Excelsior College review: It's a scheme. 111

Obviously Rick isn't comprehending what Kathleen is saying. Does Kathleen have anything here to gain by lying about her experiences with TNC/Excelsior? I doubt it. Does Rick have something to gain by continuously blowing smoke? Probably. Each of your replies to several comments on here is like you were given a pre-written guided response. Might as well be an automated message. Kathleen did not have a good experience and regardless of what YOU say about The College Networks "trained" advisors, clearly, they were absent on professionalism and tactfulness day. How can you sit there and disagree with what she is saying? Were you there? Did you listen in on her conversations? Oh, and the excuse of the "Oh I was just about to sneeze and I was going to hit the mute button", that's rich. I'm pretty sure if Kathleen heard the advisor sneeze, she more than likely would have said bless you and continued with her conversation. Sneeze or no sneeze, if I was on the phone and someone on the other end pushes the mute button, well let's see, I would have to assume they hung up. I mean really, let's think about the buttons on a typical office phone. I can see there being a hold button, a transfer button and even a mute button probably somewhere near a speaker button...but I've never seen a hang up button that could accidentally be pushed. Listen Rick, if someone on here has a complaint, than obviously they were not satisfied with the services and regardless of what you say now, that isn't going to change what happened then. So get off your academic advisor high horse. I've been in contact with someone from The College Network myself and although the lady I spoke with was pleasant, she wasn't able to make it to my home as scheduled. Right off the bat, I'm not impressed. How do you get yourself stuck in traffic 2 hours away from my home and not call me until 1/2 hour prior to our scheduled appointment time? Clearly, time management is not in the "training" either. I've been on several blogs and have read many complaints about TCN's failure to provide thorough and accurate information to potential students. False information such as the ability to withdraw from the course within a certain time frame only to realize that time frame had come and gone within 3 days of signing a paper. It is so sad in this economy that people are being taken advantage of. The same people that are trying to further their educations so they can provide for their families and do good in their communities. How well do you sleep at night Rick? Kathleen, I personally feel sorry for you that you had to endure difficult times. Best wishes to you and here's to hoping you never have to deal with that type of "customer service" (and I use those terms loosely) again. Take Care!

I come to a complaint site to say good things about EC, because I read the complaints before I took the CPNE and came back after I passed to dispute the accusations I see flying around here.

Shut up, nut up, and study. Do what it takes to pass, and you will.

Equusz

I would like my refund back from this program they did not tell you about the hidden fees.

Hi, If someone has not clearly identified to you in writing fees to e paid and what you are paying for, then go to a court. You will get your money back if the company still exists and is solvent!

Don't worry about paying up front, any lawyer will take the case on and get their charges form the client. You may also lose some of your money in a commission to the lawyer... depends on who you go to. their are a few pro bono lawyers associations about... Good luck :)

God bless & Ciao for now :)

I believe that Excelsior has no intention of improving their pass rate for the CPNE. When I took the test all six students failed. Was also told don't worry you can take it again, this was just your first time. The worse part of the experience is you are not even told what you did wrong and how to fix it. I think its a great profit center for them. They also know that you are to far into the program to transfer, so you just have to pay again.

Mr Sorry I went this route.

well, i am currently at excelsior college for ASN, i have not had much problems in regard to exams but i have not taken clinicals so i guess i can't say too much. but their exams are hard though much like NCLEX .however, if you follow the study guide, and study like any other school, you are almost guaranteed to pass. but again, i have not taken clinicals.As for college network, i know way too many people who did not suceed with them, not too sure why so i won't say too much about them.Good luck to all

Kathleen:

It's a name for someone who raises horses. Study Latin much?

Also you apparently have a hard time reading because in the post just before yours I said:

"I come to a complaint site to say good things about EC, because I read the complaints before I took the CPNE and came back after I passed to dispute the accusations I see flying around here."

Don't accuse me of working for Excelsior just because I don't agree with your lame wannabe lawsuit. That's a cop-out for people who don't want to face the facts that their own shortcomings are the reason they failed. They failed, so the school has no value and is a scam, ERGO - there's that Latin again - anyone who defends such a program MUST be on their payroll. If that's the kind of weak-mindedness you displayed at your CPNE, then no wonder you failed.

I'm here to defend my school. As an alumnus, I have that right.

