Cal State San Marcos, CSUSM, Accelerated, ABSN 2011

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Anyone planning on applying to the Spring 2011, CSUSM, accelerated ABSN program? Just wondering if there is anyone else out there:)

Thanks for the advice! Do you live on campus or outside of campus? Any areas near the campus you recommend for housing?

Were you able to get into the program the first time you've applied? I'm hoping I can get into the program asap!

I'm surprised tuition is about $40,000! Thought it would be a lot less than that...

Thanks again and good luck! :lol2:

So "living on campus" is not really an option. The program is through extended learning so you can't live on campus. There are two campuses for the ABSN. I am enrolled in the Temecula campus. I chose, however, not to live in Temecula. Many students however do live in Temecula which is nice because they are close to campus for lecture which during your 2-6 semesters is one day a week. But no matter where you live you commute quite a bit. Clinicals are in San Diego, Vista, Riverside, Hemet, Temecula.

If you get in to the Temeula campus, then I would say live in Temecula as most of your classmates will live there.

I was able to get in on my first time applying. They were not doing on the point system with our cohort, but perhaps it's more competive now?

There are just lots of extra expenses that come up in the program. We had to buy itouches ($200) itouch nursing software ($200) NCLEX study material ( $400? I think) stethoscopes ($150). Just to name a few. I will have taken out $40,000 for school related costs by the end of the program. But after $30,000 whose counting?

Good luck.

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From the CSUSM Program Costs page, I think this is what accounts for the ~$13k...

Additional Fees

CSU Application Fee$55.00

Extended Learning Pre-Admission Advising Fee$50.00

CSUSM Student Health Fee$65.00

Dove Uniforms and Shoes$230.00

Health Tote Kit$125.00

Clinical Supply Kit$80.00

Clinical Polo Shirt$25.00

PDA (Do not purchase ahead of time)$300.00

Textbooks and Software$750.00 approx. per term

ATI Supplemental Materials$350.00

Background Check/Drug Screen$75.00

Malpractice Liability Insurance$20.00/year

Physical ExamVaries

HIPPANo Charge

SPLIPNo charge for this AY

Health Insurance Varies

I hear that uniforms, books and health insurance are the unmentioned costs of any nursing program.

Exactly. It's all the extra stuff that adds up quicky :(

Hopefully it will be worth every penny once you get a good paying RN job!

Good luck

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Just wondering what the schedule is like once you are in the clinicals portion. If I get into the fall cohort my child will be 2 when the clinical round start. I am wondering how to arrange for child care. Thanks

That's tough. During the beginning of the program getting child care should be fine as your days are not that long. Once you start having 12 hour lecture and 12 hour clinical days however I see that being a large expense. There are 2 people in our program with kids but they are school age. One lady in our program originally had a toddler but was not able to do the 12 hour days due to child care issues. Granted your long days are not every day !

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That's tough. During the beginning of the program getting child care should be fine as your days are not that long. Once you start having 12 hour lecture and 12 hour clinical days however I see that being a large expense. There are 2 people in our program with kids but they are school age. One lady in our program originally had a toddler but was not able to do the 12 hour days due to child care issues. Granted your long days are not every day !

Does that mean she had to drop out? Of your cohort how many did not make it? Is there a contingency for not staying with the cohort? A lot of questions, sorry.

My wife has a 9-5 kind of job that she will be able to work less than 5 d/w so she can care for our child on those days. I wonder if you have to go places for a few hours here and a few there split up. That would be the biggest issue. If there is a definitive stretch of time that would be better.

Most important question how many days notice do you get for your schedule, if any? They don't just say "be at X tomorrow at 1100 for 12 hours", do they?

thanks.

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Does that mean she had to drop out? Of your cohort how many did not make it? Is there a contingency for not staying with the cohort? A lot of questions, sorry.

My wife has a 9-5 kind of job that she will be able to work less than 5 d/w so she can care for our child on those days. I wonder if you have to go places for a few hours here and a few there split up. That would be the biggest issue. If there is a definitive stretch of time that would be better.

