- Report: #317458
Complaint Review: Anthem College - Phoenix Arizona
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Anthem College
1515 E. Indian School Road Phoenix, 85014 Arizona, U.S.A.
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Anthem College NON-Accredited Vet tech program Phoenix Arizona
I am a previous student of the Anthem College Vet tech program in Phoenix, AZ and I feel that I have been ripped off also by Anthem Colleges schemes to get people to enroll. When I first entered the program the enrollment recruiters acted like car salesmen throwing many sales pitches at me trying to get me to attend. I remember my experience with the whole enrollment process as being hectic, on a number of occasions I found myself driving back and forth trying to figure out if I wanted to enroll in the school or not because recruiters kept on telling me different stories about available class schedules.
I finally decided to attend because the school was the closest college to my house that offered the vet tech program. After enrolling I started to realize that (High-Tech) was not the type of college that the enrollment recruiters and staff had claimed it to be. First of all the classes were jammed packed ranging from 15-24 students a classroom. I remember actually using lab tables to sit and do my class work at because there weren't anymore tables.
Secondly, the school is run down and old. Anthem does not even have a cafeteria for the students to eat it, therefore giving the hint that it was not even built to be a school in the first place. Thirdly, the staff is horrible after you enroll many staff members do not even care about your needs and concerns. When I was attending I could never find any directors or teachers to talk to about any issues I was having while attending.
For example, I remember having to wait a month just to get my ID and going to career services so they could help me find a job and being handed a thick packet of job listing printed out from the internet. The worst part though is when I found out that the Vet tech program I was paying about 25,000 dollars for was not even AMVA accredited.
I looked at the AMVA website and there it was plain as day Anthem had signed up to begin the accrediting process, but is not actually accredited. This upset me, but being a 4.0 average student I didn't let that stop me from continuing my classes. After taking three classes at Anthem and getting straight A's and one B I took my Biology class.
A couple of days into the class and I realized I wasn't going to pass the class was too advanced for me. I then went up to my Instructor ( the Director) and asked if it was OK for me to go to a community college and take the same course at a much slower pace. Of course he said NO it can't be done because accrediting issues and at that I just bluntly said " Well aren't community colleges more accredited them tech schools anyway" and he confirmed it was true. I decided to drop the class at that point and even went down to the school to talk to the director to drop the class. He gladly dropped me and scheduled me to start another class for a later date handing me documentation saying that I would have to give it to the registration office to notify them of my drop.
Time went by and I eventually forgot about it thinking that the director of the program had already put it in his system. A month later I get a call telling me they terminated me from the school because I wasn't attending. This is when I go down to financial aid to get my finances explained to me and to tell them that I did not intentionally try to skip class, and didn't know I was still being put on the roster.
I even told them I spoke to the director of the vet tech program and he had approved it himself and knew about me trying to drop my Biology class. Anyway it came down to a technical error and the school blaming me for not attending.
Finally they slammed me with $2,000 that I owe to Anthem and $1,000 dollars for a Sallie Mae loan I had taken out. The school claims that they gave back all the money I had applied for including financial aid, and now I have to pay the High Tech Corporation for the classes I took while attending. Is this even fair on the schools part to make me pay $3,000 for a school that terminated me because of a senseless technical issue and for a private school education I hardly received?
Mary
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
I finally decided to attend because the school was the closest college to my house that offered the vet tech program. After enrolling I started to realize that (High-Tech) was not the type of college that the enrollment recruiters and staff had claimed it to be. First of all the classes were jammed packed ranging from 15-24 students a classroom. I remember actually using lab tables to sit and do my class work at because there weren't anymore tables.
Secondly, the school is run down and old. Anthem does not even have a cafeteria for the students to eat it, therefore giving the hint that it was not even built to be a school in the first place. Thirdly, the staff is horrible after you enroll many staff members do not even care about your needs and concerns. When I was attending I could never find any directors or teachers to talk to about any issues I was having while attending.
For example, I remember having to wait a month just to get my ID and going to career services so they could help me find a job and being handed a thick packet of job listing printed out from the internet. The worst part though is when I found out that the Vet tech program I was paying about 25,000 dollars for was not even AMVA accredited.
I looked at the AMVA website and there it was plain as day Anthem had signed up to begin the accrediting process, but is not actually accredited. This upset me, but being a 4.0 average student I didn't let that stop me from continuing my classes. After taking three classes at Anthem and getting straight A's and one B I took my Biology class.
A couple of days into the class and I realized I wasn't going to pass the class was too advanced for me. I then went up to my Instructor ( the Director) and asked if it was OK for me to go to a community college and take the same course at a much slower pace. Of course he said NO it can't be done because accrediting issues and at that I just bluntly said " Well aren't community colleges more accredited them tech schools anyway" and he confirmed it was true. I decided to drop the class at that point and even went down to the school to talk to the director to drop the class. He gladly dropped me and scheduled me to start another class for a later date handing me documentation saying that I would have to give it to the registration office to notify them of my drop.
