Simmons University

This entire program is a joke. You pay absurd amounts of money for unqualified instructors and video tutorials. I am in debt now for about 42k and have no degree thanks to Simmons not following their own field placement policies. I had to quit my job for field placement. Also wasn't aware that you can't transfer more than maybe 6-10 credits to a new program so you basically paid for nothing. Its a business through and through. Could you imagine if a retail business or airline pulled that? Half my... Read More instructors were brand new to teaching and to the mental health field and couldn't answer simple clinical based questions (esp regarding diagnosis and harm reduction models). More than a handful have had the bare minimum required client face time and I was told "what does the book say?" more than once when asking questions. The dean of the online MSW is on an ego trip and unless you kiss * * * you will be dismissed. After 20 years in this field I am not kissing up to anyone, so here I am with a 3.8 gpa and a dismissal on my record. Good luck.

Stay away! This is not the program that was sold to me. The faculty and administration are unhelpful. I was just told to study outdated material (guidelines have been updated since they recorded their material) because exams have not been updated in 4 years! We are not learning what we need to know for actual practice, we are learning outdated material and they don't care. Going into clinical I have been constantly corrected because the course content we learned is incorrect. It's crazy to think... Read More of all the time and money spent learning outdated material! The program is all self taught, which considering we have live classes each week is a joke...because I chose this program because I was told the live classes are just like the on campus classes. This was another lie because students who live local to Simmons who transferred out of this joke of a distance program said the on campus program is amazing and they are actually taught. They have a great marketing and sales team for sure because most of the current students (the ones who haven't drank the cool aid) are disillusioned...but we are stuck because the credits won't transfer to another program. I am doing well in my classes so this is not a review from a failing student. But the line "Simmons prepares us well" irks me every time someone says it because they are not preparing us at all, we are preparing ourselves. Be warned this school is extremely expensive and it it is not worth the extra money. Look into other choices and avoid this one.

Teach yourself, Find your own clinical sites and preceptors, Receive grades without knowing correct or incorrect answers on exams, You are monitored and recorded taking exams, Most expensive FNP program in the nation. Do not enter this program believing you will have less work to do than asynchronous programs; you have to write just as many discussion posts and papers as those programs in addition to recorded quizzes and exams. 2 positives about Simmons: everyone is admitted and financial aid is... Read More great so that you'll have more money to pay back.

This "college" is an utter disgrace to the Boston community. Boston, you have such a good reputation (school wise), but Simmons indeed destroys it. The administration is unorganized and acts as bullies towards students. They will manipulate situations to make you feel as if you were at fault when in reality it is their own. They are also incredibly lazy when it comes to field placements. They do not care where they place you, nor if you are a good match. If you apply, you will get in. This school... Read More is only here to suck the money out of your bank account. Not to mention, they are incredibly cruel and have given me plenty of panic attacks, along with a stress fracture in my hip due to my shaking from the anxiety. I would honestly take them to court and sue them, but I feel that this is the best way to prevent anyone from attending the university. Hey, Simmons, you claim to be so anti-racist and so anti-fascist, but you know what? You fit the bill. You are a complete disgrace to the caring, intellectual universities in this city. Also, if you enjoy Tumblr and all the radical liberals who believe they are wolves, angels, etc. you should attend. They do not facilitate an education; they promote a bubble of ignorance and shame. Oh yeah, and an angry, anxious environment. Sounds healthy, right? Don't attend. If you speak out, Simmons will tell you that you have a learning disability. Yes, in the social work school. I had straight A's. What a joke.

Utterly disappointed. I regret going there. Learning is completely self directed. Teachers are not allowed to make their own lesson plans or provide extra learning material to help clarify or focus learning. It's a cookie cutter school that does not care about the individual. I was struggling in a class and when I reached out to the teacher in emails and office hours I was continuously referred back to the syllabus and reading material. Often each course expects students to read over 100 pages a... Read More night in addition to clinical, written assignments, studying for exams, etc. SIMMONS claims to be a program that you can do while working and having a family and as long as you study at work and don't sleep, they aren't lying. Worst yet, clinical experience is EVERYTHING when it comes to learning. They say that you have faculty to help place you. Once you're admitted they tell you to use your connections to find your own clinical and it's a team effort to find a clinical placement. Some placement staff are good but most are horrible. My clinical placement staff sent me to the same site for all 4 semesters even though I informed them that the doctor took 4 students a day so I was only seeing 2-3 patients a day, that the doc was so busy there was zero learning or teaching going on, I saw almost zero women's health or pediatric cases and was sure I would become a horrible NP if I didn't get a wider range of patients and experience. I was told they couldn't find placement anywhere else because there are so many NP schools now so if I wanted to go somewhere else I'd have to look on my own. I even offered to take a semester off so the placement team could look around and hold a place for me 6 months out. They didn't want to bother. I feel I learned more about being an NP from RN school than SIMMONS. I have talked to several other classmates. There's various levels of distaste for SIMMONS but no one I've talk to gives it rave reviews. If simmons doesn't change, go somewhere else.

