ADNs in California without a waitlist

suzanne4, RN · Aug 4, 2005

ADN programs are two years...........minimum. There are no one year ADN programs, unless you already have your LVN and then would be doing a bridge program.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Aug 4, 2005

Hi,

I live in california too. I literally contacted about 10-15 different ADN schools all over the state, and i have checked EVERY website of EVERY ADN program in the state of california. I'd say 100% of them have waitlists. The waits vary. Some only a year, other's 5 years. Some do a lottery system to let people in. This is why I went and got my LVN. I have 5 different ADN programs near me, as soon as I finish the prereq's, I'm automatically in the program without a wait. It actually saved me a lot of time to just go through the LVN program. Also, you get a job as an LVN, a lot of places will pay for your RN school, they have special "20-20" programs where you work 20 hrs a week while in the RN program, and they pay you for 40 hours in addition to paying for your program.

All ADN programs consist of 2 years, unless you bridge with an LVN license, which is usually then 1 year, but sometimes a year and a half.

Many other states have waitlists on their ADN programs too, but some don't. I know most schools in Tennessee don't have a waitlist.

Oh, there's a private ADN school down in Chula Vista (San Diego area) that's private and I believe doesn't have a waitlist, but they charge an arm and a leg. There's several other religious private colleges (like Mount St Mary's) that have ADN programs but they too will run you a lot of dough. That's usually the reason they rarely have wait lists

Good Luck on whatever you decide

: ) Nicki

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Aug 4, 2005

I don't think there are any 1 year ADN's (maybe diploma programs), because most are 2-3 years. If you are an LPN then you might be able to do bridge to RN and would take you less time. Good luck to you. :)

dream2nurse · Aug 4, 2005

Hi there!

I know of a few schools without waitlists, and I am pretty sure there are more in the SF Bay Area. Ohlone (where I am starting in the Fall, yeah!) does not have a wait list. Also Evergreen Valley College does not have a waitlist. I know that San Mateo City College, San Francisco City College, Santa Rosa Junior College, and Merritt College are non-waitlist. I think DeAnza College is also switching to a non-waitlist status but not sure. With no wait list that means they are based on merit... at Ohlone there were 350+ applications for 30 spots.

As for one-year ADN programs there are none that I know of, BUT on Ohlone College's nursing homepage, they are conducting a survey trying to determine student's interest in a one-year program. I think the catch is that they are considering charging more for it. Here is the url:

http://www.ohlone.edu/instr/nursing/

I applied to a ton of schools in the Bay Area and researched ALL of them, and there are tons. If you want any more info I would be happy to share.

Good luck!

iheartnursing_cali · Aug 5, 2006

Hi, I just ran into this thread and saw your reply... I see you are going to Ohlone. Are you still there? I go there, or well I did, my last time attending classes were just this last summer 2006, but I got accepted to a LVN program. Anyway, I was just wondering how you are doing with your pre-nursing courses... or are you already in the nursing program... if you are, how long did it take you to get accepted or how long was your wait. I know Ohlone doesn't have any waitlists, but they do have a lottery, if you haven't already heard. I know someone who has been applying every semester for 3-4 or going on 5 years without her name being picked. Maybe it's becaue the amount of new applications every semester, or maybe it's just bad luck, but I don't really know. So that's why I decided to apply at a LVN program, instead of waiting to see if my name gets picked.

Hi there!
I know of a few schools without waitlists, and I am pretty sure there are more in the SF Bay Area. Ohlone (where I am starting in the Fall, yeah!) does not have a wait list. Also Evergreen Valley College does not have a waitlist. I know that San Mateo City College, San Francisco City College, Santa Rosa Junior College, and Merritt College are non-waitlist. I think DeAnza College is also switching to a non-waitlist status but not sure. With no wait list that means they are based on merit... at Ohlone there were 350+ applications for 30 spots.
As for one-year ADN programs there are none that I know of, BUT on Ohlone College's nursing homepage, they are conducting a survey trying to determine student's interest in a one-year program. I think the catch is that they are considering charging more for it. Here is the url:
http://www.ohlone.edu/instr/nursing/
I applied to a ton of schools in the Bay Area and researched ALL of them, and there are tons. If you want any more info I would be happy to share.
Good luck![/quote

firstyearstudent · Aug 5, 2006

I don't think that Glendale Community College (near Los Angeles) or Los Angeles City College have wait lists -- at least not waitlists that go from year to year. They have a lottery. If you don't win, I believe you reapply the next year without preference.

