I am currently enrolled in college now. I have been since shortly after leaving PCI.
I was recently looking over all of my student loans which brought me to think back at my dreadful experience at Porter and Chester. It makes me beyond depressed thinking about how I have an extra $20k or so in debt due to attending this school that got me nowhere. They lied through their teeth so they could fill empty seats. They are predators and you are the prey.
I felt like I was just a number the entire time I was there. My instructor, when he did teach, merely read word for word from a Powerpoint. A powerpoint which was word for word from the book. We seldom did "hands on" work.
Hands on was what was advertised to me and promised. I was in the Computer and Networking program. I learned more from Youtube videos and guides online than I did from attending the school. The instructor came in late everyday.
Class was supposed to begin at 7:30, however in reality it began consistently around approximately 9am. Even then he didn't always start at that time. He was also the schools IT guy so he would often be off doing something else and leave us with a quick and easy assignment and not come back for much longer than it took the class to complete whatever it was. We were allotted a break which always ended up being an hour or more.
I would approximate that on any given day we actually only had maybe 2 hours of actual class time as opposed the 5 that should have occurred. As far as I could tell the instructor gave everyone A's. In all reality though I don't think grades at this schooled mattered at all. I earned my certifications with practically no help from any of the class time I was there.
I taught myself via the books and the internet. I scored very well by doing the work myself. So I literally paid for absolutely nothing, except I guess the books. I would do anything to get my money back.
I found this site in my searches to see of others complaints and to see if there was any kind of class action lawsuit against the school from other frustrated past students. I know at the time of my attendance one of the other students in my program was suing the school.
I have mixed emotions, I’ll be graduating from the Watertown Campus in July 2013 – I have all my certs, 4.0 GPA, etc – and yeah, my instructors are pretty neat. However, it simply wasn’t remotely worth the money and other depressing things that came along with it all.
In a nutshell I feel as if I paid 27,000$ for a narrator to the books/power points. I was shrouded into believing I was going to work with “top of the line technology” and all of our computers in our wing (Computers!) were probably the slowest/oldest in the school. A brand new desktop out of Walmart for 400$ would easily dominate any computer in our lab. Not cool, not cool.
Their job placement was another trick they pulled me in with, but now after knowing the 3 previous graduating classes, I know that will not happen, regardless of my performance in class.
Recap, you’ll be paying 27,000$ for a few books, maybe a flash drive to wow you, certification vouchers that total to about 6-700$.
Honestly, I’d suggest reading up on the internet and taking the A+ test BEFORE enrolling, then you’ll see how you would’ve wasted your money.
– Sincerely, Someone who doesn’t want the boot.
Honestly now that I’m in my last term you can see all the bs. I'm in my last term at the Watertown campus for IT. The instructors are funny and are willing to help you as long as you actually try in class. yes we all like to game and bs but what i don’t understand is most of these people who come in here don’t seem to care about the class at all. The only people who actually pass their certs are the ones that actually tried or have had past experience. Luckily ive had many years of experience fking up all my computers and tinkering since i was a kid. Im only 20 now and i clearly see that if i didnt have the experience i have it would be very hard to actually learn all this material.
On another note, the overall school is FOR PROFIT, they dont give two sh*ts about anything, even the instructors are getting fed up and the ones that do speak up are the ones that get fired. The school doesnt want to take the advice from anyone even though they have no clue what they are doing in any of these fields. Now hopefully I can actually get a job even with all my certs and extra certs.
They only way i would recommend this school would be simply the instructors who would be mr. k and mr . whitney who’ve actually had many years of experience and know how to teach you both from the book and what you are expected to know.
Currently enrolled in the 2016 CNT program it’s a night mare they forced us to take the A+ cert a days before it changed they knew it was changing but didn’t think it was a good thing to change it to the newer one more than half of the students failed one part of the test and now we have no way of getting our A+ unless we set ourself up to fail.
May 18, 2016 - Writing this review for people who are somehow on this page. I am still enrolled in this school. My parents paid for my tuition to come here without my consent, I am not pleased. The CNT(Computer Networking) class is an outright joke and waste of time. The only good thing about coming to this school was ONE E-Book that will come in handy for the Network+ exams. If you are coming here for your A+ certs, than be careful. I am only coming here to learn the criteria and obtain my A+ and Network+. Do not bother with other certs, it is not worth draining energy here.
I was suckered in the first semester because they lure you in with practical hands on assignments that will be of some use when you’re in a future career. They spend time telling about useful skills, such as managing an SQL database, which you will not get in the class. I would recommend simply learning on your own, there exist 2-3 hour in depth tutorials on skills such as SQL, Active Directory/Windows Server, advanced methods of anti-malware removal on youtube done by people who aren’t even be paid to produce the content.
The attendance here is where they really REALLY suck you dry for all your worth. Universities offer a fair attendance standard compared to this POS school. Funeral of a loved one? Nope, you can’t be exempt. An actual illness or chronic disease issue? Nope. I wouldn’t be surprised if you wound up being forced into Jury duty and the attendance department still pinned that on you.
Let me quickly explain the attendance. each absence you get is a 1% mark. If you reach the 3% mark(3 absences) in the semester, you are issued a warning. Anything 5-6% is a probation period. This might sound reasonable on the surface, but this school brags how companies are seeking employees who will be available 365/24/7 and that is unrealistic. Now after a semester ends, those attendances RESET and your new semester has a blank slate, it still doesn’t matter because all the absences accumulate after the year ends, so I don’t know why they do this.
If you are interested in spending 5.5 hours a day, 5 days a week for a whole year being bitched at, then this place might be for you. And I can bet if you work 32 hours a week like me while coming here, then you’re in for a nightmare. The staff is incredibly unfair and the other students in HVAC, Electrical and Auto act like macho 9th graders.
I have a 3.9 GPA and have 2 absences, already being lectured. I have a vacation I can’t cancel and that’s another two days. What more do people want from you? I need to finish here against my will while working a bad job, just warning people who have a choice unlike me. I am against universities in general, but there has to be a better place for you. Avoid all PCI campuses. I reviewed the Woburn, MA campus.
I went to this school back in 2000-2003 for computer repair. I was promised to have a teacher in the room and a hands on experience. It wasn't until after I went into the office and complained and said that I would contact a lawyer that they decided to get some computers and pull them apart and have us put them together. Not only that, but I was promised a DEGREE and walked away with a diploma and NO JOB and I was promised a job.
When I approached the office on this, they said "We HELP you find a job, it's not guaranteed" I tried calling a lawyer and the only lawyer in the state of Connecticut for this type of thing, wouldn't you know.. Porter and Chester has them retained.
I'm out 17K. I have a job working at a help desk here in CT and have been there for 5 years. I don't know if I can still sue them or not. But if there's a lawyer on this. I would love a call!!
The sad reality of the situation is that a trade school education will not give you a hands-on education. Lincoln Tech, Porter and Chester, Fox Institute of Business, etc. all cannot compare to a college education. Porter and Chester, above all, is a joke.
I went there for computer networking. They touted all this ultra-hands-on curriculum, and receiving vouchers to get A+ and Network+ certified, but it was all b.s. I've talked to several other people who attended Porter & Chester and had HORRIBLE experiences.
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