The College Network is a scam but that should not be confused with Excelsior college. You can go through Excelsior without having to go through the College Network. College Network is nothing but a 2-bit publishing company trying to sell you the books that you would need for Excelsior. But if I were you, I'd leave the middle man out and go straight to Excelsior. It's actually an accredited school.

Wow... what an eye-opener... I recently enrolled in Excelsior college to complete my BSN. I have been an RN for over 10 years with an ADN from a community college in Florida... I went to a Florida State University before the Community College with the idea that I wanted to be an accountant... That didn't work out but, I did obtain lots of credits that weren't used towards my ADN... I have been told that almost all of them will be used in some capacity towards my BSN from Excelsior... My sister, also an RN, completed her ADN with Regents College about 15 years ago and had no problems what so ever... She has encouraged me to return to school through on-line learning at Excelsior for years... and here I go... I have not started any classes or studying yet, but am very excited to begin... I live in the mid-atlantic region of the country and have looked at several local colleges and universities to complete this degree... The pricing has ranged from about $13, 000.00 + books to almost $40, 000.00 at Widner University in Chester, PA. I was shocked at what a degree costs these days... I have not been in school for almost 12 years... After speaking with Excelsior and using their worksheet online... I have estimated my degree to cost from $9, 000.00 to $12, 000.00... Am I way off? Is this an unrealistic estimate? I did not explore 3rd party companies such as The College Network, I went directly to Excelsior... My employer pays $2, 000.00 per year towards my continuing education and I plan on paying the rest as I go... I was not told everything had to be paid for up front, in fact I was told most people do the "Pay as you go" way. I have spoken with some of the nurses at work about this... one is currently in a battle with "The College Network" over unpaid fees and to date she has not completed her degree and she states if she had it to do over again she would not have gone through them, but would have gone directly to Excelsior... She says "Live and Learn"... I hope that all of you on here resolve your issues with these institutions and are able to complete your degrees... I have recently returned to nursing after taking 3 years off to explore other things and I had a very difficult time getting a job. Probably because I am very picky, but also because I was out of the field for so long, but what I have discovered to be the most difficult hurdle is that many large hospitals and medical centers are striving to obtain something called "Magnet Status" for their nursing staff... One of the major requirements is that 80% of the nurses have to be Bachelors prepared... This limits job opportunities for the ADN... Getting a degree in Nursing and changing my career to the medical field has been the best thing I have ever done for myself and the opportunities are endless, but continuing education is a reality of the times... Best of luck to you all and I'll keep you informed as my time at Excelsior continues...

I am neutral in this online nontraditonal learning versus the traditional ground classroom method. I have done both. I find there pros and cons to both methods. The ground classes are structured and tend to be more rigid in design but offer little flexibility in say absenteeism, beeing allowed to only miss between one to five classes dependent on the length of the course. I have a B.S. Liberal Arts degree from Excelsior College. I also have an A.S. Medical Laboratory Technology from George Washington University. I acheived but degrees while on active duty in the military US Army. There no way for me to attend class full time in the traditional setting. There was the lunch time class, the evening classes, the saturday class, and my favorite the CLEP test and the Regents or Excelsior College subject exams all for college credit. These were my favorite because I did not have to spend weeks in the classroom or online study. You do have to put a great effort in preparing for these test unless you have a great amount of experience in the subject matter.

I have been in the medical for over seventeen years and assure you that it is an ever change proffesion. My work in laboratory medicine as both a medical laboratory technician and now as a cytotechnologist has afforded me the value of appreciating my education dispite of the cost it took to achieve. The science of medicine does as most scientific fields do change as new rules, regulations, and not mention studies from research bring about the need to change. The price for an education is very subjective and dependent on the resources one has available to them. I do know of any really inexspensive colleges or universities. I do know some are a lot more expensive than others. I also have felt even as I persue an MBA degree that it is all about money. One is only paying for a degree and the right to have a chance to display his or her knowledge by way of having that degree. That my friend is the price of being successful. You must work hard to be able to some day prove yourself to the masses.

It is true that anything worth having is worth working for. You have to view obstacles to your goal as training and measures to test your fortitude or will to achieve that goal. In the army we train to standard, meaning a high standard. The instructors are trained to weed out the least motivated individuals. You could be the most talented but if your motivation does not match your talent you had a high probability of failing the course unless you adjusted your motivation. On the other hand if you were a highly motivated individual with a lack of talent you had a high chance of passing because most tasked needed to pass could be learned with hard work and determination.

