Simmons University

I did the online FNP program from 2013-2016. I have now been a practicing FNP since 2016. I work as a family medicine primary care provider. The program definitely did not teach me everything I needed to know and there were gaps as there are with any school (including my prestigious undergraduate nursing program). I did however learn enough to pass the boards with a great score on the first attempt and to know my scope and my limits, how to be a safe provider, and I have been building on this ever... Read More since. There are still things I don’t know and medicine is ever changing but I know how to consistently look up changes in guidelines, stay up to date and current, and I continue to learn each day. It was a means to an end, a fulfilling career that supports my family.

This is by far the worst university I have ever attended. They claim the program to be for working nurses with families yet every semester they come up with completely unreasonable rules that insinuate otherwise. How the hell do you come up with a rule that states late assignments receive a 0 just the same as an assignment not turned in at all. How the hell do you come up with a rule that states they will not round grades up but will happily round them down to the lower grade. Do not attend this... Read More school if you work or have a family. One time, literally everyone in the class failed an exam and the professors blamed the students. The lectures are taught by mostly incompetent working Nurse Practitioners that can barely answer any questions without having to look them up and get back to the class. Yet you as the student should be able to answer the dumb exam questions they come up with that don't even match what they say in lecture. I have two degrees, so I know that school is tough. I know that these programs have to appear rigorous and competitive. But the way this school goes about it seems more like they are just interested in weeding people out, instead of actually teaching the profession.

I'm disappointed I didn't find this website prior to starting this program. I actually transferred here from a major University primarily because I needed the online class consistency. I also work full time and have a family, so with the pandemic, going to class / not going to class and school/no school for my daughter was too complex to manage. I also have a Master's in Public Administration from a number one ranked university and am appalled by how bad the content is for this program. We are 4... Read More weeks in and the online asynchronous work is outdated, does include a lot of ridiculous (and FREE) youtube videos, podcasts and other free content that we could find on our own. To date, I haven't had a single actual lecture and frankly find that the scope of the coursework is absurd even though I know they are following what they need to follow for certification. But NO, you should not be trying to teach biased social policy and government from youTube (that's why you go get your MPA!). The professors are very young and are very busy with their other jobs. If I was paying a reasonable amount, I could get behind this program as a means to an end. However, for two classes, i'm paying over $6000 and they charge you student fees even tho you get nothing for that fee. Their marketing team has been well trained and they definitely spend a lot of money on people to call you and help you sign up for class - it's like having a manager. But then you are dropped. I've had to email for the last month to get my scholarship money applied (they also tried to take it away from me after tricking me into signing up for November when the classes they told me to take were not even offered and then forcing me to instead start in January). I also emailed asking for a financial aid officer to call me about option for the public service loans that are repaid and that was a week ago. I still haven't heard back. The other thing I would strongly caution is that they promise "tons of classes and class times." this is not true. many of the classes are late at night, which is just not conducive to my life. For each class this semester, only one was offered during the hours when my daughter was a school. When I told my "manager" that I could only find one time slot for each class that worked and he cautioned there would be times where I didn't have a choice. Frankly, I think this program is probably a huge racket. In order to pay for school, I do have to work and I do have an obligation to my family. But not surprisingly, neither social work program I was in gave two sh**s about that. So basically they rail on systemic failings of our social welfare systems but opt out of the role they play. And, to date, I haven't learned anything I haven't learned in my prior stats and policy classes. It feels like a HUGE waste of money.

After seeing all the negative reports about Simmons online FNP program from 2017 I really regret signing up for the program. If you are entering this program now please rethink your choices!!! I noticed all their 5 star reviews on their website are from 2014! That should’ve been RED FLAG number one! Apparently things have not changed a bit since 2017. Still no ability to see or learn from incorrect answers on exams, still using proctor track which is horrible, tech support still sucks!!!!!! And worst... Read More of all is clinical placement. This program is supposedly designed for ‘working nurses’…. NOT! The clinical placement I received for first rotation was only open from 8-5 Mon thru Wed. And when I asked about finding my own clinical placement I was given ZERO GUIDELINES! If you want an environmanet of people who only care about your money while you teach yourself with outdated materials then Simmons university is for you! If you want to learn and actually have decent clinical placements then find another school. I’m considering a lawsuit at this point. When I complained about my clinical placement not being feasible, I was told take it or leave it basically. Maybe all of us that have been swindled by this school should consider a class action law suit!!

