CA: Location vs cost? SMU vs CSUN ABSN

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Hello,

I was recently accepted to 2 ABSN programs in Southern California but live in the Bay Area. I am waiting to hear back from SMU but want to know ahead of time how to pick a program.

I know you're not supposed to pick on money alone, but everything i've read said that where you get your BSN doesn't matter, it's all about what you do with the education. If you have another opinion on this, please share!

That said, let's talk money.

SMU is $66k tuition alone, which doesn't include books and other fees listed on their site. (I have not been able to get the actual cost of the ABSN from the internet - if anyone knows please let me know.)

CSUN's program costs $18k, all in. That is a GIANT ($48k) difference. CSUN's loan would cost $240/month, SMU's $771/month.

My question is if going to school in the area you're planning on working in is very helpful in landing a job afterwards. Basically, is it worth the $48k to go to SMU and establish connections in the Bay Area to help me get a job?

For instance, if I go to CSUN and move back to the Bay Area after graduation, will I have a harder time getting a job because I went to school not in the area? How many nurses got their first jobs at a location of their clinicals?

If anyone has any insight on the quality of either program or how to decide, please let me know!

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From my understanding, SMU is not all that well respected of a program. I definitely wouldn't choose it for connections. The money alone would make me choose CSUN. Even if there was an advantage to SMU, it wouldn't be worth the triple+ cost.

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For clarity - SMU here means Samuel Merritt University's ABSN program in San Mateo.

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Hi Shelby,

Thanks for the insight! Do you know anyone who has gone to Samuel Merritt's program and not had a good experience?

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.
From my understanding SMU is not all that well respected of a program. I definitely wouldn't choose it for connections. The money alone would make me choose CSUN. Even if there was an advantage to SMU, it wouldn't be worth the triple+ cost.[/quote']True, their reputation (Dominican, too) isn't the best in the Bay Area. I would say to stick with CSUN and save the money. How big is the class at Northridge? I am about to graduate from a CSU in the Bay Area with a good reputation and a very small class. I have a job offer where I've been doing clinicals and precepting. I made sure to make myself known during clinicals and I made connections along the way.

May I ask why you didn't apply to CSUs in the Bay Area? I know requirements vary, so that can be a factor.

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Hi RunBabyRun, thanks for the info. I didn't see any accelerated programs at CSUs in the Bay Area and wanted to do a quicker program so I only applied to ABSN programs.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.
Hi RunBabyRun, thanks for the info. I didn't see any accelerated programs at CSUs in the Bay Area and wanted to do a quicker program so I only applied to ABSN programs.

Sonoma's program is only 2 years, and there may now be others that have shortened their programs. It might be worthwhile to consider looking at CSUs, even if they don't offer aBSN programs.

In SoCal, I know Long Beach also offers a 2 year. Again, there may be others as well- it's been a few years since I've researched, and more and more programs are getting shorter.

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Hi RunBabyRun thanks for the info. I didn't see any accelerated programs at CSUs in the Bay Area and wanted to do a quicker program so I only applied to ABSN programs.[/quote']

CSU graduates will almost always have hiring the preference even if not local. Connections, preceptorships and rotations are weak at sm as they have a hard time getting clinical placements and preceptors. Sm ain't worth the price of its education even if you get out faster, I would rather take an extra year or 2 with more clinical and networking experience. Most new grad opportunities are in Socal, I know several sm graduates and the market is tough. Only 1 was hired in the bay area, the rest are in Socal somewhere or out of state in Texas or something. I would not say sm outputs weak nurses though, it's all on you.

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Thank you so much zzbxdo! It's helpful to hear insight from people with real world nursing experience - especially those in the Bay Area.

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Enursing,

I went to SMU and had a good experience. Granted, it was expensive but I would do it all over again. SMUs ABSN program has a 95% first time pass rate for the NCLEX and some years, it was 100%. So when picking and choosing for yourself, money aside, look at the schools pass rate for the NCLEX . That alone will tell you about how well the students are prepped.

But pick the cheaper school because at end of the day, it doesn't matter where you went and you wanna graduate with as little loans as possible. I got accepted to 2 CSUs and Samuel Merritt and I'm really glad I went to SMU. Looking back, I'm really happy with the choice I made and I would make the same choice if I had to again.

I did the normal 2 year BSN. We all took the NCLEX a month or two after graduation and everyone in my cohort of 50 landed job within a year (we graduated back in December of 2009). I even had the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland for a month and learn about healthcare and nursing in Ireland during my last summer in nursing school, offered in a partnership with SJSU school of nursing and SMUs school of nursing.

I took a job as a labor and delivery RN in San Diego for 3 years after graduation and now I work as a trauma ICU nurse at a level one trauma hospital. You'll find SMU grads all over the Bay Area. I have many old classmates working from Stanford to UCSF to John Muir to Kaiser to Highland...and that's just my close group of friends from my SMU cohort. I have no idea where this "bad rep" is coming from because SMU RNs are working everywhere in the Bay Area...so the school must be doing something right.

Good luck! Whatever decision you make will work out for you.

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Hi Enursing! Thank you for your post; I'm currently in your same situation. I've been accepted to SMU, but have received offers from other absn programs in socal. If you don't mind, what you did you end up choosing? And do you feel that the program was the right choice? That SMU tuition is just so expensive...

Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

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In my volunteering and research I have had a quite a few people suggest going to school in the area in which you plan to find a job. I, too, am applying to SMU's ABSN program (January 2016 cohort) but I am also looking into John Hopkins and Duke.

However, I think looking into the financial aspect is also important. There is the very real possibility that we may not be able to get jobs right out of the program and we need think about how we'll cover our financial obligations until a job is found.

Have you looked into the Nurse Corp Scholarship Program through HRSA? In exchange for working a minimum of 2 years at an HPSA facility they cover your full tuition, eligible expenses, other costs (such as uniforms, text books, and other supplies) and they give you a monthly stipend of $1,302. However if you do not a get a job in a HPSA you are responsible for the full amount of tuition. Here's the link: NURSE Corps Scholarship Program

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