I work for CEC: in admissions we're trained to pitch the school w/high pressure sales tactics, unethical sales pitches, and grossly misinformed communication. Most advisors (salesman) practice what is lingo as the take away If you didn't start on a particular date then you would not be admitted and needed to look elsewhere.
You may end up demanding to speak with the salesman's supervisor. This super will actually be worse and he will make deceptive claims to get you to enroll quicker. He may tell you, you didn't have any outstanding courses and you should enroll ASAP to avoid tuition increases. However, another dept., will state after your FA has kicked in, that you do have outstanding courses needed to complete.
Bringing this info to the supervisor he may insist the other dept was incorrect. When you ask the admin. Super to email you this information he will refuse stating it is against school policy. He wont want a paper trail, knowing he could be held accountable if anything was put in writing. You will end up speaking with the Dean of the campus and she will basically defend the supervisor.
During the time you are taking courses with CEC you will find the work to be extremely easy and every student receives a passing grade regardless of the quality of their work. Once your enrolled you become a voiceless stock number and your needs are irrelevant. You are sold an education that is not delivered, the high price only justifies; youre paying for the convenience, ease of passing, no exams, and speedy degree.
Again, you're buying guaranteed admittance, easy work, and a worthless piece of paper to hang on your wall. Another problem you will have with CEC is the courses do not transfer. Every university you approach literally laughs when you mention you have CEC transfer credits.in the long run you will be pounded with injustice and your creditability will be tarnished. No degree is actually more valuable that an CEC degree.
ALL -43 As an ex-Admissions Advisor (I've heard they call themselves Reps now), I highly suggest potential students of CEC to Leave While You Can! I went through training, and here are some key points that I gained through the whole process. They make it seem as though the school is selective, but it is not.
If you have any ounce of dignity, you will want to join a school because you know that you REALLY proved yourself to them and displayed your commitment, intelligence and focus. They ask about your intent to join school. It's a manipulative trick to get you pumped about changing your life. Throughout the whole interview they never give you a chance to ask questions about the school because they want you to go on the website and look the information up for yourself.
They don't want to commit to anything factual on the phone or by email. It's all about the #'s. Admissions Advisors don't really care about you. At least, most don't. They want to meet their quota. It's very much a sales environment.
Truth is, the degree isn't going to get you a good job. Only debt, unhappiness and misery. Most HR people out there know about the different colleges and universities, and you can be sure they know about CEC schools. Even if you say that there is convenience in completing an online degree, don't fall for it. You have to do a lot of reading coordinate your schedules around your classmates for team projects, and complete homework, and papers in a short time span. You may as well do all of that in a real college.
I left my job (high-paying) because it was too unethical for me. I actually do have a conscience. Also, I didn't want to smash the genuine dreams that prospective students have of going back to college. SHAME ON YOU CEC! By the way... Most "reps" last only a few months in their positions. More han 90% turnover in this company. Go figure.
Landover campus -42 I worked for a CEC school and I was coaxed into enrolling to help with their enrollment goals plus I applied because I figured getting my degree faster meant getting a good job faster. But I was always being passed around to new so called "Advisers" I never new that was going on.
I paid for the full first part of the program, which was supposed to be like 10 classes. Well I ended up only going to half that amount, because on November 20th I was in a serious roll over accident and I broke my neck in five places! And while I has in the hospital hooked up to all the machines and with tubes down my throat so my lungs wouldn't collapse.
My mom tried calling them to explain my situation. Well the people there would not even talk to her they said they would only talk to me (even though that was completely impossible at the time) and finally when I was barley strong enough to grasp the phone and speak. The dean of the school got on the phone and was so rude to me I could not believe it.
They told me that they could not help me, that if I'd gotten in my accident a few weeks earlier then they might have been able to do something. (Yea like I can time it when my car decides to roll and almost kill me.) So they said they were going to remove me from their program, and the only way I would be able to get back in is to do the whole entrance essay and fill out all the same paper work all over again! And pay the 50 dollar fee AGAIN! What a load of crap.