Time went by and I eventually forgot about it thinking that the director of the program had already put it in his system. A month later I get a call telling me they terminated me from the school because I wasn't attending. This is when I go down to financial aid to get my finances explained to me and to tell them that I did not intentionally try to skip class, and didn't know I was still being put on the roster.
I even told them I spoke to the director of the vet tech program and he had approved it himself and knew about me trying to drop my Biology class. Anyway it came down to a technical error and the school blaming me for not attending.
Finally they slammed me with $2,000 that I owe to Anthem and $1,000 dollars for a Sallie Mae loan I had taken out. The school claims that they gave back all the money I had applied for including financial aid, and now I have to pay the High Tech Corporation for the classes I took while attending. Is this even fair on the schools part to make me pay $3,000 for a school that terminated me because of a senseless technical issue and for a private school education I hardly received?
Mary
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
pissed consumer
Phoenix,Arizona,
Follow up
#2REBUTTAL Individual responds
Tue, December 31, 2013
I think that Anthem College now has the AMVA accreditation. For the person that asked me why didn't I ask if the school was accredited before I enrolled, the AMVA accreditation is a different accreditation that only schools with vet tech programs must have in order to be considered legitimate. Years later, all of my general credits transferred to Grand Canyon University. I am now in my last year of college and will be graduating with honors. Although, my experience with Anthem College was not great, I at least got credit for the work that I did at that school. I was a 4.0 student at Anthem for those of you who want to judge and at the time the Director was a man because I spoke to him in person. I wouldn't recommend Anthem college and would definitely go to a community college instead.
Ruth Ann Monti
Phoenix,Arizona,
United States of America
Anthem College-Phoenix Vet Tech Program
#3UPDATE Employee
Tue, November 22, 2011
As stated above, accreditation takes some time and a college has to be operating a program in order for it to be considered for accreditation. Even community colleges have to operate a program in order to be considered for accreditation.
There is a new vet tech wing at the campus as well. As an alumnus, you can contact the college to take refresher courses in vet tech at no charge.
The course catalog clearly states that students must attend classes to remain enrolled in a program. It is up to you to make sure you attend classes. If you have to miss a class, you are responsible for contacting your instructor as soon as possible.
Finally, the director of the Veterinary Technology program is a woman.
Report Attachments
rose
Phoenix,Arizona,
United States of America
Accreditation
#4Consumer Comment
Thu, May 26, 2011
This is to the individual listing Anthem Colleges credentials.
In they year 2004 I was a student attending Anthem Colleges Vet Tech program, and they actually had a meeting with all the pending graduates of that school year stating that the college was not AMVA accredited. In my opinion colleges should be accrideted prior to accepting and enrolling students for a program that they are asking people to spend tens of thousands of dollars on. Furthermore, I think it is the schools responsiblity to follow up on students if they stop attending class so that they can determine what should be done about student loans, and federal pell grants that are already disbersed. Furthermore, I noticed a lot of the faculty and staff were not actively engaged in the success of the students, and it seemed to be that the college was primarily concerned about making a profit rather then investing money into the students so that they could have access to a decent faciltiy. The building in Phoenix, AZ is rather run down, and shabby. You would think with all those tens of thousands of dollars they are getting from their student they could invest it in the maitnance, and remodeling of that school. I feel that I was lied to by recrutiers, and the months that I was attending that school, I did not recieve the type of quality education that I expected after paying thousands of dollars.
Ruth Ann Monti
Phoenix,Arizona,
United States of America
Veterinary Technology program at Anthem College-Phoenix
#5UPDATE Employee
Wed, April 27, 2011
Anthem College--Phoenix has received accreditation from American Veterinary Medical Association for its Veterinary Technology Associate of Science program. Accreditation is not an instant process. Institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review.
Prior to receiving accreditation, Anthem College informed all applicants to this program that it had applied for accreditation from AVMA.
Anthem College--Phoenix is also accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges & Schools, which is recognized as a national institutional accrediting body by the United States Department of Education and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The College is also licensed or approved by the following groups:
- Veterans Training
- Arizona Department of Education
- Arizona Department of Economic Security for Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- Student Exchange & Visitor Program (SEVP), a division of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement
- Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
- Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
Anthem College has a strict attendance policy outlined in the course catalog. The Colleges attendance policy approximates the expectations found in a work environment and is designed to help students develop the discipline of regular and prompt attendance. Students who miss more than 14 consecutive days of class are terminated.
This policy, as well as financial aid information and requirements and other College policies, are reviewed with all applicants before they enroll in Anthem College.
Destructo
Stuarts Draft,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Mary
#6Consumer Comment
Thu, March 13, 2008
Why didn't you question them about being accredited BEFORE you started attending?
