Existing students at the closing Ai sites are being told that they will be given time to finish their degrees. Does anyone inside know what that means in reality... being transformed into straight A students, getting fast tracked to the finishing line? Or being left to rot? Or being offered a transfer to another failing school? Who even checks this stuff? Closing in "2-3 years" for a first yr student on a 4 yr degree course isn't very reassuring (well we nearly got you there... now you just need to transfer your worthless credits elsewhere for your final yr)....
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Thank God for DF, BMC's only honest VP. To this day, he has fought tooth and nail for the students. BMC is a small part of a very large section of EDMC, but DF is one of the only "good guys". Many of us have worked with DF for years and years. I am sure that he is trying save us from the icy waters of the Atlantic, but the ship is becoming submerged quickly. Thank you, DF, for standing by us when we are at the mercy of the corporation. I thank God for you every day and hope that you will come out of this better than you were when you became involved in EDMC's house of cards.
646 I didn't interpret 550's comment like that atall. I think s/he means that if teaching staff cheat and get found out, a custodial sentence awaits. All the same I bet it's rife in many of the EDMC schools where integrity apparently doesn't figure in "Corporate's" lexicon. Management set the tone after all....
Get out. Unfortunately, you're burnt on the loans you've already taken out. You will still be responsible for those. And no, your credits will not be transferable. Your best bet is to find a reputable institution.
I was one of the Admissions managers that thought I could make a difference. Now that I'm gone, this is how I will make my impact. Steer people as far away from these types of institutions as possible.
So, 101550, your rationale is, "hey, other people are just as bad as we are, why are you picking on us?"
Run and don't look back!!!
Run!
Atlanta public school teachers modified student grades .... Look what happened there
Who checks the grades? I mean if the teachers feel sorry for the kids and pressure is on to get them out of the door as quickly as possible, might they not be tempted just to pass everyone regardless? Does it come down to the integrity of the teaching staff or are there proper checks in place?
They are not going give you straight "A" s just to get rid of you, that is pure wishful thinking. At best, they will be around long enough for SOME of you to finish but I would not even take that bet. Look, they lied to you all along, now that they are going under and basically have nothing to lose, do you really think they care what happens to you when they decided to shut down you campus? At best they will say "here is a pamphlet to other schools you should check out" your responsibility not our, we are out of here.
If you are a student reading this, do yourself a favor and start looking at other schools fast. You will have to take a hit on this one but it will be a lot worse if you wait a couple of years hoping the school will stick around long enough for you to finish, and that goes for on-line as well. Chances are it will collapse sooner then they expect. You really dont want to be aboard the Titanic when it finally goes under. No one is going to rescue you. Get in a lifeboat as fast as you can, even if nothing transfers. Besides, do you really want to start out your career with a degree from a debunked school? What dose that say to your future employer about the skills you have from a school that was so bad it had to close its doors? That degree from Ai will haunt you the rest of your life. If you transfer to a decent school and graduate, your degree will only show that new schools name on it. I think it goes without saying, dont transfer to any more For-Profits. I would hire someone with a little talent who went to city college long before I would consider anyone who went to a for-profit diploma mill like The Art Institute.
There seems to be an assumption that the EDMC rolled out the new attendance policy to hasten the departure of students. Is this really true? Wasn't the attendance policy imposed by the Feds? It is my understanding EDMC had little choice. If they wanted Federal money, they had to accept the tougher attendance policy.
@100949, unfortunately, the students that stick around are probably the most scared and vulnerable. Smart ones will transfer, those who can't or are too angry will hopefully find a unified voice and fight back. But most of these kids are not equipped for that kind of struggle. The same factors that let them fall victim to recruiters, that kept them from succeeding in the classroom, will also keep them bound by fear to an institution that's draining them of what little they have left. As scary as it seems now, the school closing is probably better for these kids in the end.
Spot on TheNewErica. It's difficult to understand the mentality of any students that stick around. At least staff aren't in the dark any more.
It's all a matter of numbers when it comes to Corporate. If the student population falls below a certain pre-defined number, there won't be enough money to support basic operational costs and the school will close. Before announcing the teach out, Corporate rolled out a harsh new attendance policy that in practice has proven very effective at increasing attrition rates. There has also been a huge push recently to get students into online classes. Take in the fact that ALL of my top notch students upon hearing the news immediately began applying to other schools and you have an environment perfectly designed to quickly and efficiently get the students out of the building.
Also, the vast majority of instructors here are adjuncts. As adjuncts are "at will" employees, they might stick around a quarter or two, but the moment they find another job they'll jump ship like any sane person would. Even if enough students did stick it out, I'm not sure they would be happy with the level of instructor Ai would find to replace an already substandard teaching pool.
Regardless of what Corporate intended, they have created an environment that will most likely empty each and every one of these schools long before any student could finish a teach out.
Run... don't walk, away..... Before you rack up even more debt on a worthless degree.
Run... don't walk, away..... Before you rack up even more debt on a worthless degree.