I was 34 years old when I decided to try something different with my life and go to Galen. I went to classes there for almost a year and I don't think I could give a recommendation for anyone to attend after my experiences.
Galen does have some very nice facilities. When I was going there most of the classes were on campus, though I have heard all non-core classes have moved online. The teachers really do seem like they care about you but the amount of teaching they have to do to fit in the curriculum makes the classes almost impossible to complete.
When I started they said the drop out rate was close to 40 percent. I knew Nursing was hard. I have always been the type of student who would get straight A's in classes and go above and beyond to learn the material. Even then, I was STRUGGLING hard at Galen. Covering the amount of material they throw at you and actually retaining it past the exam dates was damn near impossible. Sure I would learn it enough to pass the tests and exams but the second you start shoving in more immediately following things tend to mush up and slip. As the classes went on I watched SO many of my class mates struggle and eventually drop out or fail out. And these weren't stupid people, these were people from the age of 18 all the way up to 46.
I felt slightly bad because I was using the Montgomery GI Bill from the USAF to go to Galen for free but the others around me were throwing SO much money at the program just to falter and lose everything. I couldn't imagine spending that kind of money for a year just to come away with nothing. After a year I decided to leave because it dawned on me that IT was my passion but I kept in contact with most of my class mates on Facebook and I can say that only 6 of them actually made it through the program. I give kudos to them, but it's just a gamble I don't think the average student can afford to make.
While I did really enjoy the instructors one of the parts I did not enjoy was the online classes. During those, it seemed like the quality of the posts, class work, and even instructor interactions went out the window. I'm personally glad I left Galen before more of the non-core classes went online because I don't think I would have lasted a year if I had to do more of them.
All in all, Galen is a good concept. You get to start nursing classes pretty much day one. You get some awesome teachers that care about you. But the high cost and the really high possibility that you'll lose a ton of time and money when you fail out or drop out just doesn't seem to be worth it to me. The accelerated classes are a blessing but mainly a curse. And Galen does a really good job at convincing you when you sign up and take the tour that it's mainly...
Read moreI am in my second quarter at Galen and so far i am enjoying it. I came in with a bachelors degree so I was very judgemental due to this not being my first school experience. Overall I have had nothing but positivity. I dont know where to start. The admissions rep chris was very helpful and laid back. He stayed in touch throughout the process. All the teachers are very helpful and respond to emails promptly. I love how canvas is so resourceful. You can pull your syllabus up before the quarter starts Galen has a student Facebook page that is helpful as well. The cons would be small campus so not a lot of classes are available and I did have issues getting my background check done and did not feel the proper help was given after multiple emails. Tuition is...
Read moreAvoid avoid avoid! Horrible school. I have to post on my alternate account so these people can’t find me. Their admissions department only cares about getting your money, if you have a scheduling issue or a question about registration after you’re already a student there they will never return your calls. Several of the nursing instructors are shamelessly abusive, especially Lori who I saw verbally abusing other students on the regular while she would run off to the employee’s lounge to laze off whenever you needed something from her. Pure incompetence and not worth the amount of debt I went into going to this...
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