[Nurse Salt]

Originally Posted by iluvmusak

I applied for FAFSA, and will apply for the Kaiser loan. I'll check to see what else is out there.

If you accept the Kaiser loan be VERY sure you want to work for Kaiser for 3 years... Several of my classmates who received the loan felt limited and trapped when it came to applying for jobs. Also, I know of at least one person who is unhappy in his current position and having an impossible time finding another position within Kaiser (in a non med-surg area).

[jzzy88]

I think the BSN may provide an edge in the job market (I could be wrong). One of the posters said it depends on the clinical instructors for the quality of your experience and I have found that true. The administration absolutely sucks (there may be 2 people who are genuinely kind and helpful) and SMC is out to make as much money as possible. The SF program is probably the most disorganized of them all. You will have significant debt when you are done with the ABSN program b/c scholarships are not that significant when it comes down to the cost of the entire program. Don't expect an outstanding experience from SMC and you may get lucky with some good learning experiences. I would not recommend this program for someone who got into a different ABSN program, but over an ADN program, I'd do the SMC program. I certainly hope that I am correct about the BSN being more highly regarded than the ADN. And one more thing, the program's not as "intense" as it claims. There are a few fluff classes, all of the exams are multiple choice "NCLEX" type questions and there was one professor that probably didn't even read our papers. If you are a good student, you'll be able to ace every class in the program, which I'm not sure means much. Good luck

[katiesdad]

Thanks for such an interesting blog. Lots of good comments and ideas.

I am the vice president of enrollment and student services at Samuel Merritt College, and appreciate your candidness regarding the admission process. We strive to provide exceptional service in all areas, and it appears you have experienced some problems with the admission process. It would be very helpful if you could provide me with specifics about what you sent and to whom you sent it. Through your observations and input we hope to make our service the best it can be.

[Rianna1]

Iluvmusak,
Just wanted to update you. We are 3 weeks into the program and we get our clinical schedules soon. Yay! SF location may be different than San Mateo so I'm not sure how it works out for your group. Our class is great and we all get along and are very positive and look out for each other. I am just getting used to this schedule and then once I get used to it, the schedule will change again. I know it is early on in the program but with 3 weeks in, that means 48 weeks left Haha...It really does go by fast and I think you made a good choice since you will have your BSN in such a short time... Regarding the admin stuff, yeah, it can get annoying at times, but I get over it real quick when I think about the "pinning" and accomplishing what I've wanted to do for such a long time. Since the SF and SM cohorts are so new, there will be kinks along the way and you just have to go with the flow. They do the best they can and I do believe they want their students to succeed.

[iluvmusak]

Hi Rihanna,

It's great to hear that things are going well for you. I've been wondering about your group. Already 3 week thru . . . yeah! Almost 6% finished!!! That's nice that you have a cohesive group because it will make the year so much more enjoyable. So, how is the workload? Is it as intense and people say it is? Also, where do you have your first clinicals? Any pointers that you can give me?

Did you buy all your books. A few people in the program and graduates have all recommended that I not buy all the books because they didn't use them all. Also, they said to try to rent some of the books from chegg.com. I met someone in the San Mateo program that is graduating this June. She has not bought or rented one book, and relies on the powerpoints and lecture notes to study for the tests. She has gotten all A's, except for 3 B's. That was encouraging for me!

I just got a call from Lizzie yesterday and I've been offered a spot in Oakland. I live in the East Bay and Oakland has always been my first choice. I want the shorter commute and I want to do my clinicals at East Bay hospitals where I may want to work later. The only bummer is that I cannot apply for the Kaiser Forgiveness Loan. I applied for the San Mateo loan but it can't be transferred to Oakland if I am lucky enough to get chosen.

What would you chose - San Mateo or Oakland. I have to let them know by tomorrow morning.

Thanks for your update. I'll let you know how I'm doing when I get started. Good luck with everything.

-- Jeannette

[jzzy88]

If I had my choice I would go to the Oakland campus, since the program has been around longer and possibly more organized. Knowing now what I know, I would have waited for a space in Oakland. I chose the timing as a priority, which was a mistake. Also, I would like to reword my original critique of SMC, as I recognize my criticism may have sounded like personal attacks, which were not my intention. I must emphasize that the S.F. program that I am in has been very unorganized, some of the administrators are very defensive of students feelings of dissatisfaction with the program which does not help and only leads to more feelings of angst. The angst is not unjustified, as many times clinicals change drastically, including schedule and location, instructors drop out of rotations or if they do stay, they feel burdened by teaching which comes out as impatience at students. I recognize this program is new, but for the amount of money we are spending and for the amount of bugs in the program is inequitable. The dissatisfaction among students in my cohort is more than a little and unless SMC rises to the occasion and tries to improve the quality of it's education with the extension campuses, it's reputation will go down fast. I don't think this is what anyone wants as I do think SMC had a very good name before expanding the ABSN programs. I think that something needs to happen, maybe an internal meeting with students and administrators to see what can be done to salvage the remainder of time we have and to make their program better for future cohorts. I don't think it's anyone fault individually but the program is not ready to offer the quality of education offered at Oakland and Sacramento. And I do think SMC does have some good staff and a lot of potential, but at this point it is not living up to its own standards and eventually it have very bad consequences for the the school as a whole.

[karmyk]

edit: never mind.

I'd say go with the ADN or the cheaper program. You'll probably get more of your money's worth, with the added bonus of semi-competent administration.