Samuel Merritt ABSN Summer 2012

wannabnurse81 · Apr 6, 2012

i asked (e) if we needed the blood borne pathogens and she did not answer yes or no... she only said, "for health screening questions, you need to contact... " i can message the info. i tired calling the woman this morning and did not get an answer. i'll keep you posted though. as tammy mentioned... don't worry, you did not mess anyone up. i don't think anyone else has taken it and also, like tammy said, it is still useful information!! i did receive a checklist from smu, but did not see anything about blood borne pathogens.

wannabnurse81 · Apr 6, 2012

okay, so i just got an email back from someone. i asked, a) how to a show that i completed the cpr course and b) do we need to take blood borne pathogens. this is the response that i received:

"please bring a copy of the front and back of your cpr card to turn in. you will complete the healthstream modules once you are on campus. you will be notified at orientation when you will need to complete."

tamosaur · Apr 6, 2012

I made copies of my CPR card. They want that at orientation, if I remember correctly. They told us to bring it to orientation in one of their reminder emails.

AL16 · Apr 9, 2012

Hi San Mateo June cohort...I tried to search for the group page but couldn't find it. I made a FB page just to be in the communication loop while in the program. I'm totally not into these social networking sites so this is new to me. I am unable to post a PM so if someone can add me on FB, that'd be great! Thanks...my email is [email protected]

AL16 · Apr 10, 2012

Hi Funny Fungus!I just requested to add our cohort's group. Thanks for setting it up :)

eastbay · Apr 11, 2012

Hi everyone! I won't be applying for another year, but I am curious about everyone's volunteer/work experience. I have about 4 years of medical work experience, so far good grades, but no volunteer hours. I am putting all of my eggs in Samuel Merritt's ABSN program. Am I crazy? Should I try to add to more to my resume? Good luck to you all!!

orangepeels · Apr 11, 2012

Hey guys, wanted to see if I can get your guy's input. I'm in the Oakland ABSN for this Summer. I applied for my private loan through Sallie Mae. Their website states their interest rate ranges anywhere from 2.25%-10% interest, depending on credit of course. I know I have pretty good credit, around an 815 score-ish. My co-signer also has decent credit of around 805ish. I guess I was just being waaaaay too overly optimistic and thinking I would get somewhere around 3 or 4% interest (especially since I got a 2.99% interest rate on a car loan at the end of 2011). You can imagine my shock when I got approved for the loan at 7.5% variable interest! I'm now very curious as to what the average interest rate is out there for private loans for you guys? Am I just super naive or too inexperienced with this to think that I would get a 3, 4, or even 5% interest rate? Is that even possible to get? If I'm at 7.5% interest with decent credit and a cosigner, I'm wondering what people with average or below average credit gets...like 10+%?? That's just crazy how much interest is. Can you guys give me any feedback? What are your guy's average interest rates (no specific number needed, just a general ballpark would be great). I'm just really curious to compare my interest to others and see if we're all in the same boat, or if I should try to look elsewhere, like at Wells Fargo or something. Or if this really the average interest rate we're looking at here for private student loans. Thanks so much, I would really appreciate any feedback!

orangepeels · Apr 11, 2012

To Eastbay: I would say it seems like a lot also goes towards your essays too. I think most ppl have what you have down: decent/good grades, volunteer/medical field work, and good letteres of recommendation, but I think the essays being good is very important. I would also suggest that you meet with a counselor or admission persons at the school so you can go over all that with them and they can give you recommendations on what would help you out. Good luck!

tamosaur · Apr 11, 2012

I had no paid experience but I did do an internship where I got to work very closely with patients so I think that helped my application a lot. Other than that, my grades for my previous degree weren't that great but my grades for the prereqs were all As. Good luck!

I'm curious to know more about what types of interest rates people are getting too. I haven't applied for any loans yet and won't be until next term/semester.

pnlu007 · Apr 11, 2012

orangepeels...i'm not going the private loan route, so i dont have alot of experience...but i do know stafford loan and unsubsidized loans are about 6.5%-this is thru the governent...so 7.5% isnt too bad considering its private funding. I think someone mentioned they got a pretty unique loan thru their credit union...u should maybe join one and see what they say...

pnlu007 · Apr 11, 2012

"

hi everyone! i won't be applying for another year, but i am curious about everyone's volunteer/work experience. i have about 4 years of medical work experience, so far good grades, but no volunteer hours. i am putting all of my eggs in samuel merritt's absn program. am i crazy? should i try to add to more to my resume? good luck to you all!!"

eastbay, since you have four years of medical work experience i would not bother doing any volunteer work, especially if it had a bit of patient interaction and if you can get good references. i did some volunteering and did not do anything significant, grabbing supplies and signing in some patients...but i did get a very strong reference from them. my grades were pretty top notch, especially prereqs that i did at a community college. i have to say, my essays were very strong...i remember someone from smu telling me make sure you let us know why you have to be a nurse and thats what i did. i got all three essays proofread by people who knew what they were doing. asking your mom who does not have great writing skills will not help. you need someone who knows how to write...my content was mine and very personal, and my editor helped me make it flow better than i orginally had it.

katiebelle77 · Apr 11, 2012

I would volunteer since you have a year before you apply. All it can do is strengthen your admission potential, and yes, your essays. There is a who essay out of 3, asking you about your volunteer experience. If you have never volunteered or volunteered in unrelated areas, I am not sure what you you are going to say for that section. Volunteering also shows how bad you want this, you have experience, exposure to medical happenings but are you willing to donate your time. Almost everyone I know volunteered so you want to be on par with them. I know people who have gotten in did not necessarily have volunteer experience but lets face it, if you are putting all of your eggs in one basket (like many of us did), you don't want to worry that you could have done more. If you get waitlisted and you don't volunteer, I bet a volunteer position might have made the difference.

Give yourself the best chance possible of getting in. I volunteered at Children's Hospital Oakland and it was amazing. It was really fulfilling and rewarding. I did not get 100 hours before my app was due to SMU but if I had, I could have gotten an outstanding letter of rec from my volunteer supervisor (double gold star). Sounds like you have a lot going for you, but so do all the other apps. If you want it as bad as I did, you will hedge your bets and do anything you can to give yourself the best chance of getting in. I only volunteered 4 hours a week so it wasn't a huge commitment but I also didn't hit the 100 hour mark either. Good Luck with your app! The fact that you are already on this thread speaks well for your chances. Wish I had done the same a year ago. :)