I did learn a lot, and I liked that it was very clinical. But many of the online courses are the same, covering much of the same material. Some professors are good (and many are women of color, which is great!), others seem disinterested and don't respond to email. That said, it is offensive that the program costs tens of thousands of dollars (for an online program that is largely video-based), and requires you to complete multiple UNPAID internships in addition to coursework. The workload is intense,... Read More leaving little time for daily responsibilities, never mind down time. If you're single, good luck. If you have a family, your family will be under some serious strain that they might not be prepared for. Which is bitterly ironic, given that the goal of social work is to improve people's mental health and well-being.

Please, please believe the bad reviews!! I think the good ones are fake! I’ve had nothing but bad experiences at this school, from teachers who don’t respond to emails or texts, to bully classmates. The online program is NOT taught by teachers from the actual school, and a lot of the asynchronous homework involves watching cheap, boring YouTube videos. It’s a bait and switch program only designed to make money for the actual Simmons campus. They will tell you lies to get you into the school but only... Read More do it if it’s your last hope. I was told it’s a great program for moms but during the pandemic Simmons was NOT understanding about the fact that many of us were at home with our kids and had no choice about it. Awful, condescending staff run the school for the most part as well. Please think twice before attending this school. I owe thousands of dollars and completely regret going to Simmons.

Avoid like the plague, unless you enjoy getting sucked into $10K per semester tuition that will hook you with easier stuff and then, once in debt up to your eyeballs, will throw “advanced” courses at you taught largely by uninformed adjuncts, or by regular faculty via prerecorded lectures that often contradict the books they assign and then said regular faculty can’t be bothered to communicate with you outside of class. I can’t tell you how many classes I took where exams were a disaster and they... Read More then went back and had to throw out *wrong* versions of questions or badly-worded ones, or ones that caused much of the class to get an unacceptable test grade that resulted in failing the course. They tout their “graduation rate” and include on-campus students. Ask them what their online rate is, or speak to anyone who has been through this program in the last several years. I don’t doubt that some of their faculty are decent professionals and probably accomplished RNs. They forget that most program students are NOT going on to DNPs and therefore are not going to publish in journals (you’ll write lots of papers that will never again been seen, and their “class assistants” will apply a grading rubric that wasn’t even well thought out when it was given to them). Simmons Nursing’s biggest problem is that NO ONE there from top to bottom has any idea how to run a quality higher educational program that actually wants students to succeed, and they’re certainly not concerned about best interests of students as they change curricula and classes and testing software at will and then throw you to the wolves with it all. Classmates and I figured out this is probably by design, so you’re on the hook for additional mountains of student debt as you retake the higher-level classes. Small school with big ambitions and NO ability to find a stable, accomplished faculty that actually wants its MSNs to succeed and helps them. You can’t dissent or raise too many questions, either, because then they’ll call students together as they did last year and dress you all down for high treason against the “reputation” of the program. What reputation? Have you looked at the program rankings? I think the university president or their accrediting board needs to dig a little deeper into all of this- but they probably won’t as long as this cash cow keeps this small school awash in incoming funds. My excitement at first starting Simmons has been beaten out of me now. I found my own preceptor, thankfully. I feel taken for a major ride. My friends and colleagues in similar programs elsewhere have none of the combat stories that I do, and that makes me wonder why I paid them so much to have any at all.

I feel pulled to leave a review to hopefully provide a more dynamic view of this school. I am enrolled in the online MSW program. I have had such a wonderful experience and will be graduating soon. I want to validate some of the experiences noted in other reviews, and at the same time remind those reading that often folks who had bad experiences leave reviews and there are thousands of good experiences not mentioned. The admission process was so welcoming and warming, Simmons has a ton of departments... Read More each step of the way provided to ensure each student feels supported. I have an advisor AND a student success specialist I talk with every few weeks to make sure I am doing well. My classes are SO interesting and I've loved each professor. The courses place a strong emphasis on social justice and systems of privilege and oppression. I've had professors who own private practices, and others that do macro work advocating for policy change. My internship has been an extremely enriching educational opportunity. I know tens of people who have graduated from this program and are now successful LICSW or LCSW. Having classmates all over the US provides a rich and dynamic perspective. The only downside I have noticed so far is at times the courses are offered are at annoying times for me. This is small potatoes.

I was done with my coursework June 21, and passed my boards on June 25. This program was tough, but doable With working Part-time and raising a family. We were hit with some clinical hour challenges with COVID, but the school allowed us to finish with the 500 required clinical hours. My words of advice are to plan to find your own clinical sites for your rotations. It was my understanding that it was the schools responsibility to find the sites, but it was very difficult for them. Start networking... Read More early! It is an expensive program, but worth it.