Anyone hoping to start Kaplan San Diegos ADN (RN) Program in January 09?

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I just submitted all of my stuff and Im hoping to get accepted. Anyone else in the area hoping to start on the January 20th start date? Also, any advice from anyone who has been through Kaplan/Maric's ADN program would be appreciated. I started doing the community college thing but Im 34 and I dont have time to wait on a 3 yr waiting list once I finish all prereqs. :bugeyes:

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Can you please gie me some info about this program? what prereq etc

I am also in San Diego

thanks

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If you do a search for Maric or Kaplan in San Diego there are a bunch of threads with a lot of good information. Keep in mind that Kaplan bought out Maric (or however that happened) about 5 years ago, so you are going to want to pay closer attention to the newer posts.

Kaplan will cost you close to $50k (with discounts for classes you have already finished at, say, a local community college) and will take you 20 months to complete. If you already have some of the classes, it doesnt take any time off of the 20 months, just makes your work load lighter. If youre like me, its worth it to have to pay off student loans to save the 3 yr waiting list and the time of the remaining prereqs. I am 34 and have a 4 yr old and Im not even sure if I would be able to finish if it were to take that long. I need to be working ASAP! For me, Ill take the loans :) Keep in mind that most people will qualify for grants and such and there are a TON of scholarships out there for Nursing students.

They require that you are at least a CNA before starting. MA, LVN etc... you must have 6 months of some kind of medical experience. If you dont, you can take their MA or CNA (?) program and then start the ADN program. You also have to take and pass the TEAS (you can google that for more info) test with at least a 70%, but you want 80% to really have a good chance at getting in. STUDY for this. Kaplan has a great study guide called Nursing Entrance Exams and you can get it cheap on Amazon.

If you have any of the prereqs done, you'll need your transcripts so that they can verify them and give you credit. You should know that, while nationally accredited, not all colleges recognize their credits. If you want to get your BSN you will have to go to National or U of Phoenix (both of whom were recommended to me by the counselor of the local community college to avoid the 3-4 yr wait list. Also, you can start working and then do classes online with National or Phoenix for your BSN and then THOSE credits will transfer to any school... so you can get your Masters anywhere should you choose to continue. They have an 88% pass rate for the NCLEX.

Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to know! :)

Misti

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Thanks for the reply. As I mentioned in a previous post I'll be visiting Kaplan's San Diego campus mid December. In the meantime, does anyone know the full tuition price for the 20 month ADN program?

I want to know the full, or actual price notwithstanding any credits I've taken elsewhere. I ask not only because I'm anxious to know now, but because if it's over $40K I have a plan B school I'm looking at. Thank all. John

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Oops! I see Misti basically answered my Kaplan ADN cost question. Wow, $50K for a store bought ADN! I suppose bumping up to a BS degree later through Kaplan would set you back about an another $40-50K. Unless you already have a regionally accredited AS degree you'd have to use Kaplan College to advance as no state college will honor your Kaplan ADN degree. I'm not basing Kaplan. I'm sure the nursing education is decent. It's just a shame that community colleges can't accommodate more students. Moreover, why, for $50,000 can't these for-profit nursing schools obtain regionally accreditation?

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I agree, John. However, when I called Mesa College, the counselor recommended National University when I voiced my concern about the 3 year wait at the local community colleges. This was without mention of Kaplan's ADN program at all. Kaplan/Maric's credits transfer to National anyway, so Im not really worried. Its worth it for me to deal with the large fee to start working so much sooner. Not ideal, but at least we have the option. A lot of places dont even HAVE that option. :)

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I agree, John. However, when I called Mesa College, the counselor recommended National University when I voiced my concern about the 3 year wait at the local community colleges. This was without mention of Kaplan's ADN program at all. Kaplan/Maric's credits transfer to National anyway, so Im not really worried. Its worth it for me to deal with the large fee to start working so much sooner. Not ideal, but at least we have the option. A lot of places dont even HAVE that option. :)

Wow 50 G's is more then alot for an ADN, but like you said At Least you have the option. Here in Georgia, it's either state schools, or private schools that are still part of the GA university system, to get your RN all have waiting list or a ton of prerecs. We did use to have EC as and option don't even have that anymore. So , if I had that as an option , u know something I might take it.

