very anxious person).
I feel like it would be cheaper too, depending on the school.
Any input is welcome, i can clarify if needed. Cheers!
Things to think about:
To get accepted to an ABSN program you need to have met requirements (take certain classes) and they would look at grades achieved on those. They would look at general gpa and prereqs gpa. In general ABSN programs are competitive. I you have some in mind you could talk to them and see what it takes. Be aware though that if they say that you need C+ for certain prereqs that it is a min requirement and often not enough.
ABSN is considered a second degree so look at what happens to financial aid.
There are direct nursing schools that do not have requirements to stay in the program other than not being on academic probation. . Even if you totally fail a class they would allow for a retake in the summer etc. They also provide support early on as not to be in the situation to fail to begin with. You could also arrange your schedule as having less hard classes together in order to get more time to study (especially if you have lots of credits already).
ABSN arent necessarily easier to get into thus you could need high grades regardless. If you want to be a RN, I wouldnt waste my time or money doing a biology degree. If you are undecided about healthcare path, then yes, a biology degree or something of the like might give you more options into other programs in the future.
I know of direct entry MSN programs as well that allow you to get your RN license within 2 years but you graduate with a MSN versus BSN. Note those programs are typically about 60k plus so not exactly cheap but do give the graduate degree title so to speak which can come in handy later perhaps if one wants to go into management, education, etc.