Samuel Merritt College

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I was recently accepted to the ABSN-SF program for fall 2007. The tuition is very expensive. I want to know if anyone has graduated from SM and if they felt it was well worth the money. I have the opportunity to go to another school in New York as well, though I don't really want to leave the city. How good it their reputation? I am a little worried I will be sapped by the student loan after I get out. Thanks for any info,

jzzy88

I'm also planning to apply to the ELMSN at SMC in the winter - and wonder about other options.

BerkeleyMom - I think we talked a bit about this via email -- but are there other educational avenues you wish you had explored?

Honestly, at this point though, to me, SMCs program seems like by far the best option, based on the other programs in the area I have looked into.

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Specializes in L&D, OR, postpartum, pedi, OBGYN clinic.

The ABSN program is very unorganized. Ridiculously so actually. But the teachers are nice, the pacing is fast and you get it done. No matter how unorganized they are you will graduate with a full BSN in 12 months. I started in April and I graduate in 9 months. Pregnancy was longer than that :) It is expensive. It is tax deductible and you will get out and make 80-90 grand a year. 5000 a month after taxes. You can afford the tuition. Congrats on you all getting in...

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deann52,

was it hard for you to get in? are you at the oakland campus?

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Hi Everyone,

I'm just wondering if anyone else is doing SMC prereqs at Merritt Community College?

Also, has anyone been having trouble contacting the admission counselors at SMC? I've been trying to reach them but no one is calling/emailine me back or answering their phones.

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Specializes in Tele Step Down, Oncology, ICU, Med/Surg.

I was accepted into the SMC ELMS program; but declined once I was accepted into CSUEB Concord Campus BSN program.

I recommend you apply everywhere and give yourself options. If you are going to work in the Bay Area, I am told that the BSN route is the best way to go. Especially since several large Bay Area hosp are going Magnet.

The ADN to BSN bridge route is cheaper, but long timewise only feasible if you are young.

It was all about the expense and commute for me. I was also accepted into UCSF. I researched all Bay Area programs up/down/sideways--talked to people in the programs--and SMC just did not add up as worth the expense (a friend of mine in the NP program who just completed her RN is $80,000 deep already and still has more to go...but at this point she can work some to help out).

Also, as those of us who were accepted elsewhere declined our seats at SMC, and subsequently other classmates of ours were accepted our vacated seats, I came to the conclusion academic quality was not as high at SMC (at least for this incoming year....and this was for the case management and ABSN programs where maybe the competition was not as high).

Also, I was advised by someone employed by SMC that if expense was an issue, I should get the BSN elsewhere, and go there later for the MSN portion if I remained interested.

My advice is to apply everywhere. It's not a cheap process either, but worth it as it gives you options. My first choice changed several times over the course of 9 months as I dug deeper into the various programs.

Unless you are younger than 25, I would not go the the ADN route though, unless it was your only option.

That said, every program has it's plusses/drawbacks. SMC is a private enterprise--it's a business and therefore going to be more student centered. CSU treats us like plebes--one mandatory orientation in the middle of August which was not announced until 6 wks prior (August being the only month available for vacations for those of us with active children) and mandatory CPR/First Aid when many of us had recently completed this req. on our own (obviously done to make it easy for them to keep track of when we students needed to renew our CPR certifications).

Also, research various loan forgiveness programs (doesn't the ABSN through SMC have an arrangement with Kaiser? or at least it did when I was researching this option).

Good luck on your journey.

Bertolozzi

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Specializes in SRNA.

I've recently considered adding SMC to my list of programs to apply to, specifically for the ABSN. Can anyone else comment on or attest to the supposed disorganization of the San Francisco program? The SF location was attractive to me due to its late Fall start, rather than April 2008.

I really would not want to be in the thick of things if there were still a ton of loose ends! Good news is, I can wait until March to apply to SMC after I receive my notifications from my 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice programs.

Thanks! ;)

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I know someone in the program at SMC, and she said you really needed to be flexible. Because of the disorganized nature of the program.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

I haven't started the program yet, so I don't know how it will be, hopefully not as disorganized as I've heard, but I'll let you know how the SF-ABSN once I start,

J

I went to one of the info sessions at the Sacto ABSN program, and met someone I knew, in the program at that campus. She said you really needed to be flexible, because of the disorganized nature of the program. Perhaps due to its rapid expansion?
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Any current (2007) Samuel Merritt-Sacto ABSN students out there?

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the absn program is very unorganized. ridiculously so actually. but the teachers are nice, the pacing is fast and you get it done. no matter how unorganized they are you will graduate with a full bsn in 12 months. i started in april and i graduate in 9 months. pregnancy was longer than that :) it is expensive. it is tax deductible and you will get out and make 80-90 grand a year. 5000 a month after taxes. you can afford the tuition. congrats on you all getting in...

hi deann52,

jus wondering which campus you went to for sm? i got into san mateo. my first choice was oakland because i live in the east bay. any thoughts on what the differences are between campus? which one has better training, professors, etc?

thanks in advance!

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we have to pick one teacher for health assessment lab in Oakland

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