So it must be said that before chosing any career, school, or path in life one must do their research and plan the best course for themselves. You do most anything you put your mind to doing. There is always the hard way of trail and error and the less hard way of watch and learn. So to Kathleen your experience may or may not be an isolated occurence. It also is not the norm, and is far from the extreme either. To Meisha you should listen to the bad and the good, but only listen to the bad and take the good and use it to make a decision based on what it is you are trying to achieve.

Excelsior is a regionally acredited college which is all that matters in the end when it is time to use that degree to prove yourself. Whether it be from Ivey league university or a lesser know one that degree will only allow oppertunity success is up to the individual.

R.Lee

To those of you whining about not passing the CPNE: Guess what? You're not ENTITLED to pass anything just because you paid a lot of money for it! I busted my @$$ preparing for the CPNE and I obviously prepared for it the right way, because I passed with ZERO repeats on the first try. The examiners are not rude or crabby. In fact, you'll find that the only students claiming their examiners were rude are students who FAILED. Coincidence?

Not everyone is meant to be an RN. If you failed the CPNE, it's because you were not prepared. Don't externalize it and blame someone else for your lack of preparation. Good luck to you on your next attempt.

As for The College Network, do not confuse them with Excelsior. Excelsior is a reputable and accredited nursing school. In fact, it has been designated by the NLN as a Center of Excellence in Nursing from 2008 to present year. If you don't think that counts for something, then you're just clueless.

The College Network is not affiliated with EC. If you ask, TCN will tell you this. TCN is nothing more than a publishing house that sells sub-rate, overpriced study guides. You can find much cheaper guides on eBay with more appropriate content. I personally used both Lisa Arends (who has posted on this board) as well as studygroup101 on eBay and found both of them to be VERY good for studying for the exams.

Those of you that have failed the CPNE - I feel for you. But, don't blame the school for your own shortcomings.

Excelsior College provides the materials that are needed without having to purchase materials from a pricey publishing company. If you do the work, do the study, you are able to pass it. The CPNE has a 68% pass rate, in a traditional program, you would have been weeded out earlier on in the process, this one just waits until the end. I had studied with a group of Excelsior students for the CPNE, 9 of us have tested and 9 of us have passed on the first time. We all took the Excelsior workshop, and some took the on line workshops Excelsior offers. The CPNE is an open book test. I took the test first time and passed. It is easily done (although incredibly stressful) if you understand how to take the test. It is not clinicals in the traditional sense. It is a test. If you followed Excelsiors guides and suggestions, there is a chance you would have passed. In my group of 6 testers, 2 failed. The students who failed did not take an Excelsior work shop and did not treat this as though it were a test. People complain about the cost of the workshop via Excelsior, but what costs more? Retesting or paying for the workshop. Try to think about the people who are scared before you post such negative things. I encourage people not to read these sites as they scare the students who have time and money invested. If you do the work; Excelsior tells you what to do, you will pass. In you student materials you get when you first enroll in Excelsior it explains allthe fees, so if you read the material it should not be a suprise. If you chose to use a publishing company, it's your own issue, however; the college is clear on what it puts out and the expectations. So try not to be suprised. All the information was given to you, you chose not to do it or follow it. Can't be that my study group is at 100% and we did what the school recommended. Excelsior is a good school and it provides the education to help us continue our careers. Good luck.

I am not sure what you experienced, but in the beginning student packet it informed you of test fees, student fees, and costs. I was shocked to get my first bill for student services fee; then I realized I did not read my initial student packet, which it was included in. If you signed up with a publishing company such as college network, then they have their own fees. Excelsiors fees are clearly posted on the student info packet. Good luck.

Then you were probably failed for not dressing in proper clinical attire. Shouldn't be coming to a clinical site with your tits out.

I will soon be testing for my CPNE and I would like to thank you Donald for helping me feel empowered. I took the EC workshop. I am taking a workshop in san jose, CA. I have dedicated all my spare time to going over the study guide and watching careplan classes online. I have a lab setup in my dining room which I will be spending my spare time also. Thank you for saying some positive things and helping others realize that in most cases it is our own error or poor planning that determines our destiny. We do have control over our destiny to succeed at the CPNE. And although there is apossibility that I may not succeed the first time...it will be through no fault but my own. It is called accountabitity! I have many friends that have passed this program and never mentioned a horrible experience. One friend of mine did take it twice but admitted she wasn't fully prepared. I am going to give this my best shot...(no pun intended)! Wish me luck! I will agree that the guidelines for this program are strict, but you know what you have to do...so go do it!

