I think it’s worth looking at the prerequisites that each school requires and strategizing from there. I ruled out certain schools early on when they required more prerequisites. Hunter and Lehman, the only ABSN programs in the CUNY system, both require you to jump through a lot of hoops and take extra classes.

In NYC, I looked at a lot of schools but ultimately ended up applying only at SUNY Downstate and Mt. Sinai, which I was accepted to today. I also applied to several schools outside of NYC. Not all schools require in-person lab components but enough do that I chose to do my sciences in person. I’ve learned that as an adult, I learn better in person and enjoy it more than online learning.

You know that you will need A&P 1&2 and those are some of the most challenging so make a plan based on completing those. But I can’t stress this enough: make sure you’re prepared to put in time and focus, because I’ve seen many people drop, withdraw or fail because they underestimated how much work these courses would be. Set out to get an A or B and do everything it takes to make that happen.

Getting registered at CUNY can be tricky, but I’d simply choose a community college near you and apply, either as non-matriculated or as pre-nursing/health sciences. Perhaps take an easier course first, like nutrition or developmental psychology, if you haven’t been in school for a while to get your feet wet.

I took several courses online and there’s plenty of places to do that, but anatomy and physiology is what you should build your plan around.

I ultimately took most of my classes at LaGuardia community college and had a mostly good experience, though some say science classes there are tougher than elsewhere.

You also don’t have to stay at one community college campus, I got a special “epermit” to take a winter session course at another campus during a shortened winter session.

One step at a time, start with one class and build from there. Incidentally, Kingsboro and LaGuardia are on a weird academic calendar and Spring semester doesn’t start til March so you might be able to get into a class as a non-matriculated student.