Complaint Review: Wheeler Institute Of Dallas - Court Reporting Institute Of Dallas - Dallas Texas

I went to CRID, or the Court Reporting Institute of Dallas, which was run by the "Wheelers" back then and am sad to hear it is not around anymore.  

I got a great court reporting education and passed the State exam the first time I took it.  I have been in the field for twenty plus years and make six figures easily and attribute that to my old school.  How sad that it was sold to incompetent people.  I definitely think there should be rules regarding who can and cannot run or own a school of any type.  If you have any questions about court reporting as a carreer, please contact me.  :)

I didn't find the school itself or the classes to be bad. I actually think highly of most of the staff. Stenography is a difficult skill to learn and there is a lot of stress flowing through those halls. However, I do feel like the counselors mislead you when you are enrolling into the school. You are told it is a 2 1/2 year school. This is not true. I was told my hours would transfer to three different schools. My hours only transfer to one school, the University of Phoenix which I have no plans to attend because of its own deteriorating reputation. The biggest way they mislead you is by promising you an expectation of a high level salary and an abundance of jobs. Of the people that do make it through the program, finding steady work for good pay is difficult.

I was the same way with the Court Reporting Institute of Houston. I myself was in at a crossroads with Houston Community College System with ghetto problems on the Central campus & immature bratty teens on Southwest campus of dumb professors not showing me the way in a better education & student aid giving more confusion about taking so many classes for Multimedia which all the concern was about money. I fault lose & disappointed in myself I sacrifice for these losers.

So I started looking for a better degree plan so I research Court Reporting. It sound good, flexible & nice income... so I thought. I saw the ad for the Court Reporting Institute of Houston in the Greensheet give them call to talk to them. It took two buses to get there & a long walk, Houston Metro suck big time! But I made it to the office, ask questions, read carefully on the contract & had no skeptic ideas what so ever. Got in the school barely seeing teachers explain in the books, just people lying about whose in charge leaving the school without us knowing, not giving you half of your PELL Grant when I needed half to pay for my rent when I pushing 2 jobs because no one didn't want to help me not my parents even if I asked. Try confuse the hell out of me at the school. Teachers & admission not caring if I make there dead or alive, just want my money. It hurts, I didn't want to think I was being stabbed in the back when try to teach Paralegal progam I switched over BIG MISTAKE! So students were frustated with less teacher apperance & everytime a representative was there for 3 months until they were gone.

I'll never ever go to this school nor let my friends go cause it a waste time.

This is the the "cridbaby" which is more like a CRID cry-baby. CRID is a great institution of which I am a student of. I also have many acquaintenances throughout CSRNation.com who are equally as pleased with CRID's curriculum, teachers, and staff as I am. Court Reporting is not a field for everyone. It is a hard field to get into and takes a lot of dedication in order to make it through the program. Those who aren't qualified shouldn't be in the program, simple as pie. After speaking with other students and including my own personal experience, CRID is a great choice for on-line or brick and mortar schooling. The teachers are very personable, knowledgable, and are willing to work with students under any difficulties they may be having, technical or not. To any up and coming CR students out there, CRID is a great place to learn everything you need to know and more about CRing. And to the comment about credits not transferring, upon signing up for CRID, it is made very clear that credits may not and probably won't transfer. Also, there is no need for credits to transfer because upon completion of the program, you receive and AA in Applied Science.

I also think the original report was a little harsh. As the two other rebuttals have stated, court reporting can be one of the most frustrating schools to go through, which I was warned about at CRID before I even started. Graduation rates at all programs are very low, the schools and equipment are costly no matter where you go, and it takes a lot of self-discipline and determination to get through it. Not to mention, all these schools are full of bitterness and resentment from students. I don't think CRID is TOO different from other schools around the country as far as those things are concerned. What I can agree with about the original report is this: CRID has some problems. As a recent student (past 5 years) I can tell you that this isn't the same schools you two went to a decade or longer ago. I went through the program in three years, not too fast but not a lifer, and I felt I was qualified when i finished the program. When I started, the school was owned and run by completely different people. Dean Bennett and the school's director, Dr. Julian (sp), were AWESOME and ran a great school. However, they both left in 2006 when the school was sold to the company Vatterott. Vatterott is inexperienced and has never had anything to do with the field of Court Reporting before buying out CRID, and they do not understand the field of Court Reporting. Their ignorance was apparent the minute they took over. Some of their other fields involve air conditioning, cosmetology, and network security. At that point, the school moved to a new building and which started a constant wave of changes and instability. Long-time teachers were either let go or just quit. Administrative faculty started turning over like a retail store in a mall. One of their best teachers, Mrs. Follman, was unjustly let go for no reason. There were what seemed like arbitrary changes in expectations and rules for students. For a while, they even stopped checking student's notes in theory and only graded the translated transcripts. As a result, some students started chucking theory out the window and making up their own as early as Theory A. How is that in the best interest of a court reporting student? If you don't know your theory, you're never going to make it through school. I can't confirm if they still do that. The computers are ancient. At such high admissions, they SHOULD be able to afford better technology. They have four computer rooms, but only two with truly, completely functioning computers. Sure, you can bring your own computer, it's just an inconvenience. An inconvenience that shouldn't exist with the cost and expectations of a school that was touted as the "Harvard of Court Reporting schools" when I signed up. What I can say is really wrong about the first report is that the teachers are all awful. Once you get out theory, all they really do anyway is read dictation and mentor you. But there are plenty of qualified and talented people still teaching at CRID that helped me get through school and whom I am grateful for. I'm not going to tell anyone not to go to CRID, rather I would say make sure Court Reporting is something you really want to do and can dedicate yourself completely to before you try it. That is the only way you'll get through school. Do shop around though, I've heard great things about Court Reporting At Home, (CRAH.COM), and if you're brave, Mark Kislingbury's Stenomaster program.

