Anyone Applying to Samuel Merritt ABSN April, May, June 2009?

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Is anyone else applying to ABSN at Merritt for Spring 2009. Let's post our experience the next 6 months here. I'm just getting started on my application due nov 1. Good luck. :up:

Update:

I was fed up waiting for the mail!! I live 20 mins from the Oakland campus. I went in and asked them why the letters were taking so long. They told me I got into the SF Campus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here's the deal. They sent out the letters using the hospital mailroom. I know from working at UCSF that when you use a hospital's mail service it is sorted on site, then taken to another off site sorting place, then passed to USPS. No wonder everyone is having to wait!!

Good luck everyone!

Sara

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Update:

I was fed up waiting for the mail!! I live 20 mins from the Oakland campus. I went in and asked them why the letters were taking so long. They told me I got into the SF Campus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here's the deal. They sent out the letters using the hospital mailroom. I know from working at UCSF that when you use a hospital's mail service it is sorted on site, then taken to another off site sorting place, then passed to USPS. No wonder everyone is having to wait!!

Good luck everyone!

Sara

Congrats. I see SF was your first choice and that you live 20 mins from Oakland campus,May I ask why you wanted SF? Do you have any housing suggestions for the Oakland campus? I live in EAst contra costa county and think that the commute might use up too much housing time..:nurse:

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dmskoka,

To answer your questions, I live in SF so the SF campus was my first choice for convenience. It is only a bike ride away! However, I'd have to cross the Bay bridge in heavy traffic everyday (or take BART) in order to get to Oakland. It would make for a much longer commute. No fun!

As far as housing in Oakland goes, I think there are some units close to campus, but other than that it can be kinda sketchy around that area. How long would the commute take you?

:redpinkhe

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I have friends who live in and love the rockridge area of oakland (cute cafes and boutiques and nice houses with pretty gardens). And I also have friends who live in a warehouse near the fruitvale BART and are perfectly happy. Although they don't walk around their neighborhood at night, they feel perfectly safe walking around during the day. You could also try piedmont. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I teach at an adult ed school and a bunch of my students grew up in what they called "the ghetto of the ghetto of oakland" and they have all lived to be atleast 18!

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dmskoka,

To answer your questions, I live in SF so the SF campus was my first choice for convenience. It is only a bike ride away! However, I'd have to cross the Bay bridge in heavy traffic everyday (or take BART) in order to get to Oakland. It would make for a much longer commute. No fun!

As far as housing in Oakland goes, I think there are some units close to campus, but other than that it can be kinda sketchy around that area. How long would the commute take you?

:redpinkhe

oh I see I thought you lived in Oakland... I went to the oakland campus twice during non commute traffic and it took me one hour and 20 mins!!!:crying2:

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Well, I got my decision letter on Friday the 13th. It took them 4 months to tell me my application is incomplete. I am missing ONE unit of a 4-unit pre-req science class. The class was approved by one of their admissions advisors (I have the worksheet she wrote up for me), so I didn't think twice about it. It was a human mistake on her part, but they took so long to let me know, that now I am past the deadline to even apply for Fall. If I had known, I could have taken the class this spring, and applied for the Fall cohort. I am sooo frustrated. I really hope I get an appointment and work out a good and fair resolution.:grn:

Congrats to all you with acceptance letters, and good luck to those still waiting.

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I'm glad to hear most of those letters have finally gone out! congrats to all of you who got accepted! and to those on the wait list, hang in there!

I'm not sure how the sf campus is in terms of "safety" but I've been around that area plenty of times during the day and it's always been fine.. it's right near cesar chavez and mission street.. a very busy and vibrant area.. and BART is right down the street.. and I heard from someone who went to the SF location that the SF cohort is the only one out of the three that actually get to somewhat choose when their clinical rotations will be.. I guess they ask everyone to make like a "preferred schedule" and they go through each and try to work the schedule out according to what would work best for you.. I heard that the other cohorts are split into 3 groups and are basically just rotated around and randomly assigned according to last names or something.. also, the SF campus allows you free parking if you carpool with 3 other people..

I've been to the Oakland campus a few times now to drop off paperwork and I always have a hard time finding street parking.. one time I went for the NET test, we got out kind of late and I totally took a wrong turn to get back on the freeway.. not a good area, let me tell you.. it was actually really dark and creepy.. the actual admin office itself is always locked and you have to press a button so they can see you and buzz you in.. not sure if that's the standard for all their locations but I've never seen an admin office of a school so "locked down" ..it doesn't really matter during the day time though.. it's always very busy with the hospital across the street too..

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Congratulation SStarr003! We waited FOREVER! Did they give you the acceptance packet of information when you were there? I still need to ask them to send me mine.

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Yes, they printed my information packet, letter of intent, criminal background check, student ID number, ect. I was able to take it with me to fill out and send back. My original packet was sent to my old address!! It was not forwarded by USPS for some reason. Luckily my old roomates called to let me know, plus I had already been to the school to ask them in person. The strange thing is that my application had my new address on it!!!

Is anyone else nervous about the administration and how disorganized they seem to be?? I can't believe people are just now finding out that they were missing something in their application. Lizzy said if anything was missing she would let us know by the beginning of Feb!! I would be outraged. I plan on keeping every e-mail and making copies of all my grades and so on because I don't want to risk anything being neglected by the administrators.

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sstarr003: I am outraged that they neglected to let me know I was missing ONE credit until the 2nd week of March. I'm checking to see where microbiology is being offered and so far, every school's micro class started in January and won't be offered again until Fall. Noone has returned my call yet from SM. I am distraught.

I am excited for all you new summer students. Wish I was there with ya. :cry:

I'm thinking maybe I'll just go get my CNA and start working in a hospital that may eventually pay for me to get my RN...

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I finally got a hold of SM admissions, and it turns out one of my transcripts was lost in the mail (?). :scrying: Lizzie told me I may still end up with a spot on the waitlist for this summer, so I'm still waiting and hoping!

Is anyone on the waitlist planning on reclassifying their application for the fall term at SF?

I got a mass email from Lizzie on Feb 19 saying:

If you are waitlisted for the summer 2009 program:

You have the possibility to reclassify your application by completing the attached reclassification form.

There wasn't anything attached to that email. Has anyone managed to get their hands on a copy of that "reclassification form"?

And yes, Sstarr003, I am not thrilled with the level of organization in their administration. Congratulations, and be glad that we learned our lesson early to make copies and be diligent.

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StarBelly - Sorry to hear about that class. That's frustrating. I didn't get in but I'm on the waitlist...I have a great GPA and scored well on the NET but I'm WAY down on the list. From what others who are accepted (Congrats to you guys!!!) have shared on here I think I didn't get in because of lack of experience so I was thinking of getting my CNA if I don't make it in this time, work for a year then reapply. Where are you thinking of going to go for your CNA cert/training?

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