Both direct admit and indirect admit will get you a BSN within 4 years if you are admitted into the program your first time around. Direct admit programs are rarer in some areas, I didn’t even know the existed when I applied to schools. While direct admit is less stressful, indirect admit schools can be cheaper for students like me who didn’t have any direct in their state. If your ultimate goal is to become an NP, the cheapest route is your best option! Nursing is a degree where employers value your work expierence more than your Alma mater, so you should keep costs down while you can, maybe work as a CNA during the school year or summer until you graduate, then work for a few years to save up and get expierence before you get your NP.
Ultimately you should weigh the pros and cons of each school. Don’t knock off indirect just because it seems scarier, I love my school and I had to work hard to get into the program, but it was worth the work. I didn’t find it worth while to pay for OOS tuition and get out loans. If you like a direct admit school and it’s a decent price though, that’s a great option!
Majoring in a major that’s not nursing is just paying extra money. It will take a longer time because you’d take 4 years for your first degree, and then have at least 2 years at a CC or maybe 3 or 4 at a 4 year to get another nursing degree (ASN or BSN). There are some programs for people that already have a degree to only take 2 years, but that would be a total of 6 years just to get a degree you could have in 2 years at a CC or 4 at a college. That’s a lot of money that you could use toward your master’s.