I was going to apply to TCN and this- BUT refused- after I looked up consumeraffairs.com and saw the HUGE class action lawsuit. The guy came in to talk to our class in CT and when I addressed the complaints that I heard he put me down in front of the class; I had to walk out- before I verbally went off on him. This is all a scam- worse than sleazy car dealerships... The best advice is to do the pre-reqs then go into the RN program at a REAL college- FYI_ funny how at a REAL college, the science courses expire in 7 years yet for TCN/Excelsior- they dont expire- how the FRICK can you overturn a NATIONAL REQUIREMENT- again- stay AWAY FROM THESE PPL

Hello,

I usually do not comment I just read many post and keep moving. I have to say that I am an EC grad and very proud of the program. No one was more scared than me to take the CPNE, I had a hard time believing I would pass. I studied for three months on and off, memorizing mneumonics (best thing since slice bread). Set up a lab in my home, bought an IV pole and everything. Purchased dressing changing kits, needles, syringes anything I could find to similate a hospital room.

I took a EC workshop and studied with a few people who took the CPNE and failed on their first and second attempts. I knew I only wanted to take it once so I went above and beyond. I sent careplans to the EC staff, five a week until they came back with no errors.

PLEASE, do not listen to people who say EC is a diploma mill. It isn't you can and will get an accredited degree if you work hard just like any traditional school. I passed the CPNE with no repeats first try and I owe it all to the work I put in. I'm not going to say it was easy, it's a very lonely program especially if you don't have friends who can help you along the way.

I spent a lot of time reading negative post about the clinicals and it scared the ### out of me. If I had let those post scare me off I would not be where I am today.

I am a girl from Brooklyn, NY who has nothing to gain from EC, I've already earned my degree. It is a great school!

I read all the post on here and I have to say I'm not sure was true and what is not. I had a meeting today with an advisor. We talked about courses and cost. She was with the college network. I did feel it was a bit pricey, but so are most nursing schools. My question is do I have to go through the college network? The degree that we earn is that something that employers are going to accept as valid? Is anyone on this site working with their EC degree and if so did you find it difficult to get a job with this particular degree?

for those who are bashing excelsior college, y'all all wrong. I agree that college network is a crook trying to make money out of students pretending that they are related to excelsior. That is your mistake if you went that. I was enrolled at excelsior and was able to finish the adn program in 7 months. I used lisa arends study notes, my nursing group 101 cds, i have books from chancellor from another student, then i also purchased books from excelsior, and robcpne cds. I wanted to be an Rn so bad and was fed up working as an lpn, i dedicated all the little time i had being a single mom with two kids to excel. The exams were very easy since i was always over prepared, i passes fcca, but i failed cpne of my 1st time. It was my mistake, at first i blamed the examiners cause other students were having different experience with them that day, but i was too anxious too start with. On my last cps, i forgot to reassess the lungs after respiratory hygiene and i had the patient ambulate. After i passed everything else, i failed the whole cpne. As i think about it each day, i realized that the lungs sounds would've changed after the patient ambulated, it was critical to check them right after respiratory hygiene. I should've attended their workshop instead of memorizing rob stupid mnemonics. All i needed to know for my management was AIR( ASSESS, INTERVENE, REASSESS), but instead i failed because i couldnt remember a letter from rob mnemonics for that respiratory management.
It took me 6 months to get the money to reapply and also attend the workshop and i practiced those pcs on my kids every time i had a chance. I was ready, but i have severe anxiety. I had great skills as an lpn and never experience such anxiety with instructors around. After i failed wound care of the 1st day cause my instructors said i contaminated the gauze on the table while i was preparing it. I believe it cause i was so focused and my hands were shaking the whole time. I said to GOd, i am not failing a second time cause im ready. I passed my 1st pcs with no anxiety, then repeated wound care when my instructor again stopped to talk to the CA. I was going nuts. But she didn't know i could remove the gauze separate from the wound. I passed it. Thereafter, i struggled with my ped pcs cause that little girl was a freakin' brat, but i passed. 3 rd pcs was easy so easy. After i passed it all, i realized, Cpne is only mental, it is not hard at all. In fact it is a great experience and teach how to do your skills properly. I learned more from excelsior than when i was in a community college which they were looking to fail students. I didn't know how to do my assessments. Now, i use what i've learned from excelsior and i still those mnemonics stuck in my mind when i assess my patients. I was'nt even good at taking manual bp, pulse and respirations cause i didnt have to in my job, but knowing that i had to know for the cpne, i pushed myself really hard practicing on my kids and my patients to excel.
Now im preparing for the board and i know im going to pass, i can't wait. Im still torn to go back to excelsior for my bsn cause a lot of stated doesn't accept it. But im only thinking on moving to Georgia. Other than that, i don't think i could do it with two kids, a full time time and part time job if it wasn't for excelsior college and excellent team of advisors and instructors.

