Samuel Merritt University

I am NOT a student at this school so keep that in mind. I write this only as a service to my fellow BSN candidates who want to join the wonderful career of nursing
I am currently looking to complete my second degree BSN. Samuel Merritt was one of the schools I was considering as my current NP went to it and liked it. They try to play themselves up like they are the Harvard of nursing schools or something saying things like «oh we are difficult to get into don’t even apply if you don’t have medical experience etc) but as the old saying goes «the proof is in the pudding». Their NCLEX Pass rate (the bar exam of nursing) is only 79.32% (slightly below the national average) according to the California Board of Nursing. Compare that with CSU Fullerton which has a nearly 90% pass rate and charges a fraction (about 6k) of the $ 80,000 per year that SM does.
I don’t mind paying more if I felt I would get something more. In this case I just think you’d be throwing away your hard earned money and going into extreme unnecessary debt as there are better programs that are far cheaper.

My long post of my not-​so-​stellar experience in applying to SMU’s BSN program:
After having a good experience with Karena from the SMU Chat Auditorium, I’ve emailed her a few more times regarding questions that came up during my application process for the BSN program. Maybe it got really busy– I’m not sure, but after the chat auditorium she stopped responding to ALL of my e-​mails. I gave her at least a few weeks in between e-​mails to respond, thinking that she may just be a little busy. I think it is not excusable for her to ignore my e-​mails COMPLETELY, as I was in the delicate and exhilarating process of applying to this school. There was No acknowledgment to my questions whatsoever. I also tried calling a few times to see if I could just reach her through phone in case she was too bombarded by e-​mails. After several calls on different days and no answer, I left ONE courteous voicemail asking her to call me back when she is available. Never received a single call back from her, and also no one followed back up with me through e-​mail. I was completely left hanging throughout my application process, slowly losing excitement over applying to SMU’s BSN program.
I think it is very important for applicants to «buy with confidence» when they are applying for nursing school. Although SMU has limited seating for transfer students and can afford to be very «selective» through their own criteria of who they feel would be the best candidate, we are still customers at the end who may end up paying thousands of dollars if accepted into their program, and deserve to be treated as such; not treated as another number in their large pool of applicants.
Their website also states that it is perfectly fine for students to apply with «courses in progress or planned.» It does NOT state on their website that transfer students who have Four or more prerequisites (in my case, I was only missing Modern World History, Philosophy, Interpersonal Communication, Developmental Psychology) will be DISQUALIFIED from the application process (As far as what Rosa Alvarado told me over the phone). Prior to this knowledge I applied thinking I still had a good chance as I took Physiology, Anatomy, Microbiology and Nutrition and received A’s.
While I feel that may still be a valid reason to not accept a student based on not completing all their prereqs, I thought it was a sneaky way for the school to earn a little extra money off application fees from students who never had a chance to begin with. After receiving the news that I did not get accepted, I spoke with Rosa Alvarado over the phone and she basically told me the amount of prereqs I had left automatically disqualified me.
What followed afterwards in our phone conversation completely turned me off from wanting to apply to the program next semester:
Me: «So how many students were accepted for Fall 2014?»
Rosa: «About 7 transfers were accepted for Fall. Historically, students have had a higher chance of being accepted in Spring semester. I recommend for you to reapply for Spring 2015.»
Me: And how many students were accepted last Spring?
Rosa: *paused a moment to think*. «About 9 students.
7 versus 9 students accepted? That is not a big difference in numbers at all.
In my application, I submitted a letter of recommendation from a doctor whom I used to work with, and also one from a dentist. Rosa stated that my LOR were not good enough references as they preferred LOR from nurses or someone in the medical field, or instructors to rave about my abilities to study well under stress as the program is rigorous. Since when did LOR from past employers (in my case, a doctor) not «good enough» to describe my character? Rosa failed to mention about this reference and kept telling me that nurse recommendations/​instructors are the best and that mine were not the best choices to use in my application. I thought my grades in my science classes would be a good enough indicator of my ability to handle the academic rigor of the nursing program.
All in all I felt that Rosa was just trying to pick at my application to seek out reasons that I didn’t get accepted. In reality, they did not even have enough spaces to consider most of the transfer applicants. Afterall, they only had about 7 seats to fill in for transfers.
For those who are still interested in applying, I wish the best of luck for you but as for me, I’ve completely lost all interest in SMU’s program as I didn’t feel that I received the service expected of a stellar nursing program. The absence of response to my e-​mails and phone calls completely deteriorated any lingering excitement I had left.
I was accepted into another prestigious BSN program closer to my home and MUCH happier with them as they are completely on top of their customer service and truly care about responding to all my questions in a timely and professional manner.
Samuel Merritt University, you are no longer my dream school.

