CNI College

STAY AWAY! I could not emphasize enough how bad this school is, unprofessional, and very unorganized. I assisted the part time LVN program, I had two clinical instructors that did their job, two theory instructors that actually cared about the students, but as a school even those four individuals couldn’t make up for the unprofessionalism that went on there. Ms Becky was horrible at keeping track of hours. Made exceptions on who could miss more hours or who couldn’t without getting in trouble. Had 5 theory instructors in term 1 (about 4 months), 2 DON’s by term 3, clinical instructors that would be on their phone while at a clinical site, theory teachers that would curve as much as possible their tests to just pass students their first term (where CNI makes most of their money from the books and scrubs). Two of my clinical instructors quit due to the problems going on at that school and went elsewhere. If you’re lucky and if they’re still there, you could end up with Mr Rock, such a patient and smart teacher, first teacher that grasped my attention the way he did. Not one complain about him. Mr manny as a clinical instructor he is great, knows his way around the hospital and his strengths are in pathology. Other than them please don’t assist this school. You could get quality education at an adult school in your area for the fraction of the cost, or even a community college.

I’m currently in the RN program and I graduate in 5 months. I have had minor issues with the program like getting good clinical sites but it’s a newer school and they are still getting known. This school is for individuals who are able to pick up on things quickly considering its accelerated and you need to be motivated and extremely focused if you want to be successful, it’s in no way easier then traditional nursing schools. I see people writing bad reviews over not getting accepted for this or that reason, sorry but that’s an issue with yourself, not the school. You obviously didn’t make the cut for a reason. Its becoming more competitive to get in and getting a good grade on your TEAs is important, along with passing the interview and displaying your communication skills along with a good reason as to why you want to work in the medical field. GOOD LUCK!

This school is really unprofessional. My friend is currently enrolling for the RN programs and seems to get the run arounds. They wouldn’t take his prerequisites from his other schools (city colleges) plus admissions are bad at follow up with him. To me, it seems they only care about the money. After reading these reviews I am not surprised why they have a 2 star.

This school sucks. Students that aren’t citizens aren’t qualified for the RN program. Although the student has a valid social. Don’t waste your time in setting up an appointment.

First of all I want to thank the Instructors at CNI College
Mr. Pierre along with Doctor Frank… Have done an amazing Job at providing me with the fundamentals and knowledge to become a Surgical Technologist…
Marissa did a wonderful job at placing me at my clinical site. Very helpful and informative… She prepares you… And walks you through the whole process…
Audry makes sure you have all your paperwork together prior to graduation to make sure you have completed the requirements… She has a great personality very helpful.
Barbara Cook in career services has gone above and beyond to assure that once you have graduated that you are prepared with the your Resume as well as tips for having a successful interview. She is so helpful and attentive and makes sure to follow up after each and every interview. She goes out of her way to help you accomplish and achieve your goal… I am very thankful for all her help she has done an outstanding Job!!!
CNI is very honored to have such a hardworking Team to guide you through…

Waste of time all this school care about is money they don’t give two rats ass about the student thats trying to better them self’s. Run the other way.$ 36,995.00 it’s not worth it the teachers suck just run please.

Going to CNI was one of the few things I’ve done in my life that make my parents proud to this day. Not only did I receive the right foundation and learn the fundamentals for my career, but I also received valuable insight as to what it was going to be like once I actually got out in the field. I see that there are mixed reviews, but I’m guessing everyone who has a great experience hasn’t come back to leave a review (since there are thousands of people there) but I feel like I owe them a thank you for helping me get where I’m at today.
While it wasn’t always easy (and I don’t think it’s meant to be or else everyone could do it), it was one of the few things I’ve done in my life that was easily 100% percent worth it in terms of payoff. The program and coursework were fast-​paced and kept an easily-​bored me very engaged (especially in hands-​on environments and labs) and their financial aid team was extremely helpful in holding my hand through the entire process, making sure I didn’t skip a beat. The staff I encountered at most every level was friendly and I honestly felt like they were vested in my success.
For me, this was the perfect local option when it came to fast-​tracking my success and getting out in working in the field and CNI is easily the best surgical tech and LVN school in Orange County.

