Samuel Merritt University (SMU) ABSN Summer 2024

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Hi all! Wanted to start a discussion for those who applied for Summer 2024 cohorts at Samuel Merritt so we can support each other. I applied to the Oakland and San Mateo campuses. I'm also excited to hear back if I got in to the Nursing Success Seminar January 2024 program. 

Is there a FB group for Oakland 2024 cohort?  Thanks! 

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R5134 said:

Hi everyone,
I am a current student at SMU. I'm in the ABSN program. I don't recommend this program to anyone. I've seen bad reviews about this program and did not listen to them thinking they were wrong.  Please save your money and choose a different program!! The teachers are disorganized, everything is self taught, and if you don't have any medical/healthcare experience it makes things a lot harder. They'll try to tell you everything is okay when in reality it's not. I heard from the previous cohort 5 people dropped. I am also leaving. I was really excited to start this program but it's not what they make it seem. I wish I would've chosen a different program. I am currently looking to apply somewhere else. 

Hi! I've seen similar remarks on other pages here, and wanted to ask some more questions. So far, SMU is the only school I've been accepted into, the (ME-MSN case management program). I'm waitlisted at USF too.

First, I wanted to know if classes are online or in-person? For the tuition $$$ I'd hope they're in person, but I think I saw a post that most are online besides sim labs. 

Second, are there any updates on the preceptorship situation / have they been anymore transparent?

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Hi everyone!

I was accepted into the Oakland ABSN program! 🙂

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Hi everyone!

I got off the waitlist a few days ago and got accepted to the Oakland cohort! Unfortunately, I missed the Kick-Off Day since I was a late admission. Is there a Facebook group that I could join so that I can meet everyone and catch up with what I've missed? Let me know! 🙂 

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Hi everyone, 

I am looking to apply to SMU Summer 2026. I was wondering if anyone who was accepted to oakland could share their stats in terms or GPA, prereq grades, volunteering and patient care experience. 
thanks! 

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Lexxxxx said:

Hi everyone, 

I am looking to apply to SMU Summer 2026. I was wondering if anyone who was accepted to oakland could share their stats in terms or GPA, prereq grades, volunteering and patient care experience. 
thanks! 

Hi, I'm a current student in the ABSN program. My advice is make this school your last choice. Highly unorganized and not worth all the money. 

Based on our current cohort, there are people with no healthcare/patient experience who were accepted. I really think they've lowered the expectations because they're a business and trying to get as much $$ as possible. They keep extending application deadlines because they're not getting as many applicants as they used to. 
 

terrible school and don't believe the sales pitch! 

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Lexxxxx said:

Hi everyone, 

I am looking to apply to SMU Summer 2026. I was wondering if anyone who was accepted to oakland could share their stats in terms or GPA, prereq grades, volunteering and patient care experience. 
thanks! 

Hello, I am in the San Mateo campus (4 months in to the program). It's not as bad as some people are saying tbh. If you want to go to SMU for convenience such as the location, quick duration of program, I would say its worth it (if you're able to afford tution or take out loans). Yes it's disorganized at times but manageable. Preceptorships are not guaranteed, but my understand is that its the same for most programs in this area. My GPA was close to a 4.0, prereqs all A's and one B but I know others got in with lower GPAs. I had minimal volunteering and no direct medical care experience, but did have some mental health care work experience. Some others in my cohort had zero health care experience and came from completely different types of fields.

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Lexxxxx said:

Hi everyone, 

I am looking to apply to SMU Summer 2026. I was wondering if anyone who was accepted to oakland could share their stats in terms or GPA, prereq grades, volunteering and patient care experience. 
thanks! 

Agree with the previous commenter - its not as bad as people say it is. IMO the people complaining about disorganization persistently lack the ability to take accountability and teach themselves (I'm not referring to one of the prev commenters, just literally in my own experience as I heard that comment often). I tutor a lot and the number of people expecting professors to hand them 100% of the exam material on the test is insane. For them, having to watch external resources to make things make sense is difficult for people to accept. Even the profs that do cover all their exam content in a single 5 hr lecture, you need to rewatch and connect the dots on your own otherwise you're not gonna do well. School isn't easy but too many people expect to put in half the effort and still get good grades and thats just not the case.

 

anywho, I graduate this year and I'll be summa cum laude. I only volunteered for a year in a hospital. My undergrad GPA was mid-2s but I did all my prereqs postbacc and got a 4.0.

 

Some people I know are CNAs, EMTs, LVNs, whereas others were full-time parents with no healthcare experience and their prereqs were done nearly a decade ago. I highly recommend selling yourself and your potential well in the app because lack of experience doesnt mean you won't get in if thats what you're worried about. I feel like selling myself and explaining bad grades before but good grades now helped me a lot. 
 

good luck and yeah don't let the haters deter you - getting in and out with an RN in 12 months is fantastic. Last year this time I knew nothing and now im applying to new grad jobs.

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Gigi1017 said:

Hi, I'm a current student in the ABSN program. My advice is make this school your last choice. Highly unorganized and not worth all the money. 

Based on our current cohort, there are people with no healthcare/patient experience who were accepted. I really think they've lowered the expectations because they're a business and trying to get as much $$ as possible. They keep extending application deadlines because they're not getting as many applicants as they used to. 
 

terrible school and don't believe the sales pitch! 

Referencing the expectations, the professors are not that great. Many of them don't lecture and the quality vs cost of education doesn't balance out. Another issue is the lack of preceptorships. I'm graduating soon and they are not giving my entire cohort a preceptorship. They're basing it off grades and experience which doesn't seem fair since we're all paying the tuition costs. 
 

I would also check out Reddit for some in depth reviews regarding the school. 

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Gigi1017 said:

Referencing the expectations, the professors are not that great. Many of them don't lecture and the quality vs cost of education doesn't balance out. Another issue is the lack of preceptorships. I'm graduating soon and they are not giving my entire cohort a preceptorship. They're basing it off grades and experience which doesn't seem fair since we're all paying the tuition costs. 
 

I would also check out Reddit for some in depth reviews regarding the school. 

The grades and experience this for preceptorships is totally not true. There are people in my cohort with no experience, no connections, and not in the nursing honor society (aka not top of the class) and they got really good placements. Meanwhile there's people with years of EMT or CNA experience who *are* at the top of the class that didn't get placements.

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Mysmece said:

The grades and experience this for preceptorships is totally not true. There are people in my cohort with no experience, no connections, and not in the nursing honor society (aka not top of the class) and they got really good placements. Meanwhile there's people with years of EMT or CNA experience who *are* at the top of the class that didn't get placements.

How did people get placements and some not from your cohort? 

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Gigi1017 said:

How did people get placements and some not from your cohort? 

Honestly luck of the draw 😭 the few with connections volunteering or working at places got them but thats like maybe 5-6 people. A few others got them super randomly and the rest are going in a "cohort group". So far the groups I've heard of are just medsurg. Seems like 12-15 1:1 placements that I'm aware of and 16 people in cohort groups.

I've spoken to people in past cohorts w/o preceptorships who got jobs but yeah the no guarantee def sucks and I will say thats something to consider when choosing SMU. Network and make connections before you go in or early on so when they ask for your placmeent prefs you can say you know someone who can get you in (no im NOT saying go ask every nurse you rotate with during clinicals)

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