Then I learned they were going to keep all my money and I have nothing to show for it, because they won't even release my transcript or anything, which I now learned are worthless anyway. But every time I call to try to talk to someone who knows something, I get passed from person to person, and get put on hold and so on. CEC needs to be stopped. All they care about is taking your money. They were more then happy to take mine. So if there is going to be a lawsuit, then I am defiantly in on it!
Newyork -44 I work in New Yorks' (5 yrs) CEC. Its Sanford Brown Institutes prepare students for careers in health care; reps are trained to tell students the school is highly selective, leading students to believe these schools are on par with even the ivy leagues. Lousy grades and prior drug use arent enough to get students rejected.
Some student even have a "problem with blood." The reps pitch to the students that 98 percent of our students have a problem with blood. The first day of the module, they hand you a syringe and say, 'Go for it. CEC is most interested in is tuition. They want to say that the student comes first, but it becomes obvious to anybody that works in the school, that the student does not come first.
This "school" only exists to milk the federal student loan program. This is a direct result of expanding the student loan program to include trade schools instead of accredited colleges and universities as the program was originally intended. Keep voting for them Democrats, as they are the ones responsible for this mess as they turned this into a class issue during the Carter administration and expanded the program to include so-called trade schools.
No surprise that such "trade schools" started springing up like mushrooms growing on a manure pile. It's not so easy to start a college or university. Hence the wasteful mess it is now. Reagan and the first Bush tried to fix this and were stopped by Democratic controlled Congress.
Clinton just ignored the problem. Bush II and the current Congress fixed it though. This is how: bankruptcy won't get rid of any of your student loans ever. This will be an albatross around your neck until you pay it off or until the day you die.
Eventually word will get around to even the uninformed and "schools" like this will either really train candidates or go out of business. Bush II would have liked to simply cut off student loans to these rip-off trade schools.
Md -45 Jack Larsen (ceo of CEC) likes his herring served red. The notion that membership in an accrediting association is voluntary is laughable.in fact, losing accreditation is not far removed from a death sentence for almost any college, because without accreditation, students are not eligible for federal financial aid, and without such aid, most of them can't go to school at least to that school.
For this reason, if Congress ever decoupled aid eligibility from accreditation by one of the existing accreditors, for example, by allowing state governments to become accreditors the national accreditors of schools would dry up and blow away by dawn the next day: They serve no purpose except as trade associations and milking machines for federal aid dollars. A state as an accrediting authority may, in fact, take more of an interest in academic standards and results rather than scrutinizing the structure more than the product as do the present private clubs called accreditors.
Also, a state accreditor would have no turf to protect. Every new member allowed into the club is competition for the old members. Accreditation does not ensure academic quality nor even examine it objectively. Academic quality can and does exist both within and outside the accredited establishment, and the equation between accreditation and quality that has been promoted by the accreditors, their members and their camp followers is a falsehood designed to mislead the public and promote narrow protectionism rather than market forces.
The truth is that accreditation is all about money. The costs of accreditation are enormous beyond the reach of many small schools, the result is accredited colleges which are hamstrung from competing as effectively in the marketplace as their unaccredited brethren, and which are run for the benefit of their diploma mill, not the students they should be serving
Landover -44 I work at SBI in Landover, One thing they dont tell the public and this would have taken a GREAT DEAL of research is that they just got off of "WARNING" with SACS! Because of padding the numbers and falsifying enrollment numbers they were on a WARNING!
Not much was explained but it was serious. Employees were coached on what to say and what not to say. The KICKER is when SACS came in to inspect the various facilities well all "SALES" material was torn from each sales reps cube! The REASON is because in education you are not supposed to operate as sales organization.
The verbage in scripts has been changed to reflect more of an admissions department and less of a "DYNAMIC SALES ORGANIZATION" (this used to be in the mission statement for admissions). Now what does that spell out?