I’m currently a student at CNI working on getting my RN. I chose this school as I found it difficult to get my pre-​reqs at local schools, there’s a waiting list. So I came to this school to save time. The 20 month course is very fast-​paced. So far so good. Would be great if they are working on getting this school WASC accredited. Looking forward to finishing this program. So far, I’m learning, and that’s always a good thing.

DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!! I repeat DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL! I was in the LVN program and its a total joke when they say a «for profit» school in tiny letters they mean ALL OUT FOR THE MONEY! So be careful the Campus looks pretty and counselors are so friendly and happy but I challenge you if you are looking to go here ask a few students what they think of the school alone and away from the counselors. Go on your own time ask some questions and See what they say! Most students are still there because they were already told they can’t get their money back.

I graduated last year with a small class. Started off with about 27 students then graduated with about 13. Lots of work and time put in. I was not impressed with the school and there are only a few good instructors that I really trusted and admired. I considered one of them as a mother figure because she understood the hardships I was going through while attending the program. It does not help you pass the nclex alone. You have to work hard as well. I did not want to pursue my rn but I will be attending an lvn bsn program at the end of the year. Want to know my opinion? I would look for other schools prior to choosing this institution.

Never ever ever attend this school. Yes I graduated, yes I passed my boards, but not with the help of CNI. There was only ONE instructor that I trust and miss and I thank god she is no longer working there.
Even after 8 years I still can’t get a transcript or a copy of my diploma. Registrar is always closed and when you do get through, they do not follow through with these simple tasks.
A HUGE disappointment while attending with the endless changes of instructors and losing clinic sites, I’m not surprised in the constant failings.
Thy received my tuition and left me out to dry many, many times.
DO NOT ATTEND THIS SCHOOL. STAY AWAY!!!

This school is a joke. Please don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot and got my CST. But that’s as far as it goes, unlike MOST other schools that assist you with job placement. CNI really does nothing. Well you get an email every Friday with job leads that are already on indeed or a facility job board. They don’t go over anything with you once your money is acquired they move on to the next. THEN you have your externship which is an absolute joke you are in places like dental offices that do NO surgeries, and tell you that the extractions fall under Max category lol. If they could help with better and more honest staff and promise some opportunity AFTER. (AND MEAN IT) then I would recommend. But the people that have asked me, if they should go. I strongly advise to find another facility this place is a joke. It’s been 9 months and STILL no employment or or contact from our career services other than their mailing list recommendations. Maybe CNI was just a bad choice on my part.

I attended CNI for LVN program and yes even in its most difficult time when change in staff I passed my NCLEX the first time. Along with everyone in my class. The instructors in Theory & Clinical are excellent and push you to be a better nurse. You will have good and bad days no matter where you go. And you will always have your favorites just open your mind. And yes yellow ribbon approved.

ZERO STARS! –Since my original review from 2010 was removed because I didn’t give a good enough description of how incredibly horrible this school is, I figured I would leave another, because people need to know. I started this school in 2008 and graduated in 2010 after completing the Surgical Tech program. The surgical tech staff was terrible (not including the teachers) they were very well informed on what they were teaching, but the actual admin and the person in charge of the surgical tech department (Marissa at the time) they were terrible. They had no concept of how to run a school, the way they talked to you about billing and payments was absolutely horrible, when you actually complete the classroom part of this program and get placed in an externship they do not work with you in any way and the places they place people are terrible learning environments. They don’t keep in touch with you they DEFINITELY don’t help you find a job. You partake in an exit interview where they make you feel as though they will help you get a job, that is 100% not the case. They went through maybe 5 employees that were suppose to help you find a job in the course of 6 months of me completing the program and they only called one time (when the new person started) and it was just to ask for an updated resume no follow ups no returned calls nothing. I refuse to pay for this program because it was not what I signed up for. I would tell anyone interested in surgical tech, nursing, massage therapy or personal trained to look elsewhere. You’ll be doing yourself a favor skipping over this school.
Update after comment below from CNI:
I graduated in 2010. I worked with you for close to 2 years after to find a position and every time I spoke with someone it was a new person because the previous career person was no longer there. It’s now almost 2015 and I am not working in this field. This school was a massive waste of money.

