u/CarrotPlumJuice

I got into Nursing programs for September and I'm waiting for an offer for January 2027 for another Nursing program outside of Ontario. Both are 4 years but the January program is compressed to 2 and a half years because there are no summer breaks and you finish faster. Tuition deposit for the September program is due next month and I won't know if I've gotten into the January program until later in the year. I'm in my 30s and would love to finish the degree in less than 4 years but idk if I'll get into the January program. Is it a good idea to wait for the January offer or start the September program? If I don't pay the deposit by next month and don't get into the January program I'll lose my seat in the September program and I'll have to wait until next year September to start.

I got into Nursing programs for September and I'm waiting for an offer for January 2027 for another Nursing program outside of Ontario. Both are 4 years but the January program is compressed to 2 and a half years because there are no summer breaks and you finish faster. Tuition deposit for the September program is due next month and I won't know if I've gotten into the January program until later in the year. I'm in my 30s and would love to finish the degree in less than 4 years but idk if I'll get into the January program. Is it a good idea to wait for the January offer or start the September program? If I don't pay the deposit by next month and don't get into the January program I'll lose my seat in the September program and I'll have to wait until next year September to start.

I was in an accelerated 2-year BScN program when I was 19. I had applied to the program after doing one year at another University. Everything was going well, I was doing well and enjoyed the clinicals during first semester at a long-term care home and at the Hospital in the second. It was a great program and is still running now, the Profs were great, but I stupidly decided to go back to my previous University to continue with the Humanities degree I was doing. This was at the advice of my older (35-yo friend, as I never thought about leaving the program before her advice. I was able to get in contact with her six years ago and found out she didn’t finish the program. She told me it was hard, she didn't want to be a Nurse and had quit. I was shocked, as I thought she would be a Nurse by then. I'm not blaming her. At the end of the day, I blame myself for listening to her but I can't tell my story if I leave that part out. My family, including my landlord did tell me not to leave. My landlord especially left three letters (one being a reference) and one of the things she wrote was how I would be an amazing and compassionate Nurse. Her 91-year old mom was at a LTC and sometimes we would chitchat about her. We're not of the same race but she and her husband were just very good to me and she has sent me emails and Christmas cards to my parents' house over the years asking if I've finished my Nursing degree. I had told her I would return to the University to finish it, but I've never been able to reply her. I've always told myself I would go back to that city to look for her by paying her a surprise visit when I do get my Nursing degree, but I found last year that her husband had passed and their home was sold. Idk where she could be now but I suppose I'll get in touch with her via email when I'm ready. 

I never ever forgot about Nursing and tried to go back after finishing my degrees (I did two) at the previous Uni but kept thinking I was too old and the thought of starting over likewise held me back. My parents were also not in support of me going back to Nursing and would tell me to move on each time I brought it up starting in my mid-20s, that I didn't finish it then and should move on with my life with the degrees I have. I know they would've loved for me to have finished my Nursing degree but I think they were just disappointed that I didn't finish it and couldn't bear the thought of me stating over. It was 4-year programs that I told them I wanted to do and I didn’t mind, as my degrees aren't in science and I don't have the prereqs for accelerated programs. Looking back now, I should've just taken the bull by the horn and started over but I never thought of that and I also thought doing a 4-year program would be too long but I would've completed it by now had I gone for it. I was still able to get OSAP too and it would've been easy for me to start over. I've since completed a Masters as well and two professional certifications. 

It was around my mid-30s when I decided I would go for a 4-year program, as I was tired of being unhappy and living in regret. I've always felt drawn towards the elderly and would love to work in LTC, but working with stroke patients and paediatrics are other areas of interests. I had gotten into some 4-year programs and had chosen the school I wanted, only to find out I had reached my OSAP limit. I couldn't afford to pay on my own and my parents weren't in support either and never wanted to hear me talk about Nursing. Fast forward to now at 38 I can afford to fund 3-years and my parents have also been kind enough to agree to help when I need it and they're surprisingly encouraging. However, they think I'll be doing an accelerated program that's shorter than 4-years. I don't have the prereqs for accelerated program and if I were to start now it would take me a year or a year and half to finish them, so it just makes more sense to do a 4-year program then. I've gotten into three and have made a choice. 4-years is a long time and my biggest worry there is my parent's age, especially my Dad's. He's elderly now and I would not forgive myself if he doesn't see me graduate. I feel like I've wasted so many years and should be a Nurse by now. It's now that my parents are older that I'm about to make it happen and it's still a long journey ahead. I'm not so much worried about my own age, as I look like I'm in my 20s. No one believes me when I tell them my age (I get told I look 23) and I should fit in with students coming straight out of high school, though I'm very quiet in person. I imagine most people my age are doing accelerated and not 4-year programs, so I'm not sure I'll meet people my age or older to relate with. If you were in my shoes and at my age (I'll be 39 in early July/Canada Day), would you go ahead with a 4-year BScN program? The school is about a 7-hour drive away. I'm single and have no kids and might as well chase my long-lost dream?