Can you retake the sat or act in April and May? Many colleges won’t affect tests taken after you finish high school but would consider tests taken senior year - even in April and May-as valid. You mustn’t be overwhelmed with homework right now, so prep rigorously and try to improve your scores. Even 100 more points would go a long way.
Are you willing to apply to other states than California? As has been noted above, there are few direct entry programs for nursing in California, but other states may have programs you could access.
^Adding to her thread: Do not take any college coursework while you are on a gap year. You will not be considered for freshman scholarships if you take any courses after high school. Work during your gap year to save money for your college expenses.
I can understand your desire to get out of Guam and see a bit of the world, but California is not going to be affordable. It looks like you still have time to apply to the LPN program for this fall at Guam Community College: http://www.guamcc.edu/Runtime/practicalnursing.aspx You also should check out the BSN program at U of Guam: http://www.uog.edu/degrees/bachelor-of-science-in-nursing Both of those lead to national licensing exams, and you would be able to start your career anywhere else in the US and US territories.
All you’re going to be given is a small amount of federal aid. The rest will be loans that YOUR PARENTS would be responsible for…and I bet they won’t/can’t take on those loans.
So sorry that you were so very poorly advised when applying to college.
You would also have high travel costs as well if you went to school on the mainland.
Did you apply to any schools in Guam? Get your RN there, then come to the mainland and work.
$100,000 in debt is way too much. You need to find a far less expensive option.
Did you apply to your local public university, or is there still time to apply? I will admit that I know pretty much nothing about the University of Guam, or any other options in Guam.
There are Us that have articulation agreements with Guam CC, such as Chaminade U in HI and U of Alaska. Here’s the site at the bottom of this post. Guam CC would likely be your cheapest place to start if U of Guam and then get training or grad degree st U of Hawaii or on the mainland.
The U of Hawaii community college system is relatively inexpensive but doesn’t offer any nonresident financial aid nor student housing. They do have a nursing program and I believe you can get a bachelor’s of nursing degree. Sorry it may not have the prestige of the schools that accepted you but probably a lower price tag. You really don’t want to be buried in debt and you won’t be able to get the loans for the CA schools that accepted you.
I believe U of HI may still be accepting applications but they are more expensive than the CC system and cost is a huge barrier for you. U of HI does have a nursing program as well.
SFSU is not a very prestigious school so i don’t think it’s worth $100,000 of debt. maybe you can live in SF for a year and then apply to community college because it’s free there now. good luck!
@liquidsugar, CC is not free to OOS students; depending on the CC, they run about $20K. She couldn’t afford to live in SF with rents at $2k-3K per month.
@tc, let us know what you’ve decided to do. I have family in Guam, so I know Guam can get to be a little too small and you need to get away.
People on this site can help. If you want a personal message, we can do that as well.
Thanks for all your inputs! I have decided to stay on Guam to pursue my nursing degree. The only reason why I wanted to go cali is because I have relatives there and I wanted to experience new things.
You made a good decision to stay in Guam. You cannot afford college in CA. There are lots of opportunities for you to work in CA as a nurse after you graduate from a college in Guam.
Graduating with low or no debt with give you many great options going forward. Nursing has a lot of options if you are flexible and our aging population will need LOTS of additional healthcare workers, including nurses.
Perhaps you can do a summer internship in CA, living with relatives, to get to see some family as well as earning money and gaining experience?
I kno, decision’s been made, but one can become an RN with a degree from a community college and there are community colleges in some states that come in under the amount of the federal dollars available, even for OOS students. Of course, you’d have to get there, which won’t be cheap or easy, and the weather won’t be nearly as pleasant a Guam. Think about thei states that don’t exist on cc NE, SD, IA…
Is University of Guam affordable, and did it admit you to its nursing major?
http://www.uog.edu/degrees/bachelor-of-science-in-nursing
As a community college ADN graduate I would advise you to go directly into a bachelor of nursing program. At least in the US, many hospitals are starting to hire only BSN nurses to get or maintain magnet status. I will have to pursue a bachelor’s degree if I want to get a job at a different hospital than I am currently at, new ADN hires have to sign a contract that they will begin their bachelor degree within 5 years.