This school is Soo un professional starting with the staff, receptionist (always in her phone and when u ask her a? She’s answers rude?) Admissions ppl dnt even answer your ?‘s Properly like if they dnt know whole details about the programs offer at the school! Teachers are unorganized for the MRI PROGRAM. and there copy machine sucks u can’t even read the power points outlines they hand out !! Only one teacher is good in the MRI program but because he has great teaching experience In a UC. Double think your decision before singing a big loan for this school! Good luck !

I spoke highly of this school since I went there. (Eventually, I quit because despite my superb grades, I just did not wanted to be a nurse.) Before I had a bad experience, I referred this school to many people. They have great instructors for nursing program.
However, what I did not realize was how irresponsible and useless the admin and FA staffs were. You just cannot get hold of anyone to help with you with what you need even if you tried ten times a day for five straight days or even visit the office yourself. Rather I was told to call in before you come otherwise they cannot help you at all. They lost my papers and they didn’t even bother to inform me until after three days of waiting for a return call, I drove 20 miles to demand to see the person in charge. By the way, the person in charge did not even talked to me himself. It’s amazing how offices in this school operate.
Conclusively, I do not recommend this school anymore to anyone. The instructors are awesome but the school office sucks. No matter how good the instructors are, if the office operates in this terrible behavior, I think that the school will do you no good.

5 weeks left of my program here but I’ll rate it…
The admin– is terrible. FA is horrible. You can’t ever get a hold of anyone for anything.
The VN faculty is amazing. The instructors are all great. The DON — Mr Corrales is great and quick to help solve issues.
The problem with this school is their main office, financial aid department and that whole unit. Terrible. Won’t recommend this school– but will recommend the instructors.

Since Unilocal doesn’t allow NO stars, I had to give this «college» a 1 star.
Originally, I contacted this school cus I was interested in their surgical technician program. Mainly because it was relatively cheaper than other schools.
I started with filling out their «get more info» form. They have a question that asks which time is the best to contact you. I CLEARLY put evening and one of the admissions lady called during work hours (morning), where I can’t take personal calls. I confronted the lady about this and she said, «i thought I could leave a voicemail.» … Really? anyways, I let that pass.
I went to the school to check it out. They sold everything very well, which of course got me interested in enrolling.
Financial aid: Edwin is terrible and it’s obvious he doesn’t like his job. He scolded me for completing my FAFSA forms at home. Uh, what? Okay. He did some calculations and told me my remaining tuition balance. This entire conversation, he DOES NOT mention the word: STUDENT LOANS. (They try to get you to pay out of pocket). I finally asked, «I can take out a student loan, right?» He’s all, «oh yeah, yeah, of course.» As if he wasn’t expecting me to ask. Also, the only loan company he told me about was SallieMae. As I let my emotions get the best of me, I decided to move forward with the program.
According to their school policies, they give students SEVEN calendar days from your first day to drop (without penalties). Some personal issues came up with me and I didn’t find out until two days after the last day to drop. I needed to speak with someone ASAP and they told me to speak with Kay Kenyon, the director there.
The next morning, I called, they told me she was away from her desk. I then sent an email about my issues. At around noon, I called again and she was still away from her desk. Okay, that’s fine. I send another email. She finally calls back but I missed it. I give her a call back several minutes later, she was on another call– receptionist told me to call back. I LITERALLY call back 5 minutes later and this lady is busy, AGAIN. I FINALLY get a hold of her and she tells me THE most simple answer. REALLY? You couldn’t send me an email to tell me this!!!
That same day, I go to their office to sign papers and return my books. They tried to talk me out of dropping out. Nope, I’ve already made up my mind. The FA lady couldn’t take my anatomy & physiology book back because I had written in it, which makes total sense. she also told me she wouldn’t take back my surgical technology books because I had already activated the book code. I argued they could EASILY call the book company and retrieve another code (just like any other universities/​city colleges). Her and Kay Kenyon kept telling me «we don’t make the rules.» Whatever. WHY IN THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO KEEP THESE BOOKS IF I HAVE NO PURPOSE FOR THEM?
All in all, this school is very unprofessional. Only time they bother to email/​call back is if you’re interested and if it’s a money issue.
I advise you choose a different school, even if it does cost more. This «college» is a piece of crap and the people here don’t like what they do.
DONE!

