International Academy Of Design And Technology - IADT FL campus in 2001- sallie mae scam, and they 'lost' my paperwork - can't send me my degree. Tampa, Florida

For 3 years I went to this school. I have read the other comments, from the other ex students to IADT, and all are the same, or similar to my experience. Yet, I did not have a 100% bad experience at the school. I do know a number of kids who went to my school who have jobs now- in their selected field. There are also some kids like me who wanted to continue their education elsewhere, but can't so far.

I left in 2003, and still have yet to receive my degree. I called to ask for a copy of it. The administrator and registrar both told me that I did not turn in my completion paperwork- which is a ditto form that is your responsibility to finish. All your teachers must sign this form in your final classes prior to your graduation date. I distinctly remember turning it into one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Mundo. This was my last class on my last day of school. (he was wonderful- personality wise, yet I didn't get the close interaction I desired to help me understand the class- production techniques- fully) I was requesting a copy of my degree for me to consolidate my private education loans with Sallie Mae. Apparently, without a copy of my degree, I could not consolidate my 17% interest loans- Which are raping me monthly at a rate of 650$ a month. I pay my rent, car insurance, gas, electric and student loans monthly. I am pretty screwed, since my bills would be significantly less and maybe I could have a life- if I had a lower payment. When I talk to people who went to other schools- state schools- their student loan payments are around 140-150$ a month. WTF?! The interest -that is WTF. The interest is pretty much why I am paying that 650. if my interest was less, I'd be better off. I have tried to consolidate elsewhere, to no avail. It's been a struggle, and I am furious with the choice I have made. I need to go back to school now, since my degree did not afford me anything in the field I have chosen, and I am considering a complete career change in general- the only thing I have gotten from my school is a line on my resume and a lifetime of debt. I am 30 years old now, and my debt is still at 30 thousand principle. I have been paying for almost 7 years! my loan was 28 thousand originally. It's crazy! And to boot, after reading that they may have a scam going with Sallie Mae, it makes PERFECT sense that they lost my paperwork that they needed to show I have graduated.  Also, to make matters worse, Sallie Mae stopped consolidating loans. Thanks to the banks and market collapsing pretty much in the last couple of years, I will probably never get a respite. If I could fall into 30 grand, and pay it off NOW as opposed to doing it over time, yes, I'd stop the payments before it became 120 grand. but... I doubt that would happen. I am just going to have to cut my losses I guess and move on. I get $6000 for school in grants because I am a military spouse, so I guess that's good, and I can go to the community college here and get my associates. Yep. I don't even have that now, according to the school. I did feel like I had easier classes- I feel like a dummy for not realizing that earlier, but I just assumed I had excelled. There were people in my classes who didn't work as hard as I did, and there were people who had others sew their projects or draw their drawings, but I always turned in my own work and did my own assignments. I worked very hard - and I have pretty amazing work to show for it. I did learn how to sew, I did learn how to make a pattern, from draping, I can't for the life of me do it from the pattern drafting book, but somehow I passed those classes. I always did well in psyc classes and gen eds, but that was how I had always been- English was my forte. However, My senior high school english class was harder than my 2 college english classes. go figure! I just hope that you make sure you READ your student loan paperwork. Check your interest rates. To every school you go to on student loans. And be prepared to be paying it off for a long time.

I believe this school is very unorganized and unprofessional at times, yes. Especially when it is important. I also had another loan through AES, through this school, yet the Financial Aid office never contacted me about this loan and I ended up defaulting on it without even knowing about it. I thought, no, assumed, all my loans were under the Sallie Mae umbrella. I guess not. Now I have a charge off on my credit report, scarring it for at least 8 years. AWESOME. Thanks to a credit report I got for free, I found out about this hidden loan. double AWESOME.
THANKS IADT.