Samuel Merritt University Nursing Reputation

carolc415 · Apr 16, 2011

The ABSN program's tuition is over $58,000. Master's programs charge over $1000 per unit. There is also a 2+2 undergrad program that I'm not too familiar with. Students can easily accrue over $100,000 in debt very quickly if they are using Federal and/or private loans. WAAAAY too expensive, especially if you already have undergrad debt.

And the bottom line is: EVERYBODY, regardless of what program they're in at SMU, has to put in their time as a floor nurse. So EVERYONE is in the same boat when they graduate. 12-hour graveyard shifts are hard enough, do you want to have to do them while paying back an enormous debt load? Be smart about it. The world will always need nurses and there will always be a way to go to school. Don't sell yourself short by going into massive amounts of debt to do it.

lmurphy77 · Aug 12, 2011

Hi am currently in my second semester at SMU BSN Oakland program. First semester was very challenging and I liked most of all the instructors that I came into contact with. I have a lot of friends who are nurses working in the area, Kaiser, John Muir, and SMU graduates are chosen over community college graduates when getting directly hired out of school. Yes the economy is hard but I think that if you really apply yourself to this program there are many doors of opportunity available. The classes are small, the teachers were available by email for questions all the time, and the facility is state of the art. I am an older student and I appreciate the way the school is ran and the high expectations of the students. I am a straight A student and I did not get straight A's my first semester, so I think the program is extrememly challenging. Waiting to get into a state program for years would cost more money that taking the loans and working two years earlier and earning a nurses salary. So I

lmurphy77 · Aug 12, 2011

....highly recommend the school! :nurse:

trexc42 · May 15, 2012

Hi Carol,

I'm currently half way through the ABSN program at the San Francisco campus. I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments regarding this school!

I have had experience with quite a few other academic institutions over the past 5 years (I have an undergrad degree plus a masters degree). I've never experienced anything quite like what I've gone through at SMU. There are certainly a few good members of the faculty and staff that seem to care about your education but in general there is an attitude from the administration that "this is the way things have always been done and we refuse to change anything about this school to make it a more positive learning experience."

The most blatant example of their total lack of respect for their own students occurred when they announced to us during the first week of the program that we would be moving from the San Francisco campus to the San Mateo campus in four months. Although they had known about this move for months before we started the program, they waited until after we had paid our tuition and started the program to make this announcement. Furthermore, they completely ignored the fact that everyone had purposefully applied to the SF program because they wanted to be in that SPECIFIC location (based on their commute, childcare, etc, etc.). If we had wanted to be in San Mateo, we would have applied to the San Mateo campus. We ended up working with a lawyer to help us draft a letter and they decided to let our cohort stay in SF for the remainder of the program.

Please believe me when I say that I'm not just that one disgruntled student that always has a problem with everything about my school. There are 48 of us in my class and I would say that many of us have reached their limit with Samuel Merritt. I had such high hopes for SMU but I feel completely let down and disappointed.

I'm hoping that at least some of the issues we have faced in my cohort are solved for future cohorts as there will no longer be a campus at the San Francisco Learning Center. Perhaps many of things we have dealt with have been solely a problem in SF? If anyone from other cohorts at different campuses have had a better or different experience I would love to hear from them!

pkramer · Aug 15, 2012

Well, I recently graduated from the SF campus and yes, admin was the bane of my cohort's existence. However, I feel I had a pretty good education. It just depends on how hard you work and take advantage of the connections you make. I made great friends and really enjoyed all of my rotations. I also love that I graduated in a year and most of my class has found jobs in the area. It's pricy but you are done quickly and the pay in the bay area will help you pay off those ginormous loans. Best of luck to you!