Calling all students: HALP

[cellardoorv]

Here's some background:

I went to "school" via UOP (University of Phoenix) with online classes. Wee. Got an Associates in something totally useless (Psychology).

I am now going BACK to school for an actual trade. I have chosen nursing mainly because I want secure field. (I know the health field is going through a surge/overabundance, yadda yadda whatever, but people are always sick and dying)

My real questions lie with the Financial aid portion of school. I am... completely lost. I don't really have people to turn to in my family, because I'm the only one IN my family to attend any sort of college. My mother never graduated high school, and I think the last grade my father saw, in another country no less, was probably 4th grade. And they're like... rich. I hate them. Anyway.

A problem I was facing with UOP was the rule of 24. Basically, according to the Department of Education, a student is considered a dependent on their parents until the age of 24. Doesn't matter if the student doesn't live/see/associate with the parents, as long as the parents are alive and they're under 24, the Dept of Edu expects your parents to help you pay for school. When you fall into a situation like myself, where my parents refuse to pony up, you're kinda S.O.L.

Now that I am 24 (woo!) I'm looking into grants/scholarships/etc, but... I am so lost. I have no idea where to start. NO idea what I'm doing, or what me being 24 and independent even means. Google vomits up a plethora of results that are hard to decipher and digest. Any specific suggestions? Also, can financial aid cover rent, living expenses, etc? (which I will be having, because I won't be living with said parents)

[bluepillow]

Did you find a school you want to go to? If not, you need to figure that out.
Fill out FAFSA. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov (NOT fafsa.com)
Go to your school's financial aid office and see what they can offer in terms of grants and scholarships.
Federal Pell grant may be available.
If you were to pick a biology/chemistry/engineering/math/physics field, you may qualify for a SMART grant. Nursing students don't qualify, unfortunately.
ACG grant, but I'm not sure if you qualify since you have a degree. Check out the requirements
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/ ... ab=funding
Teaching fields have the TEACH grant.

Another route is to go to fastweb.com and fill out your information and sort through all of the nonsense to find some realistic scholarship opportunities. I've never had any luck though.

Ultimately you can look into loans, but before you do that, check out Jesda's thread.
hey-students-you-stressed-yet-let-me-pi ... 22734.html

Good luck!

[Encryptshun]

^ Gold advice is gold.

[ProudNissanFreak]

Fafsa is the place to start. Scholarships.com is great as well.

[Jesda]

There is never a overabundance of nurses. Doctors, yes, nurses and PAs, no.

Here's something a friend of mine shared with me:

If you're seriously at a crossroads with respect to your career and have an interest in health care why not consider a career in nursing? Wait....hear me out. There's just as much opportunity to specialize in nursing as there is with med school. The investment in time and money is much less than med school. There are probably more men in the nursing field now then there has ever been, and (I know this sounds misogynistic but it's true IMO) the more men that enter the field the more respect the field gets from...well...everybody.

I went into one of the little known and highly technical careers of nursing that's been around for 100 years. I got a 4 year BSN degree, graduated and went straight into intensive care nursing for two years (just one of the MANY specialties you can go into), and then went back to school to become an advanced practice nurse. 30 months of graduate school, anesthesiology courses, hospital residency, and one masters degree later I entered the career I'm in now and have been very satisfied with my job for the past 7 years. I get to take care of a wide variety of people in the hospital setting. I may put kids to sleep one day, obstetrical anesthesia the next day, open heart surgery the day after, etc. It keeps things interesting.

The payoff for the investment in time is very good. In 2005 the average reported annual starting salary was 130k. That number in 2008 was 180k. It's a highly technical, well established, and very rewarding career IMHO.

Just a thought. http://www.aana.com/Default.aspx And good luck with whatever you decide.

[PEZi]

^ Gold advice is gold.

this

[frapjap]

Very good starting place.

If you end up with questions about loans and repayment concerns tagged along with them in the future after graduation, don't hesitate to drop me a line at any time- I've paid (and repaid) for school in a WIDE variety of ways in a situation similar to yours.

Now that I am 24 (woo!) I'm looking into grants/scholarships/etc, but... I am so lost. I have no idea where to start. NO idea what I'm doing, or what me being 24 and independent even means. Google vomits up a plethora of results that are hard to decipher and digest. Any specific suggestions? Also, can financial aid cover rent, living expenses, etc? (which I will be having, because I won't be living with said parents)

You can use your financial aid to cover rent and expenses. The financial aid department of your college of choice should give you a check for the difference of tuition:aid every semester. Be careful though- this is one lump sum that you'll receive each semester, so plan accordingly!!

