[ml_baldauf]

I am 27 and going back to school for a second degree. This time choosing the right school is important. I have a Bachelors of Social Work. I graduated in 2000. I live in Michigan now. I am looking at programs in and out of state, mostly here and Colorado. I would like to stay in a University setting. How do I know which schools are highly reputable?? Is it bad to only look at colleges and universities? Any input is helpful.<font color="red">Text</font>

[ntp]

I am also 27 y/o with a Bachelor's and am going back to school for nursing.
I'm going to be starting an ADN program at a community college (in Massachusetts) which has a better reputation than some of the BSN programs at the "big name" schools in the area. The reason for this is that the training at the school that I'm attending is more hands-on and employers find that these graduates are actually more knowledgable than many BSNs. So basically, I would look for a school that has the most hands-on training.
Aside from that, in my opinion, the GPA that you end up with (what you get out of the school) is a better marketing tool when you put that on your resume than the school you attended. As I'm sure you know, 10 years down the road, employers won't care where you went to school, they'll only care about what you have accomplished in your career.
I hope this helps.

[ntp]

New finding...
Check out U.S. News and World Reports' website (www.usnews.com). They have rankings for just about every area of higher education.

[AJdenurse]

I am in a similar situation, I graduated with a BA in 2000 as well. I am going to a local community college to complete their nursing program. The college has a parallel program with a local university that allows for seamless transfer into the BSN program. A good thing about starting with a local community college is its affordability.

[NewCincyNurse06]

Hi all,

I am also in the same situation. I graduated 2004 with a BA in psychology/Sociology. I originally went for an ADN at a local community college. It was a great program but the waitlist to get into clinicals was sooooo long atleast 18 months before I could even start the clinical portion...so I researched a bit and found several "direct entry" programs for students with bachelors in other areas besides nursing...it will give me an MN (masters in nursing, not a MSN though)..if im accepted, ive pretty much been accepted but just need that official letter of acceptance...keeping fingers crossed...i chose this path bc I get to start this May and will be finsihed (with clinicals and everything) by next August. I looked into some other ADN and diploma programs but kept running into the same loooong waitlist problem. I then started looking into BSN programs but they have already accepted their nursing class for this year and only admit once a year...so id have to wait till atleast next fall before beginning a BSN program in my area..plus another issue I was running into with my ADN and the BSN's is that since I already have a BA the financial aid offices are telling me that "i am at my max for loans" and "im not eligible for aid bc i already have one bachelor degree" my loans arent that much but apparently for a 2 year school i have to many...ugg..so anyway...

my advice to you is to examine ALL your options and weigh the pros with the cons...ADN programs are great but beware of long waitlists...BSN programs are great too just make sure you look into fin aid and see if they too have a wait list...find out when they are admitting classes..ie once a year, twice a year, every quarter/semster..etc..also look into some direct entry masters programs made especially for people like us who have other bachelors degrees. If you would like to private message me I can tell you a bit about my program in Ohio, I know you said you were in Michigan and thinking about going out of state, I am going to a private univ. so there would be no out of state tuition...hope i can help!