I’m graduating with bachelor’s degree in health sciences in May. When I graduate I will owe $7,500 in federal student loans. I changed my mind about my major way too late so I decided to just get my degree in health sciences and then take a 1 year accelerated nursing program. I have a high prerequisite and overall GPA so I don’t think getting into the nursing programs will be my problem. My problem is with the money. All of the programs I’ve looked at so far are really expensive. My top choice (University of Miami) is actually the cheapest one I’ve looked at, but is still $40,000. This also doesn’t include the rent for an apartment. This program only starts in the spring and the summer. I was wishing that it would start in the fall so I could work over the summer to try to save up some money for rent. I’m considering just applying to the spring entry so I will have a year off to work and save up some money. However, I’m afraid that I will end up putting off applying to a nursing program since I won’t be going directly back to school like I planned. What should I do? Advice? Thanks!
what is your home state? i would be very surprised if you could not find an in-state public option for far less than $40K. East Carolina’s Accelerated Second-Degree BSN would probably only cost about $30K even for a non-resident.
I agree with the above. If you try to go to a private school for this it’ll cost a lot of money. Does your home state have any accelerated BSN programs? Based on prior posts it appears that you’re from NJ; Thomas Edison State College, New Jersey City University, Rutgers, and Stockton University all have accelerated BSN programs.
You also appear to currently be attending university in Virginia at James Madison. If you stayed and lived and worked in Virginia for a year or so, you may be eligible for in-state tuition. (However, I would triple-check this. This is usually the case for graduate students, but undergrads - even second-bachelor’s students - may still be considered dependents of their parents.)
Think about this: if you take time off to work, will you actually make enough money to significantly offset any costs?