Thank you to those who are defending excelsior. i dont know why most of you got excelsior confuse with college network. y'all shoud've done your research before wasting your money.I completed all my courses within 7 months with no repeat. I had B's and C's. I failed the cpne the 1 st time because i was not confident and i had severe anxiety. They wanted me to pass. I passed the second time and i have no complaint whatsoever about excelsior. I advise you all to not rely on excelsior books to pass, use lisa arends and my nursing group 101 and a clinical skill book. THE PROGRAM HIGHLY MET MY EXPECTATIONS. I HAVE PEOPLE ASKING ME TO TUTOR THEM BECAUSE OF MY SUCCESS IN THIS PROGRAM. GOOD LUCK TO Y'ALL.

For anyone starting in Excelsior or already in...please do this. I don't care where you get your study material from. I personally would not recommend College Network or Rue or Chancellor's, as they are like credit card companies in offering you study materials why having to pay them an outrageous amount of money. I just finished 6 nursing exams and the info. lit class in less than 2 months. I did not use rue or college network. I am broke. I had to do this the cheapest way possible. I bought Lisa Arends study cds for all of the nursing exams, which inlcudes fcca and cpne for under 80 something dollars. I then took a Excelsior college practice exam for every exam. I passed them all. Nothing more, nothing less...well, except I used google to study.
Check out my study tips on www.squidoo.com/How-to-pass-excelsior-nursing-exams I have not completed the fcca yet or cpne. Will keep you posted.

I thought that I had found a home, some place that I could bridge from LPN to RN without having to sit in a class room for a year and a half, but I guess not. I can pass the test but after reading what everyone on both sides has had to say, I don't know about the clinicals. To be quite honest I work with a RN who went through the EX program and she told me not to try it. She was failed her first time, but she knew one of the instructors and they put her back through clinicals as quickly as possible. She passed the second time.
She told me that they are allowed to pass only so many at a time. B. Freeny LPN

I have met with the man from TCN and I didn't understand the connection to Excelsior College. Well thanks to my New York cynisism it seems I have escaped alive, with my money! It's their business to sell the pamphlets! Oh, now I get it! What a racket, the actual college should put the word out a lot stronger than they have done, to protect their own good name. And what is this crap of changing requirements as you go along? That's ###. Give me a break that needs to be reported and stopped. I think I'll go to my own local university. I went to my local community college and I have my RN. I'll tell you where I live it is a very, very hard economy and I am looking a long friggin time for a job. I will be getting my BSN from a traditional school.
Thanks for the posts!

I've gotten my degree from Regents College which became Excelsior College. It is NOT a for profit college it is in fact run by the NY state board of regents. The same people who run the SUNY system in NY state. I don't know what the hell college network is. I do know that Excelsior is a state school, they are much cheaper than conventional schools but you cannot go into the school expecting it to be a traditional education setting, it is not. My Regents (Excelsior) degree got me into Loyola University New Orleans for my master's. My wife is now finishing her degree through Excelsior and no graduate school she has talked to has batted an eye about Excelsior. It sounds much more like a lack of preparation for the exams AND the school's tradition of high standards may explain the examination failures. given that they are accredited by the NLN and others including all states to allow the LPN to RN program students to sit for registered nursing exams.