Okay, court reporting school is hard--actually, it is an impossible dream for most who attend (if anyone reading this is considering becoming a court reporter and you think you have the lazy gene, don't even bother--it takes stamina). Many nowadays just go to captioning or CART, something that technically doesn't require a certificate (although both captioning and CART are the toughest gigs--if you want to do it right, that is) and do not complete the coursework/speed requirements to go on and become a certified shorthand reporter (they make far less income, as well). I've said many times to friends and family that the only way I ever got through court reporting school is because I could take a lot of disappointment and keep on going. There is nothing easy about it. You have to be dedicated and fight to get to your goal--it's physical and mental. You have to try not to blame other factors for not progressing as you would like, even though that is human nature and hard to do when there's one failure after another. Now, one thing that you did say that is quite troubling to me is that you have to pass levels within a certain period of time. Maybe that has something to do with financial aid; I don't know. That certainly was not a part of the equation when I went there. Seems like extra pressure that you just don't need. Anyone thinking of going to CRID, I suggest you ask for specifics re time limits for each speed level. There was no such thing as an "evaluation period" when I attended. The other thing you posted that I didn't hear people complain about in the '80s, in one scenario or another, is about the lack of computers. I typed all of my tests from my notes on a Selectric II or III (typewriter), none of this computer-aided transcription for tests. They always had enough Selectrics. (And personally, I think they make it far too easy for students now--you should have to read from your paper notes when typing every test, including the test in Austin. I believe in testing by worst case scenario, not best.) Part of court reporting school is the whining and complaining--it's everyone else's fault, right?--but the successful ones stay focused, driven, and figure out a way to make it work for them. For example, for those of you out there that don't want to wait for a computer or don't have a laptop to load the student version of the software (if that is allowed), ask the powers that be if you can use a typewriter and type from your notes (the old-fashioned way--now, there's a student with determination and problem-solving skills). If they don't have a typewriter, ask if you can bring one up there and leave it for your own use. They may go for it, maybe not--it's worth a try. Do whatever you can to keep moving forward positively instead of getting wrapped up in the oh-so-easy negative bitching that will bring you down. Got a problem? Figure it out without the attitude of "You should provide this for my money. Where is it?!" Don't waste precious time stewing or complaining--get to the business of getting out and embarking upon your career. Take charge. Yes, you can try the at-home Internet courses. Without brick-and-mortar, administration to guide you/listen to you (even though you think they don't), teachers to help you through (and if they're court reporters, ask 'em all you can think of about the field--they've been there (if they're negative, don't ask again--not everyone's cut out for it, like I said)), and your classmates (they rank right at the top--associate with only the positive, driven students; stay away from the "downers"), you might just be wishing you were back at my alma mater, CRID. Come to think of it, my training there has allowed me to go on and earn almost $2 million during my career. Wow. And I still have a ways to go! Guess you could say I'm sittin' pretty. I'm so glad I stuck it out--I love this career. Wasn't easy getting here, but it's been great since (and, actually, looking back at all my frustration and failures--and successes!--that was great, too). Now, with that being said, not everyone is cut out to be a court reporter. School attrition is high and so is first-year reporter attrition. You almost have to love it to your very core to succeed or you have to be just naturally gifted. Those who are not naturally gifted (like me) and don't LOVE the field (I did and do) will probably not make it--if they make it through school, they probably won't in the real world. I suggest anyone attending or contemplating attending think carefully before making the decision. It's no cakewalk, during school or after. When you get there and see that things aren't just the way you want them, make lemonade out of -- you know. Don't let your fear of failure (or success) get you off track with some inconsequential issues that derail you.

I understand the frustration that students go through when attending a court reporting program, but that is frustration that happens in every program, not just CRID. The most important aspect of getting through the program is to not blame everyone else for not passing tests or being sucessful. Take responsibility for yourself. Before anyone chooses court reporting as a career, they need to do the research. Why do you think we make such a good salary? It's not because the school and job are easy. We are in high demand because our supply is low, and that's because of the difficulty of school and passing the certification tests. Graduation and passing rates are low no matter what court reporting program you look into. The instructors and staff at CRID are wonderful, but with all the bad attitude circulating in the school from the students, it can get hard for them to stay patient and positive with students that blame them for their problems. They can't magically cause you to pass tests. If they could make you go home and practice and become successful, I'm pretty sure they would. As far as being inexperienced, I really don't understand that. In dictation classes, they're just reading to you. And if they were reporters, then they can answer any question you have about being in the field. What else do you want? I never had any problems with computers in all except one room, in which the computers are a little outdated. There are three other rooms with plenty of computers, and I never had a problem with getting a computer. And if you're having problems with practice tapes, why don't you record the dictation in class yourself? Tuition and time limits are all subjects that are discussed with prospective students. You even have to sign some paperwork acknowledging that you were told the information. I think that most people are so excited about starting that they don't take the time to think about the reality that they might struggle later on in their speeds. Everyone always thinks that they're going to graduate in the 2 1/2 year time or faster. After I graduated, I got a job a week later and was very confident and prepared from the eduacation I received at CRID. I don't know what graduates you have spoken with, but I haven't heard any complaints. The only complaints I hear are from students who are frustrated, stuck in speeds, and can't take responsibility for their own failure. If you are looking to start at the Court Reporting Institute of Dallas, I would highly recommend it. I also recommend talking to working reporters and positive students and doing research on the career. Court reporting school is not easy. If it were, everyone would do it.