NYU vs. SUNY Downstate for Accelerated BSN

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I am wondering if there are any alumni from either NYU's Accelerated BSN or SUNY Downstate's ABSN programs who might know about both programs.

I am currently in the SUNY Downstate program and am very disheartened by the faculty and administration. There isn't much support from the administration and some of the courses (at least some of the first few courses during the summer session) are not taught very well (pharmacology and pathophysiology) which is important in understanding the future material.

I feel like I haven't learned all that much this summer although we will finish 21 credits this summer (11 weeks) which is a third of the total number of credits for the whole program. The first summer session is 6 weeks long, with 3 courses and the second summer session is 5 weeks long with 4 courses and clinicals. There is hardly enough time to read everything and exams for all classes are every other week (4 midterms in the course of three days). Class schedule is M 9AM-7PM, T 9-5, W 9-3, Th 12-hour clinicals, Fri 12 hour clinicals. In between there, we're supposed to actually learn something. It just seems odd that pathophysiology

The above are scheduling issues, but there are many many more problems with the administration and communication between them and the students which stunts the learning process. The program is difficult, not because of the course content, but because the administration is difficult. As students, we end up fishing for information from the students a year ahead of us because the administration doesn't provide us with information.

I got accepted to NYU's program and can still begin in the Fall semester but am trying to determine whether starting over at another school and paying all that tuition will guarantee a better education and supportive faculty and administration. I spoke to students who graduated from that program back in December '08 and it seems that they weren't too happy with the program, but they also indicated that they felt they were guinea pigs since NYU was revamping their program.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone out there who is currently at NYU thinks the current faculty and administration is supportive or whether the same problems exist there. Or, if there is anyone out there that is familiar with graduates of either program. I'd appreciate any input as I am really considering transferring at this point but I will have to make that decision pretty quickly.

Thanks so much for listening!

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Sorry there are some things bothering you about your program but none of the nursing programs are perfect. One of the reasons there is a nursing shortage is because of the shortage of instructors so imperfect education comes with entering this profession. There are definitely some things at NYU that annoy students and could be better so coming to NYU would make everything better. We have 8 hour clinical shifts that do give us more time to study but we also feel like we teach ourselves a lot of the information. Being in any nursing program means you have to be proactive in your education. Both of these programs graduate students that pass the NCLEX and work in hospitals so I do not think that is what you have to worry about. I am not sure if switching will make things better for you. I like that I feel connected to NYU faculty and staff but the classes are also 200 students which is a lot. Hope some of my thoughts help. The cost may make a difference for you if you have already completed a good amount of course work at SUNY. Good luck!

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Wow. I am applying to NYU and Suny and I actully have heard about them being disorganized. My issue is that I have crappy undergrad grades, but very good prerequisite marks. I am overwhelmed right now. Currently I am taking Anthropology, and Chemistry on Sat. Suny was supposed to be switching to the Teas, but I was told today to just take the NET. At this point I have 30 days to study for the NET and pass my classes while still trying to find a nutrition course four NYU. I dont know how I'm still standing. How hard was it to get into NYU? I was reading those ridiculous questions that they ask on the undergrad app and they have nothing to do with nursing. I can understand the questiion about why you would like to be a nurse, but really, write a poem about your life? I think it's silly.

For Suny, How was the entrance exam? was it really as hard as it seems to get in? I applied to BMCC, but was denied because my 3.7 prequisite gpa was too low.

I just feel like it's too hard to get into a profession that is "in need."

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Hi Kirham,

I found your post on another thread. Just wanted ot address the situation of getting into a profession that is "in need". There is a shortage of nursing faculty, so although there is a general shortage of nurses, and the idea is to teach more ppl who are willing to become nurses, there just aren't enough faculty members available.

So I'm not crazy about SUNY Downstate's program and many of us find that the teaching here is sub-par. The reason why they can get away with such terrible teaching is that there aren't many other nurse educators knocking on SUNY Downstate's door looking to replace the current faculty. Nursing faculty make less money than they would at the bedside, so it almost doesn't make sense to go into education since there's a huge cut in pay. On the upside, the hours are probably better and the benefits, too. So .... faculty members at SUNY Downstate may think that they are irreplaceable and don't strive to do everything in their power to be great educators. A lot of this program is self-teaching.

