But again, no, the bsn coursework alone will not complete the dental school prerequisites. You would need to take additional courses. This may or may not be doable at the same time as your bsn.
Once I get my BSN, I will be working while studying for the dental prereqs.
Doing a doable would burn me out.
About the âNo clue why anyone would become a nurse to get into dental schoolâ
I can major in Biology or Chemistry but the whole point of a BSN is to be employable, to have a backup plan to fall back on.
Being employable (in a good job) is definitely a good part of a plan. That in the end is a worthy goal.
I get frustrated reading your posts sometimes but in the end I think youâll get somewhere better than where you are.
Youâre certainly smart enough to be passing these classes and apparently have a very good GPA.
Back to your original question. If you put in the effort you can work part time while pursuing a BSN or any other degree (the one you are currently). I actually think it might be good for you to work 10-20 hours a week if you can to gain some experience, earn some money and interact more with others. I would suggest, as many others have, that you look into perhaps some lower level healthcare job and see if you can find something that will allow you to work part time. Even if you were to volunteer somewhere for a bit to gain a little experience. I think they might be good for you.
In the end I hope whatever place you end up with regards to education and employment works out well for you.
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Sorry forgot to use grammar etiquette when writing my posts.
No need to apologize. I canât communicate in a second language past ordering a beer and asking where the bathroom is. Youâre doing just fine.
Itâs not your grammer that is frustrating, itâs watching you go down multiple paths that are splintered instead of heading straight to a core goal. Donât apologize. Youâll get there.
Important data point for the OP. If they are enrolled for less than 1/2 time, they wonât receive the full Pell Grant.
@kelsmom can you tell, please, how the Pell is prorated when a student chooses to take less than a full time course load (which is usually 12 credits).
I agree employability is huge.
I just know that nursing degrees take much time and effort and not sure why someone would choose a hard path knowing they donât plan to work in that career long.
OP thinks they are going to make 100/hr upon graduation. They wonât. They will be making about 32/hr. And they couldnât take a travel nurse contract making the big bucks they think they will get if taking college classes. They certainly couldnât take a travel contract while in dental school.
Nursing school includes clinicals which can take up 8-24 hours a week while also taking classes. Clinicals include much time on your feet and often working on those inpatient medical units. Add mandatory nursing courses which typically include theory, ethics, research, and can be writing intensive. Lots of written assignments and essays. Weekly written reflections are common.
So if OP is good with all that and with making 30 some dollars an hour for a few years while deciding what else they want to do with their life than fine.
OP should not go into nursing thinking they will come out making 100/hr in their area and should realize that nursing school will be time intensive and a big commitment.
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Pell is assigned at 100%, which pays at 50% per semester if enrolled full time. FT is 12 credits. If a student takes less than a FT course load in a semester, the Pell is prorated based on number of credits in which the student is enrolled as of the census date (late enrollment after the schoolâs census date results in those late enrollment credits not being counted toward Pell enrollment). 9-11 credits in a semester will pay at 37.5% of the annual Pell amount, 6-8 pays at 25%, fewer than 6 pays at 12.5%. Note that if the annual Pell grant is at the lower end of the Pell chart, it may not pay at all for part time (check with the school if in doubt).
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@kelsmom Iâm just curious, what happens if you take more than 12 credits? I know that is considered full time, but every nursing school I looked at and know of is generally 15-18 credits a semester.
@2plustrio Thank you for your perspective as a nurse. Since you are more familiar with OPâs area, could you please speak to the competitiveness of the local schools? I believe OP is under the impression that once they complete the prerequisites, it will be fairly easy to get into UIC nursing based on anecdotal evidence about a friend.
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@Livvyxoxo full time is considered anything 12 credits or more. You donât get a bonus Pell for taking more credits. And yes, most people DO take 15-18 credits per semester. Because thatâs really what full time students do.
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I donât work for a U of Illinois college, but I can say that nursing school applications have not decreased. At the BSN program I am at, we get about 1000 applicants or more for about 100 spots. We are more holistic with admissions and we look at GPA, experience, LORs, and extracurriculars that show commitment to helping others. I do think it may be difficult for OP to find a BSN program that will allow them direct admission to the nursing program as soon as they complete their prerequisites.
Most BSN programs will not allow you to attend part time once you are in the actual nursing program. The courses each semester typically supplement each other and are meant to be taken at the same time. Such as if you are in a 4 credit clinical course, there are typically 2-3 other classes that likely need to be taken concurrently.
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Thank you, that was the case when I applied to schools last year in the Northeast, but didnât want to give OP false information in case it was different in their area!
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I think youâre putting the cart before the horse. Worrying about whether you can study for dental prereqs while working as a nurse isnât going to be an issue for you if you canât fund the BSN.
My friends are doctors and can pay for my courses if Iâm stuck between a rock.
In your previous threads your planned benefactor was a dental hygienist or similar. Now youâve rounded up multiple physicians to help? Why would they pay to put you through college when they could put that money toward their med school loans, a home, college savings for their children, or retirement? Planning for someone else to give you over $30,000 to finance your education isnât prudent. Sort out the funding first, then decide which courses to take.
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Friends? WellâŠhow can you guarantee they will actually DO this for as long as it takes you to do whatever you end up doing?
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$32 is more than enough, everyone has to start from the bottom and rise to the higher pay after building experience. Thatâs all I wanted.
Iâve taken 21 credit hours in Fall 21 due to the course having higher credit units such as 5 CH for some courses. I have gotten a credit override when I emailed the registrar, due and approved for such a request due to the academic good standing status.
Good nurses evaluate data.
OP- you are getting advice here from some actual pros in financial aid, transfer applications, and nursing school. And for some mysterious reason, not only do you insist that you know better than the pros- you have not spoken to an actual admissions counselor at any of the nursing programs in your region to find out if the plan you have is viable.
You get annoyed that people keep bringing up the financial implications of your proposed course of study/life plan. But your plan up until now has been Pell; and that runs out, never to be reinstated. Every other form of financial aid is subject to stipulations (and that includes those generous friends of yours who are going to pay your tuition or cover your rent, or provide food and car insurance so you can drive to your rotations). Pell is an entitlement- income below a certain amount- here you go. Any other aid is going to have strings attached and you donât seem to have thought through what those implications might be.
But again- nurses evaluate actual data. Itâs not âHey, I bet your blood pressure is high, letâs try thisâ. No. Measure, compare, evaluate. And THEN come up with a plan.
When is your appointment with the transfer counselor to review your transcript? That meeting will provide data. Which info session are you attending to learn more about the nursing pre-reqâs? That will provide data. When is your interview with Amazon to find out if you can get a 25 hour gig which wonât interfere with your classes for the spring semester? That will provide data.
All this noise about how youâll earn $32/hour and âfor sureâ the university is going to accept all the credits you think it will, and how your medical issues will miraculously allow you to handle a physically demanding job- just noise. Not data.
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I agree.
OP, I think that is why so many experienced posters are concerned that your plans may not work out the way you are expecting.
You are clearly a good student. You have taken a very rigorous course load last semester. But the practical part of your stated plans seems to have a lot of wishful thinking.
As @blossom said so well above, actual data is what is needed. It will be helpful if you create an actual plan â on paper â with input from the administrators and admissions officers who will be making decisions about you that will affect you.
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Let me first finish the prereqs that are left. Then I can apply and see If I get admitted to the program. Not having Biology pre-reqs I wonât have a chance.
Rent, car, insurance, food, my parents got it covered since I live with them. After I get my BS and become employable, Iâm on my own from there.
