- Report: #915634
Complaint Review: Newburgh Theological Seminary - Internet
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Newburgh Theological Seminary
Internet, United States of America
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http://www.newburghseminary.com
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Newburgh Theological Seminary NTS Be careful Internet
To begin with, the academic quality of a school of higher learning that requires only a few papers to receive a degree cannot carry much weight. Those who get a degree from this institution do it merely for the paper, or title as the case may; I was one. I tried to sign up with them, but became extremely concerned over the way they handled everything.
I filled out their online evaluation and e-mailed them concerning my transcripts. I have one original set; the school is no longer in operation, so obtaining original copies is impossible. The message I received from Newburghs representative clearly stated, send what you have. I mailed them notarized copies of my originals. In the mean time, I received an e-mail from the president of Newburgh, Glenn Mollette, advising me of my tentative acceptance. Their admissions representative, Robin Baggett, called and left a message. When I returned his call, they told me he was out of the office. The phone tag went on for several days. As it turned out, he leaves the office at 1:30 and the office closes at 4:00. The school from which I received my masters was able to contact me after working hours. Why cannot Newburgh, especially when one considers I was seeking to pursue a doctorate?
My concerns became grave when it was obvious that something had happened to my transcripts. They were mailed to Newburgh June 15, 2012, but they were not received until June 28, 2012. They are claiming it took thirteen days to get from Huntsville, AL to Newburgh, IN. In addition, there was some confusion as to whether or not the notarized copies would be acceptable; this was despite what their representative originally told me.
If I were to advise someone concerning Newburgh, I would say, Be cautious. I have all the e-mail messages that were exchanged, as does my attorney. There are many contradictions, which seems to indicate confusion and a total lack of organization. I have requested they return my transcripts since they no longer need them; I have opted not to pursue a degree with them under advice of counsel. They have refused. At this time, I am weighing options concerning legal action and filing a complaint with the Indiana Attorney Generals office, because it is obvious there are significant problems at Newburgh.
I filled out their online evaluation and e-mailed them concerning my transcripts. I have one original set; the school is no longer in operation, so obtaining original copies is impossible. The message I received from Newburghs representative clearly stated, send what you have. I mailed them notarized copies of my originals. In the mean time, I received an e-mail from the president of Newburgh, Glenn Mollette, advising me of my tentative acceptance. Their admissions representative, Robin Baggett, called and left a message. When I returned his call, they told me he was out of the office. The phone tag went on for several days. As it turned out, he leaves the office at 1:30 and the office closes at 4:00. The school from which I received my masters was able to contact me after working hours. Why cannot Newburgh, especially when one considers I was seeking to pursue a doctorate?
My concerns became grave when it was obvious that something had happened to my transcripts. They were mailed to Newburgh June 15, 2012, but they were not received until June 28, 2012. They are claiming it took thirteen days to get from Huntsville, AL to Newburgh, IN. In addition, there was some confusion as to whether or not the notarized copies would be acceptable; this was despite what their representative originally told me.
If I were to advise someone concerning Newburgh, I would say, Be cautious. I have all the e-mail messages that were exchanged, as does my attorney. There are many contradictions, which seems to indicate confusion and a total lack of organization. I have requested they return my transcripts since they no longer need them; I have opted not to pursue a degree with them under advice of counsel. They have refused. At this time, I am weighing options concerning legal action and filing a complaint with the Indiana Attorney Generals office, because it is obvious there are significant problems at Newburgh.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Truth Rocket
Washington D.C. ,Dist of Columbia,
USA
What???
#2Consumer Comment
Sun, April 10, 2016
So you lost no money yet you file what is called a "ripoff report?"Seems a bit malicious to say the least...
If the school were to accept students without proper qualifications and/or transcipts it would be the other students that were being "ripped off" not you, since they had to meet the school's admittance guidelines properly.
Bottom line- Newburgh Theological Seminary has made great strides towards being the best program of its kind.
