Thoughts on Maric College?

casualjim · Oct 15, 2006

This is my personal experience with Maric College, both good and bad, but with a shocking ending!
I took the Patient Care Asst./Tech program at the SD campus to get my foot through the door in the medical field, given that I didn't have experience, I was convinced by my admissions rep to take the program, even though I did scored high enough to get into the LVN program she insisted that I do PCAT instead, why I listened? Because I didn't get any real advice from people who are in the process of aiming at their RN license.
I graduated this July from PCAT and went right ahead to apply for the ADN program, being told that if I did the program I would have top priority and good chances as long as I got a good GPA (3.98; PCAT Salutatorian), scored high on the essay (I had 18 out of 19 points), had a score above 175 for the CPAT tests (I had a 190) and had some medical experience. So I found a job as a research assistant doing blood draws, specimen processing, EKG's, patient safety and observation, etc. Good experience as a first timer, so I thought my chances were high enough to get into the program.
I applied for the RN program start date in October, but I DID NOT get in. I don't know why I didn't get in because my admission rep couldn't give me a legit reason, trying to say "sheer numbers" against me because only 35 spots were given out of 110 applicants. But I think there's some things that are not being told to me and really aggrivates me.
What upsets me the most is before attending Maric, I was told that if I had done the PCAT program, it gain entrance into the RN program there no problem. Now that I didn't get in, it was a total waste. I mean I did learn a lot and I got my CNA/HHA certs, but to be told one thing and have it not fall through really upsets me. I'm not the only one who ran into the same situation, a handle full of students applied to the RN program but didn't get in. Also, I feel my rep fell short of putting in all the effort behind my application.
I paid $350 for the application fee, and was told it would be refunded to me within the next business week. It been 2 weeks, and I HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY REFUND CHECK!!!
From what I thought was a exceptional school was just a bunch of let downs. So depending on what you want to do to earn your RN (ADN or BSN), think twice about this school...I recently enrolled in National University and tried to transfer credits and/or do a petition for some prerequisites, NONE were accepted. And I asked my new rep there if Maric's ADN pre-reqs transfer, she gave a real funny look (I'm guessing NO.) ADN and BSN are different as far as degrees go, the RN license is still the same, but I'm going for my CRNA.
So hopefully this mini-story gives an example of the good and bad things about Maric, for me overall, I left that school with a bad taste in my mouth. I hope this prevents some to take the same route I did...

Wow

Sorry to hear that it broke bad for you. I've been hearing that they've really been pushing the whole "take this course first" deal. As I've said before, I think that's a bad deal all around. You can get Cna, EMT, a lot of different certs, cheaper and easier with really good instruction at a lot of different schools.

What I think is happening is that more and more people are getting fed up with waiting lists to get into ASN programs at City and Grossmont, and they're falling on the high price hand grenade at Maric. With more people applying, and only so many seats, Maric is finding itself in the same boat as the community colleges. If they end up doing waiting lists, they lose they only advantage that they had.

I hope that it works out for you. Good luck

aloha

Jim

gaikoknifenyom · Oct 18, 2006

Wow, I did not realize there may actually be a waiting list to get into Maric. That kinda scares me since once I really get the ball rolling and apply I will have to quit my current career and I'll be left hanging. Curretly I am in the EMT program at Miramar so I guess if worse came to worse I could work as an ER tech at one of the hospitals.

I am curious about the class curriculum though. Are you in class all day everyday? What is the workload after class, and when you begin your shifts at the hospitals are you just doing the typical 12 hr. 3 days/week?

casualjim · Oct 18, 2006

Wow, I did not realize there may actually be a waiting list to get into Maric. That kinda scares me since once I really get the ball rolling and apply I will have to quit my current career and I'll be left hanging. Curretly I am in the EMT program at Miramar so I guess if worse came to worse I could work as an ER tech at one of the hospitals.
I am curious about the class curriculum though. Are you in class all day everyday? What is the workload after class, and when you begin your shifts at the hospitals are you just doing the typical 12 hr. 3 days/week?

For the Gen ed sciences and other pre-reqs (english humanities etc) I had some credits that transfered in. For one quarter I had class 4 days a week 2 of them were 4 hour days 2 were 2 hour days. The rest of the year just 2 days a week, about 4-6 hours a day depending on how many classes I was taking. There's no spring break or summer. Not too many 3 day weekends either. in Gen eds there are no friday classes so you've got that going for you.

Once you roll into nursing track count on 5 days a week. Although, some weeks are better than others.

My adivice is if you want to work as an ER tech through school, get the job before you start. That was my plan and I'm finding that harder than it looks. With a resume that starts out with "Full time nursing student seeking job as ..." Nurse managers know that they're not going to be able to get a ton of hours out of you. Once you're in you're in though. I interviewed for a job as a tech and got told flat out that I couldnt "give enough hours as a student, but call when you get done with school." pretty frustrating for me as pre-hospital is where my experience is and pretty much my only interest is working in the ER.

good luck, hope this helps

aloha

Jim

gaikoknifenyom · Oct 19, 2006

Thanks. I know most likely I will not be able to hold a decent job down once I am in the nursing tract. Most liklely I will just be able to continue my volunteer in different hospitals just to keep my feet wet. Who knows. I my primary goal is to get into the program itself.

