I threw my story out on another thread. I'm just finishing up 20 years in the Navy most of it was in Naval Special Warfare where I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to cross-train as a medic. As I was looking for a 2nd career I kept saying things like "I can do this, or I can do that." I finally came to realize that what I "wanted" to do was be an RN. It's a good way to take some of the lessons that I really didnt want to learn working for "Uncle Sucker" and put them to good use helping someone else.
but I digress
I'm starting my classwork as best I can prior to my actual retirement date but I'm getting a little frustrated when the people at the college I'm going to keep telling me how it'll be at least 2 years from the time I finish my pre-req stuff (A&P, chem & microbiology) before I can get into the "core" ADN program. In some things I can show quite a bit of patience, in things like this, not so much.
I'm posting because Maric College is boasting that they have no waiting list, and a better than 85% pass rate on NCLEX-RN. I just keep getting a intermittant alarm going off when I talk to anyone there. It has that slight scent of diploma mill. Not that I have anything against a diploma mill but will the diploma that I get from there do anything for me in the future if I decide to trade up to a BSN? Most importantly is the training that you get from there up to speed?
Just curious if anyone has any experiance with Maric?
Ok Everyone, I have been considering going to Maric college myself and I live in San Diego. I would go for my RN and I have actually met with a counselor at the school and I have a price list right in front of me. If this is already listed on this thread then Im sorry but I was reading everyone asking about the price and I wanted to respond and Im runny short on time. there is no wating list and you do not have to have your prereqs before you start. They REQUIRE that you complete the CNA program with is 8 weeks and then they will find you a job and require that you work as a CNA for 2 mos. before you can enter into the RN program. They said they have NO problem finding jobs for CNA's. The CNA program alone costs $3889. They said the RN program takes about 2-1/2 years to complete, about 3 yrs total including the CNA program. The RN program alone costs $45,209. So your looking at about $50k. Hope this helps.
I'm telling you this as a Maric student. DO NOT BUY A CNA PROGRAM FROM MARIC. Yes I was yelling on purpose. Maric's RN program does require medical experience. That however does not mean strictly a CNA gig. Go to any community college in town get your EMT cert then show up at Maric's door and go straight into the RN program. There are pre-reqs (english, psych, soc, A&PI AND II etc) same as anywhere else. They just include it all in the pipeline to your RN.
Now to piggy back on what someone else said. If you want to rule the world or your planning getting some BSN only job. Then go straight into a BSN program, why waste the time. If you're wanting to do patient care of about any type anywhere in SD county though an ASN will work just dandy. Hope that this helps
Ok Everyone, I have been considering going to Maric college myself and I live in San Diego. I would go for my RN and I have actually met with a counselor at the school and I have a price list right in front of me. If this is already listed on this thread then Im sorry but I was reading everyone asking about the price and I wanted to respond and Im runny short on time. there is no wating list and you do not have to have your prereqs before you start. They REQUIRE that you complete the CNA program with is 8 weeks and then they will find you a job and require that you work as a CNA for 2 mos. before you can enter into the RN program. They said they have NO problem finding jobs for CNA's. The CNA program alone costs $3889. They said the RN program takes about 2-1/2 years to complete, about 3 yrs total including the CNA program. The RN program alone costs $45,209. So your looking at about $50k. Hope this helps.
you can take a cna program anywhere.. and wouldnt have to spend so much.
I'm telling you this as a Maric student. DO NOT BUY A CNA PROGRAM FROM MARIC. Yes I was yelling on purpose. Maric's RN program does require medical experience. That however does not mean strictly a CNA gig. Go to any community college in town get your EMT cert then show up at Maric's door and go straight into the RN program. There are pre-reqs (english, psych, soc, A&PI AND II etc) same as anywhere else. They just include it all in the pipeline to your RN.
Now to piggy back on what someone else said. If you want to rule the world or your planning getting some BSN only job. Then go straight into a BSN program, why waste the time. If you're wanting to do patient care of about any type anywhere in SD county though an ASN will work just dandy. Hope that this helps
aloha
JIm
Hi Jim, Are you saying not to take the CNA program becasue of how much it costs? I almost feel like its worth it for me, but not sure yet. I have no experience in healthcare at all and I need to attend school at night, also I will need to work after the CNA program and Maric told me they will have no problem getting me a job, even in ped's which is where I would like to go. Like you and other pople, I dont have time to mess around so I just want to start and finish so I can get started :). Let me know what you think. Thanks!
