Nursing School 101 Series

                                                        

                  "It Costs How Much?!??!!!": The nursing school process exposed!

Hello All! As I move through the next phase of my life/career, I thought it would be a great stress reliever to write about my nursing school application process. Not only will it help me decompress, but I hope that you all will be able to gather valuable information you can use if you want to be a nurse, or you can share with someone who may be lost in their own process. So get your notepads out, class is in session!

                      

About $500. That is how much I spent on transcripts. This does not include the cost of gas driving to all these campuses and the hours poured into making sure every “i” was dotted and “t” crossed. There were 9 schools on my list. Out of the 9, I have applied to 4 programs. It would have been more, but I recently got a job and that hinders my availability to go to campuses and talk to nursing counselors. Applying for nursing school has been one the most stressful processes I have ever voluntarily put myself through. There were many moving parts and I thought I would share the major ones with you. Hopefully it will help someone out as they go through the process.

Part One: Let's get started!

Figuring out where to apply

There are a lot of schools to choose from, especially in California. There are diploma and degree programs to consider. Some are, most are, impacted if you are leaning toward community colleges. You could go the private route, i.e. West Coast University, Loma Linda or American Career College, among others. I went onto the Board of Registered Nursing website for the state of California and pulled up the NCLEX (national licensing exam for nurses) passing rates. From there, I chose how far I was willing to travel or move to go to school and picked the programs with the highest passing rates. I already had all of my core prerequisites done, so I was able to make my list with confidence. My advice: make sure you have your classes done. It takes away some of the anxiety.

I made a spreadsheet

Every school requires a certain number of transcripts to be sent to them. Sometimes you have to send them to two separate offices (like with Los Angeles Pierce College). Every school pretty much has the same requirements, but there is some variation. Schools like El Camino/Compton Educational Center require two extra classes. These courses fill up very, very fast. If you don’t already go to that school, your registration date may be so far out that you will have to attempt crashing to class. Some schools have chemistry as a requirement, or use it to make up for lack of units. I went on each website, printed out information on the schools I wanted to apply to and made a folder for easy access. I made a spreadsheet of how many transcripts each program wanted versus the schools I took the prerequisite at and put the mailing address on there as well.

I suggest you start with this. If you are just beginning the process, I think choosing the schools you want to apply to and preparing this spreadsheet is a great way to start your nursing school journey. Come back next week for the next installation of our series! Have a great weekend!

xoxo, 

Amanda

Websites that may help:

www.rn.ca.gov

www.brn.com

www.allnursingschools.com

www.atitesting.com

My boyfriend named Grad School

So the last 3  and 1/2 years I have been in a relationship with Graduate School. I like to call him Grad School for short. Just like any relationship, he was handsome at first and won me over. He resided on this beautiful campus called Saint Mary's College of California, and as soon as he accepted me, I moved to be with him. The first few months were blissful but a little rocky, as I adjusted to a new environment and the pressures of a new relationship. I didn't have too many friends here in the bay area, and I really missed my family and friends in LA. But I was committed to him. So I thought. As the months went on, things got harder. I had to spend a lot of time reading and researching because he always wanted me to be up on the latest and greatest. I got a job so I could have extra money outside of "financial aid" to support our habits- buying books, gas money to see him, and money for extra meals when  I spent long nights out with him.

Then things started to go sour. Not so much with him, but in my life. I suddenly needed a new place to live. But Grad School couldn't help me. He was sorry and we took a break, about the length of a semester so I could get back on my feet. Next, I was in a car accident; nothing severe, but it made going to see him a complete pain. He was sorry then too, but he sure wasn't as accommodating as I wish he would have been. And of course there were other smaller things that happened to make me feel bitter sweet towards Grad School.

But I realized that I love him, I really do. It's the experience that he brings. I get to learn new things and meet new people. He allowed me experiences so I could learn about myself- and I think I have learned more about myself than about any topic he wanted me to read in a book. And yet he gets on my last nerve. This has been the most taxing almost 4 years ever. So many nights, I wanted to quit him, move home never to see him again, and erase these years from my memory. But for some reason, he was ever present, lingering in the shadows waiting for me to come back. I guess he always knew I would. He knew that beneath my calm, laid back demeanor was a fighter. Last semester Grad School asked me to fight for the chance to be with him. Someone tried to take him away from me. And he knew exactly what I would do; I would own up to not always wanting him, bad talking him, and mistreating him. But he also knew that I would say I still wanted to be with him and that I would see our relationship through.

So today here we are, back together. After all of that, I am so happy to be with him. Not because it is easy, but I missed him. I missed our good times. I missed all the things he could teach me when I left myself open. I missed all of the people he introduced to my life. I only have 3 classes or about a year left before our relationship runs it's course. It will be bittersweet when I finally do have to leave him. And even though many times he has been a pain in my side, he will be the one I can't forget: My boyfriend named Grad School.

If you are thinking about a man named Grad School, I suggest you think long and hard. He really is great, but he makes you work hard to be with him and reap the benefits of the relationship. He is no easy lover, but he rewards you with things you probably cannot think of. I could fill this page with the things Grad School did for me. But you will have to meet with Grad School, and see for yourself. I will tell you, he is one heck of a man.

xoxo,

Lasondra

Here is a picture of where my love Grad School lives, Saint Mary's College of California.