Samuel Merritt ABSN San Francisco - April 2008

StarBelly · Oct 29, 2008

Hermosa, how has your experience been with SMC? and in particular, San Francisco? do you recommend this school and campus? I was very excited to apply to this school, but after reading some of the negative posts, I'm thinking I need to look into it a little deeper. :uhoh3:

I would really appreciate your feedback. :redpinkhe I am very motivated to complete the ABSN degree this coming April. I'm a little worried about the tuition. Have you heard anything about entry nursing jobs recently? Is it true that it's hard to get a job in the bay area>

thank you! and congradulations on being half way through!!!! :up:

biltz · Oct 29, 2008

Hi there,

While I was accepted into the program I ended up getting accepted at Sac State in their program and decided to go with them instead and pocket the $40K difference.

My suggestion would be to find out when the ABSN students will be on campus for classes and then drive over there and talk to some of the students about it. That's what I did. I do have some friends at the Oakland campus. My impression is that the Oakland campus is the best campus with the best facilities and the more established faculty. I've heard there have been issues with the facilities at the SF campus at the beginning of the last cohort and they had to go all the way down to the San Mateo campus for a while. I heard the same thing also happened when the Sacramento campus opened and the masters program students had to go all the way down to Oakland for classes. I've also talked to a guy who lives in Sac and was attending classes at the Sac ABSN program and had issue with some of the staff there and ended up switching to the Oakland campus.

I know that the nursing job market in Sac has tightened up severely and now UC Davis is on a hiring freeze and so are some other hospitals. I'm beginning to hear some stories about the Bay Area being in the same condition but I can't verify that..

Sac State and CSUEB have great programs but only Sac State's is accelerated. I love the teachers but the way the program is designed during the summer the courses are really crammed and move fast. I think if I had the time and could do it again, I hink I'd rather do a generic program and take my time. Concidering my age though... I would still stick with an accelerated program. If I were you I would really research the programs, the job market, the campuses, etc and make sure it is really what you want and is really worth the bang for the buck.

Even though the job market is tight, I still think you will get a job and in the long run it will still be good career. Your career path tough might not go straight into the nursing field you want and you might have to spend a few extra years in med-surg than you originally assumed.

H

StarBelly · Oct 30, 2008

Thanks so much for your toughtful reply. I'm so confused about what to do. I do really want to be a nurse, but I don't wan to struggle to get a job. Last year when I started getting ready to apply, the job market was so different and bonuses were still being offered!

I will take your advice and go visit the SF campus when class is in session and speak to the students. In the meantime, I'll apply to some public schools like the state universities.

Take care, and good luck!!

Rianna1 · Oct 31, 2008

Sticking up for my SF Cohort, we have had some awesome instructors and clinical instructors and I'm sure Oakland has it's share of not so great instructors.

I don't know if Oakland is "better" than San Fran. I do know we have better food and entertainment... :)

I have also heard that the Oakland cohort is not as close as our SF cohort. So it really depends on the class.

Rianna1 · Oct 31, 2008

Starbelly: if you have the time to wait to get accepted into State or less expensive programs, definitely go for those. The advantage of this program is that it is so fast; however, it is so fast paced that for instance, in a 5 week course, we are expected to do about 300-500 pages of reading, not including powerpoint presentations. There really doesn't seem like a break in this program, even though we do get major holidays off. PM me if you want...

StarBelly · Oct 31, 2008

Thanks, Rhianna, for your message. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying your SF program. I just sent my application off today!

The fast pace doens't scare me as long as you feel like you're getting a good education. I really do want to get started right away, rather than wait. But I am nervous about paying so much money for tuition especially when I'm hearing about hiring freezes in bay area hospitals. What have you heard about employment prospects?

(I'm not sure how to PM you - I counldn't find any contact info under your profile:icon_roll)

Cograts on being almost through!!! :yeah:

Rianna1 · Oct 31, 2008

Starbelly:

If you click on my name, you should get a popup that allows you to send me a private message.

Good luck on your application...

Don't get me wrong, there are some complainers in my class.

I have never complained about the program and know I am very lucky to be in NS.

But just the other day, I did whine to my DH that I was tired of school and hated studying and felt the burnout...but he put it in perspective and said: At least you're in NS and you know you will have a great career once you're done.

Employment prospects: We haven't sent resumes out yet (too early) but we are learning how to get our names out there and use the resources we have. The school is teaching us that we should start early in the job hunt. Just like anything out there, it seems like it's not what you know, but WHO you know. Making friends in clinical rotations is a good idea and keeping in contact with clinical instructors who know managers, also a good idea. Good Luck!

biggiecali · Nov 11, 2008

Oh thank goodness, someone who doesn't hate their experience at S.F. I was begining to feel nervous about my decision to apply to S.F. in Nov 09. Please keep us posted on how it goes for you and eventually how the job market treats you. I am really nervous about that. I would hate to quit my good paying job, spend $50k on school, live on top ramen for a year, and then not get a job or have to go crawling back to my old employer until something came up.

Izzy16 · Nov 11, 2008

Hi there,
While I was accepted into the program I ended up getting accepted at Sac State in their program and decided to go with them instead and pocket the $40K difference.
My suggestion would be to find out when the ABSN students will be on campus for classes and then drive over there and talk to some of the students about it. That's what I did. I do have some friends at the Oakland campus. My impression is that the Oakland campus is the best campus with the best facilities and the more established faculty. I've heard there have been issues with the facilities at the SF campus at the beginning of the last cohort and they had to go all the way down to the San Mateo campus for a while. I heard the same thing also happened when the Sacramento campus opened and the masters program students had to go all the way down to Oakland for classes. I've also talked to a guy who lives in Sac and was attending classes at the Sac ABSN program and had issue with some of the staff there and ended up switching to the Oakland campus.
I know that the nursing job market in Sac has tightened up severely and now UC Davis is on a hiring freeze and so are some other hospitals. I'm beginning to hear some stories about the Bay Area being in the same condition but I can't verify that..
Sac State and CSUEB have great programs but only Sac State's is accelerated. I love the teachers but the way the program is designed during the summer the courses are really crammed and move fast. I think if I had the time and could do it again, I hink I'd rather do a generic program and take my time. Concidering my age though... I would still stick with an accelerated program. If I were you I would really research the programs, the job market, the campuses, etc and make sure it is really what you want and is really worth the bang for the buck.
Even though the job market is tight, I still think you will get a job and in the long run it will still be good career. Your career path tough might not go straight into the nursing field you want and you might have to spend a few extra years in med-surg than you originally assumed.
H

Hi,

I have just applied to SMC I was wondering if you mind sharing what was your GPA and NET scores... i am a bit worried :uhoh21: