Samuel Merritt ELMSN Fall 2019

Heaven27 · Dec 14, 2019

15 hours ago, Mergirlc said:
Just out of curiosity, and if anybody on this post is still out there......
Does anybody have an idea as to how far down the waitlist did they go for the FNP program?

I only know one person in the program who was waitlisted #3 or #4 for the FNP track Fall 2019 Oakland Campus. I hear that SMU's letter of admission dates came after some of the other programs in our local area. Reasons students either declined their admission was because they were waiting to hear back from other programs or they were just trying to decide between which program they should take. If they applied to other schools in the Bay Area, It would be UCSF Entry Masters Program. I heard USF's Entry Level programs letter of admission is given out before SMU.

Other reasons applicants declined SMU is because they were accepted to other programs ,far in advance, such as the Accelerated BSN Program at SMU or Associate RN programs offered at local community colleges. These students found out they got in to SMU after they already had accepted to attend other schools.

Warmly,
Kim

Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP · Dec 14, 2019

4 hours ago, Heaven27 said:
I only know one person in the program who was waitlisted #3 or #4 for the FNP track Fall 2019 Oakland Campus. I hear that SMU's letter of admission dates came after some of the other programs in our local area. Reasons students either declined their admission was because they were waiting to hear back from other programs or they were just trying to decide between which program they should take. If they applied to other schools in the Bay Area, It would be UCSF Entry Masters Program. I heard USF's Entry Level programs letter of admission is given out before SMU.
Other reasons applicants declined SMU is because they were accepted to other programs ,far in advance, such as the Accelerated BSN Program at SMU or Associate RN programs offered at local community colleges. These students found out they got in to SMU after they already had accepted to attend other schools.
Warmly,
Kim

It seems that way for every nursing school where people are waiting out decisions to decide, doesn't it? I just wanted to see whereabouts on the list do people have a shot.

I recall at one school (not SMU) they actually got to number 23 on a waitlist and this was a well-known entry-level program. You just never know....

Thanks for the info.

Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 3, 2020

Hey there!

If anybody is still following this discussion...... I was curious as to what the financial aid you might have received looks like. I know they will offer you loans, but did SMU kick down a tiny or good amount of Scholarship money from their own funds to help you out?

You don't have to share exact numbers if you don't want to, but did you think it was "eh, okay, or excellent?" ?

Heaven27 · Apr 4, 2020

6 hours ago, Mergirlc said:
Hey there!
If anybody is still following this discussion...... I was curious as to what the financial aid you might have received looks like. I know they will offer you loans, but did SMU kick down a tiny or good amount of Scholarship money from their own funds to help you out?
You don't have to share exact numbers if you don't want to, but did you think it was "eh, okay, or excellent?" ?

Hello,

It depends on the program you are applying to, your financial background, and other factors ,such as, if you have dependents, are single or married, what high school you went to, ethnic background, if you live in a under-served area, if the school gets approved for federal funding. Assuming you have financial need, Samuel Merritt University does give scholarships. I have received both loans and scholarships from the school. The amount of money they provide in the form of scholarships has helped. Whether it is a small amount of a generous amount depends alot on your personal living cost and expenses.

If you are accepted into the ELMNS-FNP program, you may be eligible for the HRSA Disadvantaged Student Grant. This grant offers you up to $30,000 across three semesters which totals $10,000 in gift aid each semester. The school reapplied for this grant this year, so it may or may not be approved. I say this because the Trump administration's budget considered cutting such health programs if he gets reelected. With that being said, I also was awarded other scholarships. I have received close to $39,000 in scholarships/gift aid for the school year. Again, it really depends on your program, other factors, and what is going on at the national level for funding. For me, this has helped a great deal. I don't have to worry about working just yet, and I'm very fortunate to have had it. I know several other students in my program who also got this scholarship.

I can't speak for the Case Management program or Accelerated BSN. I would give the school an *Excellent rating. I don't think I would have EVER been given this amount if I went to a CSU or UC program. When you first get accepted, the financial aid office will give you the overall general cost to attend the school. Once you fill out the the scholarship survey, only then will you know what you are eligible for which will be after the start of school.

Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 4, 2020

38 minutes ago, Heaven27 said:
Hello,
It depends on the program you are applying to, your financial background, and other factors ,such as, if you have dependents, are single or married, what high school you went to, ethnic background, if you live in a under-served area, if the school gets approved for federal funding. Assuming you have financial need, Samuel Merritt University does give Scholarships. I have received both loans and scholarships from the school. The amount of money they provide in the form of scholarships has helped. Whether it is a small amount of a generous amount depends alot on your personal living cost and expenses.
If you are accepted into the ELMNS-FNP program, you may be eligible for the HRSA Disadvantaged Student Grant. This grant offers you up to $30,000 across three semesters which totals $10,000 in gift aid each semester. The school reapplied for this grant this year, so it may or may not be approved. I say this because the Trump administration's budget considered cutting such health programs if he gets reelected. With that being said, I also was awarded other scholarships. I have received close to $39,000 in scholarships/gift aid for the school year. Again, it really depends on your program, other factors, and what is going on at the national level for funding. For me, this has helped a great deal. I don't have to worry about working just yet, and I'm very fortunate to have had it. I know several other students in my program who also got this Scholarship.
I can't speak for the Case Management program or Accelerated BSN. I would give the school an *Excellent rating. I don't think I would have EVER been given this amount if I went to a CSU or UC program. When you first get accepted, the financial aid office will give you the overall general cost to attend the school. Once you fill out the the scholarship survey, only then will you know what you are eligible for which will be after the start of school.

@Heaven27 Thank you so much for your very thorough explanation! I did get accepted for Fall ELMSN-FNP. I'm dirt poor and from a disadvantaged background, so I was hoping that I might get some help. Seems like hopefully something will fall my way. I'm hoping I won't take too bad of a loan hit come Fall -- that is, if we start in Fall the way things are going. ?

I know with things the way they are currently, who knows if the financial aid money will be there after it's all said and done. This is what worries me. I know all across state and federal levels, every source is taking a huge hit due to the pandemic. We'll see.

I already got the break-down of what the year would cost, but have yet to see any offerings, paperwork, or scholarship survey. They already have my FAFSA on file.

Do you know how long it takes the financial aid office to bring out the scholarship survey? It's only been about 3 weeks since I got admitted, so I know it probably doesn't happen that quick. To boot, the lady who takes care of the ELMSN groups is out on leave until the end of April.

Heaven27 · Apr 4, 2020

5 hours ago, Mergirlc said:
@Heaven27 Thank you so much for your very thorough explanation! I did get accepted for Fall ELMSN-FNP. I'm dirt poor and from a disadvantaged background, so I was hoping that I might get some help. Seems like hopefully something will fall my way. I'm hoping I won't take too bad of a loan hit come Fall -- that is, if we start in Fall the way things are going. ?
I know with things the way they are currently, who knows if the financial aid money will be there after it's all said and done. This is what worries me. I know all across state and federal levels, every source is taking a huge hit due to the pandemic. We'll see.
I already got the break-down of what the year would cost, but have yet to see any offerings, paperwork, or Scholarship survey. They already have my FAFSA on file.
Do you know how long it takes the financial aid office to bring out the scholarship survey? It's only been about 3 weeks since I got admitted, so I know it probably doesn't happen that quick. To boot, the lady who takes care of the ELMSN groups is out on leave until the end of April.

Congratulations! The scholarship application came out in May 3, 2019. The first day of school was September 9, 2019. Make sure you access your school email through the MySMU login. You may not get the email sent to your personal email. Don't forget to check your spam and junk mail because one of my scholarship notices was sent to spam. You have to accept the scholarship in the scholarship portal.

I don't have a good timeline of when I knew. I was very diligent about checking on the financial aid portal we have and scholarship portal. I also would email the teacher who oversees the Disadvantaged Student Grant. Her name is Terry Gwin. I found out because I was always asking about it.

Yea the school has already delayed some the ABSN program cohorts and stopped the admissions process temporarily. They need to figure out what all is going on and find us clinical placements since many hospital clinical sites have refused to have students on site due to COVID-19. Hopefully, things will be better by the Fall and your program start date won't get affected.

Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 4, 2020

6 hours ago, Heaven27 said:
Congratulations! The Scholarship application came out in May 3, 2019. The first day of school was September 9, 2019. Make sure you access your school email through the MySMU login. You may not get the email sent to your personal email. Don't forget to check your spam and junk mail because one of my scholarship notices was sent to spam. You have to accept the scholarship in the scholarship portal.
I don't have a good timeline of when I knew. I was very diligent about checking on the financial aid portal we have and scholarship portal. I also would email the teacher who oversees the Disadvantaged Student Grant. Her name is Terry Gwin. I found out because I was always asking about it.
Yea the school has already delayed some the ABSN program cohorts and stopped the admissions process temporarily. They need to figure out what all is going on and find us clinical placements since many hospital clinical sites have refused to have students on site due to COVID-19. Hopefully, things will be better by the Fall and your program start date won't get affected.

Thank you so much! You have provided me with a lot of great information.

I definitely check the Financial Aid Portal like 3x a week. ? I like to get a start early on things, but I know SMU has their hands full right now with everything that is happening.

I have also forwarded all the email from my SMU account to go to my regular Gmail account so I'm always in the loop. If I don't see anything around May 11, I'll contact them and see what's happening. I"m especially interested in the Disadvantaged Student Grant, so I'll shoot her an email as well in May.

I'd imagine right now everything is upside down at SMU with all the changes happening. As of now, the Fall 2020 cohort has not been pushed back, but it's anybody's guess what will happen with the way things are going.

Thanks again @Heaven27 I think I trust you more with information about SMU than SMU! ?

Heaven27 · Apr 26, 2020

Hello everyone,

Do you think your friends, who may be interested in attending accelerated nursing programs or entry level master programs would be interested in learning how to be a competitive applicant?

Let me know. If you all have any ideas, please send them to me. I feel there is a need for students to know more about this pathway other than the generic program requirements.

For those who do not know me, I'm in the Entry Level Masters FNP Progam at Samuel Merritt University. I

Bunnymummy · Apr 29, 2020

Hi! I wanted to know if anyone could share their class schedule. I’m going to be starting at Oakland in the Fall for ELMSN CM and will be commuting from Sacramento.