CEP school choices?

U.S.A. Arizona

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Im wanting to do the CEP and im wondering what schools you chose and why?

If you are in it now are you happy with your choice?

Thank you. Any other advice welcome.

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The CEP is available at most, if not all, of the Maricopa community colleges. The amount of CEP students accepted versus ADN students varies depending on which community college you choose and/or get into.

As of Fall 2017, MCCs partner with 6 Universities, and you choose which one you wish to partner with. Each University has its own prerequisites ranging from none to 5+ additional classes you will need to enroll. That may be something to consider when making your decision of which University to partner with.

Before you can apply for the CEP you will need to have completed (and grades posted) for ALL Maricopa pre-reqs, ALL Maricopa co-reqs, and ALL pre-reqs for the university.

You will also need your HESI completed and your fingerprint clearance card. There are minimum passing scores for ADN, but if you are taking the CEP route it is competitive entry so you should aim for as high a GPA and as high a HESI score as you can!

good luck

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Hey thanks :) I edited to be more clear. I have been looking into CEP and now I'm trying to decide which schools i want to do. Looking for peoples thouvhys on why or why not to choose a certain school :)

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It's quite a personal decision based on a variety of factors, so there's really no easy answer. For example, some CEP students chose ASU because they had a sibling or parent who went there, or they liked the idea of a "big name" university, or they had a GI Bill that was paying their way and hence money wasn't an issue (ASU was among the most expensive choices). Same for NAU - people loved the big name, plus they liked the program at NAU which has a great reputation, for example. Additionally NAU is cheaper. However, NAU has more pre-reqs which means more classes to pay for to get in......so you can see how each has pros and cons.

Do you have the list of university choices? It's available on the CEP webpage. I would encourage you to read each brochure thoroughly to get a feel for the program they offer. Each one is going to be similar- after all they are all majoring in nursing - but each is slightly different, and you'll want to go with which one appeals to you the most.

For me, personally, I ruled out 2 of the universities because they were not part of the financial consortium agreement. That is important if you will be using financial aid such as a Pell Grant. That left me with 4 choices. I ruled out ASU based on cost, and I ruled out NAU based on all the additional pre-reqs they required...I personally felt I had taken enough classes without adding 6 more to my list just to get my foot in the door at NAU! But, again, that is my personal take on it - loads of people chose NAU and I'm sure they are thrilled with their choice.

After those 2 were out I was left with UIU (Upper Iowa Uni) and OU (Ottawa Uni). Of those tow, I preferred the program and pricing at Ottawa, so I went with Ottawa. Additionally, Ottawa was very good at responding to all my messages and providing me with all the info I needed. The enrollment process with them was easy and smooth. They also have several brick-and-mortar places in the valley, with a new 4-year University campus that just opened its doors this fall in Surprise (West Valley), so I felt that I always had somewhere to go to talk face-to-face if I got really stuck or needed help.

So far I've been really happy with my decision. The program is challenging and the standards are high. I can't speak of the other programs, but I really like the way they have laid out the curriculum so that the demands ebb and flow based on my "in-person" classes at the community college. In other words, there are more online classes when there are less classes in-person (such as the semester before you start in-person, and the summer semester) and less online while you are busy in-person or in clinicals at the hospital. If you stay on pace though, you should graduate at about the same time with both degrees.

HTH!

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Thank you very much. That was very informative. So i agree the 2 that don't work with financial aid are out

I love asu but the vist is high. I like the cost of NAU but yes tge extra classes are unfortunately. For me though i need exra classes because i need help on my gpa. I took all these classes years and years ago when i was going for a different degree and changed my major a few times. So i will have to take extra to bring my gpa up so i can be competitive. Do the employers look at which school you graduated from and give preference to schools like asu and nau?

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The best way to think of it is this - you are competing for a place in the Maricopa CC, NOT the university. As long as you meet the minimum GPA for the university, you will get a place as long as you get accepted into the Maricopa college. It doesn't work the other way round though - getting a place in the university won't get you a place in the community college CEP program....does that make sense?

I strongly advise you go and talk with an advisor at a community college because each situation is different. If you're trying to take the co-reqs for NAU to boost your chance with Maricopa, for example, that won't work because those NAU classes are only for NAU, and do not count towards the GPA to get into Maricopa.

