why does MT. San Antonio College RN Nursing wait list?

GOODMED · Jul 9, 2016

@SquishyRN

That is the class info we are looking for 5 unit versus 4 unit class at Mt. Sac for pre-nursing prereq,

We are thinking for CSU transfer and CC's transfers. So we(my kid) will be at Mt. Sac should take 5 unit classes ANAT35, ANAT36, MICR1, CHEM 10 or CHEM 40 or CHEM 50 .

Are 5 unit classes more difficult than 4 unit classes - what are differences at Mt. Sac?

But ANAT 10A&10B are also accepted at most CSUs based on mt. sac and assist.org...It is confusing to students but maybe they don't matter which classes 4 or 5 units?

Nursing Prerequisite Courses:*

ANAT 10A + ANAT 10B or

ANAT 35 + ANAT 36

BUSC 17 or

MATH 110 or

MATH 110S or

PSYC 10

CHEM 10 or

CHEM 40 or

CHEM 50

Critical Thinking Course ENGL 1A

MICR 1 or

MICR 22

SPCH 1A**

or SPCH 2 or

SPCH 8

Additional Major Courses: BIOL 13 or PSYC 14

**SPCH 1A is preferred

Also from assist.org

SquishyRN, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2016

@SquishyRN
That is the class info we are looking for 5 unit versus 4 unit class at Mt. Sac for pre-nursing prereq,

We are thinking for CSU transfer and CC's transfers. So we(my kid) will be at Mt. Sac should take 5 unit classes ANAT35, ANAT36, MICR1, CHEM 10 or CHEM 40 or CHEM 50 .
Are 5 unit classes more difficult than 4 unit classes - what are differences at Mt. Sac?
But ANAT 10A&10B are also accepted at most CSUs based on mt. sac and assist.org...It is confusing to students but maybe they don't matter which classes 4 or 5 units?

Whew! Good thing you liked my other post and I got a notification. Otherwise I would have never known you addressed me since this thread is 3 years old. Anyway, based on what you've provided from assist.org, when applying to CSUs and CCs it doesn't matter if you take ANAT 10A&B or ANAT35&36, MICR 1 or MICR 22, or CHEM 10, 40, or 50. Generally speaking, the 5 unit courses are harder than the 4 unit courses because the 5 unit classes go into the subject in greater depth whereas the 4 unit classes are more of an intro to the subject. Anecdotally, that was the case for me, but everyone has their own opinions.

If you're taking these classes strictly for nursing pre-reqs I would suggest taking the easier classes over the harder ones because it will be easier to get A's and you need the best grades possible to get into competitive nursing programs. FYI, the easier classes from the pre-reqs are ANAT 10A&B, CHEM 10, and MICR 22. For example, even though CHEM 50 is exponentially harder than CHEM 10, you don't get extra points in nursing applications. A B is a B regardless of how hard the class was compared to the alternative.

Of course, getting the classes you want might not be that easy since classes are so impacted. When I was registering for pre-reqs, knowing that most colleges would take either, I enrolled in whatever class was open that would meet each requirement since getting classes in the first place was so difficult. Ideally I would have taken ANAT10A&B since they're easier, but I happened to take ANAT 35&36 instead of ANAT 10A&B simply because I was able to register for ANAT 35 but could not for ANAT 10A because it was already full.

Concerning the other pre-requisites, I highly recommend MATH 110 and SPCH 1A over whatever other options meet those requirements. This is because these particular classes will better meet additional general education graduation requirements. If you take these classes, you'll be knocking out more birds with one stone and not just nursing requirements.

Good luck with everything.

barcode120x, RN, NP · Jul 15, 2016

@SquishyRN
That is the class info we are looking for 5 unit versus 4 unit class at Mt. Sac for pre-nursing prereq,

We are thinking for CSU transfer and CC's transfers. So we(my kid) will be at Mt. Sac should take 5 unit classes ANAT35, ANAT36, MICR1, CHEM 10 or CHEM 40 or CHEM 50 .
Are 5 unit classes more difficult than 4 unit classes - what are differences at Mt. Sac?
But ANAT 10A&10B are also accepted at most CSUs based on mt. sac and assist.org...It is confusing to students but maybe they don't matter which classes 4 or 5 units?

I went to Mt. SAC for nursing in 2014. I'll try to clear things up IF they are still the same today in regards these courses. When I was doing my pre-reqs prior to starting in 2014, I was told that either ANAT 35/36 OR ANAT 10A/10B qualifies you for the nursing program @ Mt. SAC; however, I was told that ANAT 10A/10B and them being a 4 unit course may or may not transfer to a CSU or university. IF it can transfer over, it may or may not necessarily qualify you to take the nursing program at that specific CUS/univserity. The same applies to CHEM 10 and CHEM 40. I was also told that ANAT 10A/10B and CHEM 10 may not be transferable to other community colleges either. Keep in mind, this was back in 2012 when I took the pre-reqs so this might have changed. Best way to find out this issue is to talk to a nursing counselor and/or talking to a transfer adviser.

With that being said, I would recommend taking the 5 unit courses (ANAT 35/36 and CHEM 40) if you plan on applying to multiple community colleges and/or plan on going to a CSU or university. If you plan on sticking it out Mt. SAC, then take 10A/10B + CHEM 10 as it will be easier since they are 4 units each instead of 5. Hope that clears things up and I hope you get into Mt. SAC nursing in the future, awesome program!

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Jul 27, 2016

I used to live in the area and I know people who applied to RCC 5 times and didn't get in. Some schools don't bother with a wait list, they just take the top for spots based on their point system and everyone else is out of luck.