Samuel Merritt's ELMSN-FNP v. UCLA ME-CN 2009

I'm a non-nurse and have been accepted to Samuel Merritt's FNP program and UCLA's ME-CN program. I've been dragging this decision for over a month now and see pros and cons to both and was wondering if there's any grads from either program out there or anyone who has advice/opinions to shed on either of the programs. Searching this site has produced mixed reviews on both in terms of organization, support, and I'm also wondering if I should get RN experience before specializing as a NP. Of course cost is also something worth considering and I want to make sure I make the best investment of my time so I can handle the future debt. Thanks!