Samuel Merritt ABSN worth it or not?

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Hello all,

I have been bouncing back and forth on this question several times a day. As you know, there are many options here in the Bay Area for NS. SMC's 12months program is very attractive for it is short, but is it worth 50K? I'm having a hard time justifying the cost when you can get the same degree for much less elsewhere. Especially now that it is hard to find a job as a new grad, it scares me to death to think about ending up with 50K(tuition alone so prob. more) in debt and without a job.:eek:

On the other hand, it takes at least one extra year if I went to another school and there is no guarantee I'd get in. Any recent new grads, any advice? Please help!:sniff:

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im about to graduate from smc absn in sf. its hard to say as I can't compare it to other programs that I wasn't in. but the time frame is a big factor in the price which is why chose them. youll wait another year in another program loosing out on a potential salary of over 50gs. so you have to weigh that out

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Thanks for the response.:redpinkhe

"youll wait another year in another program loosing out on a potential salary of over 50gs"

If I know I can find a job soon after graduation, I'd jump in gladly. But with the job market like this, it makes me think twice. But I think I'll go for it since I'm not so young and don't have anyone depending on me.

I understand the curriculum is intense. Were you able to work during the year?

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even if the job market isnt that great i still think it would be worth your extra time. i think coming from a good program and having a preceptorship in the hospital and area you want to work in will make sure you get a job there. the people in my program and before didnt seem to have that hard a time getting a job.

It is very intense. I personally didn't because I couldn't handle both, but some people in my class could and some people had families as well. It's different for everyone. If you do work you will not be able to have a social life which is something i valued in this program. I met a lot of great new nursing friends :)

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Hello all,

I have been bouncing back and forth on this question several times a day. As you know, there are many options here in the Bay Area for NS. SMC's 12months program is very attractive for it is short, but is it worth 50K? I'm having a hard time justifying the cost when you can get the same degree for much less elsewhere. Especially now that it is hard to find a job as a new grad, it scares me to death to think about ending up with 50K(tuition alone so prob. more) in debt and without a job.:eek:

On the other hand, it takes at least one extra year if I went to another school and there is no guarantee I'd get in. Any recent new grads, any advice? Please help!:sniff:

Hi there,

I am almost halfway done with the ABSN program and I think it is totally worth it; even if it takes me a few months to find a job, I am glad I did it. I got into a local Junior college, but opted for the ABSN program at SMC b/c of time. Working: even if I chose the JC route, it would be very hard to work full time with 2 kids and DH. ABSN route, I get it done faster and have a BSN in the end. I have also met some wonderful people along the way. Clinical instructors are awesome, staff nurses (once they realize you're there and are friendly) are awesome and fellow classmates are supportive. What's great is that everyone really wants you to do well and if you are having any trouble with the material, there's ways to get help. Good Luck!

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smc and rianna,thank you sooo much for the inputs!

smc, it sounds like you already have got an offer. Did you get it through the preceptorship you did? May I ask where you did the clinicals? Do you know which hospitals for San Mateo campus?

Also, how realistic is it to hope to land on a job with the loan forgiveness program? Do many hospital offer it?

I am trying to find a way to make the huge debt seem OK. I'm pretty sure it's doable, so many of you have done it...yet, still makes me nervous.

Thank you.:heartbeat

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im the sf campus so i dont know about san manteo clinicals. i do love the campus there though. we were relocated there for a few months and it left much to be desired of sf. my preceptorship is at kaiser sf in the nicu and im hoping the get a job there. i love the staff. With the job market the way it is in the bay area, i think its extra important to pull hard to get the preceptorship you want because it really gives you that extra edge. ive had clinicals at kaiser oak, k sf, st. lukes, cpmc, the va, contra costa medical center, etc. The only hospital ive heard of that has loan forgiveness post grad is john muir. Kaiser has loan forgiveness with smc during school. You apply for it like you do for school. There oddly wasnt very much competition for kaiser scholars in my program so I would say it wouldnt be too difficult to get but things can change. ya my debt is out there. i think most people who live on their own and have loans for everything had about 70-85gs taken out. im on the high end but when i figure out how much i will be making it seems very reasonable to pay off my loans early if that. good luck :)

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Save your money unless you're going to the Oakland campus - otherwise you'll find the program to be horribly overpriced and underorganized (I know its not really a word!)

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The SF campus can be unorganized, but it is a newer program so there will be some set backs. However, my experience has been fine; Our teachers have been wonderful and. From what I have gathered, Oakland program has it much easier than the other cohorts: no weekend clinicals, more take home tests etc, they get their schedules way in advance..Supposedly they are the "cream of the crop" but our cohort is supportive, fun and competitive at the same time. I think it all depends on the class that gets put together and there's no way of telling until you start. Our first "get together" included all campuses and I am so happy with our class.

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The SF campus can be unorganized, but it is a newer program so there will be some set backs. However, my experience has been fine; Our teachers have been wonderful and. From what I have gathered, Oakland program has it much easier than the other cohorts: no weekend clinicals, more take home tests etc, they get their schedules way in advance..Supposedly they are the "cream of the crop" but our cohort is supportive, fun and competitive at the same time. I think it all depends on the class that gets put together and there's no way of telling until you start. Our first "get together" included all campuses and I am so happy with our class.

I don't buy the "cream of the crop" statement... In my class, a good amount of us did NOT want to be in the Oakland cohort due to location. I do realize that it is many people's first choice because it has been established and d/t location, but don't let anyone make you feel like a second class citizen.

Back to topic, I found my experience worth every penny... I was accepted to a jc but chose SMC because I was in the work force 12 months earlier, and I made enough money last year to justify. Also, I got my BSN rather than ADN.

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I'm in SMC Oakland, and we have weekend clinicals. The next 10 weeks I have clinicals on Saturday/Sunday/Monday 7am-4pm. What a bummer! I don't feel that we get better treatment than the other cohorts - there is still disorganization (with the teachers and admin), and the teachers are so-so except for a few. We do have some take home tests, but there are quite a few in-class tests too. We just had an in-class midterm a couple of days ago.

I wouldn't say that we have it easier. The program is tough, and the workload is very intense. You start a class, and 2 weeks later there is a midterm and another 2 weeks you have a final. The teachers breeze over the material, and sometimes don't even get through the powerpoints during the lecture. Irregardless, you are still required to know the material. The speed of the classes are so fast that we don't have the time to really learn the material in-depth. Sometimes I wish I would have attended a CC program instead, but I really want a BSN.

I would go for the location that is the most convenient for getting to the campus and clinicals.

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iluvmusak:

I have a question about the clinicals. i guess anyone else's answer would be good too. Can you request to get certain clinical days or locations? I know some schools will put out clinical days/locations at the end of the previous term and ppl can try to get dibs on the ones they want. The reason I want to know is that I go to church on Saturdays and I was wondering if there was any way to get my clinicals schedueled on any other day than that.

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