I am working on challenging out of the A+P next month. If that goes well I'll enroll in Micro in Jan either at Maric, National, or at a JC. Want to get this done soon. I am not getting any younger!

dejathores · Oct 30, 2006

I want to thank everyone on this thread for the extremely valuable information that I have gained from reading these posts. I too am in the same boat but with a lot more disadvantages then most of you that have posts on this topic/thread.

I have been looking into schools as I was approved for TAA retraining into a new vocation after I was laid off from my long term high tech job in Washington state. I has always been my dream to be a nurse, any kind of nurse, would not matter to me. But as things look, between the wait lists at the community colleges (I do qualify for an exemption for in state tuition since I graduated HS here), and the price at the two vocational schools its just not going to happen.

I have 10K max to spend on the retraining and its a one shot deal, when its gone thats it. I would qualify for the pell grant and the extended pell grant, no problem. The problem comes with the TAA program, LOANS are not allowed. I could come up a couple of K if I have to, but no more than that. I have been trying to find a way to go to nursing school LVN/LPN for going on 5yrs now. I have a year, 2 at most to get a new career that will provide enough income to support myself here in SD.

My dilemma is this: Do I take the community courses and try to get into ROP program at city(Do anyone know what the wait list is like for this one or how hard it is to get in?), do I try to go to Concorde's LVN program (is there a wait list on this one too, and is it as hard as Maric to get into?) which will be a total stretch with the price (if it does go up more), or do I do what my TAA counselor suggests and spend the 10K on medical assist at a vocational school, which by the way does not earn enough to support myself and my kid here in SD. I do not have any medical exp or more than 6 college credits that are so old they are not good to transfer, if they are even still on record.

I know the track to go from CNA to LVN but is it possible to go from Medical assist to LVN also? Does anyone have any experience with a medical assist program at any of the community colleges, it there a wait list for this vocation too? I would also qualify for the education benefits for low income families but I doubt if it combines with the TAA allowance.

My ultimate goal would be a psychiatric/substance abuse nurse/counselor/practicer no matter how long it takes .I am a lot older that anyone else on this discussion and have been waiting forever to get into the medical field and this is my chance.

I would really appreciate any advice on my dilemma. It seems such a waste to spend 10k plus grants (not to mention my time) on MA training to turn around and take out a student loan for 25k. The government doesn't make a lot of sense sometimes with their programs to benefit individuals, they really miss the mark in my option.

Advice anyone???

PS, I'm extremely sorry this post is so long.......when I start talking I can't shut up, lol.

Thanks,

Debra

cacori2006 · Nov 10, 2006

hey jim i was wondering how maric is going for you right now?

im really considering going there, the only thing holding me back is the price of living down there and relocating. I am lucky enough to be young and my parents are still supporting me as long as im a full time student but i just feel a little guilty making them pay rent for a place down there. But im 90 percent sure i will end up going there

Cori

casualjim · Nov 10, 2006

Going good, learning stuff. All in all I'm glad I went here.

aloha

JIm

gaikoknifenyom · Nov 17, 2006

Well, I am taking a challenege test out of anatomy and physiology in Dec. I am also taking the Micro challege, however I am enrolled in Micro in January since I know a lot of things that have changed since I took the course 10 years ago... IF all goes well,(as in, finishing my EMT-B, passingh through Speech and Gen. Psych at the JC) I can get in in April or Summer-time. Summer would actualy be better for me since my wife is a school teacher and we would not have to worry about 2 quarters since they'll both happen in the summer.

Jim, it sems as if you are the only one here who actually goes to Maric so I will ask you. Do you know recent Maric Grads? How are they doing as RN's. Do you, or they, feel prepared once they are in the field. Changing gears entirely and becoming a nurse is a HUGE decision for both myself and my family. The ONLY reason for MAric is so I can get into a school sooner(not to get through sooner, but to get into a school sooner), but I need to make sure I am making the right decision. I want to work in the ER or ICU of one of the main hospitls here in San Diego.....NOT at a convalescent or nursing home. Starting in Jan. I'll be working as an ER Tech full time until I start school, work casual until I graduate, then hopefully transition over to RN as soon as I pass the NCLEX.

Once again, I have to make sure I am making the right decision.