Most important question how many days notice do you get for your schedule, if any? They don't just say "be at X tomorrow at 1100 for 12 hours", do they?

thanks.

Yes, she did have to drop out but she was planning on continuing on with the cohort behind us, so she is a semester behind the rest, but still enrolled in the program.

So far I think we have lost maybe 4 students? from our original group due to various reasons, not just failing out.

No, your days are blocks of time. To give you an example of our schedule thus far....Our schedule was 8 hour days your first semester of clinicals in a nursing home (2x a week) and 8 hours of lecture (1x/week). Our second semester we had 12 hours days of med surgical nursing (1x a week), Psy 6 hours (1x/week), and Lecture 8 hours (1x/week). Our current semester we have 12 hours of med sug (1x/ week), 6 hours of OB (1x per week), 6 hours of PEDS (1x/week) and 12 hours of lecture (1x per week)

You do get your schedule in advance but sometimes based on clinical sites changes etc your schedule will get changed last minute. By last minue I mean the week before clinicals start. The people who place you in clinicals tell you though that nothing is in stone. But typically nothing is changed on you in the middle of the semester.

Hope that helps

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Specializes in Home Health Nurse.

Anyone heard anything for Fall 2011... I have 37 points and I haven't heard anything... just curious I thought someone said they had got accepted with somewhere around 30 points for fall 2011... are you on this thread.

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Specializes in ICU.

Yes I'm on the thread! :) Did you complete all prerequisites or do you still have any in progress? I think they offer admission first to those who completed all prereqs and have nothing in progress then those will high points and one or two classes in progress get offers. I finished all prereqs in spring 2010 and applied to this program in November.

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Specializes in Home Health Nurse.

Oh gottcha... I have all of the pre-preqs completed but not the upper division ones that they require... so maybe that is why. Thanks for the response.

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Specializes in ICU.

No problem! By the way, the deadline for me to register my intent to enroll and pay the deposit was March 7th (which I did). All those who didn't submit their intent will have their admission offers cancelled. So since we're on the 13th, I'm sure a new round of offers will be made soon.

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Oh gottcha... I have all of the pre-preqs completed but not the upper division ones that they require... so maybe that is why. Thanks for the response.

As long as you have the pre-nursing core completed, you'll be scored and (probably!) accepted. There are 3 upper division classes you need, but you take them first semester.

Good luck and keep us posted, I'm dying to hear back as well!

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Yes, she did have to drop out but she was planning on continuing on with the cohort behind us, so she is a semester behind the rest, but still enrolled in the program.

So far I think we have lost maybe 4 students? from our original group due to various reasons, not just failing out.

No, your days are blocks of time. To give you an example of our schedule thus far....Our schedule was 8 hour days your first semester of clinicals in a nursing home (2x a week) and 8 hours of lecture (1x/week). Our second semester we had 12 hours days of med surgical nursing (1x a week), Psy 6 hours (1x/week), and Lecture 8 hours (1x/week). Our current semester we have 12 hours of med sug (1x/ week), 6 hours of OB (1x per week), 6 hours of PEDS (1x/week) and 12 hours of lecture (1x per week)

You do get your schedule in advance but sometimes based on clinical sites changes etc your schedule will get changed last minute. By last minue I mean the week before clinicals start. The people who place you in clinicals tell you though that nothing is in stone. But typically nothing is changed on you in the middle of the semester.

Hope that helps

@Missnurselady - do you mind giving the names of the places you're doing clinicals at? I didn't know a nursing home could be a clinical site...

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No problem! By the way, the deadline for me to register my intent to enroll and pay the deposit was March 7th (which I did). All those who didn't submit their intent will have their admission offers cancelled. So since we're on the 13th, I'm sure a new round of offers will be made soon.

Wait *** you already heard back from CSUSM? Was it the school or the nursing program?

Intent to enroll deadline was in may/june I thought?

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