West coast University

Bunny2987 · Jul 28, 2012

Sorry about the typo, it's west coast university.

caliotter3 · Jul 28, 2012

There are posts about WCU on the site. Do a search and you can read what people have posted already, in addition to whatever responses you get on this thread. Personally, for that kind of money, I would expect to have made a substantial down payment on a home.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Jul 28, 2012

moved to CA state nursing programs forum to elicit further response

VeggieBSN · Jul 28, 2012

You can find better schools for less. $133,000 for a BSN? That's ridiculous.

Keekeenursie · Aug 18, 2012

I heard you will end up paying like 2,000 a month after. Or something close to it. Not worth it. That's a home. Seriously. I got in but the price smh. No bueno. I decided to do a waitlist and was only on for 3 semesters. :-) So basically I waited 2 semesters.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2012

Here's a general rule of thumb that most students would be wise to follow: never borrow more money for school than you can reasonably earn during your first year of working in your profession.

The Southern California nursing job market is not what it used to be due to the state's economic situation, and you cannot reasonably expect to earn $133,000 during your first year of nursing unless you worked two full time jobs. However, new grads in southern CA are struggling to land that prized first job.

I would think twice before doing this. However, the decision is ultimately yours. Good luck to you!

Eli352 · Jul 28, 2017

I posted this on another WCU thread, but I hope it helps you make a decision:

I graduated from WCU Miami January 2017 and I have nothing but great things to say about the program. I'm not in huge debt. Yes, I do owe the government about $40K, but I didn't have to wait around for waiting lists and I didn't have to pay anything while I was in school. It certainly did help that I was lucky enough not to need to work since I lived with my parents and they covered my basic expenses, but many of my peers worked PT or FT jobs and some even had kids while doing it all, so not impossible. It is definitely not an easy program, but they do prepare you and follow through with you, even now as an alumni. They paid for my NCLEX fees, provided us with VATI, and one of our professors gives everyone his UWorld account to practice on, though I only used VATI and passed on my first try. Additionally to them paying for these fees, which is great when you're not working and your parents live paycheck-to-paycheck (like my case), they give you $500 for completing VATI and $500 more if you pass your NCLEX on your first try. So far, all the graduating cohorts in Miami (3 so far) have a 100% passing rate. What I would recommend is taking as many pre-requisites as you can at a Community College since it is much cheaper. Just go to WCU website or contact them and find out which courses are needed. Ask about scholarships and take advantage of their programs. I was fortunate enough to be accepted to their Global Public Health program to South Korea. They paid for the plane tickets, stay, and most meals for the almost 3 weeks I was there. They have four other international programs and the Oxford one. That experience alone was worth it all to me. As per recognition, we are still a young school in Miami, but hospitals love us and many of us found employment quickly since the school has a very dedicated and connected career services director working for them. Moreover, the alumni network they have is amazing, because it really is about networking rather than donating like many other schools. They invite us to meals, painting classes, drinks, and more completely free and we can even bring family and friends for little to no cost. Honestly, I think whomever had a bad experience at WCU is because they either didn't take full advantage of all their programs or they simply never attended the school and only see the price tag. Hope this helps any nurse-to-be and best of luck!

Sincerely,

A Proud WCU Alumni

Julie.john · Aug 12, 2017

I posted this on another WCU thread, but I hope it helps you make a decision:
I graduated from WCU Miami January 2017 and I have nothing but great things to say about the program. I'm not in huge debt. Yes, I do owe the government about $40K, but I didn't have to wait around for waiting lists and I didn't have to pay anything while I was in school. It certainly did help that I was lucky enough not to need to work since I lived with my parents and they covered my basic expenses, but many of my peers worked PT or FT jobs and some even had kids while doing it all, so not impossible. It is definitely not an easy program, but they do prepare you and follow through with you, even now as an alumni. They paid for my NCLEX fees, provided us with VATI, and one of our professors gives everyone his UWorld account to practice on, though I only used VATI and passed on my first try. Additionally to them paying for these fees, which is great when you're not working and your parents live paycheck-to-paycheck (like my case), they give you $500 for completing VATI and $500 more if you pass your NCLEX on your first try. So far, all the graduating cohorts in Miami (3 so far) have a 100% passing rate. What I would recommend is taking as many pre-requisites as you can at a Community College since it is much cheaper. Just go to WCU website or contact them and find out which courses are needed. Ask about scholarships and take advantage of their programs. I was fortunate enough to be accepted to their Global Public Health program to South Korea. They paid for the plane tickets, stay, and most meals for the almost 3 weeks I was there. They have four other international programs and the Oxford one. That experience alone was worth it all to me. As per recognition, we are still a young school in Miami, but hospitals love us and many of us found employment quickly since the school has a very dedicated and connected career services director working for them. Moreover, the alumni network they have is amazing, because it really is about networking rather than donating like many other schools. They invite us to meals, painting classes, drinks, and more completely free and we can even bring family and friends for little to no cost. Honestly, I think whomever had a bad experience at WCU is because they either didn't take full advantage of all their programs or they simply never attended the school and only see the price tag. Hope this helps any nurse-to-be and best of luck!
Sincerely,
A Proud WCU Alumni

Hi Eli I wanted to message you but can not figure out how. Would you please email me personally at [email protected] I have plenty of questions, would like for you to share your story, need advise and confirmation on things that are unclear, AND I WANT YOUR NOTES!!! pleaseeee email me. I would post my number buuuut I don't think that's a good idea in an open forum lol