The scam began before I even enrolled. That's how they get you. I was told that the program I was entering would give me an AAS Degree in Web Development. I was also told that ECPI had a 98% job placement rate. I knew it wouldn't be handed to me, but it sounded encouraging, and I enrolled.
During the course of my study at ECPI, smoke was constantly blown up my you-know-what about how I was learning state-of-the art technology, and how companies were looking for people with the skills we were learning. Then they proceed to teach us Database Architecture using Microsoft Access. As for the "hands-on approach" they spoke about so much?
The class in Java was taught with a Visual tool that didn't even work. We actually had to "imagine" applying our lectures to the workplace. The classes were taught by people with no previous teaching experience. Not to mention the discrepencies in treatment of black students and white students (I was a white student who was treated unfairly well in comparison to others).
About a month before graduation, I learned that I wouldn't be receiving an AAS Degree, despite being at the top of my class. It turned out that ECPI was not accredited, and therefore could not give out any degree in Web Development. Not a word of this was ever spoken by any teacher or administrator. They just smiled and handed me a $16,000 diploma.
And the 98% job placement rate they bragged about? Well, I graduated at the top of my class.in fact, I was the only one in my original class to graduate on time. I worked hard, put in a tremendous amount of time, and what did it get me? A part-time, $10 an hour job doing something almost totally unrelated to what I had studied at ECPI. It was a complete waste of time and a lot of money.
Keep in mind that these revelations came slowly, and mostly toward the end of my stay at ECPI. After so much time had been wasted and thousands of dollars spent. So why did I bother finishing? Well, the whole time I was at ECPI, they spoke of the benefits of being an ECPI graduate. A big one being that you could come back at any time, and take any classes for free. Once an ECPI student, always an ECPI student, they would say. It was covered by the original tuition.
So when they finally were able to offer the AAS Degree, they wanted an additional $5,000. When I spoke with someone in the main office, they apologized for the fact that I was misinformed. That was the last straw, as I am currently exploring legal action against ECPI. ECPI is not a school, it is a fraudulant organization that collects thousands of dollars from thosands of people, on the promise of a better future. Problem is, you can't see the truth until you get there.
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