Samuel Merritt ABSN Summer 2020

Nursing Students School Programs

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Hi All,

I didn't see a thread for the Samuel Merritt ABSN summer 2020 cohort and just wanted to start one, as I know most of us are in the process of applying right now. I applied to the Sacramento campus, but am currently waitlisted. I just wanted to see if anyone has any recommendations on how to be more competitive aside from GPA (as I am going to retake some courses to up my GPAs). I love that Samuel Merritt looks at applicants holistically. Please share the wisdom , whether you are applying or you are already in the program. Thank you and have a blessed day !

I was about to start a new thread about this question, but thought I might as well ask it here for visibility. Is anyone concerned about the quality of the curriculum?

The curriculum does not include pharmacology and pathophysiology because SMU made them prerequisites. However, I now find this concerning (despite applying to the program) because it's obvious that students coming out of the program will not be held to the same standards for those two subjects. We all took it from different schools (online or in-person), which could potentially cause everyone to have different levels of mastery over the material.

Nearly every other nursing program I've seen includes patho/pharm as a part of their curriculum, simply because they are so important. It makes more sense this way too, since it's better to make sure everyone graduates with a solid foundation in them.

I am becoming very worried about this because I now see the possibility of graduating from the program and being unprepared for a real nursing job.

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I do wish the curriculum did include pharmacology and pathophysiology. I was concerned that I will have forgotten most of the material by the time I entered the program. But, what I have been told by others that have been in the program is that you learn the medications as you go and they did feel well prepared when they started working as a nurse. I have also been told by nurses that I work with (I work at a Bay Area hospital as a CNA) that they feel like SMU graduates have been well educated.

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@klc

Thanks for the input!

I've been hearing all sorts of things about SMU ABSN's reputation, ranging from very good to absolutely terrible, and the lack of consistency is adding so much to my stress and confidence in the program, which is unfortunate because I've already invested so much in applying for it. The Yelp reviews have the biggest role in scaring the life out of me. Most of the positive feedback I've heard are only through word of mouth, like what your nursing colleagues told you.

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Good luck to everyone. I am still finishing up my patho class which I took at UCB-Extension. I do not recommend this course to anyone!! Hoping to at least score a B. My GPA for sciences is 3.03. Hesi scored an overall 88%. Last 60 units 3.6 from my Master's Degree. I have strong references and strong resume. I am first generation Latina, hoping affirmative action works in my favor haha jk (not really)!! I know my GPA for sciences isn't strong, but hey we will see how it goes! My first choice was San Mateo June.

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I just submitted my application for Oakland campus too and got everything verified via NuringCas. Does anyone knows what to expect next? How long will it take for Samuel Merritt to contact you?

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Once you're verified, I believe you are good to go unless you hear something to the contrary. I applied Nov. 25th and did get this on the 27th:

Thank you for your application!

Dear ____,

Thank you for submitting an application to Samuel Merritt University. This is an automated email to confirm that we have received your application for:

Year: 2020
Term: Summer
Program: Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing

We will begin reviewing your application shortly. Throughout the application process, you will receive notifications and updates when they are appropriate. Please refrain from calling the Office of Admission as this slows the review of all applications.

Email is the official method of communication from the university. If you are expecting an email from us, please check your "spam/junk" folder.

We look forward to working with you this application cycle.

Sincerely,

Office of Admission
Samuel Merritt University

As for hearing back, I read through some old application threads and it looks like we may not hear anything until the end of February ? Seems SO very far away...

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Thanks for your reply! I applied 11/28 and got the exact same message from Samuel Merritt! I wonder if Samuel Merritt will send us more notifications when they are reviewing or they would just keep us waiting until February! Will they ask you to come in for interviews before admission? My first time applying for nursing school and Samual Merritt - Oakland location is the only one I applied! So anyone who has been through the entire admission process before, please share your words of wisdom!

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1 hour ago, Lovenursing11 said:

Thanks for your reply! I applied 11/28 and got the exact same message from Samuel Merritt! I wonder if Samuel Merritt will send us more notifications when they are reviewing or they would just keep us waiting until February! Will they ask you to come in for interviews before admission? My first time applying for nursing school and Samual Merritt - Oakland location is the only one I applied! So anyone who has been through the entire admission process before, please share your words of wisdom!

Hi!! So I applied once already for Samuel Merritt. I recieved 2 or 3 emails (where they are at in the process) before I was notified with a letter of acceptance/rejection. For the ABSN , they do not conduct interviews so your personal statements are super important if you want to get certain things across to the office of admissions.

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Specializes in Medical Device.

Hello! I also applied for the Oakland cohort and have been gearing up for the program, but I just found out I got into CSUEB off of the waitlist! Now I'm not sure if I should accept and do their 2.5 year non-accelerated program, or suck it up and just hope to get into SM. I have two young kids so I was dreading the accelerated program, but now I'm feeling like it might be good to just get it over with. Any advice on CSUEB vs. Samuel Merritt?

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Specializes in Medical Device.

Hello again! I've turned down the CSUEB offer so all my eggs are in the Oakland ABSN basket. Hope to see you in May!

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On 12/8/2019 at 10:10 AM, MamaMagic said:

Hello again! I've turned down the CSUEB offer so all my eggs are in the Oakland ABSN basket. Hope to see you in May!

Good luck to you mama! I'm a mother of three, and also extremely worried about the accelerated program, but am also all in on the ABSN, and have lots of support in place to help me get through one very intense year. I totally want to "just get it over with", since I'm about to be 40, yikes! My number one choice is Oakland also. If I get into either Oakland or San Mateo (June) I will be beyond blessed and will do whatever it takes to succeed. Hope we get in and good luck to you!!!

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Specializes in Medical Device.
26 minutes ago, ChristinaAC said:

Good luck to you mama! I'm a mother of three, and also extremely worried about the accelerated program, but am also all in on the ABSN, and have lots of support in place to help me get through one very intense year. I totally want to "just get it over with", since I'm about to be 40, yikes! My number one choice is Oakland also. If I get into either Oakland or San Mateo (June) I will be beyond blessed and will do whatever it takes to succeed. Hope we get in and good luck to you!!!

Thanks, Christina! One factor in my decision was that I would rather be with a cohort that was similar to me- that is, "more mature" (I'm 38- today is my birthday!) and going through the same kid/spouse/mortgage stress that I am so that we can support each other.

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