I am writing this blog in hopes of hearing from others who might put a light on a issue that is really disturbing me. My daughter is currently enrolled in a very expensive nationally accredited private college in Orlando Florida. My daughter and I were both very impressed with the programs they offered. We both felt that it was a good avenue for her and her creative abilities. She has nearly two semesters under her belt now, and has enrolled for summer classes as well.
My daughter has started having some misgivings about the school after a English Teacher was let go. She was getting excellent grades in her class , but other students( the majority) were not faring very well. My daughter thought this teacher was awesome, and was really enjoying her class. The new teacher came in close to the end of the semester and told the students she would be re-grading their papers. My daughter already had an A in the class so it did not effect her, but the rest of the students miraculously passed the course.
She also heard rumors about the school and how promised career placement never panned out and that graduates of this school were not able to find jobs in their field. She questioned the College President and he pretty much dismissed her with " Do not believe everything you hear" She did some investigating on her own and discovered a multitude of complaints against the school on ripoff.com and the better business bureau. CBS actually did a segment in 2005 on Sixty Minutes about Career Education Corporation which owns numerous private for profit colleges in the United States and abroad. They own the College my daughter attends.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/31/60minutes/main670479.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories
I am sick with worry that I am paying for a very expensive college that will be putting me in debt for years to come and her degree will essentially be worthless. I am going to schedule an appointment with the President of her College ASAP. I should also mention that her college credits that she has earned to date cannot be transferred to a public University. Public Universities are regionally accredited and that accreditation is more difficult to obtain then a national one. Has anyone else experienced anything of this nature and what action did you pursue? 
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| Private Colleges .. degree factories or legitimate halls of Education. |
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enigmasrook
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Jun 5 @ 2:41AM
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I've found you have to be very careful with private colleges. I had a professor tell me once he taught at a community college and a local private college that cost over $30,000 a year. He said he used the same text and taught the class the exact same way. He also said the only difference being, the more a private college charged in tuition,room and board, etc,...the more they could get from the federal govt. He was an economics professor so I was reasonably certain he had researched it.
As for your daughter being unable to transfer credits....what is that about? That is insanity. But I was worried my daughter may have the same problem if she decided to transfer. She was accepted into every college she applied including a $35, 000 a year private college that was under 3 miles from home. She chose to go with the state university, which by the way is a world class school and is ranked in the top ten of all colleges....No1 in the World for GP medicine. We both go to the same university...different branches. I guess what I think, unless the private college is one of the big ones.....I'd go with a state university or college. A well known name on a diploma holds a lot of weight. I'm sorry you are going through this.
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medioaker
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Jun 5 @ 2:56AM
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what is she taking.. I mean if it is a trade that is needed she will be ok!! Hell if she had the smarts to go to college ?? i mean most places dont offer placment do they?
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callmemax
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Jun 5 @ 3:19AM
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haven't experienced a similar situation, butttttttttttttt think you realize you are throwing money away. changing schools would be your daughter's best option. JMO
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koyaanisqatsi
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Jun 5 @ 4:33AM
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My daughter is currently enrolled in a very expensive nationally accredited private college in Orlando Florida.
Accredited by whom? There are real accrediting agencies and "not so real" ones. Who exactly gave this school accreditation? This makes all the difference.
Is this a 2 year college or a 4 year college or a 4 year university?
My daughter has started having some misgivings about the school after a English Teacher was let go.
I would make every effort to contact the professor and get the professor's side of the story about why he/she was let go.
My daughter already had an A in the class so it did not effect her, but the rest of the students miraculously passed the course.
Unfortunately, the measure of a 2 year school's success is the ratio of how many people graduate to how many people enrolled 2 years earlier. They get funding based off that ratio (at least in NJ; I'm sure Florida is the same). That makes 2 year colleges ... whores, in some sense. But whores out of necessity. They need the money. At least, the semi-honest ones do. Maybe my lingo is too harsh. They do what they have to do to survive. It's an unfortunate metric because it places extreme conflict of interest on the school.
I should also mention that her college credits that she has earned to date cannot be transferred to a public University. Public Universities are regionally accredited and that accreditation is more difficult to obtain then a national one.
Is the accreditation board listed here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recognized_accreditation_associations_of_higher_learning
I find it hard to believe that NO credits would transfer. That raises a huge red flag for me.
Why did you choose a private college to begin with? What prompted the choice of this particular college?
If there's no compelling reason to attend this college, then given the hardship it sounds like you're undertaking to pay for the education and the suspicions you have, I would take her out of there immediately.
You live in Florida. U Florida was rate the 47th best university in the entire nation according to USNews, 2007. That is quite an amazing accomplishment, given the number of schools in the country. It's a public school, so it's not that expensive, especially since you're a resident. Why about that school?
If she can't get in, there are many many options available: take a half year off to study her ass off and retake the SAT.
