pls. HELP - must make decision quick: Carrington College (WCC) or Unitek?

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If there is anyone out there that is a current student or graduate of Carrington College (formerly Western Career College) in sacaramento OR Unitek College in fremont, your input would be VERY HELPFUL.

I've applied for the 8 month LVN to RN programs at both schools which start this OCT/2010. I'm having a difficult time deciding which school to choose! Year after year of being on waitlists for the RN programs at junior colleges, I've grown despondent. It has come down now to these two schools. I live in the san francisco area w/my husband and would be staying away at a relative's place in sacramento if I went to Carrington. I would be commuting about 40 mins to 1 hour if I went to Unitek. I've done some research online and have seen some good and some terrible reviews. I don't know anyone who was/is a student at either school. :confused:

Can someone out there PLEASE let me know, honestly what their experiences have been? It would help me so much to make such a big decision...I want to make the right decision.

If anyone could help I would be so grateful.

THANK YOU :redbeathe

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Specializes in ER, Critical Care.

I am a graduate of Lvn to RN at Unitek in Fremont. I would not recommend the program. It is disorganized, poorly run, too many inconsistencies to list. Please do not waste your time or money but if you go there, they will be happy to do it for you. I am a graduate and passed the RN board with my own study which was definitely required.

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I went over to Unitek the other day to meet with a admissions rep and spoke with a current student afterwards. She told me the same thing - basically that it's disorganized and that the instructors don't do a lot of teaching/guiding, that you're on your own to teach yourself. If that's the case, then what are the teachers there for?!

Thank you for the advice - your input's been very informative and is helping me make up my mind about Unitek. Wow, sounds like Unitek really needs to step it up and make TONS of improvements. A $40,000 tuition just doesn't seem worth it!

Anyhow, in spite of Unitek's major inadequacies, you persevered and passed the boards - CONGRATULATIONS! :yeah:

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Specializes in ER, Critical Care.

Thank you for the kudos. Actually, the price has gone up from $38.500 to around $50.000 +. Without sounding egotistical, the RN Nclex his not a horribly tough exam. It is an exam about the way you think and the decisions you make under certain circumstances. If you have been an LVN for some time, you could probably pass it right now. With that said, there are not many options now a days for LVN-RN if you depend on regular tuition colleges because of waiting lists etc. It is all about getting through whatever RN program you choose. Fixate yourself on the end and only keep the end in mind! I would imagine that Unitek is probably not unique regarding all it's problems. Additionally, it is obvious that the accelerated schools are taking advantage of the void or opening for people like you and I who want to advance in a short period of time; hence the high price tag.

Don't think too long, just pick a school and don't look back, NO MATTER WHAT! What you get out of nursing school will be directly what you put into it; it will define the type of RN you will be. I suggest taking an RN Nclex revue such as Hurst Review before you start. This will allow you to separate your journey into two parts; graduating nursing school and passing the Nclex; trust me, no one will tell you this but it is an absolute reality.

All the hours spent on ATI tests, Saunders RN review etc, that were supposed to determine Nclex passing ability are in my opinion a waste of time. Focus on what you need to pass school and determine what you need to know for the Nclex and then hit the throttle. Ignore all the negative and all the complainers, they are like bill collectors; they show up just when you have a couple of extra dollars and are feeling like you are on top of the world. Write your full name on a sheet of paper with R.N. on it and paste this everwhere you study and then lock the doors.

Hope this helps.

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I m LVN and really wanna go for RN...I m still waiting, because bay area college of nursing and Institute of medical education,,are in progress to open RN within 6 months.........so i hope......i heard unitek is hard to survive...

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If there is anyone out there that is a current student or graduate of Carrington College (formerly Western Career College) in sacaramento OR Unitek College in fremont, your input would be VERY HELPFUL.

I've applied for the 8 month LVN to RN programs at both schools which start this OCT/2010. I'm having a difficult time deciding which school to choose! Year after year of being on waitlists for the RN programs at junior colleges, I've grown despondent. It has come down now to these two schools. I live in the san francisco area w/my husband and would be staying away at a relative's place in sacramento if I went to Carrington. I would be commuting about 40 mins to 1 hour if I went to Unitek. I've done some research online and have seen some good and some terrible reviews. I don't know anyone who was/is a student at either school. :confused:

Can someone out there PLEASE let me know, honestly what their experiences have been? It would help me so much to make such a big decision...I want to make the right decision.

If anyone could help I would be so grateful.

THANK YOU :redbeathe

What did you decide? I am going to the WCC LVN to RN information meeting on November 10th. I have all my pre req's done... but I wanted to hear about your experience.

THANKS!

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Beware of Carrington College they might do you wrongthis just happened at this location. http://www.ktnv.com/story/14291629/you-ask-why-didnt-my-college-notify-me-sooner-about-nursing-program-phasing-out

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Not sure if anyone is interested- but just in case.. This is an old thread. It's been a few years since I've been on allnurses.com, but I thought I'd update. I ended up choosing Carrington College. My clinical experience was GREAT! but the support I had for theory was not so great. My grades suffered inspite of doing the very best I could. Unfortunately commuting 2 hours away from home was just horrible. 2 months into it, I just couldn't picture myself going the distance and completing the program so I dropped out. One of the instructors made my life a living hell. He didn't care about his students succeeding, he was utterly unhelpful and just plain evil - sorry to say. He specifically stated that in the years he's been teaching, he has only given TWO "A" final grades. Most of his students either get a "C" or FAIL. I was terribly unhappy. Soooo, to make a long story short for anyone interested, I got accepted into a local community college close to my house, I graduated, passed my boards, and now here I am! Finally done, hurray! :)

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Hi I have a question, when you got accepted to the program was the transition course that you pay about 3 grand to was it expensive? And is it hard to get into this school?

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Hi mehak25,

Sorry for the late response! To be honest, I don't really remember what the cost was for the transition course. It would be best for you to contact the school itself and find out that information. It was not difficult to get into the school at all.. It was actually pretty easy. Good luck with everything!

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