Mahaley Campbell
Lufkin, TX
Excelsior College®, Associate of Science in Nursing
Excelsior College®, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Dreams of Nursing
“I had wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl, but I thought a degree would cost thousands of dollars. So, I found a job and put my dream on the back burner. I got married and started a family, and my dream eventually got put away. Occasionally, it would peek out, but the time never seemed right.

"Five years ago, my husband became terribly sick with dementia. At that time, I was a nail technician and was earning a nice living. My husband was off work for months, and on trips to the hospital, I became good friends with one of his Certified Nurse Assistants. She was going to a local school for their nursing program. Several of my friends had attended the same school, and I thought that I could do it as well. I applied and was accepted into the LVN program.

The College Network®
"Just before graduation, I knew that I didn’t want to stay an LVN, but I couldn’t figure out how I was going to work and attend college. I did a random search on the internet for online programs to bridge from LVN to RN. The College Network popped up and I filled out the information and submitted it for someone to contact me. Within an hour, someone called me and set up an appointment for me to meet a Program Advisor within days. I soon signed up, and my next thought was, ‘What in the world have you done?’ I hadn’t even graduated LVN school and I was signed up to earn my RN license!

Studying
"I was a little concerned that studying from home would be difficult, but I treated my home study just as if I was going to school. I scheduled my first exam and studied toward that exam date. Each and every evening, I would study for two hours. I sat down with my first module and started reading each chapter with the questions first, just the questions, not the answers. Then I read the body of the chapter. As I found those answers, I reread the questions, and would write down the answers.

Testing
"As the exam date arrived, I took the practice test in the back of the module. Two days before the test, I read the questions and my answers and took another practice exam. The night before the test, I always rested. Then I took the test – and passed. When you take that first test and pass, it gives you all the confidence you need to get going on the next one. And, if you’re not ready for a test, you can re-schedule it. In a classroom program, you could never do that!

"One of the best parts of being back in school is meeting other people (most of them my age) who were doing the same thing I was. Going to school online, we networked, we emailed, and we asked each other questions. It was such a wonderful experience, one that has given me new friends from all over the country.

Success
"I took 14 exams between April of 2007 and March of 2008 and my degree has really improved my life. My husband has been able to take an early retirement, and I have a stable job even with the economy the way it is.

"The College Network is a program that I believe in. It works. I have referred more than 16 people to The College Network and still earn referral checks. My referrals often paid for my tests!

"I had to work, I had to work every day, but with The College Network program, I could go to work, study when I could, and maintain my household. If you have the material and are willing to invest your time, a college degree is attainable. Nothing in life is free and you only fail if you never try.”

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