I took the Excelsior College RN course in 2002, finished it in 9 months, took the CPNE and passed on the first try. I have been working in critical care ever since. I did not spend an extra dime on study materials. I downloaded the free outlines and went to my hospital's library to look up the material. All I paid for were the actual tests. It can be done, and with a little resourcefulness, quite inexpensively.

I am willing to bet indyrn, you are a plant for the school. There was nothing free in the program, first of all. There were never any free study materials offered on the Excelsior College website either. Everything had to paid for, including a video to prepare for their clinical. They have a high failure rate, and there is a reason for that. It's called money. They are unprofessional and uncaring.

equusz- I just read your rude post. Must have not received an email for it, not that I missed much,
With your arrogant attitude and the way you pretend to know what happened when you were not even there, I think you probably are a plant for the school. They were not honest then, why would they be honest now?
As for your "right" to post your comments: It's one thing to post comments, it's another to out right argue with someone and claim their experience is somehow inaccurate or invalid. You were not there, were you?
You ask my patients about how I am as a nurse, and they are not going to say "weak minded", that is for sure. Go shill for Excelsior somewhere else.

The level of anger coming from the pro Excelsior people makes me think they are associated with the college. It's one thing to post your comments, it's another to say degrading things about people who had bad experiences (and there are far too many of us) and to automatically blame the student when you were not even there and you don't know what happened. The reason I was given for failure was that I did not chart that my instructor put a pillow behind my patients back. The patient was happy with me, the care plan was well written, so they dug something up to fail me. Everyone knows you don't chart the work of other nurses, and not writing about a pillow is not a reason to fail someone.
Don't go with Excelsior folks, it's not a good program, and yes, it IS about money. It's not you and your future, that is for sure.

Okay, Kathleen, you've been beating the same dead horse now for the last 2 years, give it a rest.

For everyone else, do your own research. The College Network is an entity of itself. They sell books and study guides and have been trying to make people believe they are "in" with EC for years now. They don't give a rats behind if you actually pass or not, they still get the money. Excelsior is a college, don't confuse the two. You can do Excelsior without TCN and should. I work in a hospital where several nurses have gone successfully through the EC program. (Medics who have been working in the hospital setting for awhile.) Although an EC degree is a stigma to get over, they are still nurses, still earning that wage. I thought long and hard about it, did the research for myself and decided not to go with Excelsior. I work in a Magnet hospital, which means that fewer and fewer ADN's are being hired. They want BSN's. Excelsior wasn't a good fit. I'd end up going through the entire program to get an ADN and then not be able to get a job until I went back for my BSN. As I said, not a good fit. One of the medics I know who went through it is a cocky, self-assured jerk now that he has his degree (to be fair he was a cocky self-assured jerk before), but still can't tell you the kid's dose of Tylenol or Motrin or how many hours apart they should be given(I work in a kid's hospital). I wouldn't let him treat my children. It only took him 6 months to go through the EC program. Another medic I know has been working on his RN through EC for the last 3 years now. (Clearly not as motivated as the other guy). So you take what you get out of it and do the research for yourself. Don't let me or anyone else tell you what to do. Use TCN if you want as a resource...a way overpriced resource, but don't rely on them solely to help you pass your tests, because in the end, it's all up to you.

And don't look for a response because I, for one, don't hover over my computer to see who might read my post, filling endless forum pages with trite and repetitious accounts of my horrid experiences to anyone listening.

collegeguru- I will beat that horse all I want. YOU do not know what my experience was, and I have every right to respond to the comments on this page. I started the discussion.
Your arrogance and anger makes me think you are a shill for the college. The fact that you come on here with a nasty attitude and act as if you know everything, and you build up Excelsior tell me all I need to know. If you just came on here and talked about a postive experience it would be one thing, however your attitude tells me you're more than who you claim to be.
I wish someone had warned me before I wasted money and time on this horrible program, so I will tell as many nurses as I can, and if you don't like it, stuff it.

