August 12th, 2008 at 12:54am
Under Online Science Classes
Today more than ever opportunities abound for students to take online science courses for college credit. Classes in Chemistry, Microbiology, Physics, Anatomy, and many others are being offered online by accredited colleges and universities. I have put together a comprehensive list of the available classes and the prerequisites for each.
One of the major considerations to be aware of is whether the class you need requires a lab component with the course. Some of the online courses have a lab component that is fulfilled through a computer program and simulation and others require you to set-up your own learning opportunity for lab at your local community college.
To browse the list go to “Online Science Classes“.
By Brian
August 3rd, 2008 at 06:35pm
Under Loans
Nursing students who do not qualify for federal grants or who still need money to pay their school expenses can apply for several different types of low interest rate loans. The good news here is that several of these federal loans are need based not credit based. All the private lender school loans are credit based. An important point to remember here is that your total financial aid package when combined cannot exceed the cost of attendance for your school. For example if your school has calculated the cost of attendance to be $12,000 per year you will not be awarded more than that amount even if you are eligible to receive more than that amount in loans, scholarships, and grants.
Available Federal Loans
1. Federal Stafford Loan - This loan program is a low interest rate loan program started by the federal government and comes in subsidized and unsubsidized forms. One of the best things about stafford loans is that they are need based NOT CREDIT BASED! In other words a credit report is not required in order to get this loan. To qualify for this loan you must meet certain eligibility requirements but they are not to stringent.
You must first complete a FAFSA, you must be attending classes at least 1/4 time, and not have a government loan in default. The loan amounts you qualify for will be determined by your student status, mainly whether you are full time or part time and if you are a dependent or independent student. The table below lists the loan maximums for the 2008-2009 school year.
It is also important to know that these loans do not go into mandatory repayment until 6 months after you graduate or quite school. It is possible to begin paying these while still in school and that would certainly decrease the amount of accumulated interest on the your loan but paying while taking classes is optional.
By Brian
August 3rd, 2008 at 01:53pm
Under Grants
The most widely used free money for college comes from the federal government in the form of grant money. Nearly all colleges in the United States require their students to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as part of the enrollment procedures. A good portion of those students qualify for free money. An eligible student in 2008 can receive between $523 to $4,731. Below you will find a list of Grants, Government and private, that can be used for paying your nursing school bill.
1. Federal Pell Grants - This is a need based federal grant designed for low-income students. Eligibility is determined by several factors including students income, cost of attendance, and enrollment status. For more information on pell grants check out the Department of Educations website here.
2. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant - This special grant is considered campus-based aid because the schools are given a limited amount of money each year to award to the most exceptional financially needy students and once their allotted funds are awarded no more FSEOG grants can be given that year. For 2008 the FSEOG can be from $100 - $4,000. Check out this site for more information.
By Brian
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:12pm
Under Getting into Nursing School
Many nurse hopefuls are drawn to the nursing profession for the money. While there is no doubt this career pays well income alone is no reason to enter into it. As you have surely heard nursing is somewhat of a calling., just like preaching and teaching. If this is not what you truly want to do (deep down in your heart) find something else. You will be spending a great deal of time and effort in the educational experience. Nursing school is not a push over - it is demanding. It would be a shame to go through all this and determine within a years time its not for you. Surveys of nursing graduates are showing 10 -30 percent of all new nurses leave this field within two years. How can you keep this from happening to you?
1. Take a summer job as a nurses aid - This is the absolute best way to determine whether or not you are cut out for this field. Just remember nurses aids are the backbone of the health care industry. They, while not being compensated much for their work, are worth their weight in gold. You may be thinking as an RN or LPN you will not be doing this same type of work but don’t be fooled. You will do plenty “nurses aid” type of work mostly due to being under staffed. The difference here being that as an RN or LPN you will be the one with the nursing license and YOU are ultimately responsible for the care each patient is given.
2. Shadow a Registered Nurse (RN) - This advice is greatly trumpeted to nursing student hopefuls and for good reason. But what does shadowing mean. Its really a simple process. Find a nurse who is willing to let you follow them around during the day just to get a real idea about what a practicing nurse does on a day to day basis. All you will be doing is observing and possibly taking notes. Do this for no less than 2 weeks. This was one of my best experiences and really the one that hooked me. This is really a simple thing to do and extremely helpful but you will be surprised at the number of people who do not do this.
By Brian
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