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Report: #724970

Complaint Review: Westwood college Ohare/Westwood college Online - chicago/denver Illinois

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  • Reported By: Meg — Chicago Illinois United States of America
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  • Westwood college Ohare/Westwood college Online 8501 W. Higgins Suite 100 chicago/denver, Illinois United States of America

Westwood college Ohare/Westwood college Online westwood online westwood took 65,000 dollars from me and there degree means nothing. chicago/denver, Illinois

*General Comment: Maybe We can Help!!!

*Consumer Comment: And Another Victim Speaks Out

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Hello, my name is Megan Hansen.  First, I would like to thank Senator Durbin for holding this forum and inviting me to share the story of my experience at Westwood College.  Unfortunately, its not at all what I had hoped it would be.  I graduated in March of this year with a degree in Criminal Justice, after attending Westwoods OHare campus and taking online classes.  Im now $65,000 in debt and have wasted three years getting whats turning out to be a worthless degree.

 

My dream was to work as a parole officer and then go on to law school, but that doesnt look very realistic at this point.  After graduating, I quickly found out that most agencies wont call me back when I apply for jobs, and most traditional colleges dont recognize Westwoods degree or credits.  My pursuit of higher education and the promise of a rewarding career have come to a screeching halt. 

 

When I first saw Westwoods TV commercial about its Criminal Justice program more than three years ago, it really caught my eye, because it said I could be done in 3 years, instead of four.  So, I called the school and went in for a tour.  The Admissions Rep made it sound like Westwoods Criminal Justice program was one of the best.  I would get all this hands on training and be taught by teachers who actually worked in the field.  She made it sound like I was practically guaranteed a job when I graduated, and that the school would help me find a job. 

 

It all sounded amazing, but when she told me about how much it would cost, I started having second thoughts. She said it would be $14,000 a year, which sounded like a lot, but I later discovered it was even more than that.  I just recently got an account summary of what my last year cost, and it was $26,000 for just that one year. The two previous years were also more, coming to an additional 8-thousand dollars above what they told me it would be.  Seeing how much this ended up costing is part of the great stress I deal with every day.

 

When I left Westwood that first day, I was still on the fence about whether to enroll, but then, they kept hounding me, calling me over and over, and telling me how great the school was, until I finally decided to go ahead and enroll; a decision I regret to this day.

 

Now, Im finding out *all that Career Placement help they promised has turned out to be just a bunch of emails about job openings that Im not qualified for, could have gotten without a degree, or are too far away for me to even consider.  Worst of all, when I do send my resumes out, I never hear back from anyone.  I send emails trying to find out if theyll consider me, and no one ever responds.

 

Ive also tried to apply to several regionally accredited schools in the Chicago area, but none of them will accept Westwoods credits.  Its so frustrating, because the Admissions Rep never said anything about how Westwood didnt have regional accreditation or that my credits wouldnt transfer to most other schools.  When I found out that the schools lack of accreditation might be a problem, it was more than a year after I enrolled.  I confronted the Program Director about it, but she kept reassuring me time and time again, not to worry.  She said Westwood was a candidate for regional accreditation and would become accredited.  Westwood never did get the regional accreditation, and I just recently learned the school has even withdrawn its application.

 

I went to school to better my life, but Im still working as a receptionist in a doctors office, as I have for the past six years.  So for now, I dont really know what to do.  I cant afford to pay back my $65,000 in loans, which are deferred for now.  In September, Im getting married, which is right about the time Im supposed to start paying on those loans. 

 

This should be the happiest time in my life, but instead Im full of anxiety about what the future holds.  I cant get a job in my field, I cant continue my education at a traditional school, and I cant pay back my loans. 

 

Getting a college degree was supposed to give me a brighter future, but all its done is put me in a worse position than if I never went to college at all.  I hope other people looking to further their education will listen to my story and be very careful before they sign up at one of these schools.   I dont want them to end up like me.  I wasted all this money, and, now Im totally sick to my stomach and dont know what to do. 

 

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 05/03/2011 09:04 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/westwood-college-oharewestwood-college-online/chicagodenver-illinois-60631/westwood-college-oharewestwood-college-online-westwood-online-westwood-took-65000-dollar-724970. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#2 General Comment

Maybe We can Help!!!

AUTHOR: iwantohelp - (United States of America)

POSTED: Tuesday, October 04, 2011

As a admissions advisor for a legitimate University I feel for all of the students this school has mislead and what makes it worse is that you were going to school for the right reasons. We all know a secondary education is important in todays job market and after going to school for 3 yrs plus only to find out your degree doesn't matter must hurt. I do represent a online university that is not only regonially accredited but we were the first online school to do so. We have been ranked in the top 5 online schools in the world for the last 2 yrs and have a steller reputation when it comes to our education. We have accepted credits from this school in the past but it is on a case by case basis. If you are looking to get a "REAL" education from a respected school please call me or email me so we can discuss your options and see if we can't help. We can't help everyone but we are willing to do anything and everything we can to help you.

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#1 Consumer Comment

And Another Victim Speaks Out

AUTHOR: Leroy - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Megan, I want to thank you for posting your experience. Like you and a thousand other graduates, I too was scammed and lied to. Unfortunately, your troubles have just started. Not only is the degree worthless and not worth the paper it is Color-Laser jet printed on, those loans are coming due. You stated that you owe $65k. Thats just the principle. Interest will be a lot more. If you have Sallie Mae loans, they will be coming after you pretty heavy. Look them up here Rip Off Report and you will get an eyeful of what it will be like.

I graduated with $55k in loans. I am current 45 years old. With interest, my loans will not be paid off until I am 75 years old and over $75k down the toilet. There goes my retirement. So in a nut shell lets see what Westwood College did for you and I. Westwood stole your hopes and dreams of becoming successful. They placed you so far into debt that you will have difficulty making ends meet. They gave you false hopes at ever becoming what you inspired to become or a chance at a successful future. They lied about helping find a job, graduate placement rates, accreditation, and their overall worth of their degree.

Yes, I was sold on their snake-oil pitch. They sold me on the Regional Accreditation candidacy as well. Yes, they dropped voluntarily. Did you also know that they are on probation for National Accreditation? No one will hire a Westwood graduate in the field that they studied. I have the rejection letters to prove it. It is so bad, that one of my classmates soon after graduation lost his job due to the economy. He lost his home as well. Westwood was unable to find him placement. He has been unable to find any type of work at all. My last communication with him was that he was living out of his car. A Westwood graduate with a BS Degree in Information Systems Security, $70k in debt and homeless, that would make a great commercial.

Congratulations on your up and coming nuptials. May you have a successful marriage and hang in there. Please Google Westwood scammed me and James Hoyer. It will benefit you to take a look.

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