Advice on CSULB Nursing Program vs. Sac State Nursing Program

Spiffyness · Jan 21, 2012

Hey everyone,
Any thoughts on either CSU Long Beach's entry-level BSN and/or CSU Sacramento's entry-level BSN?
I am currently applying to both programs and I have a competitive application. Also, I currently live with my boyfriend about 30 minutes south of CSULB, but I also have some family near Sacramento. I know Sac State's program is 4 semesters long versus CSULB which is 6 semesters. It's great that Sac State's program is shorter for financial reasons, but it also means I will have to be far away from my boyfriend (of 4 years) so I am not too sure if I am completely sold on going to Sac State if I get in. It's quite the emotional dilemma. Any suggestions as far as things I should consider or positive/negative experiences with either program that may help me decide where to go should I end up getting into both programs?
Any input is appreciated :thankya:

I would like some advice too! I currently go to CSULB and I live 20-30 min away and have applied to the Fall 2012 nursing program for CSULB and CSUS, along with 4 other BSN programs in California. I want to get my BSN done in a 2 year program and CSULB has the 2 year/no summer option whereas CSUS has a 4 semester 2 year program (with summers I believe).

The pros of me going to CSULB would be that I can commute and save money from housing, but the drawback is that if I choose the 2 year program I won't be able to enjoy my summers. I also hear that many people who do the 2 year program at CSULB often wish they did the 3 year program because of all the stress.

As for CSUS, it would probably cost more because of housing, but I would be getting the college experience that I long for! At CSULB, I go to class and go home afterwards and I'm not in any clubs (sad I know). But this was largely due to commuting, I didn't want to stay on campus after my classes were over and I was focusing on getting all A's in my pre-reqs. I've lived at home my whole life and I think going to nursing school away from home may give me more experiences and opportunities.

I compared the NCLEX pass rates for 2010/2011 online and both schools have very high pass rates (100+ people who took it with a 97% pass rate). Therefore, I am confident that both programs prepare you well for the NCLEX.

What are your scores for applications to both programs if I may ask?

cali_nature_girl · Jan 22, 2012

I see your predicament. Though, I am not sure if CSUS would actually cost more since its 4 semesters rather than 6 at CSULB. Do you have all your GE's done? I'm sure you have looked at the CSUS curriculum, but in case you haven't, you will have absolutely no time for GE's at Sac. Also, don't forget that once you are in nursing school, your cohort will become like family to you, so I wouldn't worry too much about not having a true college experience. Sure you may choose to continue living at home, but that doesn't mean you can't have a fulfilling experience. Besides, you will probably be saving money, and since there is no guarantee of a nursing job once we graduate it's pretty smart to save money. Lastly, you want to look at where you want to land your first nursing job since you will be networking at the hospitals where you are doing your clinical rotations. As far as my scores, I am not really sure what the exact numbers are. I have a 4.0 prerequisite GPA, a 3.84 cumulative GPA, a 94.7% on the TEAS and a 96.7% on the math portion, 138 volunteer hours in an ER, and AP Spanish.

Spiffyness · Jan 22, 2012

Do you know the tuition differences between the two? I figured I would be paying more if I went to CSUS because I would have to pay for housing. And yes, I have all my GE's done. Living at home has been very stressful for family reasons and I would actually prefer to move out. I'm 20 now and I don't want to just live at home throughout all of my college years, especially at this point where I just feel the need to get away if you know what I mean. It would probably be helpful to stay at CSULB since one of the clinical rotations is the hospital that my mom works at and where I have been volunteering at, but who knows, maybe going up north will open new opportunities for me.

cali_nature_girl · Jan 23, 2012

ST1004,I understand your reasons for wanting to leave home. I am also 20 and moved out last July. You definitely should not feel like you must stay at home just for money. You already have a network at a hospital in this area because of your mom and volunteering.To answer your question, I have looked up the estimated costs to attend each school based on tuition and additional costs specifc to a nursing program. My estimate may be off by 1-2k because of inflation. CSULB (6 semesters) costs ~$26,847 without taking housing into account. CSUS (4 semesters) costs ~$21,271 without considering housing. Let's say you decide to live on-campus or at least not with your parents, then housing and food will cost an additional 10-11k per year that you attend school. So in this case, going to CSUS saves you money.Do you like going to CSULB? Does the nursing program there appeal to you at all? My situation is basically the reverse of yours: go to CSULB and live with my boyfriend but pay more or go to Sac and save money but be long-distance with my bf for two years or more if I cannot get a job in SoCal after I graduate.

