So, I will start off by saying, I am a planner and a list maker. Some people may laugh at how early in advance I have to plan everything, but it has put me ahead in life.
For starters, I knew all through school that I was going to attend college. I did not know where for sure, but I knew that I needed to take the most rigorous courses my high school had to offer to ensure that I would be prepared for college. My junior year rolled around and I wanted to begin looking at colleges and thinking about scholarships. Again, most high school students roll their eyes, but like I said, I am a planner. I took a tour of Missouri State University-West Plains in February and decided that is where I wanted to go. That meant I had that summer and a whole year to prepare for college, both academically and financially.
My senior year I took college algebra (MTH 135), college biology (BIO 102), and college English (ENG 110). By taking these courses I was able to transfer in 10 credits that counted toward my prerequisites for the nursing program.
The nursing program is normally a two-year program; however, I wanted to be a part of the Darr Honors Program so my first year I took general education courses along with my honors courses. You may wonder why I would want to schedule another year onto school instead of getting it “over with.” For one I thought the honors program would be fascinating as well as benefiting for me. Also, I was thinking about my future and my bachelor’s degree. In order to get a Bachelors of Nursing you are required to have 47-51 hours of general education courses. By taking these courses now I was able to have them paid for through the A+ scholarship as well as saving me time and money later.
Now I am in my first year as a nursing student and have several classes under my belt. When I graduate, not only will I have my Associate of Science in Nursing Degree (RN), but also my Associates in General Studies Degree with a specialization in honors. All of this will be paid for using my A+ funds.
I consider myself extremely blessed and thankful for how everything has worked out so smoothly. My advice to all students is to look at where you want to end up and make a detailed map of how you are going to get there. Then when it comes time to make your schedule it’s all laid out. All you have to do is register!