I've been reading a few of the responses. Thanks for all of the information, everyone. It really is helpful.
I've noticed that some people have said that it's best to get a BSN if that's the ultimate goal.
Is it honestly that hard to get into a RN-BSN program with Maric's ASN? I thought they were accredited. I'm fine with this taking longer because my school of choice is UCLA (and they only do RN-BSN right now). Does the ASN tranfser to BSN programs? Does anyone know the difference between an ASN and an ADN?
Also, I applied a while ago and I found out I didn't get in. What's the average scores of those who get in, because I was told I had good scores for the program. Is there anything I should do to help myself get it?
I've been reading a few of the responses. Thanks for all of the information, everyone. It really is helpful.
I've noticed that some people have said that it's best to get a BSN if that's the ultimate goal.
Is it honestly that hard to get into a RN-BSN program with Maric's ASN? I thought they were accredited. I'm fine with this taking longer because my school of choice is UCLA (and they only do RN-BSN right now). Does the ASN tranfser to BSN programs? Does anyone know the difference between an ASN and an ADN?
Also, I applied a while ago and I found out I didn't get in. What's the average scores of those who get in, because I was told I had good scores for the program. Is there anything I should do to help myself get it?
Maric is accredited by the Ca BRN, but not by Western Schools. Not all colleges will take Marics gen ed credits. I'm betting that UCLA will not. There are a bunch of schools that do however.
ASN and ADN are pretty much interchangable terms, no difference.
No I'm not saying dont get your CNA if that's what you want to do. I'm saying that you can get "medical experience" a lot cheaper and just as quick other places. I'm going on the assumption that you're using a CNA cert as a means of getting into the RN program, not as an end in and of itself. You can get into a CNA class fairly cheap and quick at a lot of ROP programs and pretty much all of the community colleges. EMT will also get you into Maric's RN program. You can do that fairly cheap and quick with out any wait time. All of these can be done cheaper somewhere else. Maric is a pretty good school but as I've said all over this thread it's pricey as hell. For an RN program (with every single RN program in the state impacted with big long waiting lists) it's worth it ( for me anyway) for an EMT program or a CNA program that you can get into without a lot of difficulty, not so much. HOpe that this helps
I've been reading a few of the responses. Thanks for all of the information, everyone. It really is helpful.
I've noticed that some people have said that it's best to get a BSN if that's the ultimate goal.
Is it honestly that hard to get into a RN-BSN program with Maric's ASN? I thought they were accredited. I'm fine with this taking longer because my school of choice is UCLA (and they only do RN-BSN right now). Does the ASN tranfser to BSN programs? Does anyone know the difference between an ASN and an ADN?
Also, I applied a while ago and I found out I didn't get in. What's the average scores of those who get in, because I was told I had good scores for the program. Is there anything I should do to help myself get it?
There is no difference between adn asn....
if you do a rn-bsn route.. isn't the most important requirement being an RN or do the credits???
if you do a rn-bsn route.. isn't the most important requirement being an RN or do the credits???
Kinda both.
Let me explain. Being an RN is important for the "clinical nursing" component of the curriculum. As has been said a ton of times in a zillion different threads on this site, "an RN is an RN" all have the same exact license.
The credits are important in an RN to BSN program because your looking to attain a higher degree. To make that work the school that your applying to is going to want to accept the credits that you already have. If your existing credits are not acceptable they wont just grant you a degree. They'll want you to re-take those classes so you'll meet that schools criteria for a bachelors degree.
Now if you are happy with the ASN and an RNs license, it's all a moot point.
Actually, I'm using volunteering experience. They said it would qualify? Also, I scored "high" on the exams and the essay. But for some reason I didn't make it in. I also transfered credits, so I'm not sure if that had an affect.
I was wondering if you could tell me what my chances are of getting in. They said my volunteering worked, but I think the transfering of credits might have caused me to be in trouble (since it was a lot). I'm also on the same boat of being a 2 quarter student. If I didn't get in now, should I just look elsewhere? Or should I apply again?