Went to talk to the counselor about my prereqs… She was very nice and helpful. The ladies in the office are straight up bitches. I walked in to ask where to go since I had never been and they looked at me like I was stupid. Not a good first impression! People pay A LOT of money to go to private schools and because of that bad vibe I am looking elsewhere. I will not be going back… get some ladies with positive attitudes who want to be there. It’s also not in the nicest area.

Terrible! one word! this is in regards to their MOT program. the admission staff are the laziest people ever! they don’t ever respond to your questions (I am talking about Ms. Rosa Alvera do in particular) she is rude and has no respect for prospective students. I am wondering why a lady which such a terrible personality should in charge of the program. boooo

Looking back I am more and more happy I went to Samuel Merrit for several reasons.
First, at the end of senior year we had a class spend time on resume writing and mock panel interviews. It really helped me prepare for my job hunt. The school understands that working your tail off and the pricy tuition is an investment that should get you a job. Within 6 months after graduation I’d say 99% of my class passed the Nclex and had jobs.
The school has a great reputation within the Bay Area. I have had interviewers comment about how they hired other new grads from the school before and were very happy with them. That made me feel great about the interview!
I am also very happy I got my BSN and not an ADN from a junior college. That’s not to say other local schools are not good because there are some fantastic programs out there at a great price. It’s because more and more hospitals prefer BSN prepared nurses. A BSN is more competitive. There are RN to BSN bridge programs but who wants to go back to school again? That is additional time and money wasted.
All in all, it was a really great investment to go to school there. I am paying off those student loans just fine.

Just graduated from the BSN program at the Oakland campus.
LOVE the faculty, the financial aid counselors and all other staff. Program is hard, as it should be. Cost is high, but I feel like I got my money’s worth. The faculty are genuinely invested in your success.
Two problems I had that did not affect my rating:
1. PM shift clinical students were not automatically assigned the later classes. I had PM clinicals on Wednesday and Thursday and had to make it in at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning. This class was assigned based on rotating alphabetical priority groups. The faculty is aware and they are working with registration to stop this from happening.
2. Preceptorship assignments are usually not confirmed until after the beginning of your Senior II semester. Personally, I believe that this can and should be ironed out before the semester starts, especially when there is a 4 month break between Spring and Fall. That being said, I still received my assignment with plenty of time to complete my hours. This delay only caused my anxiety levels to rise.
If you haven’t already completed your prerequisites and you are considering pursing nursing as your future career, I highly recommend visiting one of SMU’s partner schools. I attended Mills College for 1.5 years, maintained the required GPA and passed the TEAS and had GUARANTEED admission into SMU. Some argue that this is costly, however, my class size at Mills was 10 or less for nursing only classes, and I believe I saved money by saving time. Had I completed my prereq’s somewhere else and then applied to SMU or another nursing program, I ran the risk of not being accepted and having to continuously apply for a spot. In an era where time = money, this is money well spent.
Also, please know that SMU is highly respected and people think a lot of their graduates. You receive a quality education with quality resources and the prestige of top-​rate school.

Currently getting my education here as an FNP (ELMSN)
While some of the classes and teachers are top rate, some are pathetically awful and need of serious re-​staffing. When you are paying over $ 1k per credit you hope that the person teaching you has an IQ greater than 60, but this is unfortunately not always the case.
Also, my class took the NCLEX on several dates in late December and early January, and we have yet to get licensed because the school did not send in our final grades to the BRN in a timely manner. This is just inconsiderate and frankly, a possible career-​buster for a few people waiting on interviews.
On the positive side, some of the faculty are life-​changingly amazing and will inspire you to become a better person and will stuff your head so full of knowledge you wont be able to stand up straight. It is also across the street from Oasis and close to Commonwealth, so a few good places to eat and feed your brain.
Shuttle from BART to campus makes it easy to commute here (and bike racks are abundant).

This is for the Physician Assistant Program (MPA). My real rating would be 4.5 stars (minus half a star for the cost). This program is excellent and has many great aspects that other more well-​known programs do not have. I have heard positive things about the PA program (not so much about the nursing program) and I am very impressed so far. What sucks right now is all the construction at the hospital next door.
Here’s what SMU has:
–Great teachers
–small classes
–awesome anatomy lab
–tiny library but good for studying
–easy access location
–study abroad
–volunteer abroad
–very high 1^st time pass rates on the PANCE
–good reputation
–hard as hell to get into (acceptance is 3% for the PA program)
–very pricey tuition (but it will be worth it)
–decent classroom facilities
–awesomely awesome SIM lab!
–no student café though :(

