Nicol, you should try to take all or many nursing pre-reqs as you can, even taking some of the non-reqs bio-chem and pharm courses will help in the long run. If you want the "nursing experience," try CNA (the course is usually about a five weeks long and then you take a state test), apply at a nursing home, there you learn beside care, then once you have that down, you can move into a hospital as a tech. There is a big difference between what you learn and do "hand-on" and what you will learn in the class room. The school will cover that bridge, which is the theory behind the practice. Good luck.

Nursing schools nationwide are compacted and competitive. Chico State has a very good BSN program: I used to live in Chico and worked with their grads. Butte Community College has a good ADN program. I haven't heard good things about Yuba, but I've also heard they were working to fix some problems so it may have gotten better.

Butte does (or did) its admissions by lottery. I'm not sure how Chico State does its admissions.

University of Nevada, Reno also has an excellent program: a friend of mine did their NP program and spoke highly of it. Though of course, crossing the mountains can be tricky in winter: I've heard I-80 has been closed off and on most of the winter this year.

Whatever you do, avoid the University of Phoenix. Their programs are nothing short of terrible.

Good luck!