<p>I was the Director of Education at a for-profit, and let me tell you, the admissions “standards” are minimal (If you can pass a test on the level of 8th grade, you’re in), and there is a reason all these schools don’t put much information on their websites. They want to get you in, give you the high pressure sales pitch all about how the school will make your life so much better, and then get you packaged in financial aid within two days so you don’t have time to change your mind. Most kids who attend these schools don’t like school and just want to get it done with quickly. Nothing in life that is of quality is “quick”. These schools watch your hours of attendance, because they can’t pull financial aid if you haven’t hit certain hours. Once a student enrolls, they don’t care if the student then has to quit, so they take people that say “I have 3 kids and no child care, I have a sick mother and no car to get here.” “No problem” say the admissions people. As long as they get you in for the first 6 days, they can pull the loan money, pell money, and whatever else the student was funded with. They might as well be selling used cars. The students often have NOT researched schools closely, often just don’t have an understanding about the financial aspects, true costs, ect, and then are SHOCKED when they have to quit and find out now they have to start paying back the loans, etc. Working for one, I felt like my soul was being sucked into a black hole. Many of my students were attending because if they didn’t they would have to go to prison, others were attending because they were desperate to somehow get a better life and this was the only hope…Faculty don’t have to have doctorates, but may have a lot of work experience. If you go into it with eyes wide open, and realize what a for-profit school is and is not, that’s one thing. If you go in naive, well…</p>
<p>@teachandmom</p>
<p>Thanks for all your insights. Great thoughts and advice about for-profit schools! First hand experience (especially from someone who has been in the administration of a for-profit school) is super valuable!</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>