Collins College Expieriencing this place can make it longer than expected. Tempe, Arizona

It all started in 2002 for me after getting through High school and wanting to do more with myself. I looked into two different colleges, before deciding to go with Collins College.

At first when you get the interview for this place, they actually cared somewhat about what you made. I was originally going for something like Graphic Design, but when I took the test you had to take before going into the college they said I would be better to go into Animation. I thought "What the heck..I guess I will give it a try." So I did For the most part I was doing well and got my Associates in Occupational Studies in Animation (yeah it is the way it is said) The only way I actually passed was cause grace on the teacher's part that she knew I was going for my Bachelor's Degree.

Well I should have listened to one of my teacher's that was a great mentor for my 2d work. Cause I had to retake classes more than getting through them.

I worked hard, very hard in fact I had barely social life while doing courses. I did take a few small side jobs to pay for rent, but mostly part time or seasonal. I was trying to get the best out of this College as much as I could. 2 Times I failed one course (which was computer Modeling). I got to pass it the 3rd time after the teacher helped me.

I had fun up till the last class in the Bachelor's. The requirement for it was the demo reel had to be 50% computer based stuff...could be anything from animation to texture and lighting work. Anything I was good at is what was told of me. I first tried doing 2d animation with some 3d. They loved the 2d stuff, but they hated in the end the 3d stuff. I failed the first time. Then it enrolled me automatically to the same class. Ok so I was told since I went through modeling 3 times and passed it, that I was better at that. (which I told them I hated doing it and I wasn't great at it, but they told me I was good at it.) I tried modeling stuff for the last class. The teacher said it looked good when I showed him, but then when I got to the presentation, they failed me again. It was starting to get irritating now, I went in for a 3rd time through the class doing the same type of thing modeling. Failed yet again.
I thought "Maybe if I work constant on it and use all free time and such I could pass it." I worked my butt off the 4th time around. I worked on models till my eyes were tired of looking at modeling dots and lines. The teacher checked in on me Friday of every week of the class that I had, she said it was "Looking great keep up the good work."

So it made me think this time I was doing something right and kept finishing up till the last day of the presentation. She took one look at the models on the demo reel and said, "It's not good enough, you failed."
The past few times I couldn't help it, while walking to the bus I broke down crying. This time I left the room crying. I put my heart and soul into this, I used all time I had on this course. Yet they still failed me. One of the other teachers noticed I was upset and asked what was wrong. I told them and showed them my work. They told me that the models were a bit off, and I told them the teacher told me before that it looked great, which was very true.

They encouraged me a little, maybe one more time I will try it, but still I felt like it was just a pain to deal with. Well I went a 5th time, the teacher told me to bring all the work I had on disks (Yeah we saved them on CD's/Zip disks). I brought them in we looked at them and she found at the last part that I was better at Texture/Lighting work than modeling. (Now she realized..took too many times of failing). Well I failed that one since she told me to try to put it together when I was on the leave of absence. I go up to the person to get that and had all the forms filled out for leaving for awhile. I needed time off, but the college called me the week after that and said "I needed to be in class."

This was disturbing..it was like I HAD to go back and finish it cause of their computer system said so. (I am not sure how many times they wanted to call me about it. I was fed up at this time.) I then told the people that I did a leave of absence form and I don't have class. They still said I had class, but I refused to go. At this time The loan I had on the college would not care to pay for more classes, I would have to take out yet another loan just to pay to keep going. I said NO cause I had a loan waay over my head to pay off already. I paid the extra amount little by little, and I thought they got all the money for this class.

Now Years later, not telling me that I had more to pay back, they send it to collections. I thought I paid it all off, but apparently they decided to put on some payments for a class I said I won't take. It's very discouraging when they keep sending collections agencies and not telling me my balance is so much money. They needed to tell me that in the first place. The people were great, I had great friends there, I had fun, but in the end I got nowhere even when I tried for a art related job while in the college. It's frustrating to even deal with this college. They take your money, for me they took also 5 years of my life (Over the 4 year expectancy that they claim for getting a BA). I am frustrated that they did this to me, and it disappoints me that they put me through so much, yet they kept saying I was doing good till the end..they end up failing me.

It's the one reason I don't recommend this college at all cause the teachers in the end really put me through hell and back again. They were suppose to tell me if something wasn't looking right on the demo reel..I told them to be truthful about it. I wasn't the only one failing this class, I had a friend that was in the same class that failed along with me and worked along side me trying to finish. We both failed and left the place. Also the bad part is their TA or Teacher Assistance. When I was there they had some people that would maybe help you for one question when you had numerous ones.

If only they would have helped the way they use to do in the Associates class..I would have considered saying it was decent, The financial area though makes me feel the school after awhile just wanted to eat my unearned money and leave me going back to my parent's house to live my years till I find a better paying job. Please think through going to this college. I know some people have passed, but consider how 'great' you have to be to get out of the animation or any course considering taking. Do you want to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars when you could buy a good sports car for the amount of money you put into it? I just hate when colleges like to rip people off and they surely did just that to me.

I also have enough credits to say I am graduated, but I never got the degree. I hate what they did to me, and have been in retail positions cause of it. I have read other reports on here..one says this.
"Employers had even put in classified ads No Collins Students or graduates need apply" I find it difficult to pay back a student loan when I cannot find a job in the industry paying what I was told their graduates were earning. "
I agree. I have a friend who herself she graduated and she still doesn't have a art related job in her field which also was Animation. I just don't want others to fall in the same trap that this college lures people in at. In a ad I saw while I was in the college was quite disturbing to me. She said "You don't have to be an artist to work in an art related industry." Since when does the art industry take in people that just learn to be artists?! Don't fall for that stupid ad, cause in the end you might end up like alot of people listing rip off reports on this, only feeling disappointed in this college and regretting even going to it.

Becky
Carthage, Mississippi
U.S.A.