I can’t decide between two different schools and time is up

@natashlee98 - Take a deep breath! At least UIC is now the devil you know. You’re doing all the right things by going out and getting the information you need to make your choice. If UIC proves to be the better choice, is there any opportunity to retake the chem placement test? Could you study over the summer, possibly retake a class? If it would save you a year’s worth of college time it might be worth it.

Right now, perk yourself up and go to Olivet’s orientation looking for a positive experience. Your top priority right now is to make the most of these two days so that you can make the best decision for yourself. You sound like a smart, very self-aware person and you will figure this out!

Well Now that I think of it I have considered occupational therapy which would take the same amount of time. I would graduate in two years with a psychology degree and then go to OT school.
And turns out I can’t retake the placement test and would definitely have it do 8 semesters of chemistry. I asked her for a whole bunch of different ways.
Thank you, I hope all goes well.

@Mwfan1921 and @Aug2019 have the right spirit. Head up, eyes open, feet moving: figure out what the path forward at each school looks like, get a feel for both places and pick one that you can handle.

Also, you haven’t screwed up, you’re just walking your path. You got knocked around a little, dug in and reestablished yourself at CC and now you’re heading forward again, so celebrate that and don’t dwell on should have of could have. You’re still young and there’s plenty of time to pick a goal and reach it. Good luck.

a lot of times, nurses take 5-6 years, maybe more to get work anyways as an RN. My wife went to school as an art major, graduated, then decided to go into nursing, so took 2 more years of schooling. My next door neighbor’s daughter went to school as a Bio major intending on going to med school, changed her mind after graduation/didn’t make it, then took a year of nursing school. Now both are really highly paid RNs. I don’t think an extra year of school is that bad, people take gap years, or take their time, and you get a lot of people who don’t graduate until a lot later. Post #19 is 100% on point as well.

Do you mean 8 credits of chemistry? 8 semesters seems excessive.

I would not worry at all about school taking an extra year, as long as you can afford to pay for the extra time in school and/or extra class. We all take different paths to get wherever we end up.

I know many very successful people. Almost none of them took the shortest path to get from “high school student” to “successful”.

So I’m at the ONU orientation and they tell me that it’s gonna take just about the same time as UIC to finish. Maybe just one year less. The thing about this school is that it’s really small and quick to get used to. I usually like big campuses where there’s a lot to explore.
People are realy nice here though and I found I cool potential roommate.
The issue is that it is still $5,775 to pay and use divided into two semesters. I could get a loan of like $2,500 but will still have to pay I have to pay like $355 four times each semester. And a first payment by August 1st depending.
So everyone was telling me that I need to see how the atmosphere of both schools are. Well, I like this one and the atmosphere seems good. People seem nice.
However…the buildings are all run down and the nursing department seems low budget. Yes, it’s all tight nit and small I DID just come from a community college which would make things easier for me.
But I like UIC because it’s in the city and I like the city. But then it’s like…I’ll be commuting so why does it even matter? UIC is the school I mentioned that would take me like 3 extra years for nursing.
Honestly…? I feel like I like UIC better. Which is a bummer because I really wanted to like Olivet. But, tbh the food I don’t really like. The buildings are old. It’s very small and I might get tired of it.
But the upside about Olivet is that it is tiny and during winters all I’d do is roll out of bed and go to class.
At UIC though I’d have to take the train for like an hour so I’d have to wake up really early. And even walk from building to building to get to clas.
At Olivet, I’m guaranteed to make friend living on campus cause it’s small and tightknit. Maybe even meet someone.
UIC is the opposite since the campus is huge and I’d be commuting.
UIC provides me with more options, but Olivet provides me with a more help from advisors.
UIC is less expensive and I’d probably wouldn’t even be paying a remaining amount, grants and loans would cover it probably.
I feel like I’m more likely to get better grades at Olivet if I live on campus because I’d be so close to classes and the campus is really small. UIC, like I said, I’d have to take the train there and back and have to do that every day.
Since it’s so expensive to live on campus at Olivet, there’s the option of commuting. Commuting is 4,775 dollars and I can take out a loan that is like 3,600 or something. I wouldnt Be paying much. It’s a 30 minute drive there and back on the high way.
As for Olivet in general…Idk if it’s just me, or the vibe, or the fact that it was really cloudy, or the fact that my brother was being a downer, but I didn’t feel like belonged. And it’s funny because there saying is “we believe you belong here”
I just did not feel it. It was nice…people were nice and all…but honestly I just couldn’t get over the fact that this 40k a year school looks so…just regular.
There’s a lot of rust and the hallways and the food…idk. It’s like, is it worth it?
But if I go to UIC, I’d have an option of graduating with my bachelors in some major like psych and doing something with it and then go to nursing school. Olivet doesn’t give me that option.
Crazy thing is, I still don’t know. I want to be smart about my decision but i want to be happy too.
UIC provides options and a good reputation and I like the campus…but the commute is brutal and the class sizes are outrageously huge and it might affect me since I’m used to smaller classes and being able to speak to my advisor. What if I can’t do it?
Olivet is good cause if Christian like me and small so easy to get to places. I could either commute or live on campus. It seems like it can get boring really quickly. Idk if it’s really worth my money. I’d make lots of friends though and have already met some people, but for some reason don’t feel like I belong here
Idk. I have until JULY 1st basically June 31st to make a definite choice.