[HashiriyaS14]

FAFSA.

Stafford Loans will cover $20,500/year for part-time and I think double that for full time. You can cover the rest with private loans.


I'm going to have about $42k worth of debt to pay off for my MBA when I graduate in July, not too bad IMO.

[hannibal]

I would avoid for profit schools like Phoenix, Kaplan U, etc. The Dept of Ed is cracking down on them, and its very tough to get a Direct Loan for one of those schools. A state school will provide a better education and is usually more affordable.

I'd suggest going for an RN (usually a 4yr degree), as opposed to an LPN.

[bluepillow]

Also, beware of the fact that nursing has become an EXTREMELY competitive field. In the school I currently attend, from a few thousand applicants, only 30 get chosen for the nursing program. It takes extreme dedication and especially time to be well prepared for admissions tests, courses, etc. If you're not in 100%, don't bother. Keep in mind most schools offer free tutoring. You're paying for it with tuition, use it!

One of the courses I currently take is also a nursing requirement, so I am around those students on a daily basis. Every one of them is stressed the eff out because they can't handle the immense workload + pt job + family + life. Be prepared to cut a lot of things out of your life in order to succeed. The most important thing to keep in mind is to ALWAYS have a plan B, C, and D. In case you don't get in the program, will you give up? Of course not, you'll have other options that you can utilize instead. Like working on a degree in social work or bio, meanwhile trying to get into the nursing program again. Never give up!

Other fields you may look into are Physical Therapy and Occupational therapy. Many of the requirements are similar, but they are also very competitive and also work in a hospital setting.

That said, nursing is a very rewarding field. You're directly dealing with patients that expect the best from you. Many of them will remember you and praise you for the rest of their lives and tell everyone they know about that girl in that hospital that made their hospital experience a little better.

[EvoTyler]

This thread so far is full of great info. Some however is incorrect. I'll try and help without getting too long winded.
First off here's my background. I'm the director of high school admissions at a business college.
24- government set this rule as to determining financial status because federal pell grants and stafford loans are based on income and if they did not have that rule in place many people would get a ridiculous amount of money and then default (not pay) on their loans later.
FAFSA- good starting point, will determine your financial eligibility. Ridiculously hard to understand. Many schools will at least help, if not walk you through the FAFSA entirely. This will let you see how much you can pull in stafford loans per year, based on income and educational background.
Grants/ scholarships- TONS out there. fastweb is a good starting place. When I get to work tomorrow I'll get the list of sites that I usually recommend.
Choosing a school- Tough decision with the medical field. Yes, for profit schools have been under scrutiny from the US dept. of Ed. due to some of the larger francise schools (phoenix, kaplan) misleading potential students (I'll try and find the undercover video where a student was led to believe they could make $100k per year being a barber-true story- disturbing, I know). However, there are a lot of better opportunities at these types of schools because they typically offer a more hands on education, and they are judged based on their effectiveness at getting students jobs.
State schools/ community college- definitely a cheaper way to go. Problem is they are hard to be successful there. Medical programs typically have waiting lists for clinicals that are EXTREMELY hard to qualify for. (I had a student w/ a 3.8 GPA get passed over for clinicals for 3 semesters).
As for course of study, RN is always a safe bet. Good job security there. There is more money if you specialize (surgical, neonatal etc.) You have to check out the market in your area though to determine which may be a better option for you.
Sorry to be long winded. Hope this helps. I can elaborate on any of these points if you'd like.

[sentrastace]

hey, i'm going to univ of phoenix too.
in the aid process u gotta get your parents tax forms....even though youre not technically a dependent on them, but they consider you one. (i'm 21, havent lived with them for years, they dont provide any of my income, etc).....
they should be able to approve you for loans once you fill out a FAFSA.

[frapjap]

Yes, for profit schools have been under scrutiny from the US dept. of Ed. due to some of the larger francise schools (phoenix, kaplan) misleading potential students (I'll try and find the undercover video where a student was led to believe they could make $100k per year being a barber-true story- disturbing, I know).

PLEASE POST! I MUST SEE THIS!

