I have an associate degree, and almost a bachelors. I looked at applying to another RN program but was informed that I needed to take 3 classes over, despite passing them. Since the classes were taken over 5 years ago, they where not valid. I decided to look at Lincoln Tech, you can complete the LPN program in 1 year. I could not find any information about tuition, scheduling, transfer credits & transferring into another program after graduation. I made an appointment, and was met with someone from Admissions, Peggy. Overly nice, excited and very pushy about the program. She was talking in the future tense “this will be your classroom and your picture will be on the wall with all our other graduates” I assume its marketing and training program from corporate, and or a SOP policy which all their staff members must talk and market the company a certain way. I’m a straightforward, direct person. I don’t appreciate being finessed and treated like an imbecile. I have another career and make a phenomenal income, but I work crazy hours and I don’t want to live my life like that anymore.
I had 3 major questions: tuition, transfer credits, and what happens if receive my LPN from Lincoln Tech; where I can get a RN or BSN, I couldn’t get a direct answer when asking and felt she was beating around the bush.
The tuition was $34,000 for the program. It’s ridiculously high for the level of degree program they are offering, nor would I be able to get grants for that, due to my personal income situation. I would have to take out loans. So that the first major deterrent and red flag. If I knew the tuition was 34k, I would have never walked in there, and just waited a year to apply to another nursing school after taking the prerequisites over.
Secondly, I asked about my previous education, which I mentioned prior to the interview. I asked if the classes which I took at community college would transfer over and would be honored. Peggy couldn’t not give me an answer. She claimed she didn’t know the answer my question. Lincoln Tech is a higher education institution with about two dozen programs and being the admissions director or officer (I’m not quite sure of her official title) I couldn’t imagine not knowing the answer to these questions. Thirdly, I asked after I graduated and received my LPN what colleges and programs can I transfer into with the LPN, and she did not know. I had to inform her she was in a 10-mile radius of over a dozen other colleges and she couldn’t tell me if CCRI would accept the credits and I could go on to get my RN there. I called her out on her bullshit, because frankly that was what it was at this point. I could tell she was being deceptive and me asking the questions over and over made it uneasy. I told Peggy I find it hard to believe that we just walked by a classroom of about 45 LPN students not one of those students had prior college and questioned her about transfer credits and what happens after they graduation, and where they can transfer into. At this point I realized she knew the answers. She flat out lied because Lincoln Tech’s LPN degree and credits are NOT accepted by most universities, colleges, or other nursing programs. I told her that this interview was pointless if she couldn’t answer the basic questions of a transfer student and she was wasting my time, and I was wasting hers. I found the entire interview ridiculous. I did mention to Peggy my husband was an adjunct professor at a university, and the community college over the years, my aunt was also the assistant chair to another college. I walked out and wouldn’t ever go back and told the story to my husband and aunt and they agreed the program was not on the “up and up”. I went to the community college right after leaving Lincoln Tech, registered for classes, and they informed me most school won't take Lincoln Tech's LPN programs, and you will have to start from scratch to receive a RN degree. BEWARE you are basically stuck being a LPN & cannot advance to a RN, or BSN...on a side note I just register to retake those 3 classes tonight ;p
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