Alternatively, many states (dunno about Florida, but you can ask) have a program where a student does 2 years at a community college and if he/she does well, automatically gets accepted into a state university. California does this with its community colleges and the University of California system.
If the program she's interested in is impacted, she can apply under a different major, kick some butt the first year, and then get department approval for a transfer to the impacted program.
There are always options. But I wouldn't go into extreme debt unless the college in question is a Yale or a Princeton. She may want to go to graduate school. If so, *that's* the time to go into debt.
Good luck!
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redbronze
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Jun 5 @ 5:09AM
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my late husband went to one of those carrier colleges that teach you a trade and it was also a bust.. There is not much really you can do.. Get a lawyer and sue but really all your doing is giving money to a lawyer and not getting anything in return..
I am sorry to hear this and think I will look into the college my daughter is looking into now.. SMile thanks for the heads up...
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Westcork
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Jun 5 @ 5:44AM
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Being the product of one of those very expensive private schools..a catholic college. I understand your concerns. While this school sounds like a diploma mill in the workings. Just remember this. When your daughter is finished with her bachlors of whatever. It really does not matter where she went to school only that she finished. So whether you pay 500 per credit hour at some haughty school with all kinds of kudos behind its name or she attended a local state funded school. The only thing a future employer is concerned with is this....Did she finish?
Honestly, she will receive the same education from a less expensive school and will probably have a better well rounded experience for being with the "average rank and file students". Rather then Abecromby Uppercrusts(a nice word for phoney as a three dollar bill!). I would pull the plug on the expensive school. Let her bitch and tell her its better to go somewhere where she will actually acheive something rather then be handed to her. In the long run, she will thank you for it. My cousin is the Chancelor of Vanderbilt University Gordon Gee and a while back he FIRED the entire athletic department management from the president of the Athletics Dept to the coaches. Because they were envolved in the same process. So, your not wrong. Sounds like you met a salesman when you enrolled her there? Follow your gut.
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Dovestreasure
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Jun 5 @ 8:06AM
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The School she attends in the International Academy of Design and Technology. They are accreditated by Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.They are recognized by the US department of education. She is working toward a fine arts degree in Multimedia design. She switched her major from Interior Design to Multimedia in April. She had straight A s in her first semester. She will most likely have the same this semester. After she completes the summer semester which begins in July she will have completed sixty four credits. Sixteen of her credits were transferred from the University of Central Florida. The school offers a Bachelor degree in three years. She would graduate in January 2009.
She goes to school four days a week her classes are four credits each but they often end early and even though they stressed during the admission process that attendace and tardiness were extremely important to good grades , they sure do not seem to enforce it.Anyone appears to be able to qualify for the school. The only requirement is having graduated from Highschool and the ability to get financial aid. Her tuition is funded by a small pell grant and the remainder is from a parent plus loan I had to take out through Sally Mae. They too have complaints about them listed on Ripoff.com .
We chose the school because it seemed a good match with her career objectives. She initially chose interior design , she loved the design elements of her class, but the drafting aspects she found tedious and restrictive. She did very well just the same. I was thrilled to see her so motivated for once. She was adrift at UCF and took a year off and was not motivated to return to classes until we found IADT. Yes the admissions counselor was very much a slick salesman. They claim thatthe courses are taught by professionals in the feild. I am wondering just how qualified they are.
This is from their website
Achieve your goal of earning a degree at International Academy of Design & Technology in Orlando, where training for a rewarding career and gaining marketable skills can bring your passion to life. Whether you’re a student fresh out of high school or a longtime member of the workforce, you can start enjoying what you do for a living.
Our career-focused programs allow students to graduate with an Associate degree in as little as 18 months or a Bachelor’s degree in as little as 36 months, allowing you to enter into the workforce and pursue your career quickly. Choose from day, evening or online class schedules, allowing you to work around your busy lifestyle as you study for your degree.
Select from a variety of programs at our design school in Orlando, all geared toward strengthening your talents and skills through a strong and balanced curriculum. Start training for an exciting career today! We can help turn your love of web design, fashion, interior design, advertising, game design and computer graphics into a career you love.
The programs at our design school in Orlando include:
Computer Graphics Interior Design Fashion Design and Merchandising
Marketing and Advertising Game Design and Development Multimedia Design
You hand over fifty dollars you get them copies of your transcripts, fill out the financial aid packet and your in just like that.
Thank you all for your thoughts and comments I did not sleep a wink last night.
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simplegal873
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Jun 5 @ 8:30AM
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Personally, if the school your daughter is going to is anything like the Sanford Brown mess in the St. Louis area, I would get her out of there NOW. I used to work at a highly respected hospital in St. Louis and graduates of most SB programs were pretty much black-balled as far as employment... the hospital simply refused to hire any of their grads, refused to allow them to do cliinical rotations, etc. and yeah it was extremely expensive to go there, but their grads were incompetent, and students down right dangerous in a medical setting. Get her into a community college or public college or university. Your wallet will thank you and so will she when she is actually able to find a job after graduating.