Jason

casualjim · Nov 17, 2006

I know 1 RN grad and she's doing great. I know another LVN grad (other than the 3 Maric LVNs that are in my RN program) and he's doing great as well. The jobs are there. Just go to scripps or UCSD or Sharp's website and take a look at the RN jobs that are posted. I'm a second career guy myself. What will get you hired is good solid skills, professionalism, and of course the license don't hurt.

good luck

aloha

Jim

heureuse21 · Nov 18, 2006

hi all,

i registered for this website just to be able to give my thoughts on Maric.

whew, it's been a ride.

just today, just now, i decided to go somewhere else, anywhere else but Maric. i did a yahoo search for "maric college bad" and found this post. after reading myriad pro and con posts, i saw enough to confirm my doubts.

since april i have been trying to get information and apply to maric. the counselor to whom i was assigned was ernesto perales. initially i was sceptical of the sales-pitch approach but i understood that private school=business and that i was paying big money to knock it out in 15 months. he told me that it would be about 36k for the nursing and add'l for any pre-req classes. but, after that initial conversation, i could not get him to return my emails, my phone calls. i let days and weeks go by to give the benefit of the doubt. i would call and ask the receptionist to give me to someone else and then would end up transfered to ernesto's voice mail. at the time i was living in northern california and going through an accelerated EMT program to fulfill the medical certification pre-req for Maric. i called, i emailed. no response.

i was a microbiologist, i had a fellowship in genetics, i had all of my pre-reqs completed save for two classes and i was anxious to know what to do next with my burning desire to be a nurse. i had been working in a bar for a year while i waited to get into public nursing schools in sacramento, but the waiting lists... so maric and 15 months sounded pretty good. pay the loan off after i get a RN job, right? and get to be in san diego!

so finally, i decided to fly down to san diego and take the CPAT and complete the essay and application. (the week before, i finally was able to catch ernesto and find out that testing was necessary before we could talk about the rest.) (no apologies or excuses for the unreturned calls/emails)

in september i flew from sac to sd and spent the hours for the above. ended up with a 197 on the CPAT. (basic aptitude test)

before testing, i talked with ernesto who was very discouraging about my chances of getting in as a one-quarter (of pre-req before the 15 months) student as there were few and sometimes no spots for students like me. preference was for students with no general education. after testing, i spoke with another counselor, carol, who treated my 197 like i had won the lottery- she said this was an 1 in 10,000 score. BS? i don't know. she was helpful and encouraging. my first positive in the six or so months i had been dealing with Maric. i flew back to sacramento with mixed feelings. am i great? am i getting in?

i know this is a long narrative, apologies... this is the abbreviated version.

i had all of my transcripts sent to Maric in september in advance of the september 30 cut-off date. ernesto said he received 1 of the 3 i sent. he had told me to send them to maric, attention to him.

i quit my job and moved to san diego in mid-october.

after more un-returned calls, i requested a counselor change. i figured a change would help. left unreturned voice mails for carol, then unreturned voice mails for the admissions director. 3 weeks go by. i get a call that carol is going on a leave of absence. new counselor, lucie. lucie called and said that she could not find my file. (at least she called!) but----no transcripts, no essay, no paperwork. but i had flown down from sac, i was one in ten thousand, i had been so patient! lucie said that ernesto recommends that transcripts be sent to the students' houses and then be brought in. and why were there none when once there had been one and should have been three? what? lies? why should it surprise me? after all of the shady dealings and crap customer service?

i called a friend to vent and they recommended checking the web for blogs on the experiences of maric students. and i found this.

do what you will with the info. i wish i would have found this site before this ordeal. i had such hope. 15 months was soooo seductive.

i think i'll be checking out CSU san marcos on monday.

cheers.

-jenny

p.s. i'm glad you have a better experience, jim. good luck!

casualjim · Nov 18, 2006

Wow! That really sucks! I'd like to tell you that I'm flabbergasted but I'm not. Like I've said over and over again in this thread the front office and "admissions" (read sales) office is bad. It's not surprising that Ernesto was discouraging when you think about it. The whole ADN takes 27 months. You'd be getting by with a year less than they want to sell you. There's a woman who just started in my class this quarter that was getting the run around pretty much identical to yours. Once she told them in the front office that she'd be willing to "retake" (read buy) A&P II she was in. That part of the school is pretty sucky no doubt. Pretty much everyone at Maric is there because they couldnt hang with the waiting lists at all the other schools in the county. As I said earlier, once you get past the front office and actually get in a seat. It's a pretty good school that will get you an RN's license. Sorry to hear you had such a horrible experience. I wish you all the best of luck wherever you end up going to school.

aloha

Jim

mstigerlily · Nov 18, 2006

hi all,
the counselor to whom i was assigned was ernesto perales.
i was a microbiologist, i had a fellowship in genetics, i had all of my pre-reqs completed save for two classes and i was anxious to know what to do next with my burning desire to be a nurse.

Hi Jenny! I guess you've already read my posts in this thread so you know I don't much like Maric. Ernesto was the same guy I got when I called to inquire about the program, similar bad experience.

IMO, you are too smart for Maric and they knew it. With your education, science background and high scores, they knew they couldn't bully you.

Good luck with CSUSM, they have some great instructors there.