Thanks so much for your help!!
Maric is accredited by the Ca BRN, but not by Western Schools. Not all colleges will take Marics gen ed credits. I'm betting that UCLA will not. There are a bunch of schools that do however.
ASN and ADN are pretty much interchangable terms, no difference.
No I'm not saying dont get your CNA if that's what you want to do. I'm saying that you can get "medical experience" a lot cheaper and just as quick other places. I'm going on the assumption that you're using a CNA cert as a means of getting into the RN program, not as an end in and of itself. You can get into a CNA class fairly cheap and quick at a lot of ROP programs and pretty much all of the community colleges. EMT will also get you into Maric's RN program. You can do that fairly cheap and quick with out any wait time. All of these can be done cheaper somewhere else. Maric is a pretty good school but as I've said all over this thread it's pricey as hell. For an RN program (with every single RN program in the state impacted with big long waiting lists) it's worth it ( for me anyway) for an EMT program or a CNA program that you can get into without a lot of difficulty, not so much. HOpe that this helps
Sorry for bugging again, but I was wondering about the RN-BSN program you mentioned earlier. You mentioned something about how few universities will take Maric credits. What do you mean by that? Does this mean I'll have to retake Micro and A&P to get into an RN-BSN program, or does this mean that I'll have to apply to a BSN from the very start (like a 4yr BSN instead of a 2yr BSN program). I'm still a little confused about my options. All I know is that I applied to community college and I got waitlisted at number 620. I'm sure that number will dwindle down quickly, but the quickest I'll get in will probably be about 3-4 years, and that's way too long for me to just stay waiting and stagnant. I don't mind paying the huge sum either, as long as I keep my momentum going.
Sorry for bugging again, but I was wondering about the RN-BSN program you mentioned earlier. You mentioned something about how few universities will take Maric credits. What do you mean by that? Does this mean I'll have to retake Micro and A&P to get into an RN-BSN program, or does this mean that I'll have to apply to a BSN from the very start (like a 4yr BSN instead of a 2yr BSN program). I'm still a little confused about my options. All I know is that I applied to community college and I got waitlisted at number 620. I'm sure that number will dwindle down quickly, but the quickest I'll get in will probably be about 3-4 years, and that's way too long for me to just stay waiting and stagnant. I don't mind paying the huge sum either, as long as I keep my momentum going.
If you've already got the experience then I have no idea why you didnt make it. That's a question for the admissions rep that's helping you. They should tell you what the problem was.
As far as RN-BSN programs go, like I said earlier some schools will not accept gen ed credits from a college that doesnt have western schools accredition. That leaves you 3 choices
1. Pick a school that does accept Maric's credits and get your BSN there.
2. Forget all about Maric and go to either a community college or straight to a BSN program.
3 ( my personal choice) Go to Maric, graduate, and armed with your freshly minted RN license and an associates degree go forth and do good stuff, get a job and start paying off that student loan.
Let me explain. Being an RN is important for the "clinical nursing" component of the curriculum. As has been said a ton of times in a zillion different threads on this site, "an RN is an RN" all have the same exact license.
The credits are important in an RN to BSN program because your looking to attain a higher degree. To make that work the school that your applying to is going to want to accept the credits that you already have. If your existing credits are not acceptable they wont just grant you a degree. They'll want you to re-take those classes so you'll meet that schools criteria for a bachelors degree.
Now if you are happy with the ASN and an RNs license, it's all a moot point.
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...
casualjim
191 Posts
I'm telling you this as a Maric student. DO NOT BUY A CNA PROGRAM FROM MARIC. Yes I was yelling on purpose. Maric's RN program does require medical experience. That however does not mean strictly a CNA gig. Go to any community college in town get your EMT cert then show up at Maric's door and go straight into the RN program. There are pre-reqs (english, psych, soc, A&PI AND II etc) same as anywhere else. They just include it all in the pipeline to your RN.
Now to piggy back on what someone else said. If you want to rule the world or your planning getting some BSN only job. Then go straight into a BSN program, why waste the time. If you're wanting to do patient care of about any type anywhere in SD county though an ASN will work just dandy. Hope that this helps
aloha
JIm