I want to go for Nursing. where should I start? look for a school or do the "loan" stuff first. Scholarship, grant, financial aid which one is what? Or what is best for my situation? I work full time and have a wife and a daughter. Household income not less than 30k/yr. Please make your answer as informative as you can, Thanks
210851
well find the school in your area that has a nursing program.  GO in and tell them your interested in attending but don't know what you need to do.  They will tell you everything you need to know and even help you with getting the loans you need, unless they are jerks, then find another school.  Ask them every question you have, they do this as there job.\n\ngood luck, its a good choice I always see places looking for nurisng help!
483885
How long is the RN program at his school? If it is only two years in length, the strain is well worth it in the income and benefits. Going to school full time is not easy and to have a full time job along with it makes it a lot harder and less sleep. If he cut down to part time on school, it would draw out the program even longer than it is now. The extra time could draw out to another year or two. My brother just completed his MBA online and went online. He did about 6 credits per semester and he had a full time job and still struggled each week to get things done at times. Maybe it is an idea to schedule a date per week or just time for the two of you. Just remember, one day done is one less day until graduation from the program and less daily struggling from day to day financially and closer to graduation and financial security.
91687
i would say go to school and be a nurse. but sinice your kids are about to go to school. hummmmmmmm. could take classes w/ them lol.
647134
I applaud you in wanting to becoming a nurse and doing it on your own. Here is a little story for you and may it help you. I was 20 when I got out of high school and my parents could not afford to send me off to college and so like you I had to decide what to do. I joined the Marines and spent time during Viet Nam, when I got out I had saved enough to get training into the field that I wanted to be in. I found a cheap computer and never being on one before but having the fields that I had learned while I was in the service. I learned very quickly and became good at what I wanted to be and to make a very long story short I ended up helping the family and and friends that supported my efforts to make my dreams to come true. Before my mother passed on to God and the Spirits above she told myself that I had become a jack of all trades and a master of some. What made me proud was that she said any thing is possible if you put your will, soul and mind to it. Good Luck at what ever you decide and may you always succeed at. God Bless
662163
Your best bet is to ask the school you will be attending.  I don't know of many people who have financial aid for living expenses.   I think your best bet is to take out some loans to help cover what you need.
545305
You should pick a school first.  Then apply for Federal Aid (through school or on internet).  You can also ask for Loan info.  These loans have to be paid back, but not till after you graduate.  Don't take out a loan if you don't have to.  There are always state grants that you can apply for and scholarships that you can get.  I would talk to a finical aid adviser at the school that you are accepted to attend at.  It is also cheaper to go to a two year or community college to get most of you basic classes out of the way.  You really need to check if the classes you are taking at these schools will transfer to a four year college before you take them, because you don't want to waste your time and have to take them over again at the more expensive school.  Also try to take only classes that you need, but sometimes give yourself a brake by taking a class that you think is fun.  It is worth it.  \nI hope you get back to school it is the best thing that I ever did.
238706
what do you mean by a portfolio?  put in some additional comments please.  I'll help you if i can.\n\nhmmmm, do you mean for a RN position?  sorry, I thought i might be able to help.  I have 10 more months of nursing school left.  But here just some ideas...did you work in a hospital as an aid, did you get written evaluations for your work?  if they were good, maybe you can get copies of those.  are you right outta school?  made dean's or president's list, include those letters.  get letters of recomendation from past professors and managers.\nsorry i could be more of a help.  good luck!  : )
99967
Did you do the FAFSA form.  I am kind of in the same boat.  I didn't go to school and I worked instead.  Now my FAFSA info will be based on my income of 20,000 even though if i go to school full-time I won't be making any money.  We should keep in touch and encourage each other.  I hate feeling like I have an "impossibbility complex" over something as simple as going to school.  If you can work out something to get through your first year, you will be eligible next year.  Take student loans, it should be worth it.  If you click my name, there is a link on my profile to send me an email.  Feel free!
77815
Join the National Guard..they will pay for your college in full and you may qualify for a $15,000 bonus !! Sure is a lot better than when I joined in 1963 !! If you are 1/8th American Indian you would get it all free!!  But try the government aid too, they offer loans for college at a long term,low rate pay back. Let you husband try to help through the army.  God luck and have a happy day....oh, yes. please start using God's name with a capital "G"...thanks !!!
