Hi Kathleen: That's wonderful you aspire to be a nurse practitioner. Here is a few key points you want to keep in mind, 1) Learn as much medical terminology as you can by going to the library. 2) There are accelerated programs to become LPN and then continue onto RN. 3) Be aware when you go into college, you take your basic english, math, history, and science classes at a college level. So you don't really begin taking nursing classes until the second semester of freshman year or your first semester in sophomore year.