Thoughts on Maric College?

U.S.A. California

Published

Hi

I threw my story out on another thread. I'm just finishing up 20 years in the Navy most of it was in Naval Special Warfare where I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to cross-train as a medic. As I was looking for a 2nd career I kept saying things like "I can do this, or I can do that." I finally came to realize that what I "wanted" to do was be an RN. It's a good way to take some of the lessons that I really didnt want to learn working for "Uncle Sucker" and put them to good use helping someone else.

but I digress

I'm starting my classwork as best I can prior to my actual retirement date but I'm getting a little frustrated when the people at the college I'm going to keep telling me how it'll be at least 2 years from the time I finish my pre-req stuff (A&P, chem & microbiology) before I can get into the "core" ADN program. In some things I can show quite a bit of patience, in things like this, not so much.

I'm posting because Maric College is boasting that they have no waiting list, and a better than 85% pass rate on NCLEX-RN. I just keep getting a intermittant alarm going off when I talk to anyone there. It has that slight scent of diploma mill. Not that I have anything against a diploma mill but will the diploma that I get from there do anything for me in the future if I decide to trade up to a BSN? Most importantly is the training that you get from there up to speed?

Just curious if anyone has any experiance with Maric?

Thanks in advance

Jim

Hi there, just wanted to let you know that I graduated from Concorde a few years ago and have no regrets other than I should have done it sooner.

Now the hard part is taking the first steps towards the RN. CC, West Coast, Excelsior, are my options.

so you did the lvn-rn approach? what community colleges are you considering?

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Specializes in SNF, home health.
so you did the lvn-rn approach? what community colleges are you considering?

Well I don't know where you live but, I'm looking at Pierce or Mission those are the closest schools around me. But like I said it's hard taking that first step because I'm so busy with work and family.

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Specializes in ...not yet.

I was enrolled in a pre req (Health Essentials) at Grossmont Adult Ed and I had to drop out for medical reasons beyond my control. I have 10 months left in the Navy and need a plan B just to pay the rent 10 months from now. EEK! I spoke with Ray at Maric and set up an appt. I am thinking about getting my MA there just so I can work right away and then go for the LVN. Thing is, he just told me MA can go toward LVN, which is new to me. Is that true? Wouldn't I still need CNA as well? Ah the stress!

I was going to National last year taking general ed then I was going to enter the ASN program. Then I found out the did away with it and I was out of luck. I could have gone for their BSN but I need to get a job in ten months. I have been in logistic's for seven years I really don't want to resort to that as a civilian. I want to be in a medical environment.

Okay, back to the only think I was planning on asking... Does Maric accept GI bill or Navy College Fund? I know there is some prior military in this forum. I have read this thread. Good stuff.

Thanks so much. Good luck to everyone!

Angie

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Specializes in Ambulatory Care.

Umm.... the essay I had to write was about my best and worst learning experience.

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Hi, I did my CNA/HHA training in 1999 and passed the state boards. Then took the Healthcare Essentials class at Grossmont Health Occupations in Santee. I thought that since those two were required for acceptance into the LVN program, then I was set. However I didn't know that they make you take an entrance exam, so I took it and failed on the math part, so I failed the whole test according to them. I'm not good at math. I was so angry I couldn't see straight. So now I'm thinking of taking Maric's LVN program. I heard that they have nighttime classes and you can finish it in 18 months if you don't want to do the normal 12 month training program. Is this true?

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Well I e-mailed Maric a few days ago. They told me that there is an 80 week program. It's a 4 hour evening class on M T W & Th nights (Theory). Their Clinicals are on weekends. Either that or the 52 week program, which is shorter, but probably more pressure. At this point I'm undecided whether I'm going to give any of the options a try or not.

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I graduated with my ADN from Maric almost 5 years ago. I have had no problem with my credits being accepted at other colleges. It is very expensive, I did the LVN to RN program, used my GI Bill to pay along the way and I still owed over 20k when I graduated. But it was worth it to me because the program is quick and I felt totally prepared when I took my boards. It does have a bad rep in the SD area. I worked at Children's in the PICU and a couple of my fellow nurses told me they had heard bad things about Maric. Good Luck!!

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Maric is not WASP or League of Nurses (Acronym?) accredited. As such no school that requires these accreditations should accept you. I am currently about to begin 5th quarter, so I am in the home stretch, so to speak. My biggest concern is finding a credible BSN program that will accept Maric units when i am finished. Another concern is the wait to go forward to the next step. A lot of institutions require 6 months or more field work before you can even be considered a candidate. Hopefully it will be a smooth transition.