The staff here are not professional and unprepared.
I walked in for my appt. to view the school and the receptionist asks me to hold on a second, while she sits there messing with her cellphone. Rude! You’re at work, shouldn’t you put down the cellphone and greet the client? Anyway a few minutes later she finally calls me up to see what I’m there for and hands me some paperwork to fill out.
Walking in you see this fancy looking entrance but the offices are bare with nothing but a small fake plant and a glass desk.
The guy, Nicolas or Nikko, was professionally dressed and very pleasant but he didn’t know very much about the program. They asked me what program I was interested in when I called to make the appt. but yet this guy didn’t know anything. I had a list of questions I wanted to ask like the credentials the teacher’s have to have, the topics the program covers, how long they have had the program etc… instead of being able to answer me, he gave me a few papers with information because he didn’t know. He kept saying «pass, umm let’s go to the next one» VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!
Then he gave me a tour of the building where the massage therapists and personal trainers classes and said next time I came back he would show me the medical assisting and nursing side… not sure how that made sense if the program I was interested was the medical assisting???
Waste of time! I of course never went back…

I signed up for the Pharmacy Technician program in October and right from the beginning, there were a lot of issues. I was referred by a graduate from the school and spoke to a rep Patty at CNI who is definitely an asset to CNI College — without her, I would have probably went somewhere else due to the continue frustration from the Financial Dept.
When I went to the school to take the initial tests and passed, the financial rep introduced herself but didn’t even have any eye contact with and was clearly focused on some other matter. Then I received a quote which was difficult to read since the Financial rep used a bolded font that was too large to make out clearly then when I did, her calculations were incorrect. Patty referred me to the Director of Finance who took my concerns through one ear and out the other. Attempting to justify the $ 14k difference between the costs of CNI & Santa Ana College, they made it very difficult to make the decision but when I signed up I did meet several incredible classmates which I have stayed in contact with.
The director of the program would continuously use bad judgment when voicing her opinion about other students, staff and the other schools the owners provide by basically throwing the under the bus each time. The Director of Education of the school had 3 different people in 9 months and the last being the worse in my opinion. Both directors would ask for suggestions of improvement and when you provided them, they would take it personal and didn’t mention that they would consider the matter to be valid when clearly it was.
For example, in my case, according to the state’s requirements, I completed the number of hours to submit my license’s application in February but the school didn’t submit it until April. To date, I have graduated and I still don’t have my license which has made it extremely difficult to seek employment. My fellow classmates are in the same predicament and the students we’ve had to compete with at other schools have their licenses.
Both directors act as if they have done a favor by sending in the applications prior to completion as stated in the paperwork in the beginning and have not indicated ever that they would correct their procedure that clearly sabotage their students rather than help them so I would definitely think twice before signing up for CNI since there were additional issues with the school that I can go more detailed with so feel free to inquire if you so desire.
In all fairness, there were some helpful people and some good resources but overall, I would never recommend anyone to attend CNI — in fact, I would definitely strongly advise against it entirely!!!
Luckily, I was able to find employment on my own since the career center was extremely ineffective especially since they were provided the info that I had a job then followed up with me months later to «help» me and since they have a high turnover at the school and there’s definitely a lack of communication, I was contacted like I need their help — NOT!!!