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jnwaco
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Jun 5 @ 9:57AM
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There's nothing wrong with grading on a curve system (sans highly in depth discussions about appropriate distributions).
I had a professor who nearly failed everyone. It was Estate and Trust Taxation, in the law school. I basically failed everyone except one girl who was taking this class by itself and no others. She made an A before the curve. Afterwards, I received a C. I had a 42 average coming into the final. The girl that got the A, well, there's nowhere to improve from there.
I'm more concerned about the online programs. We work with a lady who received her accounting degree online, and damned if she can even balance a column of numbers.
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yashaenka
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Jun 5 @ 10:08AM
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I would suggest that she finish out the year and then go to a fully accredited community college to get a AS degree that is transferable to a 4 year institution or university. Most CC's have arrangements with most state 4 year institutions where you transfer in as a junior. I would suggest you cut your losses now.
As a senior manager who has hired many hundreds of people over the years I have had to turn down people with degrees from private institutions unless they were nationally credited as a 4 year institutions. That is about course content and options where they do not offer the same things a nationally accredited 4 year school does.
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enigmasrook
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Jun 5 @ 12:56PM
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My brother is a tenured professor at a very well know university. His wife is Malaysian with a Master's degree from the University of London. So, his immediate family only pays half price tuition!!!Guess what? She decided to go into nursing in the states and wanted to attend a private college?????thinking because it was over 20 grand a year it was better. the sigh of relief my brother had when she didn't get in. State universities and colleges get a bad rap.....the only downfall I see is the class size....my daughter had chemistry and calculus lectures with over 500 students....but that only makes you more responsible for your own education in my eyes. Just my thoughts
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Dovestreasure
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Jun 5 @ 1:32PM
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would advise anyone who is even considering a private college to think twice.. and run to the closest city or state University and get a quality education.
The Admissions policy according to the International academy of design and technology is as follows... Due to our increasing popularity, IADT has a limited enrollment as classes tend to fill up quickly. Early application is advisable
The Truth is there is plenty of room for more students. My daughters audio mixing class has only four students enrolled this five hour class usually lasts about three to four hours.
All applicants are required to complete a personal interview with an admissions representative, either in person or by telephone, depending upon the distance from the Academy’s Orlando facilities. Parents and / or significant others are encouraged to attend, so everyone involved has an opportunity to see and learn more about the school’s equipment and facilities, and to ask questions relating to IADT Orlando’s curriculum and career objectives. Personal interviews also enable school administrators to determine whether an applicant is a strong candidate for enrollment into the program.
The Truth is every body who applies is accepted there are students in the design programs who have absolutely no talent , and low SAT scores, and barely graduated high school. You can never get a hold of administrators or staff, they are always in meetings discussing ways to increase enrollment.
The following items must be completed at the time of application:
Attestation of Graduation from High School or Equivalency
Request for college transcripts if applicant is seeking transfer of previously earned credit to the Academy
Application for Admission / Enrollment Agreement (if applicant is under 18 years of age it must also be signed by parent or guardian)
Payment of application fee (non-refundable unless applicant is denied admission or cancels application within three days of the Academy’s receipt of the application and fee)
The school reserves the right to reject applicants if the items listed above are not successfully completed.
Truth.. no one is turned away, and if you are over eighteen you can complete the application on line, without even stepping into the school. After my daughter and I toured the school and paid the 50.00 fee , I was called several times a day to be reminded to complete my parent plus loan ASAP , they were relentless. Yet its impossible to get them to return any of your calls if you leave a message and when you actually try to speak to them in person , that office is either closed, or as I said they are in a meeting.
I am going to address all my concerns with the College President. I want to see evidence of the Teaching staffs credentials, evedince of Alumni that have been successful in their feilds upon graduation.I want to know why the classes are always shorter in duration. I want to know why the staff ignores Emails and telephone calls.According to the complaints by several former students, it has been said that the company that accredits the school is actually owned by company that owns the school. My head is spinning. The Admissions counselor was a excellent salesman . If I do not get the answers I need I am going to contact the local media to see if they can help me get them.
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observed50
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Jun 5 @ 2:19PM
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Dove> If you think a business is a rip off, is the best source of information their people, their leader? Won't they simply do their best to mislead you away from your doubts and concerns? How do you know any documents they show you are real?
I would suggest you talk to the state department of education, the state attorney generals office, and Better Business Bureau. Find out what they have heard, how many complaints filed, what they know about the accreditation and so on. Call some employers in the area who would use your daughter's training in an employee.
I was going to go to Africa to work on a PhD. But I knew that there might be problems with the value of the PhD when I was through, so I researched heavily here to learn the value of the degree in the US market. That's how I ended up in Iowa... 
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