High Tech Institute... be wary
Reading up on Al Collins School of Graphics made me wish I had known about this site when I was fighting HTI (High Tech Institute)last year. I know a lot can change in a year, but I stayed in touch with people who graduated in December of 1999.. I configured their e-mail for them.
The story is much the same:
Instructors incapable of instructing coupled with a high instructor turnover rate. Shoddy lab equipment when there was lab equipment. Class outlines that were never followed, whole sections of courses skipped. Attendance not affecting grades. I PURPOUSLY did not show for my final exam and recieved a passing grade on a presentation I did not give! Multiple meetings with the head of HTI Phoenix. And so on and on and on.
Myself and 8 other classmates started fighting the school, in the end, only 3 of us stood our grounds. I complained to the private school association, another seperate association they are affiliated with, the BBB and the Attorney General. All told me that I had no case, but they were not paying the $20,000 to go to that school. One good thing did come from this, HTI did purchase a boatload of equipment after the complaints, so students should at least have a little more than what I had... but for what it took to get that little step, shows you what you are dealing with.
One small example:
$20,000 per student... Hardware Class: broken down 486DX to tear apart and put back together, $30-$50.... the class of 34 people had 3 tear down machines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6 weeks of that class, and even after one of the 3 machines had been smoked, we finished the course on 2 machines. The finals were taken on these machines... 34 people sitting around to take apart and put together 2 machines.... learn?? how??
The HTI main office finally stepped in and "forgave" my loan to the school, leaving me with about $5,000 in government student loans. Better than I had hoped but still $4,000 too much for what I recieved.
Just a quick warning to all who would attend a trade school. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!!! SIT IN ON CLASSES!!!!!!!!! ASK CURRENT STUDENTS WHAT THEY THINK!!!!!!!!