To answer your questions, the NET was not difficult. If you can do basic algebra you'll be fine. Get a NET review book and you'll be good to go.

I heard it wasn't hard to get into NYU. I got into NYU in the spring, and in the summer, as I was getting fed up with SUNY Downstate, I considered transferring to NYU. At the end of the summer, a couple of weeks before NYU's fall session started, I called NYU to see if they still had spots in their incoming class. They told me I would just have to send in a deposit and I would be welcomed to the class. I didn't transfer out, but I do think it is indicative of the fact that many people may apply to NYU, but they may not fill their class to capacity b/c the cost of the tuition may deter many from actually enrolling in the school.

Good luck.

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Thanks for your input on both threads! As you have probably noticed I have a lot going on at once. Luckily I have the support of my future husband and family. My mother is an NP and my sister is an RN and they did not have this much trouble

Did you answer all of those silly questions on the NYU app? I would probably be finished already

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So it sounds like you're well-informed and will have tons of support when you start nursing school!

As far as the essays. No, you don't have to write all of those essays for NYU. You should call admissions and find out which one they want. I remember I went to the info session and they told us which ones to write. I think I only ended up writing one essay for them.

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Hi LifeinGreek,

Just wanted to know the outcome of your decision? did you stick with SUNY downstate? i was thinking of applying since its one of the few accelerated programs in the area.

Thanks,

Jessica

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I'm still waiting to hear from Suny if you can believe that. I applied back in November and this waiting is killing me. Wow Suny's administration sucks

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WOW, didnt think SUNY was that bad, CUNY's are pretty terrible themselves...best of luck-please let me know what happens =)

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Hi Jessica,

I stuck with SUNY Downstate. You're right, there aren't many accelerated programs in the NYC area for 2nd degree bachelor's and I hear that the others aren't so great either. I really don't know much about the other programs but I have heard that others were unhappy due to similar issues regarding a disorganized administration.

While I have heard that the other programs aren't so great, I am convinced they CANNOT BE WORSE THAN DOWNSTATE. I have heard that NYU and Columbia's administration is disorganized, but I think their professors can't be worse than the professors at Downstate. There are definitely some good professors in the Accelerated BSN program at Downstate but the vast majority are terrible.

Where else are you applying?

Hi LifeinGreek,

Just wanted to know the outcome of your decision? did you stick with SUNY downstate? i was thinking of applying since its one of the few accelerated programs in the area.

Thanks,

Jessica

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Thanks for the reply! I was considering Stony Brook, althought the commute would be an hour each way with no traffic, their accelerated program is 12mths. I'm also considering Adelphi which is a non-accelerated its a 27 mth program. I'm really torn about going into accelerated versus non accelerated. Feel free to give me your thoughts.

All the best,

Jonelle

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Thanks for the reply! I was considering Stony Brook, althought the commute would be an hour each way with no traffic, their accelerated program is 12mths. I'm also considering Adelphi which is a non-accelerated its a 27 mth program. I'm really torn about going into accelerated versus non accelerated. Feel free to give me your thoughts.

All the best,

Jonelle

I completely understand your dilemma about accelerated vs. non-accelerated. I really didn't look into the non-accelerated programs so i really don't know about them and I certainly feel like i am in no place to compare the two.

Definitely look at the curricula and compare them. At Downstate the first summer is overloaded with classes and it might be wise to look and see whether other programs have a similar setup. everyone got through that first summer, but in the end, it's not about "getting through it" so much as it is learning the material well. We took pathophysiology, pharmacology, and OBGYN along with 4 other courses and it seemed that although we finished the courses, we didn't get as much out of them as we would have if they were actual semester-long courses. It is really impossible to take pathophysiology in 5 weeks and pharmacology in 5 weeks. So the professors ended up skipping over things and you're essentially responsible for learning those things yourself.

So i really don't know about non-accelerated programs but I hope they are much better than Downstate's accelerated program. because NOTHING can be WORSE than Downstate's accelerated program.

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