SFLady

@Avill.... It's true. It'll be 8 semesters. And no summer courses are offered. I was a transfer student and only took the USF required classes that you have to take at the campus (theology, philosophy, ethics). There's also two nursing classes that are 1 unit each which are required before moving onto clinicals. USF is the only school that I know which has three years of clinicals vs two yrs. for other places. It sucks to have to add on another four years of school before you're done with nursing school.

I'm definitely older. Just turned 34. And there are older students. A few mid-late to mid thirties. There's always at least a handful 'real adults' in the program so it made me feel better. I wanted to do accelerated too but I also need to work so this program definitely works for me. If you need any help with campus stuff, lemme know.

Congrats!!! Are you going school F/T? I do like my classmates and school is great but its always nice to have a group of people who have been through the school of hard knocks :)

It's true that the economy isn't helping and with the saturation of those wanting to get into the nursing field, it makes the job search competition that more pressing. Currently, there are few places offering new grad job offerings but what's so great with USF is having three years of clinical training versus two that are offered elsewhere. Most of my friends that have graduated from the program have found jobs. Not all work in San Francisco though. As for me, I currently work in a private doctor's office and hope to continue working there if I can't find work in the hospital. I ultimately want to work in derm surgery which is the specialty I work in now. It's definitely good to know what you want to do as a nurse so that way you can network with as many people as you can while in the program. I believe USF provides that. But its an investment for sure. Pricey school. There will always be self doubt but I believe once you're in the program, you build such a bond with your classmates, it provides a great supportive system. But also note, you would need to know for sure you want to be a nurse. I worked in the medical/healthcare field for 6 years before deciding to be a nurse. And even with all the back talk from a minority of patients, poor insurance reimbursements, frustration with drug coverage and being on your feet for hours, you'll meet people who'll amaze you, inspire you, and will warm your heart that'll outweigh everything else. Hope this helps!

I had a 3.6 when i transferred. Every program is different depending on which school you go to. USF has a unique program as it's more of a cohort program. It takes three years to finish the program as a transfer student but not all three years will be full time. You should check out their curricular program: http://www.usfca.edu/nursing/bsn/ You pretty much have to follow how the pattern is set up. For some students, this wouldn't be a great fit especially if pressed for time. But it works for me because I basically work more than 20 hours. If you want to complete a nursing program within two years as a transfer student then USF might not be the best fit.

HelenKay: Are you attending USF in the fall 2011??? Are you starting your clinicals next year?

There are a few factors when considering a nursing program. All depends on what best fit your needs but the biggest two would be cost and time. Also try to consider what the pass rate of their students nclex exams. The nursing program is trying to prepare its students to pass the boards. if the school has a very high pass rate, then go for that school. you want to be as prepared as possible when entering the profession as a nurse. everyone is different.

You have a better chance if you have all of your prerequisites completed, not to mention saving more money by doing it that way. It's true that for most transfer students, myself included, they need to wait an entire year before starting clinicals at USF. However, there are lower division courses mixed into your junior and senior year, so technically if you complete all of your lower division courses (i.e sociology, psychology, public speaking) then there's only about 8 - 10 units needed to take during your upper division years. If you have more questions, private message me and I can discuss more if you like.

As long as the school is accredited and has a relatively high pass rate for the NCLEX then it doesn't matter what the name is. I had a friend who was considering applying to a nursing school which was private with no waitlist nor essay application involved but would complete her associate in nursing in two years. however, she checked the nclex pass rate for the school and only 60% passed!!! The school is also considered private (kinda like Heald or DeVry). Why invest in so much when the school can barely prepare their students to pass the nclex?! Research the schools!!!

Hope to meet some of you on campus sometime.

I currently attend USF. The tuition is ridiculous, even with the scholarships and university grants, I still ended up taking out about $10k during my sophomore year (full-time status). Since I took my of my prerequisites and lower division courses, I won't be considered a full time student during my second semester of junior year and my entire senior year. So to look on the positive side, I won't be taking out 18k per semester. If you have a copy of the program curriculum, then check to see what classes you absolutely need to take at USF. The school will mix some lower division courses during your junior and senior year, so try to take as many courses at a community college to off-set the cost. Also, the three specific courses taken at USF (theology, philosophy, ethnics) can be taken during the summer which is cheaper to take than during the semester. I took all three during the summer as saved myself a good $4k by doing just that. I only applied to USF because it's close to home and close to work.

If you're able to get into SFSU, then I'd say DO IT!!! I'm currently at USF. I do love the program but it'll be costing me an arm and a leg when I finish the program. Also, I had to wait a year before I could start my clinical rotation. However, the people I've met in the program are awesome and the clinical instructors have been a heaven-sent....so far, so good.

I'm a transfer student and had to wait a year before I could start clinicals. If you want to start clinicals asap, then I could look elsewhere. If a spot happens to open up at the time of your admission then you're one of the the lucky ones. Otherwise, be prepare to wait one year before starting clinicals. For some people, it's better than being put on a wait list somewhere else.

I'm a transfer student at USF. I think if you can make your personal AND supplemental essay stand out then your odds are much greater. I had a 3.5 gpa at the time of my application. I also completed ALL of my science requirements. Most applicants will have volunteer experience so to really give your application an edge, make sure both your personal and supplemental essay have been proofread and critiqued as many times as possible.

Good Luck with everything. I'm currently in the program and my stats when I applied a year ago as a transfer student was 3.5 gpa, which is average nowadays but I have a lot of work experience and had my personal statement revised at least 10 times before sending in. I think if you have a compelling essay, the university weighs that more than gpa. Let me know how it goes!