The CUNY Nursing School Survey

QnZShOrTiE2Nv · Nov 2, 2005

I went to LaGuardia and it is a very good school. There Nursing program is very intense and competitive.

hello nurses or nurses-to-be!!!
iam new to this site and iam seriously considering to go to nursing school; the only problem is that i am not sure which cuny school to go to!!!! everyone recommends me to go to the school they've been to becuz they all have very good nursing programs...:stone but does that mean ALL CUNYs are good? i've asked so much people they told me the following CUNY's got really good programs:
-College of Staten Island (too far for me....)
-Hunter College ( heard that it's hard to get in or out!)
-NYCity Tech ( Iam going there right now but so far the Bio + Chem iam taking is......let say it's much easier then i thought...)
-LaGuardia CC (but except for this one girl i knew that goes there, no one else know about this school!?)
-BMCC ( heard that there's a waiting list.....but is it good?)
Anyone that have been to or goes to any above-mentioned CUNY (or other CUNYs) please please please i need to know what you think:rolleyes:!! i've tried to find it online to see which school has better programs but ofcuz i didnt find anything at all.....a few experienced nurses that i've asked all tells me to go to hunter (seems that they only know this one school??:stone ?)
I understand that it's hard to say which school has better programs but at least if you guys can nicely reply me i have an idea who went (or goes) where and gives me a little insight to these programs....or does anyone know any websites that tells actually which school is better?
iam so nervous about applying to the wrong program and i really want a program that gets you the hands-on experence or lots of clinial hours.
A thousand thanks for anyone that replys!!!:)

drizzle · Nov 3, 2005

hello qnzshortie2nv,

thanks for replying!!! so you went to the nursing program at laguardia? i've heard that every nursing program is intense and competitive that is why i couldnt decide which cuny program to go to.....can you be more specific as to how intense it is or how competitive it is?

if you dun mind me asking, did you graduated at laguardia's nurisng program and how is their passing rate (not talking about the nclex but passing the program itself....), because i've heard that 40 goes in but only not up to 10 people graduating......is that true?

did you feel you were well prepared for the real world?

iam sorry this is a long reply, i just have too much questions to ask....

again thanks soo much for replying and i hope anyone that went to any cuny school can give me some answers to the above questions!!!:)

QnZShOrTiE2Nv · Nov 3, 2005

Hi

I knew a few people in the nursing program there. There were 40 students in the nursing program and only 18 graduated.

I wasn't in the nursing program, but after graduating from that school I am looking to go back and do nursing.

kahlo · Nov 4, 2005

Hi all --

I am currently in my fourth (AND LAST) semester of nursing school at BMCC.

What can i say, hmmmm. I think its a decent school, it prepares you well in the basics of nursing skills.

As far clinical experience - I don't feel very prepared for the "real world" of hospitals. Our clinicals are every Saturday from 8 am - 4pm. This alone does not give you many hours per semester to get that hands-on experience. :madface:

However, I do feel that i have the basics down and have the knowledge to learn when on the job (with a good preceptorship program).

I think that BMCC overall, does not have the best reputation in the CUNY system. However, the nursing program is an exception within this school, as well as the nursing students. We tend to be more serious and dedicated to our eduation (this is all my personal opinion:D)

Currently, in fourth semester we have 41 people in the night class -- with unfortunately many people not doing so well. I don't know the exact numbers of people dropping the class, as the deadline for dropping is this Tuesday; but i expect at least 15 to drop.

Many people have been getting failing marks on the exams -- whether this is a final "weeding out" process or whatever, i don't know.

Any questions, feel free to ask!

drizzle · Nov 9, 2005

hello~~~

thank you for all the replies, i've struggle for so long and couldnt make up my mind about the accelerated program for the bsn or the 2 year for the adn.......and finally i've decided to go on to a 2 years nursing school at laguardia!:)

so far iam hearing so much good thing about laguardia and my friend told me that after the adn degree i can continue my master in 3 years (they have a rn-mastery pathway i think.... :rolleyes: ) and that basically bsn and adn does the same thing in the hospital so why not save myself some money and let them pay for my tuition in the future :chuckle (that is, if i get to be an rn.... :uhoh3: )

well, i hope i've made the right choice!! and thanks once again for giving your opinions!