The question I eagerly asked was "What is your FNP exam pass rate?" (Either exam would have been fine.) The answer was- 100%. The question I SHOULD have asked was "How many who start, graduate?" BIG mistake. $10,000, my first anxiety attack (chest pain and all) and the worst 4 months of my life later, I am wiser. My GPA was 3.86 at the successful end of the first semester but I dropped early in the second semester before I was obligated for another $10,000. Unless you have an EXTREME passion for... Read More research and are into pain, BEWARE!! They started the pharm class exams utilizing snooper software that is stress inducing and point blank refused to give an example of a test question to be able to prepare.

While there will always be things that can be fixed this truly is a great program that does care about their students. Sometimes it is hard to see the end light amongst the angst of learning material but there is a method to the madness. While I am still in this program currently I truly feel I am getting an excellent education. Is the program hard and rigorous? Yes. Do people fail? Yes and this is not an uncommon occurrence no matter what university you attend if it is a truly challenging program.... Read More People did not all pass on the first try in my BSN program either. The education you receive as well as the classmates you meet are fantastic. I am happy with my choice of this program.

It was quit interesting to read some of the 5 of 5 reviews.During this time frame they had some "major restructuring" and started to take the legitimacy of our complaints because it is becoming a legal issue .You could honestly fire the whole administration in this department. they got rid of a few and the testing is biased and unethical . The needs of the few are met without concern for the entity of the student body. They have ruined households and peoples dreams -- no remediation for anything... Read More .They actually had me believing that it was like this through all credentialed graduate programs which is not true. Simmons wants only young and diverse populations that is what they cater to . Very discriminatory Please do not set yourself up. Some of their reviews are in the honeymoon phase . ..Two classes to go and then they dismissed me for a class a class I received an A in on my dismissal letter . The right hand really does not care what the left is doing. The advisors are arrogant and totally dismissive.

This program is a complete fraud, money milking scheme. They do not teach you. They let you watch recorded lectures with mistakes. They do not even bother to correct them or re-record them. The faculty is more or less a freak parade. There were some truly genuine instructors who taught and cared, but most were straight from Catholic school nightmare. And the worst of all, they are not transparent. You take a test and they do not tell you what answers you got wrong or right. They have poorly designed... Read More questions, a lot of questions end up being thrown out ( you are not allowed to know which ones). So they concoct a grade for you and only they know how they came up with a number for you. They also test you on material not covered in class or textbook. In other words, they do not have their #%$* together, yet they are holding their Simmons flag very high and are charging insane amt. for tuition.

I am currently attending Simmons College. I chose this program after much research because 1) my area has multiple NP programs so I needed a program with an excellent reputation, known for its rigor, and of course, a high board pass rate. I also needed the flexibility of an online program (but I need the accountability of distance learning). I have found it all at Simmons. We have clinical placement coordinators but I had no problem finding my own when I told them I was at Simmons. Does the program... Read More have problems? Sure, but so did my undergrad. My Profs and the administration have been responsive to constructive criticism. I have to warn you this program requires a lot of work and you do have to attend classes but I've been able to travel and still attend. I feel confident I am receiving an excellent education.

