Uconn MEIN vs SCSU ACE vs Quinnipiac ABSN

[JustMyTheory]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to go back to school for a total career change. I currently hold my BS in Advertising. Being a completely different field I am going to begin taking my prereqs in January at a community college. I have been thoroughly researching following 3 accelerated programs and I am having trouble weighing the pros and cons of each and which I want to apply for. I would really love an positive or negative feedback on what others have heard the main differences amongst the 3 are (aside from Uconn not being a BSN program)

1. Uconn: The prereqs seem less demanding however when looking at the list of acceptable courses that would transfer I was confused if the commas mean one or the other or that you must have both. For example, Chemistry lists Chem111, Chem 112 as a community college equivalent. Does this mean that I need to take both?

2. SCSU ACE: The application process seems daunting. My undergrad degree is from Southern New Hampshire Univ. and it says on SCSU website that the faculty cannot evaluate transfer credits until applying. I would like to know however, prior to applying to the program if my math and psych courses would transfer (if I get accepted to the ACE program and my previous courses DO NOT transfer then I would not have enough time to complete the prereqs before the cohert began) Can anyone speak to this?

3. My concern about Quinnipiac is that it is very expensive. I am a single mother and I'm a waitress but I do not know how far financial aid would carry me on that.

Can anyone speak to any of these or address these questions/concerns? Thanks in advance!

[MEINstudent]

Hi, I am currently in the MEIN program. I can answer two of your questions:

1. The MEIN program does actually give you a BSN at the end of the first year. For the prereqs: you need to take one chemistry class. I took chem 111. If more than one course number is listed, it means that you could take one of those listed.

3. Cost of Quinnipiac: Considering that a lot of grads are having trouble finding jobs, and a starting salary is around $50k, I would say that Quinnipiac is not worth it unless you get a lot of scholarship. To be honest, I question whether the MEIN program is worth $24k. I have spoken to a nurse manager at the hospital where I have clinical, and the community college programs are actually quite highly regarded.

The biggest issue I have with the MEIN program is that the academic instruction is extremely weak. We bought our books, we have our syllabus with about 200 pages of reading every week, but the classroom time is not focused on that, and there is no Pharmacology course!!! That still shocks me; it is all self-study. I wish I had looked into two year programs; it is better to take the time to learn the material well, in my opinion.