Well the first thing is SBI operates as a sales organization not in an educational advisory capacity. Which should not be taking place! SACS (accrediting organization) gives them ample warning that they will be on thier premises. Also the main reason Accrediation is SO DEARLY IMPORTANT to this school is MONEY.
With education this is how it works for the "school". When you go to in, you complete a Application for Federal Student Aid, all the money you get goes directly to the school. So if you get $4,000 for a Pell Grant that goes to the school! If you take out the $10,500 in Federal Loans that goes directly to the school.
The bottom line is the school gets paid right away because you borrowed money! Well the revenue would be flooding in! And that's the beauty of being a company that operates in the ed.industry. They get their money up front and on time! Oh and as an admissions advisor if you retain a total of let's say 5 students, average tutition is $25,000/student.
Well you just made the company $125,000 and that more than pays the 38-48,000 they decide to pay you! They do not have any criteria on being accepted. $50ap fee and you too will be a college student!
All -41 I worked for 2 yrs w/SBI (clerical dept) and took several online classes w / sister Co AIU. I decided to attend Boston University (one of the top ranked universities in the nation) to obtain a B.S.in Lib Studies.
However, after review of my credits from AIU, Boston University found that AIU is not an Accredited school. My transcripts will not transfer. This is the biggest and most expensive mistake of my life.
I worked hard (3.5) to obtain that degree, then to find out that it is worth nothing, not even the paper it was printed on. PLEASE do not be misinformed of this for profit business! I even researched this university. They accept Stafford Loans and the FASFA. I believed they were legite.
However, the traditional universities such as Boston, University of Southern California and even Texas Tech University will not accept these credits. I just want to inform anyone that is even remotely thinking about attending this university to realize the true and actual consequences of your intent.
This is a bogus institution. I will be contacting the federal government regarding my loans. Please be aware! In my opinion, after finding this out, they should be categorized as a diploma mill.
All locations -30 contd... I am tired of getting yelled at by the higher ups in our company becuase I have "no-shows" and trying to battle the potential student to show for their appointments. I am more of a babysitter than an admissions rep and the only future hope i have is that i will loose my job becuase i didnt make 100 calls per day, 3 interviews a day with 1 enrollment per day, and at least 3 per week and at least 8-12 starts per month. Un-freakin beleivable!!!
AND the clientel is those who are bored and call us after seeing a commercial (during daytime garbage tv) and never show for an appointment. They tell us they have no job and no in school and always want to go, if it rains, snows, sunny, dreary etc etc they dont come in and its all the Admission reps fault, still gotta meet the numbers the company wants - they will not tolerate, i mean it they will take your job and fill it with someone else & as the DOA tells us at our joke of a meeting.
All locations -31 I am currently employed at SBI and have been now for 1 year (almost if I can make it that long). I have read several listings on here and all to be be more than TRUE. Sales is sales, I knew that walking in the door but its much worse than I ever expected.
At the "corporate training" in IL that lasted a week; All 60 reps were advised that the company has a 90% turnover rate in the Admissions Rep position. It is not shocking at all to see why. The company wanted to change that around, I have not seen nor heard of this as of yet!
My Director of Admissions (DOA) not only tells you one thing to your face but to later find out i was totally lied to, then when I approach the DOA & was told not to worry about it, my job is to focuss on numbers. The DOA hired someone who has been in this industry for a while, and they too state its all about the numbers - that rep has not only went behind all the other reps backs and stole, yes stole leads and enrollments from EVERY rep so far.
I had to keep a file on the ones it was happening to and went to the President, who did absolutely NOTHING. I have been interviewing becuase i see NO future in this company as well as promotions. I was told to resign from the company and re-apply to another position not only by the DOA but by the Regional Admissions Manager (regional sales mngr).
Apparently i am forever an Admissions Rep until I quit or forced out (which seems to be the case time over again from seen and hearing about it). It has taught me a lesson being in this industry and only tells me to stick to the legit schools (ie Comm Coll and Univ for an education that is). I left a good paying job for this and had 5 interviews for this job - totally a joke! I realized now there is no hope for moving up or anything else for that matter and had broken promises given to me at the time of interviewing. Contd...