[nissangirl74]

One of the courses I currently take is also a nursing requirement, so I am around those students on a daily basis. Every one of them is stressed the eff out because they can't handle the immense workload + pt job + family + life. Be prepared to cut a lot of things out of your life in order to succeed.

I am a nursing student. Sure the classes can be tough but stress is as bad as you let it be. I have stress, simply because I push myself to get the best grade possible. I don't want an 85, I want 102. If you surround yourself with people who support you, you will make it through fine. Greg and the kids ALL support me. They think it's awesome. The kids even help me study.

The first thing you need to do is go see the Financial Aid officer at your school. Their services are free and invaluable. They will point you in the right direction and help you fill out the necessary forms. They can also help you find scholarships that might be exclusive to that particular school. Pell Grants are awesome, but they are very hard to get anymore. Try to stay away from student loans if you can. They're too easy to get and the temptation of easy money isn't always easy to resist. If you can't, don't borrow more than you need and don't borrow more than you can afford. My advice would be to get an apartment, get a roommate, eat mac'n cheese, rent your books, and pay for your classes as you go. This will be a lot simpler if you go to a community college.


CC rates are unbelievable and regardless of what some might say, the education you get there is top notch. The Biology professor I had last semester was THE smartest person I have ever met, in my entire life, no question. There is a waiting list for her class, she's that good. Glendale Community College has one of the best nursing programs in the country and it is uber-cheap. I can get my degree for less than $10K, total. I already have a degree (Also form U of P) so most of my core classes are done, but you are in the same boat so I'd assume costs would be similar for you as well. Some people don't like the environment, that's a personal decision. I say, go where you feel comfortable.

Good luck, if you need any more advice, hit me up. Congrats on wanting to better yourself and do something awesome with your life.

[bluepillow]

One of the courses I currently take is also a nursing requirement, so I am around those students on a daily basis. Every one of them is stressed the eff out because they can't handle the immense workload + pt job + family + life. Be prepared to cut a lot of things out of your life in order to succeed.

I am a nursing student. Sure the classes can be tough but stress is as bad as you let it be. I have stress, simply because I push myself to get the best grade possible. I don't want an 85, I want 102. If you surround yourself with people who support you, you will make it through fine. Greg and the kids ALL support me. They think it's awesome. The kids even help me study.

This is absolutely true, I was just stressing the point that it's no easy task to be a successful nursing student. I also have amazing support from everyone around me and it is extremely important. Sadly, not everyone is lucky enough to have that, and many that do, take it for granted.

[skydragoness]

Community colleges FTW. If they're like the one in my state, they have parallel programs where after you finish 2 yrs, you can continue on at either of the Universities in my state for a higher nursing degree (is it RN with a 4 yr degree? I wasn't following). The nice thing about them is they usually design their course work and classes (along with scheduling) with the idea that their students are working full time jobs. That's my .02. Good luck, and kudos on your decision to go back

[nissangirl74]

Community colleges FTW. If they're like the one in my state, they have parallel programs where after you finish 2 yrs, you can continue on at either of the Universities in my state for a higher nursing degree (is it RN with a 4 yr degree? I wasn't following). The nice thing about them is they usually design their course work and classes (along with scheduling) with the idea that their students are working full time jobs. That's my .02. Good luck, and kudos on your decision to go back

I am lucky. At the end of the nursing program at GCC, I am fully qualified to go take my licensing test. No 4 year degree required. However, if I do wish to keep going and get my BS in Nursing, all of my credits are fully transferrable. It's a win-win.

[S13_love]

Sadly, not everyone is lucky enough to have that

Yep.

[skydragoness]

Community colleges FTW. If they're like the one in my state, they have parallel programs where after you finish 2 yrs, you can continue on at either of the Universities in my state for a higher nursing degree (is it RN with a 4 yr degree? I wasn't following). The nice thing about them is they usually design their course work and classes (along with scheduling) with the idea that their students are working full time jobs. That's my .02. Good luck, and kudos on your decision to go back

I am lucky. At the end of the nursing program at GCC, I am fully qualified to go take my licensing test. No 4 year degree required. However, if I do wish to keep going and get my BS in Nursing, all of my credits are fully transferrable. It's a win-win.

