Not bad

[BlackDragonZero]

Now before I begin to give my testimonial, I'd like to say that in no way am I a super ITT Tech supporter, I do believe some of the things they do aren't that great. But on the other hand, out of what I have experienced so far, I have yet to run in the sheer amount of trouble that people have ran into. So I'd like to share my somewhat positive experience, and touch on the topics people complain about the most. I have attended other colleges beside ITT Tech also.

I enrolled in the summer of '09 and have just about completed my first quarter. I am a CNS student at ITT Tech in Troy, MI.

The Books: Now when I first got these, I thought they looked kind of crappy. So I did some research on them. One of the books was from a company called Heathkit, which is actually a local computer company in Michigan. Which I thought was a really cool. Also in the class, all the computers were built by Heath kit and were fairly new, so they actually matched the book's description of the computers. This was for Intro to PC. So that probably doesn't happen any where else, but I thought it was cool. There was also enough computers in the lab for everyone to use.

Now as far as people saying that the books are worth nothing, this is true. The reason for this is because they are custom books. So far all the books I have got(just got my 2nd quarter books) are from Pearson Custom Publishing. And what this basically means is, ITT Tech took one of Pearson books and took what they wanted to teach out of it and threw it in their version of the book. Pearson Custom Publishing then published that book for us to use. This is why the books are worth nothing, because they don't apply outside of the teachings at ITT Tech. However the material is from real respected books. Anyone who has taken a college class anywhere else knows that you never cover everything in a book, so I assume ITT Tech decided to just give us what we need. For example, the OS book was taking from Operating Systems: A Systematic View. The T.O.C. in each book match up with each other, so it makes me wonder what they even took out. In any case, it hasn't been a problem so far.

Also, I've read a complaint on here about how you get the solution guide with your math books. Well I don't see why that's even a complaint, because you can always get the solution guides with your math books, they are readily available and sometimes come bundled with the books. These math books were meant for more then just college study(maybe not in ITT Techs case) so some people need them to make sure they are doing it right. If you aren't being honest about it, it's you own damn fault.

Classes: They wouldn't let me test out of any first quarter classes. So I got stuck with some classes I didn't really want to take. Such as problems solving. This class was a really strange math class, but it did help me refresh my math skills. On the other hand, a lot of people in my class really needed it, considering they were in their 30's and haven't had math in a while. I don't believe they a lot of them fully got the concepts down, but that's their own damn fault for not trying to apply themselves outside of the class. The teacher told us a few website for where we could go to practice, and ITT Tech has tutors, so if they graduated and still can't find the area of a circle, then once again, it's their own damn fault.

Strategies for a Technical Professional was kind of a stupid class too. Considering TAIT doesn't even work at school. But I'm sure there we're plenty of people in that class that could use a brush up on their soft skills. Its surprising how many business concepts people fail to even understand. So, yeah this class was stupid, but I'm sure some people need it.

Intro to PC was alright. Learned a lot of stuff I didn't know, but a lot of it I will probably forget because it won't relevant to my job in the future. At most other colleges I've seen, STP and Into to PC are one class, but don't touch on the same subjects as in depth as either of these classes do. So really, doesn't matter where you go, you'll still have to learn how to use Word and all that other stuff people already know how to do. Although I haven't been everywhere, so I'm sure some places aren't like that.

Teachers: Only been here for one quarter, but I can say that the two teachers I had(one teacher I had twice) were pretty good. The Problem Solving teacher really seemed to care, he tried to explain everything to us, as far as he could until we understood it.

My STP and IPC teacher was actually a ITT Tech grad. He got the BA in ISS and then came back for the MBA(Online).Now this is what I will always remember. On the first day of class he stood up and said, "I graduated ITT Tech, and I came back to teach here because I really believe in what they teach." Not sure how strongly he meant that, but he does have a real job working for HP, "best-shoring" people. Which is a job he got because of his MBA. This guy really did care about the classes he taught. He told jokes, had a lot of real life stories to share that related to the classes and was overall a very good teacher.

Now that I am going on to 2nd qaurter, maybe I'll get a bad teacher. I'll let you all know.

Equipment: The computers that I have used we're all brand new. They had dual-core processors and 4GB of ram(capped down to 3.25GB because of Windows XP pro 32-bit). Which ain't bad for what I was doing on them. But I must say, the network at our school is so terrible. It's slower than dial up. But at home, if you go to the student portal it loads fine, so it has to be some internal network problems throughout the campuses. It's a joke. Also, the LRC's computer were a bit older, but not too bad.

Software: I have a feeling TAIT was not set up right at the school, because it the test wouldn't work at all. But at home it worked fine. And was a pretty decent testing program for MS Office.

Next semester I take Intro to Programming. I know Seven mentioned that all the programming stuff was out of date, so I checked up on this. We will be learning Python in this class, and they have version 2.6.2 which is up to date(as of 4 months ago). 3.1.1 is also out, I don't know what the differences are, but they are both still supported. I would also like to mention that my programming book is completely different then the one Seven had in his picture(along with a few others). The programming book I have is the custom edition of Pearson's book "Starting Out with Programming Logic and Design." So it seems to me they are switching over to all Pearson Custom books.(Since all three of my new ones are)

Haven't touched much else, so this is all I gotta say about that.

Finical Aid/Student Reps: Haven't had any problem with these guys yet. The people who set me up both still work there, and my student rep has actually helped me find some jobs doing freelance computer repairs(Networking ftw). They also let me attend on Temp. Credit for everything that my aid wouldn't cover. This way I don't have to take out a private loan that will rape me with interest rates. At least not till I graduate =[.