I will agree with the comments about The College Network. I am currently in a dispute with them. I agree, they misrepresent themselves and make a lot of promises they cannot keep and charge a lot of money for subpar materials. I bought all the recommended textbooks for a little over $500, compared to $4300 with TCN. I do not think I have ever felt so taken advantage of. Taking the practice exams have been extremely helpful in passing the exams. I am getting ready to take my 5th test through Excelsior College. So far, my experience has been positive with the college. I haven't had any issues with getting questions answered. I download a free Content Guide prior to each course and follow it to the T. There are also many helpful journal articles, discussion boards and chat rooms. I have connected with 4 other students and have greatly appreciated the support. The money I have paid directly to Excelsior is the enrollment fee of $875, $275 for each exam and $75 for each practice exam. I have been a LPN for 15 years so many of my college credits, prior to nursing school are quite old. Excelsior was willing to accept them and I saved a lot of money by not having to retake a lot of prerequisites which really are not pertinent to practice nursing. I am able to work full time and still be able to take an exam about every 4-5 weeks. CPNE terrifies me but I am planning on attending a workshop or 2 to prepare (still saving money compared to attending a traditional school and having to retake all of the prerequisites). Had I bypassed TCN and stuck with EC recommended materials, the entire degree would have l cost me under $9, 000, including CPNE, workshops and travel; I cannot go to a traditional college, take 3-4 years to get what I can do in 2 years, with working full time for this amount of money--I would have to start at square one. I have talked with a few successful Excelsior graduates and all are doing well in their fields. Any new job has a learning curve and each time I have changed areas, as a LPN, in many ways feel like a brand new nurse, much to learn.
Kathleen, I am sorry you have had such a bad experience. You do have every right to tell your story. My main objective is to warn people about The College Network. I have talked to Chancellor and IStudySmart and although may not be any less expensive, they do not tie you into a contract and claim to be associated with Excelsior. I will stick with the textbooks, practice exams and mystudygroup101 notes, if I feel I need extra information.
I would encourage you to try tackling CPNE again. You have worked hard and spent a lot of money to stop now; it will have been for nothing.
Good luck to you.
Rhonda, LPN

I represent Distance Learning Systems, and we provide the only virtual classroom with a live professor for each of the courses in the Excelsior Program. We provide the structure and the classroom for the person who needs visual lectures, accountability and structure to complete this difficult program successfully.
I talk to nursing departments at some of the top hospital systems in the world, and we are valued as instructors of this highly-reputable degree. Distance Learning Systems TEACHES the only online ASN in the country, the most cost- and time-efficient program to get one's RN. Our Pass Rate is in the mid-90's
My name is Sherry Shaw, Regional Program Administrator in the Great Lakes, toll free [protected] www.dlsii.com
We also have live classrooms that you can attend in Cleveland, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and New York City.
We have a lab prep in several cities to get you through the CPNE, AND we prepare you for the NCLEX.

Thanks Rhonda, I wish you good luck. I am not alone in my experiences with Excelsior. I had no trouble running into nurses in my work and online who were also ripped off by Excelsior College and who had negative experiences with them. I want to warn other nurses about them.
I hear you about the College Network. The whole program is a big scam. and clinical is too.

Wow thank you kathleen i will NOT waste my time with this bs school i think i will find some place local to go to.

Good idea, Lynn, I wish I had done that. Let other nurses know about Excelsior so they don't get ripped off.

WOW I have been checking around with alot of schools and I found that they will tell you what you want to hear. This is why you shouldnt give much info about yourself until you have the answers you need. I am in Tampa Fl. I need a program that has night classes because I work during the day. Fortis college seems to be the worst about BS for clinical times. So far I havent found any school with night time hours that fit my schedule. So I think I am going to try Excelsior without the extra expense of college networks materials. Thanks for all the comments. I will come back during my program to let everyone know how it went.

Lora I wish you good luck, but I have to warn you, Excelsior is not a good school. I dealt with prices that rose every 6 months, hidden fees, and if I needed to speak with someone there I spent a lot of time on hold and dealt with incompetent people who could care less about my needs. I was appalled at the unprofessional attutide of the clinical examiners. The test is designed in way to make it easy for them to fail you. The video that I paid for (they charge you for everything, and then some) to prepare actually said you would be failed for "abuse" if you did not properly greet your patient when you entered the room. Once you are at the end of the program and ready to graduate you are at their mercy, and they know it. You've got one more step, and it's their last chance to get money out of you, which believe me, is their goal.