I do not usually write reviews. But I have noticed so much negativity that I had to put my 2 cents in. I graduated from the first batch and had a good experience with the program. As evidenced by the fact that I am currently a family nurse practitioner and have been working since the end of 2015. Simmons college prepares you. That is for sure. Do not get me wrong. No program is perfect. I have current colleagues that have negative things to say about their school as much as I have. And every problem... Read More is unique to each individual. I had no problem with class times, communication and even clinical placement (I live in California). My only problem was professor inconsistency and how the offline materials at times did not jive with the online materials (a problem that is common with online and distance learning programs). I guess my advice is, do you. Join the program knowing that you might probably get less than an A. Join the program knowing that you might have to drive 2 hours to get to your site (I DID.. and it was one of the best sites I had an experience too). Join the program knowing you have to drop your working hours or even stay up 48 hours straight to balance work and school with a little nap here and there (I DID, which made me decide to go part-time from full time). Ask yourself, how bad do you want it? Oh, and of course, the program isn't cheap. So join the program knowing that you might be in debt. I had around 70k in debt starting from 2015. BUT its 2017 and now down to 30K. Sooooooooo, being a nurse practitioner helps pay it off. Being a nurse practitioner from Simmons College helps you pass the boards. ^_^

I don't even know where to begin...I came to knowledge of this school from a nursing colleague who was enrolled in Georgetown's online NP program and recommended Simmons due to it's great reputation and supposedly being cheaper than Georgetown. I contacted Simmons about their NP program and they were super friendly and really sold their online "classroom" style virtual instruction platform. I was all in and excited! I can not say anything about the on-the-ground program(s), however please stay away... Read More from the online FNP program. Below you'll find a few pros and cons list that is my opinion. Although, there is a lot more to say - I am just sick of this place and can't be bothered to talk about them anymore. I just want to get out, get my degree, take my boards, save my marriage (that Simmons severely tested but we passed), start working, and save as many of my fellow nurses as I possible can. Pros (this was not easy to come up with): There are SOME (hand full) awesome, caring, reputable, and brilliant instructors that enjoy teaching and really care about you becoming a fantastic NP and a well educated NP. They support their "young" and want them to succeed and you can feel this from them. You have the flexibility of an online program during the beginning half of the curriculum...only. The prestige and good name of being a Simmons Nursing Alumni. Meeting other online FNP students and forging a great brotherhood and sisterhood nationally. Cons: Note* this doesn't affect you if you live in a bubble and life doesn't happen to you and you are perfect * They are extremely unsupportive. I can not stress this enough. Life happens, and these people WILL NOT work with you for crap (I really want to say the "S" word). Even if they can and you do the leg work to prove that they can...they will not. So, if you are not perfect and you can not guarantee that you will stay perfect, I would stay away from applying if I were you. Their grading policy is ridiculous and unstable. You will be told one thing when the course starts and then by the time you are 6 mths. in it will change again, and again, and again...Nice right?? Some of the professors and higher-ups talk to you like you are crap under their shoe and then they hide the recordings or and proof of it (they record the classes so that we can review the topics discussed in class later, but then they magically disappear when it is unfavorable for them) I hope you never have a computer failure or anything like that happen during an exam. Please for the love of God, have a perfect computer and webcam because if you don't and something happens...God help you. They have erroneous material that I actually had to go out on my own to research for the correct information and when it's brought up to the professors, you are told to google it or research it. When you ask a professor about things you don't understand, some will really teach, but most times you are told to figure it out because you will be out there on your own and you need to know how to research independently anyways....B.S. :). Ex. placement of the bicipital groove...that was totally wrong. Most of the professors you get will not teach you anything but will facilitate group activities like an overpaid substitute teacher. "Ok..everyone get in groups for the umpteenth time and we will go over the case studies that you all will present when we get out of our breakout sessions ." (rolling eyes). I understand breakout group is a way of teaching and learning but damn...can we have a lecture or/and get taught in this "classroom" setting that sold to us?? I mean when I think of classroom I think of being taught and having things explained to me not being in breakout groups for 2 years straight!! Jezus, Mary and Joseph!!! When you bring it up to Simmons, they'll say something similar to "You are an adult learner. We are facilitating the learning process of a graduate student and of a future independent NP. You will be expected to consult with your colleagues and we are getting you into that habit of learning on your own. That will be $10K please." In conclusion, please for the love of your God - find another school or go to their campus FNP program. I hear their campus program is awesome, rigorous and the students feel well prepared. I hear the school itself is very respected and is well vested in the community and the nursing field (I am not from nor familiar with the NE states so I didn't know this first hand). This review is not to take away from that, but it is to spotlight how they have severely dropped the ball with their online FNP program. It is a joke and I do not feel prepared and I am sorry I went here.