Landover, md -45 No communication at all. The staff is in constant flux. I was hired and very little was mentioned about sales. When I started working there they said you will have a learning curve of about 2 months. What was not said is, by CEC's conception of time 2 months is in fact 2 weeks.
I enrolled 5 students (3 per week is the bare minimum) the 3rd week I was there, by the time the financial aid department got a hold of them. 3 canceled and 2 were unhappy with the way they were treated. And my boss told me I didn't do a good enough job selling the value of the program. He ended up not talking to me for a week. I felt slighted.
It seemed very harsh. I made 50-100 phone calls a day; unlike most of the other 5 representatives working there who showed up whenever they wanted to paid for 40 hours and seemed like they were never there. My boss said, after I complained to him about it, that he knows20% of the staff does 80% of the work. Nothing changed. I quit about 2 years ago, pathetic work enviroment.
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The toliets are overflowing urine and worse all the time. Students smell nasty and intructors dont stay if they even show up to "teach". I cant even say how often i have seen teachers crying in their offices becasue of the way this (&%^hole is run. I enrolled about 60-70 students and all i can say is most were illiterate or non english speaking.
I once saw a small group of instructors making fun of a disabled student. Location is ghetto. Job security? Whats that? You keep your job if you start 8 students a month. Period.Co workers are hit and miss. Most miss. They seem to follow one suit: iknow somebody who knew somebody who got me this job. There is no real training. No HR dept. No real accountability.
We worked out of cubes and most of those were used as trash/storage. "students would see the nasty, filthy working conditions and ask. All we did is make excuses.."oh sorry for the mess, we're remodling" respect? HAHAHAAHAHAAHAHHA. Right.
The ONLY reason ANYONE works here is for that paycheck. CEC pays sales reps 35-45,000. No one has a real dimploma, just a lot of "online degrees". Its all laughable. Compliance and ethics do NOT EXIST. Benefits? All i know is i was cheated out of almost a full 2 weeks of my vacation time after working there for almost a year. (twice as long as most every other employee there)
I work for Sanford brown. The HR dept. Is horrid. They just started using people soft for time calculation, and it has been a disaster. Pay checks have been THE ISSUE with this multi-billion dollar co. Admissions sales reps are geting screwed. I know of 4 "inside sales" reps (telemarketers) who have been shorted on avr. 200 to 300 dollars a paycheck for each of the last 3 pycks.
Meanwhile this "company" is threatening job security. Because its all about how many "students you can enroll" in one week. Every 5 weeks we have "starts" if you dont have at least 8 students "starting". Moral is always low becasue of the unethical behavior that the co. Tolerates by its "campus" management. (sitting 1 wk in class = finacial aid being paid out to the "school") one rep who has been there for 6 months (industry for 18 yrs is best friends with the manager who lets him get away with 2day work weeks while loading him up with false start numbers.
This liar/cheat does no work and gets paid 70,000 a year. While the rest of us get paid 45,000. This co. Looks at this rep as "a star" he only makes his start numbers becasue his friend/manager gives starts to him after other hard working reps are let go.
Landover, md -40 to start off. I worked in the admissions. Paychecks for every staff member is wrong. Constently the upper management turns down employes requests for vacation time... Even thoe the corperate policey is lose it or use it.
So we all end up losing it some as much as 2 whole wks and others as little as 3-4 days. One girl was on sick leave foe a week... And the DOA called her on her cell phone so much it burned up all her minutes... And she went over, when she complained to the office manager about reimbursment she was told they would not pay her for personal expenses.
We were not allowed to lock our desks at night and things are stolen too much. The campas doesnt' suppley office supplies so we are forced to buy them ourselfs. Everytime things turn up missing. I had to keep importnat documents in a uncoverd box. Copies of SS cards, DDL's, passports just alot of personnal inforemation lays on the floor in stacks in and out of boxes. Nothing is really filed.
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