454997
I would fill out a FAFSA, you can go on-line to do this, this will allow you financial aide for if you would like to go back to school.  Alot of Degrees require Co-Op job opportunities, so you can go to school and work at a lucrative place involving what your degree is toward!  Good Luck to you, I am now going to school for Diagnostic Medical Sonography at the ripe old age of 40.  So, Anything Goes!
346488
If you're going into nursing because you think it's profitable, you're probably not cut out for the job.  The clue there was when you asked which was better.  Nursing is a vocation - you have to WANT to help people, not just do the job for financial gain.  The training is not just for 3 years, it's a lifelong learning curve and once qualified you have to prove that you are keeping up to date with your education and practice, or face being struck off the register.  If you're prepared to study for the rest of your working life, work extremely unsocial hours including night shift, weekends, xmas etc then go for it.  Have a look at the link below for entry requirements - this is the organisation you must apply to in order to gain entry into nurse training.
311924
File for the FAFSA.  One of the questions asks if you are a ward of the court or an orphan.  This gives you the same status as a single parent which (at least in my experience working with students) gives you an EFC- expected family contribution- of 0.  While this doesn't guarantee you a full ride, it does put you in line for all the school scholarships, grants, and great loans (as opposed to crappy bank loans.)  Visit fafsa.ed.gov to apply.  Also, I recommend fastweb.com for scholarship searches.  Hope this helps.
508775
It could be. However, nursing is one of the professional fields with loads of scholarships and financial aid available due to the nursing shortage. If anything, most community colleges offer a nursing program, and it can cut down on how much the tuition is and complete the program in two years. I will provide several sources where you can locate financial aid.\n\nFirst, file for FAFSA.ed.gov because it will help you tap into both federal and college need based financial aid.\n\nSecond, search Google.com and Yahoo.com for your state's college grant program. 35 states has a website devoted to applying for state college financial aid and applications. If this method fails, search your state government's website for nursing scholarship or grant.\n\nThird, I have listed some nursing scholarship organizations.\n\nFourth, check with your college's financial aid website and the nursing department's website because they often list available scholarships from outside organizations and companies.\n\nFinally, there are free membership scholarship search websites. Most are updated on a regular basis. I recommend joining several of them. I recommend applying to as many as you qualify for since the more money you get in scholarships and grants, the less you will have in loans.\n\nGood luck!
214001
Do go to college first. You will gain so much from it even be a better nurse or anything else you may end up doing. You won't be sorry if you do vs you might be sorry if you rush it. you will feel the difference between you and those nurses who went to college first.
36835
I think both are great and your choice should depend on your lifestyle. Of course you have to take into consideration the pay, but don't forget about the hours.  If you have kids/wife (or are planning to have them) think about the benefit of being a teacher.  You will have this time off with them.  As far as the nursing, I personally think sonography is a great choice. This was actually what I wanted to do as a profession.  My plans where sidetracked because of my son. You could still have a family and do nursing, so I guess the point is just keep in mind other factors besides the obvious one of money.
550984
If you are going to nursing school, it would make perfect since, to me anyway, to take the 8 week program and become a certified nurses aide.  I know two of the girls that I went to college with did this while waiting to be accepted into the actual program, and they now work at a hospital at Nashville making $35 an hour. Let me give you a piece of advice:  Do what your heart tells you, go for your dreams, they can't come true if you don't chase them! Also if you need some help deciding, say a pray before you go to sleep, guarantee in the morning you will have your answer.  Good Luck!!
159998
Well, did you look into any state specific scholarships? I applied for four in my state. Banks, and local institutions might have scholarships avaliable in your town, too. I'm planning on applying to a few fastweb.com scholarships as well... Not to sound obvious, but did you check when you were supposed to hear back from the organization? Did you turn them in on time? If yes, then there is nothing wrong with calling and say "Hi, I applied for your scholarship ____ number of days/months ago, and was wondering when I should be hearing about that." As long as you don't call obsessively, there's no harm in asking.  Also, if you don't get enough of your financial need met, when the school year starts you can ask the school if there were any unaccepted scholarships/funds/grants that you would be eligible for or to apply for. Make sure you call your school about that $35K sum. Did you file the FAFSA? Is that your EFC? If it is, make sure to ask your school what their policy is on applying scholarships toward the EFC. And lastly, usually the school has scholarship, grant and loan information on their website in the financial aid section. Hope this helps, and good luck!