I think the same is true of Pasadena City College, also near Los Angeles, but I'm less sure here...

beanny · Aug 5, 2006

As far as I know,Rio Hondo college, Passadena College, East Los Angeles College, Glendale Community College all enroll student according to lottery. Los Angeles County College of Nursing & Allied Health enroll student by GPA. Mount St Marry College is a private college, titution fee is very expensive, but can easily get in as long as you have money.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Aug 5, 2006

Here is a link to colleges (US Community Colleges and Universites by State) so you can research their websites yourself to see if they have a waitlist.

http://www.utexas.edu/world/comcol/state/

Imperial Valley Community College out in the dessert east of San Diego has no wait list.

Let us know what colleges you will be applying to. :) Good Luck!

karmyk · Aug 5, 2006

Also, does anyone know of any one-year ADN programs?

It isn't exactly 1 year long... but Sacramento City College has an 18 month accellerated ADN program (no LVN experience required).

http://www.scc.losrios.edu/nursing/ec_faq.html

elisabeth · Aug 6, 2006

The accelerated program at Sac City is also not taking applications right now.

http://www.scc.losrios.edu/nursing/extendedcampus.html

They'll be taking applications in Spring 2007 (not a typo, it's really 07) for Fall admission.

Sac City and American River Colleges both have lottery admission to the ADN program. The accelerated SCC program is separate and distinct from the regular 4 semester ADN program, which is in conjuction with Sutter Hospitals, and is not lottery based. You need to completely reapply each semester at SCC and ARC.

Sierra College in Rocklin has a program starting each spring semester that has all of the lecture component online. Lab, clinicals and exams are still done traditionally, but the lecture portion is entirely online. Sierra also enrolls via lottery.

Yuba College in Marysville and Shasta College in Redding are both waitlist programs and are each about a year and a half long. I'm currently 110 on the list at Yuba and 104 on the list at Shasta.

If we could afford to move to La Jolla for 2 years and our parents weren't ill, we'd happily eat the cost of National University's program. Unfortunately, we would have to pay for daycare for our daughter and we'd be leaving our sick mothers in Sacramento.

Good luck getting into a program!

Elisabeth

NurseFirst · Aug 6, 2006

If you want to look at JUST the community colleges in California that have RN programs, the following website will be of some help:

http://www.cccco.edu/

It will list what degree programs are at which community colleges in California. It also can be interesting to explore what other kinds of health care training is offered -- such as the interventional cardiology program at Grossmount (near San Diego).

I guess when someone asks if there are any schools without a waiting list, I think of that meaning, are there any RN programs that are not impacted. With the presence of lotteries, there may not be wait lists, but those schools that have them, have them because they are impacted.

The idea of going the LVN route, then a bridge program, has its advantages, as has been noted by other posters. After completing pre-reqs to RN program, it may also put you ahead of other applicants to the LVN program, which has differing requirements for admission. (i.e., at Mission College, admission only requires the 1 semester of A&P -- but if you have a year of A & P, that gives you an advantage in the admission selection process.) When I discussed this with folks at my Nursing School they did feel that the LVNs were at a bit of a handicap when it came to writing nursing plans.

Sequoia Hospital has an accelerated BSN program in conjunction with University of San Francisco (I think that's the one; I know it's not UCSF.).

San Jose State was also given some money and were also setting up an accelerated BSN program, or possibly accelerated MSN program. Samuel Merritt is another private school in the Bay Area with an RN program which used to have an accelerated 18 month program.

But -- as for cost -- you have to consider. What are you NOT making by NOT being an RN sooner? Taking out loans for $18,000 to get done in 18 months I think would be well worth it in the long run.

I'm sorry to hear about the gal who has been trying to get in for 5 years. I know that DeAnza has (at least in the past) had a "weighted" lottery -- with additional "chances" entered into the lottery for each quarter that the person has applied and has not gotten in. When you think of the possibility of having to wait out years, entering an LVN program first and then bridging seems like a far more attractive option.

NurseFirst