I am a former Kaplan online student. I had enough. That's another story. Let's just say that I will be paying off thousands of dollars for a long time and I attend a well respected and well rated university at present. I talk to real people in person, not a computer. I have class discussions instead of sitting home alone in my chair being bored out of my mind with reading assignments and looking at stuff on a screen. I belong to an honor organization on campus in my field. I know my instructors, who will be future references for employment and they know me and know I interact well and contribute to the class. My instructors have real life experiene in my specific discipline. Cannot really get this online. It has to be in person. Nothing wrong with an occasional online course, but all online in a people-oriented profession. No, that is not the way to do it. Buck up and get to classes, no matter how inconvenient it is for you. .
What I do not understand about all these rip off reports here and elsewhere is how a university can push through paperwork for loans that the student does not apparently even know they are getting. How is this possible??? I currently receive student loans through my university. I fill out the FAFSA, and my eligibility is determined via that document. FAFSA is not a loan factory either.
I receive a notice from the university asking me whether I want to accept or decline my student loans for the following year, and information on whether they are government subsidized or not and interest rates. Finally, I receive a Promissory Note -- a legal document -- that I need to sign and return. This can appear either online or as a paper document. I have a record of my Promissory Note that clearly delineates the amount and interest rate of the loan. Additionally, I receive info in the mail from the lending instution telling me about the loan periodically and the option to pay off interest. This is at least yearly, it may be more often.
Now, just let me say that if these steps are not being taken at Kaplan then something is very, very wrong. I am not saying it is, and I am just listing the procedure at my current university, but there is something very very wrong if students are finding out that they have these humungous loans they did not know about. If this happens, and you are one of those, I suggest you contact the lender of the loan and validate that you signed the Promissory Note for the loan. And, if you did not, then something else is very very wrong or illegal or unethical here. But, if this is happened to a lot of you, then maybe someone needs to contact a lawyer and see what is going on here.
I really really feel sad for the students and the single moms and anyone else who were sold essentially a pack of lies for the benefit of someone's commission and are getting these jacked up fees. I got out before this happened, but, of course, lost a lot of money.
So, if you want an eduation, do not go to Kaplan. Go to a real school in person, especially if your field involved is about working closely with people. Those class discussions and oral reports in front of the class will help you in the future. Joining that group related to your major and attending those meetings will make a difference. Hanging with your classmates and/or studying together makes a difference.
And, always check your Promissory Note. It is a full fledged legal document that tells you everything you need about your loan, including the option to cancel it within a legal period of time. And again, if you are not getting a copy of this and signing it, something is really, really wrong. Get a lawyer.