Sweet!!
I know that the licensing must vary from state to state. I think you could definitely do the same thing you're doing here in DE as well.
I've started to have dark thoughts about going back for my masters (education), but I think I need more time off to recover from doing the full-time work/full-time school thing. >_<

[Jesda]

Time off just makes it harder to go back.

[cellardoorv]

I am a nursing student. Sure the classes can be tough but stress is as bad as you let it be. I have stress, simply because I push myself to get the best grade possible. I don't want an 85, I want 102. If you surround yourself with people who support you, you will make it through fine. Greg and the kids ALL support me. They think it's awesome. The kids even help me study.

The first thing you need to do is go see the Financial Aid officer at your school. Their services are free and invaluable. They will point you in the right direction and help you fill out the necessary forms. They can also help you find scholarships that might be exclusive to that particular school. Pell Grants are awesome, but they are very hard to get anymore. Try to stay away from student loans if you can. They're too easy to get and the temptation of easy money isn't always easy to resist. If you can't, don't borrow more than you need and don't borrow more than you can afford. My advice would be to get an apartment, get a roommate, eat mac'n cheese, rent your books, and pay for your classes as you go. This will be a lot simpler if you go to a community college.


CC rates are unbelievable and regardless of what some might say, the education you get there is top notch. The Biology professor I had last semester was THE smartest person I have ever met, in my entire life, no question. There is a waiting list for her class, she's that good. Glendale Community College has one of the best nursing programs in the country and it is uber-cheap. I can get my degree for less than $10K, total. I already have a degree (Also form U of P) so most of my core classes are done, but you are in the same boat so I'd assume costs would be similar for you as well. Some people don't like the environment, that's a personal decision. I say, go where you feel comfortable.

Good luck, if you need any more advice, hit me up. Congrats on wanting to better yourself and do something awesome with your life.

I am ALL for community college use. Unfortunately, however, the school that I am interested in (that specifically caters to working adults) for nursing works this way: There is a "point" system to get into their RN program, instead of a waiting list. The closer you get to the maximum number of points, the greater the chance you have of getting into the RN program each semester. Don't make it this semester? You try again next semester. A substantial amount of said "points" are gained by taking core pre-req. classes AT THAT school. So, sure, you COULD take your pre-reqs at a community college for lots less, but if you take them here at a higher cost, you gain more points and have a better chance at getting into the RN program.



Also, I should also note that only ONE community college is offering a nursing program that is located anywhere near me. There is a SUBSTANTIAL wait list for this program, mainly because a.) it's located in the capital city, and b.) is the only community college in the area offering the program.

So my dilemma now stands:

1.) Bite the bullet, and take my pre-req's at the first school at a greater cost, and potentially start the program sooner
2.) Take my pre-req's somewhere cheaper(CC), then try to apply to school number two with the chances of waiting quite some time
3.) F*cking move.


ALSO, let me take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone participating in this thread. A lot of great information and I really appreciate it. I knew I could count on you guys

[skydragoness]

3.) F*cking move.

I like this.


In all seriousness, I think #1, getting through it sooner is worth it IMO.
There's always moving though, maybe see if there's a CC in another state that is bigger and can meet the demand better?

[s14_girl]

I'm a nursing student in NC, and they do the same "points system" stuff here. It's stupid, but they have been doing it for a while now. Unless you know of another school you could move to be closer to, and have a good chance at being accepted into the program, I would stay put and do what you need to do to get through sooner. I started out at the CC I'm at now, transferred because I didn't like how long it was taking to get into the program with their points system, and ended up transferring back because I did get accepted a couple years later. I've found nursing to be extremely challenging, but my classes/clinicals are also rewarding and I'm learning a LOT. Good luck!

[nissangirl74]

This is how GCC works. You have a certain number of required core classes that you must take before you are eligible to APPLY for Nursing school. Even with all the courses I had, I still had to take one Psych course, one Composition course, and two Biology classes. I can apply in March. I have to fill out my application to get my fingerprint card and to put my name in the pot.

Here, it doesn't matter what your GPA is and they don't go by points. It's your number in line. The waiting list is currently +/- two years. I know that seems like a long time, BUT, they give you a list of classes that you have to take once you are accepted, that you can go ahead and take while you are waiting. As long as you do them in order, you can take as many as you want / can afford. They also have elective classes that are not required but are geared especially towards nurses and helping them succeed once you leave school. A fantastic resource and all of the current students highly recommend them if you have the time and money.

Time to relocate!