marinka · Nov 9, 2005

I highly recommend you to stay at the school you are in right now. I don't know much of colleges you listed. I know many people who went to Kingsborough and Hunter, and they weren't happy. They said the program is too compatitive and intense. I studied at Hunter, and I didn't like it. I know several people who graduated from NYC tech. They passed NCLEX from the first time, and said they liked the program. Let's be honest, no nursing school will prepare you to work environment. So, you might as well pick one where majority of staff are pleasant and helpful. I think it promotes learning unlike other schools where you always afraid to be dropped from the program.

drizzle · Nov 9, 2005

hello marinka,

thanks for your opinion!:) yeah i guess you are right, no nursing school actually prepares their student well enough.....and you are right about picking a school where the staff are pleasant and helpful, that is why i am thinking about laguardia because i actually went to the school to check it out and talked to the nursing department people, they are sooooo much nicer then the people in citytech (not that all of them are not nice but i've had unpleasant experiences during the admission.... :uhoh3: ) and for some reason i liked the atmosphere better in laguardia, also it's much closer then where i live.

but i've also heard that citytech's nursing program aren't bad neither....actually all cuny schools' nursing program aren't bad from what i hear, that is why i started this post because i just couldn't decide and was hoping people that went to the cunys could give me some insight as to how each of the school's programs are!! so i guess what i'll do now is to apply to both school and see which school accepts me.... :rolleyes:

BunnyRN · Dec 11, 2005

I currently attend BMCC, it's ok. I wish that I had gone to a PRIVATE SCHOOL, and get over with my BSN. There are some pretty HORRIBLE professors, and there are those few that TRULY CARE. However, students in other schools are also complaining about their professors. Therefore, I've come to the realization that NURSING is a profession where the OLD eat their YOUNG. So it's up to you to get the best out of the education, and pass your classes, so that you can GRADUATE, and take the state exam NCLEX. Nursing is NOT easy, there is A LOT of reading, understanding, and critical thinking, because in the future people's lives will be in your hands. So you need to know the facts, and nursing skills to become a competent nurse. So if I were you, I'd just go to the school that is more CONVENIENT in terms of what it has to offer you.

BMCC's program is ok, but before i've heard so many GREAT THINGS about it, so that's why I chose to attend, and the traveling is GOOD. :cool:

GOOD school shopping!!!

BunnyRN · Dec 11, 2005

Re: -BMCC ( heard that there's a waiting list.....but is it good?)

BMCC you need 4 classes to get into the program

a&p I BIO 425

intro to psych PSY 100

math nursing MAT 104

english I ENG 101

If you get A's in all 4, you automatically get in. There is no entrance exam!!! There is no waiting list, whoever told you that doesn't know the FACTS.

People that do not get in the program, did not have a nice GPA in those 4 classes. They are told to reapply the following semester. If I were them I would continue taking courses at BMCC that will carry over to a 4-year-school, then transfer and get my BSN.

If you get 2 C's and 2 B's, your chance of getting in the program is VERY SLIM TO NONE. Many students that apply are straight A students, so it is very COMPETITIVE.

But if you have 3 A's and a B+ in one class, your chances are very good!!!

BMCC's day program accepts 80 students every semester Fall and Spring, and the evening program accepts 40 students. So imagine this 120 students are accepted every semester, 15 seats for 1199 members. That means every year 240 students enter the program. I think compared to other schools that's a lot of students.

But once you're in, it's really up to you to do your studying, and don't worry about what other students say, because many of them wish bad for each other, and get JEALOUS of each other's grades. Just STUDY, and pay them no mind, they're just HATERS.

Is BMCC good???

I've been studying on my own since I started the program, they have tutors never been to one. I consider myself doing well, It's hard to get an A in the class but I will settle anything for a B, B+. Some students CRY when they realize that they won't get an A. By the way the nursing classes are 8 credits, so if you get a C you can imagine how low your GPA, will get. But who cares, people are stuggling to stay in the program especially 3 and 4 semesters, because the material is just harder. So it's really up to you to get the most out of this experience.

echinacea · Dec 17, 2005

Hi mimine,

I'm taking prerequisites at BMCC with the goal of getting into an accelerated BSN program at another school. But I am considering BMCC's program, mostly because it is so inexpensive. My question is whether there are many students who already have bachelor's degrees, and also what you think of the general quality of the students. I don't mean to insult anyone, but honestly, in my chem and dev psy classes the majority of the students must not study much. Or they don't have the academic experience that would prepare them for challenging coursework. But most of them hope to go on to BMCC's nursing program, and some have told me they have A's and B's in other classes and they expect to be accepted.