I'm a recent LPN graduate looking into going to my community college or going through excelsior, i am not going to go to them after reading and hearing so many complaints, thank you for all your post. I will be applying with my local college. I heard from students in my class that others had heard horror stories of the clinical for this college and high fees and its VERY VERY hard to pass, i wont even bother with all the BS. Thanks for the honest feed back, now i wont have to deal with all the stuff you unfortunately have best of luck to all...

completely agree and I am looking into a lawsuit at this time. I don't even know where to begin. I failed at Albany for dumb reasons nothing that reflects nursing skills or knowledge. I graduated with the second highest grade from LPN school. After failing CPNE, I decided not to give Excelsior another penny. The thing about the CPNE is that it is ridiculously easy for an intelligent seasoned LPN, but so easy to fail because they judge on minor things that aren't related to nursing knowledge or skills. You basically just have to take CPNE workshop and study study guide and do exactly what they tell you to do. There was a man that passed CPNE that was an army medic twenty years prior and admitted to us that he hadn't had any clinical experience since. There was another young man that worked in an family MD's office as a medical assistant. He answered phones, filed and took vitals...he passed CPNE. I can't believe that some states are allowing these people to become nurses with no clinical experience. California is the only state that sees Excelsior nursing for what it is. Anyway, my first lab was the IV drip. I completed everything and the CE told me she had to get the CA. The CE told CA that I did everything right but my drip calculation was wrong. It just so happens that I have BS degree and had studied math for a while so I was 100% positive that my drip factor was correct. I showed my calculations to CA and she said it appeared correct but they had a different answer. I continued to defend my answer. Finally after about 5 minutes, they realized they were looking at the answer to the wrong question and I passed that lab. I wrote a letter to the dean informing her of what occurred, because I'm sure people have failed CPNE because the CE & CA said drip was wrong. I think a class action lawsuit would be just because there are A LOT of stories out there of shady actions on the part of the CEs and CAs. My friend had a CE that was on her cell phone most of the time during the PCS and looked at her VS and told her that there was no need for her to do a second set! She passed. If I had a CE that did that for me, I would have passed as well. My friend is willing to testify. I have more stories too. Everyone should start talking with lawyers and we should stay in touch. I an also going to protest accreditation of Excelsior nursing because not everyone passing this program has proper clinical experience and it endangers peoples lives.

I will keep everyone updated as we move forward. I want my money back and I don't want RNs out in the field that don't have clinical experience. All traditional nursing schools require a certain number of clinical hours to graduate. I don't understand how some states are allowing people to obtain their RN without documented clinical hours. When I first signed up for Excelsior I thought it was a program just for working LPNs and EMTs and that eventually we would have to show documentation of our clinical hours through our employers. I took the workshop and met people that were not working LPNs or EMTs. Present at the workshop were a CNA, LPN who took ten years off from nursing to pursue other interests, the medical assistant who held up a med cup and asked me what it was and what the markings were ( he passed CPNE...OMG) and a former animal trainer that had failed out of real nursing school due to not passing the math test with 100% accuracy. That's the other thing...why isn't there the math test that must be passed with 100% accuracy as there is at all other nursing schools. As you read in my previous post, the CAs and CEs aren't even competent in basic math. There was a person present in the room during the whole IV drip situation and is willing to testify.
I failed the IV push the first time because although I loosened the syringe it got stuck causing it to jerk forward too fast and I had to stop a few seconds before administering the rest of the med. You're not allowed to stop at all...no big deal...I had a second try. I had passed all my other labs and two PCS by my second try at IV push. I wasn't sure but I may have contaminated the tip of my first flush, so just to be safe, I decided to throw it out and draw up a new one. At my facility, it is a strict policy to only dispose of sharps in sharps containers due to cost and being "green". I automatically put in the regular trash and instantly realized my mistake and was going to remove it after I completed the other elements and put it in sharps as excelsior wants it. The CE stopped me immediately. I argued that there is nothing in the study guide that states we are not allowed to remove a non-contamidated barrel from the garbage. The CA stated that we don't remove things from the garbage...the CE had already taken it out of the garbage and placed it on the table so obviously they do remove things from the garbage. The CA told me to appeal. I did appeal on the grounds of not being allowed to correct my mistake and that there is nothing stating that I couldn't have removed it from the garbage to put in sharps. I received a generic letter from the dean of nursing stating that I failed CPNE and so forth. She did not address the issue of my appeal so now it's on to court and I am going to make a big deal about it. In my former career, I was an editor and reporter in NYC and I still have many friends and contacts in the business. Nurses do, at times, have to remove items from the garbage especially if working with children, the elderly, the developmental disabled, and the mentally handicapped.