In fact, the current faculty and roster of recent graduates attests to this truth.
Luis
Hobart,Other,
Favouratism towards so called 'accreditation'
#3General Comment
Sun, September 08, 2013
I have attempted to gain entry to the Masters program in Christian Counselling at NTS on several occassions. Admittedly, I do not have a first Bachelors degree, however I do have extensive vocational Diploma studies in the fields of Psychotherapy, Counselling, Addiction, various other therapies ie. CBT, DBT, etc., and Mental Health. I also currently work as a Nurse in a Psychiatric Unit at a government Hospital. You would think that this would somewhat qualify me for entry without a first degree.
However, various emails from NTS assure me that according to their accrediting body, whoever they may be, NTS will not be able to admit any student who does not have a first Bachelors degree.
From the posts I have been reading about NTS it appears that due to their enrolment policy re: 'the work of Chris', some of the current students don't even have the capability to construct and author academically acceptable papers. I suspect that it's only due to the fact that they are able to pay the hefty fees that NTS want for their curriculum, which brings me to my next point.
If in earning a NTS degree, and if it was as simple as reading a bunch of books, 8 in total, by obscure authors and even more obscure subjects, and then summarising what had been read into approximately 20 pages with commentary on how the book had 'impacted' your life, then I could have gone to Amazon.com, bought, downloaded and read the books myself on Kindle, and then gone to some dodgy Diploma Mill and printed myself a 'NTS' degree and transcript for less than $100US, therefore saving myself approximately $2000US (minus what the Amazon.com books cost). That's still a massive saving and it would look good on my wall.
The point is this: why should anyone go to the lengths, in which NTS want you to go through just to gain enrolment into the college in the first place, and thereafter, do so little work leading up to your degree. No tutorials, no quizzes, no exams, no visa viz, no requirement for evidence based practice (especially with the counselling courses) and at the end of all that, no real reputation in the name of NTS.
In conclusion I offer up the following scenario (based on the NTS model):
1. Find a Diploma mill and print myself various Bachelors, Masters, and PhD qualifications from reputable schools (a total of under $500US)
2. Develop my own website and call it 'Wales Theological College'. The more bells and whistles, the better
3. Develop curriculum for various degree courses which are relevant to both religious and non religious subjects (get creative with this; you could develop a degree in Cristian Rock Music)
4. For each course developed, find 8-10 books on Amazon.com which could cover the subject matter/material
5. Write up a 3-5 page multiple choice exam based on each book and an assessment paper of about 50-100 pages for the final thesis (make it somewhat legitimate and a bit challenging)
6. Charge a flat fee of $1000US for Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees (I'd pay that much)
7. Create my own accreditation body (Use your friends as goveners of the body; if they're scattered globally, even better, and if they don't have degree qualifications, please go to step 1 above)
There you have it. Is this a facetious and sarcastic attempt at ridicule towards NTS? It may be; only you, the wise and cautious consumer can be the judge of my take on NTS and their 'scam'; there, I said it. Hopefully I did not offend any persons with this assumption.
Let me close with the following warning: Caveat emptor-Let the buyer be aware. A warning that notifies a buyer that the goods he or she is buying are 'as is' or subject to all defects.
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bwebb44
Englewood,Ohio,
USA
It's A Real School - Sometimes It Takes A While
#4General Comment
Wed, July 25, 2012
My experience with Newburgh is that they are a real school. They have an admission's office and a process of registering new students. They reviewed my transcript and verified that my previous school exists. If their procedures were similar to a lot of other schools they would have simply taken your money without verifying your transcript. Why don't you simply call the admission's department and say you would like to make an appointment with the advisor or any of the other advisors? I have found that someone has always returned my calls. Most college/seminary employees work different schedules. I am sure that if you call and say "I can be reached at a certain day and time that someone will call. Or, why don't you simply ask for the name of another advisor? If this is how you handle phone tag and life's delays then how do you handle things that are really major?
