University of Phoenix MSN students

JoMom4 · Dec 11, 2013

Tony,

Congratulations on advancing your career! I graduated UoP in June 2010 with MSN/MHA degree. I believe you get out of it what you put into it. I took it seriously and did well. I didn't think it was real hard- just takes time out of your week and you have to plan how you will get the work done. Get the APA book. You can use an APA website, but I found having the book with stickies on the pages I used frequently was a big help.

Good luck!

tony55! · Dec 24, 2013

JoMom4,

Thanks for your reply. I will take the classes serious because I really want to succeed. I have already went online and completed 5 workshops. I feel like that has familiarized me with the website. I hope to come back on this site in less than 2 years and tell you - I have completed the program. I have a few ideas about my 590 practicum. I am also thinking about the 598 utilization research. According to what I have read those two classes are the hardest. I feel like if I can get ahead on those two classes I have a better chance at completing the program.

Thanks again, and Merry Christmas

algebra_demystified · Dec 29, 2013

I took five classes in their MSN track. I thought it was awful! The students had little to say that was meaningful in the discussion, and the material in the classes was not useful to me at all. In the end I decided that the experience was so bad that I would simply quit. Later, I enrolled in Gonzaga's online program and it was so much better! The students were MUCH more interesting, and were all fluent in English. The instructors were much more helpful. I had to repeat all the classes I took at Phoenix, but this time I found material that was useful in my work as a floor nurse. Gonzaga would not accept the credits I had from Phoenix, by the way.

I have a BS in Public Relations from Illinois State University. That was a very easy program and I learned very little.

When I went back to school for nursing I attended Glendale Community College just outside of Los Angeles, and that was one of the most difficult things I ever completed. Even the prerequisites were killers. I had no idea you really needed to study 3-4 hours a day every day just for one class. It seemed ridiculous. I've heard of other community colleges where you could retake exams if you didn't like your grades. Glendale Community College was outstanding, and without a doubt the crown jewel of my academic experiences. GCC! My fellow graduates have gone on to good jobs and successful careers.

Before Glendale Community College, I took a couple prereqs at LA Trade Tech. In the intro meeting, students were called up to have their assessment test graded and students were advised on how to get themselves up to speed for class. Quite a few applicants were functionally illiterate. Some brought their kids to class and told them to sit in the hallway during class. I took the Nutrition and Lifespan classes there, but wound up just walking away after about half of the first semester. The instructor for the Lifespan class showed up AN HOUR LATE commonly and was usually drunk. I could smell him from the middle row. I had to explain to one of my classmates that academic journals are not the same kind of magazines that you get in the grocery store. Another student turned in his first paper as a single run-on sentence on one side of a ripped out sheet from a spiral notebook. In the nutrition class, half the students failed the first test. The content was the simplest I had seen since grade school. Is wheat a protein or a carbohydrate? It was beyond ridiculous, and I was ashamed to even mention to anyone that I attended a school like that. Bye!

I got my EMT license from West Valley Occupational Center. My instructor was very cool and a nice guy. The material was useful and difficult enough that I learned a lot. After I got my license, I felt well prepared to do the job.

At Gonzaga, I found the students to be intelligent, experienced, well-read, enthusiastic, and engaging. The on-campus immersion weekends were both challenging and enlightening. I can visit the campus any time. The alumni association has provided me with networking opportunities among successful graduates.

The bottom line is that I've been to multiple schools. Phoenix is not the worst, LA Trade Tech was far worse. Phoenix was a big notch below Illinois State University. The University of Illinois is the good state school in Illinois. Northern is #2, ISU was probably #3, Southern was probably #4, and Eastern is definitely #5. I would put Phoenix below Eastern.

An exceptional student can learn anything they want at any school, and no library can turn you away. Just because somebody went to Phoenix doesn't mean they didn't learn, but I would have to assess that graduate carefully if the education meant anything significant in the job.

tony55! · Jul 30, 2015

Update for University of Phoenix

I graduated last weekend with an MSN. I enjoyed the classes and the facilitators at the University of Phoenix. I am applying to the post master's certificate FNP program at Maryville University. I hope to come back in less than two years and report I am graduating from the PMC-FNP program.

ncnurse1012 · Dec 16, 2015

Hi Good Day Tony55! I have been reading through some of your threads and i think we are in a similar situation. I am a RN in NC who graduated outside of USA. Got my transcript evaluated because I am wanting to study further and be an NP. My GPA came out to be a 2.5 as evaluated by WES which makes it hard to get into any grad school! I've been calling around and called UOP too. SO now i'm thinking of getting a masters in administration in UOP then getting post master's certificate in a university after. How is it working for you? are you currently applying for post master's? Really want to hear how your journey is going.

tony55! · Jan 7, 2016

Hi NCNURSE1012, Don't let that stop you if you want to continue. I will start the post masters certificate program at Maryville this semester. I am not sure if I posted in the past that another school told me to improve my GPA and reapply. I graduated with a 3.98 in the MSN program at UoPX and reapplied. The other school still would not accept me. The advisor said it was based on my ADN GPA. I cried and then researched other programs. I was accepted to Maryville University in Missouri. I know NPs that graduated from the program and passed boards. I read other posts about the challenges of online programs, but regardless of the format graduate school is difficult.

I wish you the best of luck and don't allow anyone to still your dream of advancing your career to the next level.