Integrated Science Program in Whittier Ca

bg110273 · May 17, 2011

I took ap1, ap2 and micro last summer. $1950 per class and inancial aid is only available if you take 3 classes. I m an xray tech so figured ap would be easier. I got an a and a b. Micro was horrible. He had to graade on a curve because te high was 61%. Other teachers will tell u dr. Agok is brtal and micro is the hardest class on campus. I live in palmdale so spent 3 lol. It is hard, i spent 5 nours a DAY studyng. mos commuting and didnt see my husband or daugter all summer lol.it was brutal, i spent 5 nours a DAY studying. Despite my 3.0 overall gpa, it was eorth it. With budget cuts everywhere getting into these classes usually req bio and chem, then the sequence so i saved 2 yers of waiting for a cc. So many people i notice on these boards say oh, i only need my science prereqs, its a long wait. I loved my ap lab teacher and lab saved me in micro. Pretty campus, real cadavers so you do get a good program. 4 wkends from 8-6pm, then a final the next tues. Good luck!

RubyLVN · May 17, 2011

I know this is an old thread but in case anyone in the future looks this up I wanted to help. Yes ISP is WASC accredited BUT not every school takes their classes!!!!
For example CSUF will but CSULB will not. They are both ELMSN programs and in the Cal State system but CSULB still won't take ISP classes even though they have the correct accreditation. I talked to different people at CSULB's SON to double and triple check that ISP classes were not valid and they all said absolutely not. One lady even said that CSULB doesn't accept "those type of weekend only classes".
A funny thing about CSUF as well, on their web site it says that ISP's Micro and A&P are transferable but there is no mention of whether or not the Chem from ISP is ok. It just isn't on their list of class equivalencies. Weird.
Anyway, make sure before you pay all that $$$$ to go to ISP that you actually contact the schools you are applying to to make sure that they will even take the classes. You'll save yourself from heartache if for any reason the school you are dying to get into ends up not taking them.

When you call the school to verify if they accept the course from ISP, you have to make sure to speak with someone in the counseling department. Alot of times they will say they don't accept the course but in reality they do. My friend works in the counseling department at Riverside Community college as a student advisor and highly recommended for me to take the course, so as far as I know ISP is accepted by majority of CC's. I think it's really strange that you mentioned @ CSUF they accept A&P and Micro but not Chem, hmm I wonder why that is. Either way, I never got into Micro at my local CC's after 3 semesters! As much as I pushed to get in (wait list, sitting in class, talking to instructor etc.) I'm so glad I found ISP as my alternative. Yes it was approx 2000$ but time is money!! I'm no longer waiting to get into Micro instead i'm currently waiting to get into an RN program at my local CC.

bg110273 · May 17, 2011

Ruby, im with ya, time is money. Antelope valley college accepted my isp courses, riverside accepted them from one classmate and another just started the lvn to rn program at sjvc. The isp program is wasc certified. I admit i dont advertise that the courses were 4 wks fue to possible skepticism however i have also had the 12 units accepted at csub and csun. Now im just waiting to get into an rn program yuck:

J*Mart · May 17, 2011

When you call the school to verify if they accept the course from ISP, you have to make sure to speak with someone in the counseling department.

Good point. Everyone I talked to was from the SON not the actual university. So who knows if they were counselors, admin. assistants or what have you.

I've also learned (because my husband almost got screwed over by misinformation provided by his nursing program) that anytime you talk to someone about application requirements you should always get their name, the date, and contact info. That way if months down the road they backtrack on what was said you can pull up exactly who you talked to and when and defend yourself.

Hannah_PsychRN · Jun 2, 2011

Give me your email, facebook or whatever you have. It just takes me longer to login here

Hi there,

I'm very interested in the ISP program and would love to know what nursing programs accept these classes. Would you be able to email me at [email protected]? Thank you so much!!

