I recently went to Everest College to see if it would be a good fit for me. I was attracted to Everest because of the fact that they don't require you to take any math placement tests; No prerequisites what-so-ever! Too good to be true, right?
The answer is "yes." As soon as i got there, I met with a Counselor, which I now realize is just a fancy way for them to say "Recruiter." She immediately began to pick my brain and sell me the school. The "recruiter" acted more like a car salesman than someone interested in bettering my future. She kept asking me if i could imagine myself there and would not stop pushing for me to start on that day. I didn't appreciate being badgered and could definitely tell that what people told me about these types of schools was very accurate. The "recruiter" went on to explain that I "should start today because it is the last day of the quarter to enroll. If I didn't choose to start today, i would have to wait a month before starting." She then continued to show me around the campus and had me talk to some other admins. The one admin she had me talk to said that if i couldn't start today, i could "always start tomorrow;" Funny, i thought [that day] was the last day to enroll for another month. Go figure!
Before seeing the financial aid counselor, I continually asked the "recruiter" for an estimate of how much attending would cost. She avoided telling me until after she made me so comfortable with the prospects of attending Everest. With the information she gave me about the externship program and starting wages for the field i was pursuing, I was finally excited for my life! Finally, i got to sit down with the financial aid councelor and was floored by the cost. I got the most discouraging feeling when she told me that it would cost me $18,080 for an 8 month program. I feel that that is an absurd amount of money for a trade school when (if i had the chops) i could attend UCLA for $23,249. She tried to push all types of loans on me and really, really, didn't seem to care about anything other than filling a seat and getting my money.
In closing, I just want to make people aware of the fact that these "for-profit" schools are not here to better our futures. They will continue to rip off young, desperate, students trying to pursue short term education that doesn't even work in the real world. After my experience at Everest and further research, I think that people should consider every option and do their own research before enrolling. I hope this will help save someone from unnecessary waste of time and life of debt.
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