Btw..I thought Children's was magnet status and only hired BSN nurses.

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the cost of their adn program is no more than $50 and it includes books, equipment, ins, lab fees, lic, shoots....ect. LVN is no more than $28k and same as above.

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I graduated with my ADN from Maric almost 5 years ago. I have had no problem with my credits being accepted at other colleges. It is very expensive, I did the LVN to RN program, used my GI Bill to pay along the way and I still owed over 20k when I graduated. But it was worth it to me because the program is quick and I felt totally prepared when I took my boards. It does have a bad rep in the SD area. I worked at Children's in the PICU and a couple of my fellow nurses told me they had heard bad things about Maric. Good Luck!!

I had a couple of negative experiences with Maric, in San Diego.

1) Before I was an LVN, I approached Maric about their RN program.

I took their entrance exam, scoring 190 out of a possible 205.

BTW-- I have a master's degree. and a life teaching credential for junior college level classes.

Maric told me that I would have to take a year of gen ed, all over again (taking classes that I am credentialled to TEACH). I would also have to take a three month nurse aide program, for a grand total of 39 months to RN. :-(

Instead, I attended Concorde's LVN program. So, in the year it took me to become an LVN at Concorde, I would JUST have finished basic English, Psych, Speech, Underwater Basket Weaving, and all that other nonsense.

Following graduation, I again spoke with Maric about their LVN-RN step-up program. They told me that it is a year long, after the pre-requisites are completed. That's four months longer than SDCC.

The kicker is this...I was told that the 12-month LVN-RN program costs 27-47K, "depending on various factors." I asked WHAT factors, precisely, could make a 20K tuition difference? No answer.

I will never, ever again consider Maric. I have never yet received a straight answer on anything from them, and they waste a lot of a potential student's time.

One example of potential waste of my time.... The demanded that I get copies of all of my college transcripts, including brief summer courses that did not apply to my course of study. Meanwhile, they told me that I would not recieve credit for any of my college courses, because they are more than ten years in the past. Why did they need me to run around getting transcripts, if I am not going to get credit? "Just our policy."

Because I have a fairly extensive professional medical theoretical background, I asked to discuss my academic situation with the Maric DON. "No one talks to the DON, " was the response.

(At Concorde, the DON's door was always open!)

To be fair, I also had some fine nursing instructors at Concorde who were quite happy with their Maric education.

But, I have never been less impressed with any academic institution.

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Hi

I hate to say it but most transcripts over 7 years will not hold up when you try to transfer to most institutions - this is not something limited to Maric. I will agree with you that Maric does have a lot of recruiter lackey's that aren't necessary the best people to have deciding your candidacy. I scored a 200 on the proficiency test and was lucky as I had finished my pre-requisites in the SDCCD school system (Mesa, SD City Colleges) and made it in as a "straight tracter" which means I did not have to complete any additional classes with Maric. However Maric's policy on being a candidate involves having had some medical experience (MA, CNA, EMT, etc.) due to the fact it is an accelerated program. I took an 8 week class through Mira Mar college in the summer to become an EMT.

I think Maric is a great school to accomplish your goals if it's really want you want you will take all the necessary steps to make it happen which includes getting copies of transcripts and getting them to Maric or whatever institutions you are trying to get in to. I personally spent well over $100 in transcript costs when looking for a RN program to get into. Maric's program is $32,000 when I got in as a "Straight Tracter", however it is 15 months long unlike other programs that are 24 months long due to the breaks and the semester system. During those 9 months, difference between the time i am graduated and working and other people are still in school I can easily reach my goals of paying off the loan and I will have a leg up of 9 months experience. I would take this trade off any day. Also in regards to Marics ADON - she is very accessable and does a great job. Maybe the person who gave you the ADONs information did not know what they were doing.

I also looked into Concorde's LVN program in case I was not able to achieve my goal of getting into an Rn program. The recruiter told me that you have to work a whole year as an LVN just to be a candidate for an Rn program which is crazy. 1 Year for LVN, 1 year for Working and 1 year for step up? 3 years total? Not an option for me.

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The rn program is about $48 k and the lvn program is about $27k and includes everything, books, scrubs, equipment,ins, lic, cert's...ect.

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