I just graduated from SMU with a BSN ¹²⁄₂₀₁₀. Even though the environment of getting into nursing school is/​was quite competitive I was actually accepted to 3 schools in the bay area. So, if it is your dream to be a nurse, listen to your heart — you do have hope of getting into a nursing school.
I chose SMU over De Anza simply because I wanted a BSN and was accepted to the other BSN degree universities. If I had not been accepted I would have been very happy getting my ADN at De Anza. I chose SMU over USF for two reasons: First, USF has fewer «returning students» in their BSN program and secondly, USF would not accept transfer units from SF State and CCSF — 2 semesters worth (such as world religions, speech, history etc.) whereas, SMU did.
I would say 9 out of 10 teachers and clinical instructors at SMU are very good to excellent. In fact I loved all but 2 out of 20 of my teachers/​clinical instructors here. They do care, they are compassionate, they have very high standards and yes — a few of them do have back injuries and are unable to work in clinical settings. Yet, their injuries in no way prohibit the constructive learning environment they provide. In fact I believe any SMU BSN graduate will have fewer workmens comp claims due to the diligence of these injured professors.
Even with the majority of teachers being very good to excellent, this program is brutally rigorous. If you get into this program (or any program) be ready to open your heart and mind and make connections with your cohort members. The only reason I made it through this program) was due to attending almost every class, bonding with my cohort and studying more than I ever thought was humanly possible.
I believe SMU gets beat up in reviews for two reasons and I hope they are reading this and take what is said in this review to heart. In my opinion (which is also the reason I am dropping a star) these reasons are in dire need of change.
First, despite this being a private school, there is very little extra support when a student drops below a certain average or experiences a personality conflict with a clinical instructor. Instead of assisting nursing students who require «a little more» to make it through, SMU drops them. It is important to note — this is only the nursing program. It is a tight ship run by a tough cookie.
The pain and stress associated to losing 5% of ones cohort every semester x 4 is to say the least UNHEALTHY. It hurts the class, cohort and school as a whole. So, for those of you who have made it through this long review, take head. Attending this private school does not mean you are guaranteed a timely graduation or any graduation. If you fall below a certain competency level grade wise or clinically (that is inclusive of A students), moving forward will be an issue.
The second reason would be their disorganization. Support their disorganization with your own organization and you’ll be fine. I do hear this latter issue is attributed to other nursing schools as well.
With all of this said, I am very happy I went to SMU. SMU is one of the most diverse private schools in the area and I loved my multigenerational and multicultural classmates. As tough as it was, I know I and my classmates have gained considerable knowledge and compassion here. Just know — we did not come by it easily.
To all of you reading this — I wish you blessings and luck in your future educational and nursing careers and I hope you will be joining the rest of us in this wonderful profession very soon.

7 Days! It took someone that long to return my call. They even went against their own promise of calling people back within 72 hours.
When they finally did they call their interviews «GOLD». I wonder if this is a school nursing people wanna go to. How will they manage your need for questions or at least some basic customer service for that matter?
Second thoughts about them now…

There are many of us going back to college for the 2^nd time, either to further our education or simply going into a different field/​career. I believe it’s safe to say that when people hear the phrase «SAMUEL MERRITT COLLEGE», the only thing that comes to mind is «THE SCHOOL OF NURSING» — although, the school offers many other degrees in health science and etc.
First of all, it’s a PRIVATE SCHOOL and they have 4 campus thru out the bay area. 2^nd, they are NOT CHEAP (i.e the ABSN program’s tuition is 50,000… without adding up all the other stuffs like books, rent, transportations, etc) — however, they are BIG ON LOANS. Last, you will sense a level of arrogant and everything appears to be SUGAR COATED.
My belief: education is a GIFT and it’s really what you make of it. Obviously, if everyone can get into a prestigious university/​colleges that would be great but it does not guarantee you anything. As an individual, you still need to take further steps to sell yourself in your career.
Personal msg to the faculty @ Samuel Merritt: As a faculty, don’t speak ill of other degrees or other schools. Embrace and appreciated the people that are interested in your school but are also applying to other schools — we’re just trying to increase our chances to get accepted into a Nursing program. Spend more time going over what the programs have to offer and less time what loans are available and how much we will make as a nurse.

One Star: Small Classes
Two Stars: Convenient/​Easy commutable location via BART (catch a shuttle to Alta Bates/​Summitt and get dropped off in front of school)
no star for:
tuition — really expensive;
no lockers (at the time I went to school here couple years back — lugged everything around);
parking sucked — if u didn’t get there early u were assed out and had to find parking on the street)
aah, 5 stars because they helped me w/​my career & several hundred other people I know and now we’re all banking! hahahaha … right, it goes back to the student loans. damn it — ok Four Stars