I think teaching quality at BMCC is very uneven and some instructors are more likely to grade students higher than others. But generally, I feel the expectations are low, which may account for many students having trouble in the nursing program when the work becomes challenging.

So they only look at those 4 classes? I have psy and english from my previous BA, I wonder if they would accept these? I have heard about the ENG 101 class and it sounds very rudimentary. Again, people who don't seem like excellent students claim to have A's in it (?)

I know I would prefer a school like NYU, but I have to consider expense vs. quality of program and BSN vs. ADN.

Thanks for the information!

echinacea

BunnyRN · Dec 17, 2005

Hi mimine,
I'm taking prerequisites at BMCC with the goal of getting into an accelerated BSN program at another school. But I am considering BMCC's program, mostly because it is so inexpensive. My question is whether there are many students who already have bachelor's degrees, and also what you think of the general quality of the students. I don't mean to insult anyone, but honestly, in my chem and dev psy classes the majority of the students must not study much. Or they don't have the academic experience that would prepare them for challenging coursework. But most of them hope to go on to BMCC's nursing program, and some have told me they have A's and B's in other classes and they expect to be accepted.
I think teaching quality at BMCC is very uneven and some instructors are more likely to grade students higher than others. But generally, I feel the expectations are low, which may account for many students having trouble in the nursing program when the work becomes challenging.
So they only look at those 4 classes? I have psy and english from my previous BA, I wonder if they would accept these? I have heard about the ENG 101 class and it sounds very rudimentary. Again, people who don't seem like excellent students claim to have A's in it (?)
I know I would prefer a school like NYU, but I have to consider expense vs. quality of program and BSN vs. ADN.
Thanks for the information!
echinacea

Hi echinacea,

There are several students with bachelor's even master's in the nursing program at BMCC. They are the career changers, obviously, and if it was me, I would have chosen the accelerated program. B.M.C.C. is very inexpensive, but if you have the money to attend NYU, then go there. I believe that the the nursing program at BMCC is not bad at all, but there are some improvements that I would like to see. Especially in the treatment of the nursing students.

Now you've said: I don't mean to insult anyone, but honestly, in my chem and dev psy classes the majority of the students must not study much.

Why do you CARE so much whether or not they study, just worry about your own self, because when the material reappears in the much more advance level THEY are the ones who will suffer. I feel that a couple of students in the program just lack studying skills, and others study, study, study and yet don't perform well on exams, others may not even study as much and EXCEL on exams. It's just life!!!

If you have transferred your english and psych courses to BMCC those grades will be counted to determine your eligibility to getting into the nursing program. English 101 was very hard for me, and I took it at a 4-yr school, and BMCC some teachers are pretty lenient in their grading. I've seen some of the English papers that BMCC students in both ENG 101 and 201 write that would be considered a C at a 4 year school, and surprisingly they've received an A in the class. It's pretty sad!!! So, that leaves me to believe that every professor grades differently. Each professor has his or her own teaching style, some are very hard and can make the class interesting, others can make a LIVING NIGHTMARE. There are professors who make LEARNING FUN, and give you a better insight on the material, no matter how much you hate the subject. I can't HATE another student just because of their grades. I really don't care about other people's grades. :nono:

echinacea, I believe that YOU are the one to make the BEST out of your education. The nursing program at BMCC, is NOT easy. As a matter of fact, NURSING is not an easy profession. There are students who enter nursing with the intention of becoming part of the management team. Others want to become Nurse Practioners, Educators, etc... You have to STUDY your butt off, there are no EXTRA POINTS counting towards your grades, it doesn't matter if you attend every class, only your exam grades are COUNTED.

So, if those students don't study and understand those general concepts, you know that it will catch up with them sometime in the near future. Personally, I am a person who wish the BEST FOR OTHERS, and I have a positive attitude, and there are people in this world who wants to see others fail, and I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!!! All that I have to say is that I wish you and all the pre-clinical students the best and good luck with your studies.