I’m a high school senior in Southern California. I want to be a nurse and my end goal is a BSN (and potentially masters).
My closest colleges are Cal State Northridge and The Master’s College, but TMC doesn’t have any type of nursing program. After scouring the CSUN website, I could not find any information about a 4 year BSN program. They however have an RN to BSN program, a combined ADN-BSN program which is partnered with some local CCs, and an Accelerated BSN program for someone who already holds a bachelor’s degree.
My closest community college is one of the CCs partnered with CSUN for the ADN-BSN program. What would be the best path for me to take, considering the difficulty of admission to ANY nursing program?
Should I start at CC and do my prereqs and wait to get into the ADN program, which will then either allow me to join the ADN-BSN program or, if I can’t get into that, finish my ADN then go for the CSUN or CSUCI (as at this point not being at home may be an option) RN-BSN program.
Or would it be faster to go for an LVN, and once I have obtained that, go for an LVN-RN program at CC and THEN an RN-BSN program at CSUN or CSUCI?
I am also considering attaining a degree in Computer Science from CSUN and then using their Accelerated BSN program to get my BSN, but I think that would be the longest and most difficult option, and my end goal is to be a nurse, not computer science.
Of these, which would be the best option? I am not interested in going somewhere that has a normal 4 year BSN program, as there are none within commutable distance and living at home for the first few years is a top priority for me, so please do not suggest anything like that. Although it may take longer this way, I am okay with it.
Other people can comment about alternatives within California.
I’d still look at a larger geographic area and see if you can find an affordable 4 year direct entry BSN degree, including considering out of state colleges. Some private colleges are very affordable with need or merit aid. In fact, private colleges now discount their tuition by 50% on average. The cost of housing, food and other factors are likely to much lower outside of the big metro areas of California. Also, a few western states have public universities with affordable out of state tuition.
You can apply to multiple types of programs (such as a community college) to keep your options open for a future decision.
Many government and university financial aid programs are only available for 8 semesters. Therefore you may find that taking a 9th or 10th semester to graduate is extremely expensive. Many colleges with a BS to BSN degree program do not offer any financial aid for those students. There also are limits on the amounts of federal loans that can be taken out each year. After that amount is used, the cost of borrowing greatly increases, including upfront fees in some cases.
If you decide to do a non-nursing bachelors first and then go for a RN at a different college, most people would major in biology for their first degree. You want to get as many required classes out of the way as part of your initial degree, so that the second degree does not take an enormous amount of time and tuition dollars.
Not living at home is absolutely out of the question for me, for personal family reasons I would rather not discuss in an online forum, as well as finances. I appreciate the information but I’m not quite sure if I understand. Of my potential paths, are you saying the BS to BSN is very expensive and a bad idea, or is it the best option? I’m sorry if this comes across badly; I just am not sure that I completely understand what you said.
The costs will vary, which is why it is always good to apply to multiple options and see how the costs shake out. If you find an affordable in-state college for a BA, then it may not be outrageously expensive to later get a BSN. But don’t expect any aid for that second degree - you will probably be paying full list price.
However, if you could find a 4 year BSN program that offers merit or need-based aid, it may have the lowest net costs and allow you to work as a nurse for another 18 months compared to if you got two different bachelors degrees. That is called “opportunity cost” - the income that you not receive if you stayed in college longer.
People should also consider the effects of college grants from their state. Some states provide substantial annual grants to middle income students. Some states allow those grants to be used at out of state colleges, while other colleges do not.
Everyone should also keep in mind that it can be hard to hold down a paid part-time job while you are a nursing student, after clinicals start.
Nursing programs are often impacted in Calif so considering the AA to BSN route or the BA in something related and get your BSN after is an option. There are some online BSN programs so you could work while you are doing it and finish the BSN on your own.
If you are going to get a BA in something else, then select something you might use when you are older and may not want to continue working doing direct patient care.
I would not get a Biology degree as it only gets you work as a lab tech so does no have a future. Pre meds often do Bio because they have to take all those classes for Medical School.
So, as Charliesch has said, run the numbers for various versions of what you want to do in terms of cost and see which works out to be the most practical.
@rbb244 As you probably already know as a California HS senior, you have 15 days left to submit a UC or Cal State apps for fall 2016 and then the apps all close on Nov. 30, 2015 at 1159 pm -
NO EXCEPTIONS!!! For nursing in CA, there are only 3 direct entry BSN schools - UCLA, UC Irvine & SDSU - all of which are extremely competitive for admission & hundreds of well qualified students are declined. Next, Cal States near where you live, is it the San Fernando Valley/ Santa Clarita area? You have Cal State Northridge & Cal State LA. Cal State Fullerton & Long Beach [all the Cal States except SDSU are nondirect admit] are other possibilites but you would have a longer commute - probably 1.5 - 2.0 hours each way but as you known people in LA do these crazy commutes all the time. CCs near you which have nursing programs - Valley College, Pierce College, Moorpark College, College of the Canyons, Glendale, Pasadena, Citrus. All the private colleges - Azusa Pacific, Cal Lutheran, etc - are nondirect admits. If your intention is to become a RN, try for admission to a 4 year program, but you have the 2 year programs to fall back on & go straight for the RN programs rather than the LVN. After graduation from a 2 yr CC with an associates degree & passing the RN NCLEX that you can do a RN to BSN program at a 4 year school. This option is the most economically feasible way to become an RN.
Here is the link to the NCLEX passing rates of all RN nursing programs in CA:
