The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning of the post-basic baccalaurate nursing education experience through the nurses' eyes. Ten nurses described the experience during their first year of being enrolled as a full time student at one Canadian university. Twenty two sessions were completed which were composed of three sessions with each of the first six nurses and one session with each of the remaining four nurses. The researcher kept notes regarding the sessions which added to the descriptions of the experiences. Thematic analysis of the data suggests that the experience is a journey that is embarked on to satisfy a personal need of accomplishment and the degree, itself, is seen as a possible means to the nurse's future. The experience took the form of a journey and for the informants it was the fulfillment of a long standing dream to attend university. The vision of the experience included the nurse's expectations for the experience and for their own performance in the experience. The experience was a game of survival. The nurses were constantly trying to incorporate the university experience into their lives. The worth of the experience was questioned and remained in question throughout the study. The nurses remained hopeful that the experience would be worthwhile in helping them accomplish their goal of being able to make a difference in the future.