Could you commute to UIC for a year and try to find a roommate for the next so you can live closer? I know Chicago is expensive but there will be other students like you that will want to live closer to campus.

I think UIC is a better fit for you. But I was checking the train commute times and it’s crazy, even from University Park to UIC on Metra then subway will take a minimum of 80-90 minutes and cost you $250 a month in train costs. And from where you are at it takes another 30 minutes to drive to University Park. So you would be commuting 4 hours a day and there’s no way any student should be commuting anywhere that much. You should try and find housing at or near UIC.

A major issue facing nursing education right now is clinical placements. You will need to do a certain number of hours in a healthcare facility with nursing faculty. Facilities need to agree to do this, and because of a national shortage of nurses, many are cutting back because it adds to the strain of their already strained unit. I am not concerned about UIC as there are hospitals all around it. But Olivet isn’t. I am sure most of their placements are in Lansing, but I bet MSU sends many students to Lansing area hospitals, too.

You must find out where their students go for their clinical training. You may end up driving two hours for that work; or, worse, slots may be so tight that some students don’t graduate on schedule. Depending on the state, the number of hours needed could be extensive. Please check on that.

I graduated from college when I was 24. I’ve had a lifetime full of good things since then. It seems like a long time, but it isn’t. You’re young and have your best years to come. Keep your eye on the goal. UIC seems a better choice for you.

@Cheeringsection I guess I can do that as well. I can try to find a roommate.

@cypresspat Wow. I didn’t take that into account at all. I do have to think a lot about the clinicals. Olivet does some of their clinicals at a hospital that is 45 minutes away.

@ProfessorPlum168 I just hope I could afford it find cheap housing near UIC. It’s gonna be difficult but I can definitely try. That would also give me a chance to leave my parents house. The train times sound horrendous to me honestly.

I have another option. ( It’s a plan C of mine) I was thinking of attending Olivet for two years and getting my bachelors in psychology and then going to UIC for OT (occupational therapy) school. I would be done at 24 just like my situation with nursing. The reason I would do that would be because I would at least have my Bachelors in two years and then get my masters in OT (which requires it anyways). I guess in my head i would feel more accomplished maybe? Or it would take some of the pressure off.
Idk because like I said, that’s just a plan C. Does that sound like a decent plan? From your perspectives ?

I would suggest thinking about whether you’d truly prefer to be a nurse or an OT? That’s a long term decision, rather than a shorter one (where should I go to school).

I don’t know the OT field at all OP. But nursing seems like it’s always in demand and will only become more so over time. A lifetime of job options, specialities and flexibility is well worth an extra year or two.

24 is nothing.

And keep costs down as much as possible. But a little bit of debt like 10 to 20k max for the remainder of your time for a nursing career can be justified imho.

Many soldiers just start school at that age.

I would get a 4-year degree in something that allows you to support yourself. Psychology requires an advanced degree, doesn’t it?

Can you afford to attend UIC long enough to get a nursing degree?

I think you guys are right. Nursing sounds like the better idea.
As for being able to afford spending more time in school? Nope. I can’t afford anything. Right now my car is broken and I can’t afford to fix it. I feel like I’ll need loans either way. The train ride is like 1hr 20mins everyday each way. So I’ll just live on campus. I don’t think I have that kind of commute in me.

Can you afford to live on campus at UIC?