Here's a complete breakdown of all the pre- and co- requisites you'll need for Maricopa with the CEP. Remember, there may be additional classes based on which University you decide upon. I think of these, CRE101 is NOT used in the GPA calculation.

ENG101 AND ENG 102

OR

ENG107 AND ENG 108

CRE101 OR an additional humanities class (you'd have to check with Maricopa as to which humanities classes are acceptable as a replacement for this class, if you take that route. CRE101 is a fun class though!)

CHM130 AND CHM130LL (they are very specific here. I had a harder chemistry lab class at grade A, and they refused to allow me to use it, I had to take the CHM130LL (lab) class)

MAT142 or higher

PSY101 OR PSY240

BIO156 AND BIO201 AND BIO202 ANDBIO205

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But if you go to NAU the other prerequisites say they count in the gpa. So wouldn't that count towards my gpa at the mccc? Or am i mistaken?

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Yes for NAU......I believe their minimum GPA is a 3.0 for you to be able to apply for the CEP. But, if you have a 3.0 or above, then you have guaranteed entry into the NAU portion of the CEP IF - and only if - you get accepted into the Maricopa college.

Put it this way, if you weren't given a place with Maricopa, then you could have everything that NAU requires, and you wouldn't be given a place with NAU because you didn't get into Maricopa. If you did get a place with Maricopa, and you meet the requirements for NAU, then you would get a place.

By all means, try and improve your GPA for NAU, but as long as you're over a 3.0, and meet any other requirements, then you would get a place with NAU if you get into a Maricopa CC. It's basically the community college that decides whether you get a place or not, so I would focus your attention on the classes you need for that more than the university.

However, I could be wrong in my understanding of it, so I would contact the nursing advisor at the community college and/or NAU and ask them.

For example, with Ottawa I have a different GPA than with Maricopa. I am assuming it's the same for NAU.

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After reviewing all of the brochures for all of the universities I chose UIU. I reached out to UIU before completing my pre/co-reqs and they were very responsive from the start. Their responsiveness has remained consistent to this day. While they are not the least expensive choice, they pride themselves on delivering the personal touch. They do have an office and some classrooms in Mesa if you prefer face-to-face interaction. I have just started my first course with them and so far I have no negative feedback to report. I am hopeful my communication with the advising staff will remain consistent and my courses will all run as smoothly as my current classes. They require no additional classes for consideration in their CEP program and their GPA requirements are lower than some. If you look at the Maricopa rubric this equates to a slight shift in the points on the Maricopa side, which could bump your changes of acceptance up slightly. Of course, going in with the best possible GPA and HESI scores is always your best bet regardless of where you decide to apply. Good luck!!

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I was about to say - reach out to AZSunshine if you want info on UIU!

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Ha-Ha! Thanks Union-Jack! I am far from a UIU expert, just voicing my opinion. Hopefully it stays just as positive throughout my educational journey!!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

So I'm in block 4 and I'm with UIU. When I applied the only choices were NAU (I didn't have the pre-reqs for) ASU (expensive) and UIU. They have, obviously, added more schools since then. I chose UIU because they were very responsive to me from the get go and I could apply fastest if I chose them.

My first class with UIU online was terrible. So time consuming, like a full time job. I switched from online to hybrid after that even though I live in the west valley. However, my experience seems to be unique in that no one else I spoke to has had that same feeling. It must have been an awful professor that I got.

Things I like about the program: the courses are not a waste of my time (generally speaking). Almost all of the course have coincided with what I'm learning in my blocks at each time which has been helpful. A lot of the instructors for the hybrid courses also teach for a Maricopa college. I've had Mesa and Scottsdale instructors so they know what we're going through.

Things I don't like about the program: it runs long. Most of my classmates will be done with their BSN at least 3 months if not 6 months before me. I hate that. There is hardly ever a break from UIU. The way their "terms" are structured is different than Maricopa. Our breaks never line up and there is almost always two courses each semester meaning you take one UIU course the first 8 weeks and hen immediately start the next UIU course for the remaining 8 weeks. Some of my classmates in other colleges have one 8 week class per semester so they at least get some breathing room. Also, UIU summer courses run from before your Maricopa semester ends (usually first week of May) right until the fall semester starts. NO BREAK!! That's been tough.

Would I choose it again? Given the choices I had at the time, I was sort of stuck. Overall I've been happy with it. Not sure what I'd do now with all the other choices. I haven't looked into them simply because I don't have to. Hope this helps a little.

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