Samuel Merritt University

ShelbyP · Dec 27, 2009

I live in the bay area and know lots of folks attending Samuel Merritt (mostly the San Mateo and Oakland campuses).

The school is generally recognized as top-notch; the down-side is that it is private and therefore expensive.

When you wrote "excelled," did you mean accelerated? In addition to basic A&P prereqs, the accelerated 2nd bachelor's degree also requires you to take Pathophysiology and Pharmacology, which can be tricky to find. Samuel Merritt, of course, offers these classes, but again, they are pricey.

In general, nurses in the bay area are some of the highest paid in the country. However, cost of living is also high and getting jobs here as a new grad is no easy feat. Given the economy, I think it is especially important to consider how much debt you will accrue while in nursing school.

Bottom line: S.M. is a reputable school with some attractive programs, but an expensive option.

Best of luck to you!

fiveofpeep · Dec 27, 2009

too expensive in this economy because if you want to live in the bay area you will find yourself jobless

there is a new grad hiring crisis there

want2banurse35 · Dec 27, 2009

Yes I have a friend who is currently attending the Oakland campus. I think she told me it was around $52,000 for the regular BSN program. SHe took out loans. She is now kind of regretting her decision now due to the current economy and those loans are accruing interest everyday. But she did say that it is a good school.

felixfelix · Dec 27, 2009

yea, it's a good school. closer to 66k to finish the whole 9 yards there, isn't it? I know of 2 SM grads who said they'd be placed into their externship positions, but I don't know if that actually happened of if that was just talk. I considered SM but saved 60+k and went to CCSF, which was a pretty good program. glad I did, as it's like pulling teeth to even get an interview as a new grad out here. If you're willing to move after graduation, why not go for it, especially if you're young.

Testa Rosa, RN · Dec 27, 2009

Reputable school but an expensive gamble considering the glut of new grads in the Bay Area scrambling for jobs. I precepted on the same floor with a SM preceptee who had done the accelerated program. Lovely, smart gal who is going to be a top notch nurse, but she was just exhausted after an overwhelming year with little to no breaks. We helped each other out with our patients and she shared with me that she did not feel as prepared for clinicals as she thought I was (but I think all nursing students feel this way and so would not take this comment as reflective of the SM experience). I'm a busy mom of three and the non accelerated flow of the BSN program felt overwhelming to me, I can't imagine doing a one year program. But if you are young and have only yourself to focus on, and are prepared to move our of the Bay Area to find your first job, it may be worth the gamble. Personally, I would attempt to apply to the ADN or BSN programs first as those would be cheaper--that's what I did despite being offered a seat in SM entry level masters program a couple years ago.

Good Luck with your decision.

want2banurse35 · Dec 27, 2009

A classmate in my class just called me this morning she got into the spring semester at SMU:yeah:..now she says that she just has to find the money. I told if I have an extra 60 grand lying around I will be sure to give her a call:lol2:

Mike A. Fungin RN · Dec 28, 2009

I'm an SMU graduate and I can attest to it being a good school with what seems to be a great reputation among hospitals in the area.

It is pricey, about $64k for two years in tuition alone, and jobs are extremely scarce in the area. I was fortunate that the facility I precepted at hired me, but most of my fellow grads had no such luck.

If you can afford the cost, or plan to go someplace with more job availability after graduating, I say go for it. I have no regrets about the program and I felt like going there left me better prepared then some of my new grad colleagues from other area schools.

phoenixrn · Dec 28, 2009

Just graduated from the SF ABSN program. Best thing about the program was my fellow classmates... I really believe they were the best and the brightest. Everyone in the accelerated program already has a bachelor's degree, so many mature students and I felt like our groups really shined at clinicals.

But yes: no jobs and lots of debt.... if you have to move out of the Bay Area and make less money, the debt is not worth it. In the long run I suppose it will pay off, but it's definitely very stressful and SMU has zero job support for its graduates.