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Yeah! I moved to San Diego from the Los Angeles area and didnt HAVE this option. No one is FORCING anyone to pay 50G's. Believe me... I DONT have it to spend. I dont have any help paying for my education and times are tough. To me, thats even MORE reason to get working already! If i didnt have a child and wasnt 34, Id probably never consider it. Im grateful to have the option. Kaplans NCLEX rates are 88%. That tells me that, though not amazing, they will give me the tools that I need to work hard and study my butt off to pass. Once Im working, no one is going to care where I got my education because I know I will be a DAMN good nurse. I agree.. its a ton of money... but what is the price tag on YOUR time? :) I wish I had done this when I was 22.... lol

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Yeah! I moved to San Diego from the Los Angeles area and didnt HAVE this option. No one is FORCING anyone to pay 50G's. Believe me... I DONT have it to spend. I dont have any help paying for my education and times are tough. To me, thats even MORE reason to get working already! If i didnt have a child and wasnt 34, Id probably never consider it. Im grateful to have the option. Kaplans NCLEX rates are 88%. That tells me that, though not amazing, they will give me the tools that I need to work hard and study my butt off to pass. Once Im working, no one is going to care where I got my education because I know I will be a DAMN good nurse. I agree.. its a ton of money... but what is the price tag on YOUR time? :) I wish I had done this when I was 22.... lol

Edited because I wasnt sure if Kaplan was accredited however just checked the BRN and it is.. my bad! :D

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Yeah! I moved to San Diego from the Los Angeles area and didnt HAVE this option. No one is FORCING anyone to pay 50G's. Believe me... I DONT have it to spend. I dont have any help paying for my education and times are tough. To me, thats even MORE reason to get working already! If i didnt have a child and wasnt 34, Id probably never consider it. Im grateful to have the option. Kaplans NCLEX rates are 88%. That tells me that, though not amazing, they will give me the tools that I need to work hard and study my butt off to pass. Once Im working, no one is going to care where I got my education because I know I will be a DAMN good nurse. I agree.. its a ton of money... but what is the price tag on YOUR time? :) I wish I had done this when I was 22.... lol

You make a few good points. Your pay check will be the same size whether you go to Maric, or a community college. Moreover, like you, I feel my time doesn't have a price tag either these days. In retrospect, it would have been better for me to have bypassed community college and just went straight into say Maric. Over a year of prereqs followed by a three year wait list for an ADN? Had I chosen the private route I'd be working as an RN now. My reasoning, at the time, for not going to Maric was that I wanted a universally transferable degree. Such a degree can be an asset. as it's much cheaper to build upon. You see, I went to a respiratory therapy school in San Diego that provided me with an RT license, but not a transferable degree. Like you, I wish I did all this schooling 10 years ago. John

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OK, here is the real deal. Spoke with National University today. NU is accredited by WASC. Same as all the state and community colleges. Kaplan/Maric is not and National University will NOT accept your ADN credits from Kaplan. Sure Kaplan is accredited, but only through the "Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools" (ACICS). Better than nothing, but if you want to expand your ADN you will have to through their high $$ BS program. When it's all said and done Kaplan College would cost you over $80K for a BSN. This is around $30K more than say National University. Want a Masters some day? Forget it!

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I hear ya, John. We live and learn, right? At this point I dont even know if I will continue to BSN. Maybe, maybe not. I just want to start working. At the rate I am able to go in community college with schedule conflicts, available classes and childcare.... yeah.... Im just happy to get in there, bust my rump for 20 months and actually accomplish my goal. Im not sure I would be able to afford to go to school for the years and years it would have taken me at my current rate. I wish ya the best of luck... sounds like you and I are in a similar place in our lives. Did you say you were thining of going to Kaplan or had decided. Let me know if you apply :) (sorry.... cant remember what you had written about that)

Misti

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