Citrus College OR Cerritos College (Help! Dilemma!)

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i need help deciding which nursing program to attend. here's the breakdown (please help with advice if you can):

i got accepted to cerritos college nursing program for spring 2011 and will start in jan. 10th. this was the only school i got accepted to from the 5 other communities in the la area i applied to. of course i accepted it and was planning to go there in the spring. then citrus college emails me last week and told me i was put on the alternate list for fall 2010 and i needed to pass the teas again. i decided to take my chances and thought hey why not try, and long story short i got in! so now i'm in a predicament in which school to choose. i broke down the pro's and con's of both programs:

cerritos college (cerritos, ca) accepts 100 students a year; acceptance based on lottery

pros :up:

* established in 1964; long nursing program history

* newly renovated, state-of-the art nursing department (22,000 sq.ft)

* high nclex passing rate 2008/2009: 81 students passed the test 96.3% passing rate

* grading percentage for an a is 90-100%

* need an 80% to pass dosage math test

cons :down:

* about an hour drive with traffic to campus and to clinicals

* will be starting in spring 2011

citrus college (glendora, ca) accepts 24 students a year; acceptance based on overall and science gpa

pros :up:

* campus and clinicals close to home (only 10-15 min drive)

* will be easier to form study groups because it's closer to home

* will be starting in fall 2010

cons :down:

* program just started 2 years ago

* nclex pass rate was 77.27% (2008/2009) 22 students passed test

* small nursing facility

* grading percentage for an a is 93-100%

* need 90% to pass dosage math test

so basically, the drive and distance to cerritos is deterring me from going there. while the high percentage needed to get an a at citrus is making me unsure if i want to go there as well. it will be very important that my adn grades will be on an a/b average since i'm planning to get a masters in nursing afterwards. please help me decide! i haven't been this torn ever! :confused:

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

FWIW, I drive between 30 and 60 minutes getting to Cerritos and clinicals. I love the program and instructors. There are students who come from Moreno Valley, San Clemente and Burbank. One lived in her car during the week because she lived in Bakersfield!

Another consideration... if you start in Fall you will only have a small break for Christmas before barreling into your 2nd semester and just one summer break. I started in the Spring and have two summer breaks before I finish. The summer breaks are a killer on momentum and practice.

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Wow thats far! Does commuting far affect your studies at all? I'm just worried that traffic will give me even more stress than I need while in nursing school especially because classes start at 7AM?! Plus would it be harder to meet up with classmates to form study groups?

How are the teachers at cerritos? Do they actually help you out and give you 1-on-1 time if you need it because Cerritos has a big nursing class of 50 compared to citrus' 24.

How are the nursing classes at cerritos? I know nursing courses at different schools aren't easy but would you say that it is manageable and attainable to get an A in classes at cerritos? Or teachers rarely give out A's?

Sorry I'm asking so many questions! But it is seriously taking a toll on me trying to decide. Thanks for responding and feel free to address anything else I didn't mention if you would like to share more about your experiences so far.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
Wow thats far! Does commuting far affect your studies at all? I'm just worried that traffic will give me even more stress than I need while in nursing school especially because classes start at 7AM?!

In the first and second semesters your schedule looks like this:

  • Monday: Test from 9am to 11am (for the first semester students, the first 9 weeks you have a test every Monday and then every other Monday roughly for second 9); lecture from 12:30 to 3pm.
  • Tuesday/Weds: Clinical days. If the schedule says you're in the skills lab then you'll be doing 9-3pm there. If it's SNF or hospital those are 7am to 3pm; may be a combo of skills lab and facility shifts. First semester students are in the skills lab for the first 5 weeks, then SNF for 4 weeks. The second 9 weeks is Med-Surg and you'll be in a hospital then. You pick your Med-Surg patient on Mondays after lecture, do their work-up that night and get to the hospital in the morning to make sure they're still there, get report, labs, etc. I was usually there by 6am.
  • Thursday: Lecture 9am to 3pm; usually two different classes such as Theory and Fundamentals or Pharm and Med-Surg.
  • Friday/Saturday: Off, but you might want to be in the skills lab practicing if it's open.

Plus would it be harder to meet up with classmates to form study groups?

Study groups aren't for me. I do like going into the skills lab with groups and working that way but reading/studying is better on my own time at home or my local libraries. I get too distracted by group thinking.

How are the teachers at cerritos? Do they actually help you out and give you 1-on-1 time if you need it because Cerritos has a big nursing class of 50 compared to citrus' 24.

The teachers are awesome. Tough, demanding, and generous. Our skills lab has a staff of retired nurses and 4th semester students/graduates who are there to do 1-on-1 either at your request or referral by your instructor for anything from lecture needs to skills to critical thinking to whatever you need. We have about 5 groups of 10 students with their own instructor. The staff goes out of its way to make sure you're meeting goals and if you're not, they help with remediation. There are a number of students who are held back to repeat courses and then go on to graduate. IMHO, if you don't make it through, it's because you didn't want to make it through.

How are the nursing classes at cerritos? I know nursing courses at different schools aren't easy but would you say that it is manageable and attainable to get an A in classes at cerritos? Or teachers rarely give out A's?

If getting As is important to you, then study and you'll earn them. There are certainly some who break their backs for As and are miserable when they don't get them but I'm happy with my combo of As and Bs so far. I have a family and a life. I also like to sleep :)

Cerritos was an afterthought to me. I wanted somewhere in OC, closer to where I live. I applied at Cerritos because I was waiting on other lotteries and lists. I got picked there on my first application and am so happy I did. I enjoy my classmates and instructors.

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thanks for sharing all your information! this is definitely helpful. i'm applying next tuesday.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

I leave my house an hour before class (It's a 40 minute drive). I find that I barely notice the drive.

I think that if the distance is the only thing holding you back from the school you obviously like better, you should just suck it up and start driving. Chances are that there is at least one person who lives near you who would want to carpool and study with you.

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mikkki what semester are you in? i'm applying this week for Fall 2013.

which hospitals do you guys have clinicals at?

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

I'm in my first semester, but I don't attend the school you are considering. I was just giving my experience. And I've been making that drive for years so I find that it has become habit (from a rural area to a mid-sized city).

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