Do you know the tuition differences between the two? I figured I would be paying more if I went to CSUS because I would have to pay for housing. And yes, I have all my GE's done. Living at home has been very stressful for family reasons and I would actually prefer to move out. I'm 20 now and I don't want to just live at home throughout all of my college years, especially at this point where I just feel the need to get away if you know what I mean. It would probably be helpful to stay at CSULB since one of the clinical rotations is the hospital that my mom works at and where I have been volunteering at, but who knows, maybe going up north will open new opportunities for me.

Spiffyness · Jan 23, 2012

Oh I see. The tuition costs aren't drastically different, even including housing. I think CSULB is a good school, but I don't exactly love going here. I was a pre-nursing major and in my second semester sophomore year the school of nursing decided to have a mandatory meeting with all the pre-nursing students basically telling us that we had to declare another major as a junior because they didn't want us to get our hopes up in getting in the program and they wanted us to have a back up plan. My friends who were pre-nursing majors aren't even pursuing nursing anymore because one of them got a C in one of the science pre-reqs and another got a B in a science plus another B in their GE course so they felt like they had no chance of getting in. I know that class availability is a problem in all cal states and colleges, but I felt like it was a little late for them to disregard us to pursue nursing. We had already gone through two years of college. So now I'm a nutrition and dietetics major while pursuing nursing. Its awkward to tell this story to everyone who asks me what my major is too :yawn: I also had an unfortunate phone call incident today when calling the CSULB nursing program, you can read about it in the CSULB Fall 2012 thread if you want. But there are just small instances where I did not like the way they treated their students just because we are "pre" majors. We never had a counselor and always had to go to a walk in counseling for help and that was open to all majors, so I bet the grad students who were monitoring it did not even know what they were talking about. I've heard many comments that the CSULB Nursing program is very good and is one of the best in California and I can see that based on their NCLEX pass rates, but CSUS has a just as high percentage. I am also curious how CSUS can manage to do a 4 semester program and CSULB ends up being 6 semesters but you still end up in the same spot. That's one full year of college difference!

CA_BSN_Student · Jan 25, 2012

I'm in the 2 year/trimester program at CSULB. I glanced at Sac State's curriculum and it seems that classes are about the same, except I think pharm (can be taken during 1st semester) & patho have to be completed before acceptance at Sac State. I also noted critical care & preceptor ship are not in Sac State's curriculum. 15 units during 2nd semester & 17 units during 4th semester at Sac State might be a bit heavy. Not sure if capstones (upper division GEs) are required at Sac State but for a transfer student, it might be difficult to take capstones (if required) with those unit loads. However, it appears both schools have a high NCLEX passing rate so one can't go wrong with choosing either. As far as the 2 year program at CSULB, it is quite a bit tougher than the 3 year program. I wish I had summer break last year but I felt energized after this winter break. I was a pre-nursing major so I understand how hard it is, especially since drastic cuts were made in the past couple years. Tuition is increasing yet class sections are decreasing. But know that once you're in the program, classes are guaranteed so one less thing to stress over!

cali_nature_girl · Jan 26, 2012

I think Sac State is able to accomplish the program in 4 semesters because nursing students are expected to be done with all their GE's. Also, I spoke with a Nursing Professor at Sac State and she said that Sac State does have a preceptorship of 250 hours in your last semester there. It is really unfortunate how you have been treated at CSULB. Hopefully they treat their nursing majors better!

Spiffyness · Mar 11, 2012

@MariCal91 Have you heard anymore information that swayed your choice on either school? I am leaning more towards CSULB now.

cali_nature_girl · Mar 11, 2012

I am leaning towards CSULB too! I am beginning to enjoy living in the OC more and I think I may end up being here for the next few years so it will be worth the extra money. I was also thinking that CSULB, the university, not just the nursing program, has a better reputation than Sac State so it's probably better to go there. Are you planning on continuing to commute? I am hoping to find someone from the Irvine/South OC area who's in the fall 2012 cohort to commute with. Commuting is the one thing that I am absolutely dreading about CSULB but it would be such a hassle to move to LB, not to mention my roomies would be hate me for leaving

cali_nature_girl · Mar 11, 2012

Spiffyness, totally random, but how did you change your profile name from ST1004? I have been trying to figure out how to change mine for a while now lol

Spiffyness · Mar 11, 2012

Yeah I will continue to commute. Although at CSUS you get summers off, I also agree that CSULB has a higher reputation and it would be a lot easier for me to continue living at home. It's only a 20-30 min drive for me everyday so I'm used to it. Are you interested in the trimester or semester program? And to change your username, press the house symbol to take you to the homepage (allnurses.com). Click 'help'. Click AdminHelp Desk. Start a topic (I just named mine Request to change username) and say you want to change it along with including three usernames you would want to change it to (with the one you want most first). An admin will check the availability of the username and issue you one. Don't worry, the topics you post in the help desk won't be seen by anyone except you and the admins. :)