Start Now, Avoid the Rush

Word of advice to anyone thinking about going back to college: start immediately and maybe you'll be able to get your degree by 2020.

I swear the higher education system in the State of Washington has done everything they can to slow down the education process and make it impossible to get anything done. I started going through the hoops weeks ago, and only today have I managed to get some answers to questions I've been asking all along. And the answers aren't good.

I was hoping to get enrolled in the nursing program locally - a good one they tell me - but there's one lousy class holding me up. You're required to take BIOL 221 (Anatomy and Physiology 1) before you can enter the nursing program. (Don't even get me started on all the other prereqs; that's a rant unto itself).

Anyway, in order to take BIOL 221, you have to take it's prerequisite, BIOL 120 (Basic Human Biology). Well, BIOL 120 doesn't do squat for you in the nursing program - that is, it's not required by the program, doesn't count toward admission requirements, doesn't count toward the degree, or anything.

But you still have to take it in order to take BIOL 221 - the one you really need.

Unfortunately, BIOL 120 is now full (thanks to all the red tape and hoops I had to go through), and to top it off, BIOL 221 isn't offered in the Spring or Summer. Which means, I can only take BIOL 221 - if I'm lucky - in the Fall of 2004, making me eligible to apply to the nursing program in the Winter of 2005.

All because I don't have BIOL 120.

There are several accredited Anatomy and Physiology classes available online, all of which would fulfill the BIOL 221 requirement, except since they have no labs attached, the local college refuses to accept them as transfer credits.

Bottom line, I'm totally stuck doing just about nothing until I can get through BIOL 120 and eventually BIOL 221 and maybe - if I'm lucky - I'll get admitted to the nursing program in 2005. My solution? I'm applying at two other local colleges at the same time; they're a bit of a drive, but it's better than waiting until I'm old enough to qualify for Medicare.

On a related note, I talked to the local Fire and Rescue folks, and applied as a voluteer firefighter. I'm signed up for EMT training in the meantime, which will either start January or April, depending on if I can get in. That gives me something to keep busy at while I'm biding my time waiting for BIOL 221 to roll around. Oh sure, I'll pick up Psych and Microbiology and other bits to help graduate from the nursing program - if I ever get in - but otherwise, I suspect I'm going to be doing a lot of working out at the gym so I can pass the FD physical and academy tests.

So like I said, if you're wanting to go back to school, better get started now. It's apparently going to take about 4 years to get a 1-year nursing degree. I can't imagine how long a Bachelors would take...