NJCU vs Rutgers Newark ABSN?

U.S.A. New Jersey

Published

Specializes in SICU.

I'm in the process of applying to both schools for Fall 2015, and I was wondering if anybody had a sense of how these two programs stack up against each other? I know that NJCU's program is two months shorter, and it looks like the application requirements are less stringent (lower GPA requirement, no chem or interpersonal communications pre-reqs). I'm leaning towards Rutgers if I get into both, but that's mostly because it would be a shorter commute :cat:

So, any input on how these two programs differ? Things like retention rate/employment rate/NCLEX pass rate, or also just experiences on what it's like to be in one program over another? I know someone recently posted that the Rutgers program is a bit chaotic since the UMDNJ merger... is there an NJCU equivalent to the infamous RU Screw?

This post is a little late but I can share some of my experiences with Rutgers SON (formerly UMDNJ). I just graduated on 01/2015. Some people drop out of the program but it wasn't really a lot. Some people get pushed back a semester too depending on which class you need to drop or if you fail and have to take it again. The rules for that is really specific though. But retention seems okay. I am not sure about employment but my friends from previous semester all got hired.

In regards to the School & Program: Okay, it really was not that hectic. I rarely had an issue with financial aid, but if I did, i would just call and they took care of the problem fairly quickly. The same goes for their immunization compliance flu shot/tb stuff. Just make sure you get that stuff done every year because they will give you a hard time about attending clinical and class if you are not compliant.

The lecture times and place...there really wasn't an issue except sometimes on exam dates we were moved to a different room. most of the time it was in the same room as our lectures though. But the class schedules were never really that hectic. Exams are on the computer. I had just 1 occasion where the computers were not working and we had to take a printed out version of the exam.

Also, every semester we were tested with a standardized ATI exam. It's suppose to be like a mock NCLEX exam and our score on that counted as 5% of our grade. ATI testing is used for only certain classes though. For the first semester i believe it is just 1 class that requires you to take an ATI test at the end but then for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th semester you will have to take ATI for more than just 1 class.

Clinical dates....OKAY this really depends on which clinical professor and location you get placed with, but in general you wont know which clinical group you will be in until the first semester starts. Yeah, you will have clinical in the First semester. The semesters after that, they kinda try to tell you earlier but still i never found out which group i was in until maybe a week before the semester starts..I would've just liked to have known earlier so i can prepare transportation arrangements if needed without rushing...and some of us were placed a bit from where we actually lived. They didn't really take that into consideration. You can try speaking with the person who coordinates the clinical groups but for the last 2 semesters it was nearly impossible to get swapped. ..I myself had to drive about 25miles away for some. If you miss clinical you MUST make it up. So.. yah having an extra clinical on the week can be tiring so try not to miss.

In Terms of Graduation & NCLEX: Pinning ceremony was shortly after my last final exam. Thats just how it worked out for us. It was literally 3 days later. NCLEX process is long. It takes the school a couple weeks to send out your graduation letters to the board of nursing. My only advise is to start everything else early. The NJ application process takes a lot of time also. I took my exam this month and passed. So far, most of the people from my semester have been successful in passing the NCLEX. The same goes for most of the people from the semester before me. To be honest, I think the school did prepare me enough for NCLEX but I still decided to enroll with KAPLAN.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to message me! I'll be happy to talk about it!

Hello! I'm currently in the program at NJCU and I love it. I am traveling from Middlesex County and the commute is really not too bad. I think the professors really make the program great. It's definitely tough but we did not have anyone fail out the first semester. From what I hear the NCLEX pass rates are really good and last year's graduates are doing really well with getting jobs. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Hi,

Are you referring to Rutgers' generic track BSN, RN-BSN program, or the accelerated program?

I'm currently enrolled at a CC completing prereqs and I'm planning on going to Rutgers for their generic BSN program. Since both the generic track and the RN to BSN programs at Rutgers require that students complete a 24 or 30 credit residency before they're admitted to the nursing program, I figured I might as well just go for the generic program. It is really hard to find in depth information on this though since most posts on here are for the accelerated track.

Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Specializes in BSN, RN.

Hi @micheleC,

I think she's refering to the generic track. I went to county college for one year, then transferred to Rutgers SAS and completed the 24 credit requirement. I am currently in the school of nursing, generic track. Please feel free to ask me anything you would like to know.

Hi @micheleC,

I think she's refering to the generic track. I went to county college for one year, then transferred to Rutgers SAS and completed the 24 credit requirement. I am currently in the school of nursing, generic track. Please feel free to ask me anything you would like to know.

Thanks so much for being willing to answer my questions. I appreciate it more than you know because I haven't been able to find many people on this site that have transferred into RU's generic track program.

How was your wait to get into the program after completing the 24 credits? I've heard some people say the wait was so long that they ended up transferring to other programs.

Thanks so much for being willing to answer my questions. I appreciate it more than you know because I haven't been able to find many people on this site that have transferred into RU's generic track program.

How was your wait to get into the program after completing the 24 credits? I've heard some people say the wait was so long that they ended up transferring to other programs.

Hi micheleC,

I'm RUNBNursing but lost my login information and had to make a new one. I'm wondering what you ended up doing? I got into the program the fall right after completing the 24 credits but had a pretty high GPA with volunteer work and part time job as a research assistant at a medical school. It is very competitive and I have seen people get rejected twice, so they end up graduating with a bachelor's in something else and trying the accelerated track.

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