-Hannah

Hannah_PsychRN · Jun 3, 2011

Classes are on Saturday and Sunday from 8am-6pm (time will also depend on instructor, my class decided to start at 8:30am to make it easier on everyone). You will generally have a lab in the morning which will go until around 12pm then a one hour lunch break and then lecture from 1-6pm. It is very manageble! The instructors stream line what you need to know and usually provide you with a study guide. Some of the teachers give you homework assignments during the week (i know chemistry for sure does this) and you need to turn them in online to your instructor. My microbiology did not have weekly homework, only a few extra credit assignments and sometimes lab reports if they were not done already in class. Labs are plentiful in time and you are expected to complete the lab during class and turn in your write up report by the end of lab, there are 2 tests in lab and you are forewarned when they will be. One of the lab tests is an oral test, which is definately a little tricky becuase anything that has been mentioned in lab is fair game. Each student is taken into a room and asked to explain a lab procedure, importance of something etc. In lecture there is a weekly big test you are provided with a plethora of test questions, from which about 25% of exam questions are taken directly from.
I found the tests to be difficult becuase it really is only 25% from what he outright will give you in the test bank. He also does not give you the answers so you need to spend the week prior to the exam studying and finding the right answer. Its very beneficial to makea study group the first day and split up the work of finding the answers to those questions becuase you will need to time to read the text in order to be successful on the exams. Becuase lecture is so long its easy to just drift off and totally lose focus about whats being taught..so at the very least you need to write down whatever he puts on the board and make sure you understand some pretty complex processes....this was the downfall of many students...the exams are at least 50% fill in the blank, essays, and diagrams which you must do from scratch. As I said in a previous post, its not an easy A, you do need to study, my class had plenty of students crying after every test on saturday becuase they failed. Obviously getting a C is just as bad if you are trying to get into nursing programs. The instructors try their best to make you succeed and provide a lot of help with extra credit but if you are failing everything you arent likely to be successful, the extra credit, at least in my class was only going to help if you needed a minor bump from a B- to B+.
Most students are working and taking this class on weekends, what they dont tell you in advance and they should is that the final exam is on a wednesday night the week after the last class...which is stupid considering many of us signed up for this becuase its on the weekend..the only way you can get out of doing it on that wednesday is if you have a conflicting school schedule, and you will need to show proof.
I would reccomend it to anyone wanting to finish asap. I was able to finish all my pre-reqs starting from none at all within 2 regular school semesters and am already accepted into a nursing program! So from my own experience it was totally worth every cent (if you are successful in the class) to pay 2000 bucks and get it all done and over with.

Hi I'm about to start at this school and I was wondering what school you got accepted into? Thanks!

colokoy007 · Jun 18, 2011

It was worth it in my case since its fast paced. Besides you also lose money for waiting in cc. Send me privage msg if you have questions.

hi ca i get your email i just need to ask questions regarding ISP thanks

bg110273 · Jun 18, 2011

[email protected] any questions regarding ISP. I have had the local community colleges as well as western governors univ accept my credits, no problem. the school is WASC accredited. anat and phys 1,2 and micro bio about 6k plus figure few hundered for books. micro very very fast paced and the teacher, a phd, teaches the entire 800pg book in 3 wks, i spent 5+hrs a day studying. i live in palmdale so it was quite the commute but.... the local cc usually have bio 101 and chem 101 prereqs just to get into the a/p and micro, then another 3 sem to complete so i literally saved years... well worth it to me.

colokoy007 · Jul 15, 2011

Give me your email, facebook or whatever you have. It just takes me longer to login here

whats your facebook

colokoy007 · Jul 18, 2011

to add to my response yes they are accepted, i have a friend who works at the cc counseling department she did me the favor and had the course and school evaluated through her department and yes isp is accredited and accepted.

hi ruby do u have email where i can ask you few questions

Hannah_PsychRN · Jul 18, 2011

I'm in the program right now and it feels like a blessing to me. Great people, great teachers, and saving soo much time

arreanamarie · Jul 18, 2011

Hi,I was interested in knowing how your experience at ISP was and if you had any trouble transferring your credits.