Scheduling: My schedule was all over the place for this quarter, but all I had to do was talk with my chair and he was able to fix all of it. So no problems there either.

Students: I agree that some of the student here look like they live with their parents. Or are just plain stupid. But I have also met a lot of really cool people too who are smart and already have real world jobs, they are just looking for a degree to keep them secure. I haven't encounter any of those people who somehow magically pass if they don't show up yet, because in my IPC and STP class, the teacher told people if they miss two days he will send them to their chair to talk about it, he wasn't gonna take any BS. And he did fail quite a few people.

Tuition: I agree, this is total BS. No reason it should be this high. $438 a credit I think it is here. Bout $17,000 for these three quaters.

Transferability: I have found one college that accepts a ton of credits from ITT Tech, and that is Ferris State. They are regionally accredited. A lot of other college around here will accept some. Including the big ones like Michigan State, but the key word here is they only accept "some". Feel free to look for yourself. And check around the colleges in your state too. You never know.

Student Career Fairs: I think I read somewhere on here that people were complaining that student career fair were for jobs that you didn't need degree for. Which I think is fine, because if your looking for a job while your a student, that's exactly what you need. I mean, you wouldn't even have the opportunity to talk to them if you weren't a ITT student. Also, these career fairs help you get used to talking to employers, and working on your professional imagine.

Other Thoughts: I respect what you guys have made here. And I'm not trying to knock this site, because the things people say do worry me. But I have yet to get all the BS that a lot of other people get. So if it does happen, I'll let yall know.

I got an Online course next semester(by request). I hear those are rough, but I guess I'll find out.

I know this was a bit long, but I had a lot to say, and probably didn't even cover half of what I wanted.

[doniker]

I am glad that you are having a good experience with ITT.

Keep spending all that money and I hope you enjoy a bright future.

Keep in touch and let us know how it goes.

[sevenalive]

Well i pretty much agreed with what you wrote. Maybe they are trying to improve and using this site to get ideas (they do know about it). Your lucky about the computers and software. I guess it depends on the campus, maybe they got like a 5-8 year cycle before it's refreshed (including software), and your lucky enough to come in after the refresh.

The Network is horribly slow and that won't change. I am actually going back to school, to a local community college. I requested a transcript from ITT, we will see if they send it, and ill post what did/didn't get accepted when that time comes.

You will be RAPED by the loans. According to Sallie Mae's own estimates. $15,000 loan, $9,000 in interest because they compound it and that is based of minimum payments. I would start paying those loans asap so it won't be so big down the road.

[BlackDragonZero]

It's good to see that I didn't get burned at the stake for posting a decent review, lol.

But yeah, I'm not gonna be stupid with these loans. I have my Sallie Mae account set up online and I have been making payments on the loan as I go already. Basically, the way it works at my school is I qualified for $3,500 unsubsidized loan and a $2,000 subsidized loan. So I don't have to worry about interest on the 2nd one. They also broke the loans up into three quarters. I get about $1,100 from the first one every quarter and $600ish from the 2nd one every quarter. This way, if I really wanted to, I could come up with the $1,100 in the three months time and pay it off, unfortunately, I don't have that good of a job, so that's not going to happen lol. But I can at least keep it down.

By the way Seven, at some colleges, if you can prove that you know what your talking about they might let you transfer credits in that normally wouldn't be allowed. This is something you'd have to talk to the dean about. I read that one college around here allows you to transfer in non regionally accredited or otherwise non accept credits if you complete one semester at the college, and the dean thinks you did well enough.

Edit: And I'd just like to add one more thing. Doesn't matter where you go, if you get a unsubsidized loan, your going to have a lot to pay back. My sister is going to Michigan State to be a doctor and took our a $6,000 loan for room and board. By the time she graduates(3-4 years later) it'll be $18,000. Sucks.

[sevenalive]

Ya, but Sallie Mae is the WORST, they will go to the ends of the earth to track you down to get that money. I read a story of a guy who disappeared, presumed dead, went 1/2 way around the world and started over. Sallie Mae found him, not sure if he changed his name or not. It doesn't matter though, loans suck no matter what, at least the subsidized are better.

[BlackDragonZero]

Yeah, no doubt, loans sucks. But the way I see it, like most of the population, I'm probably going to spend the next 40 years of my life in debt anyways(Mortgages, etc). So it's just another one on top of whats to come. But yeah, Sallie Mae is scary lol.

[doniker]

I wouldn't mind paying Sallie Mae the $27,000 I still owe them if I would have gotten something for my money.

I attended ITT for 9 months, learned next to nothing and then dropped out because it was a joke.

So I basically have nothing to show for the $30,000 I was charged.

[aka name]

But I have yet to get all the BS that a lot of other people get.

Thanks for the post. I'm not going to argue with you, but I believe you have made a terrible mistake by taking classes at ITT Tech. Why didn't you continue on with the other colleges?

[BlackDragonZero]

I dual enrolled in the local community college while in High School, and went there for a semester after I graduated. I lacked the high GPA and ACT scores to go elsewhere, and I really didn't like the community college too much. So I figured I give ITT Tech a try. I probably wouldn't have enrolled had I known about this site prior. But now that I'm here I'm going to make the most of it, and if its crap then I'll just move on to Ferris State after the third quarter( And after a ACT retake probably). If I end up liking it I'll probably just finish it and get the CNS degree. From there I'll probably join the military. Actually had I not gone here, that's where I'd be right now. But I figure with the associates degree, plus military experience(assuming I get a IT job in the military, my score was high enough to do so). I'll probably be able to land a job and go to college using the GI Bill, even if it means starting over. I'd like to get at least a master degree within my life span. I'm only 19, in case anyone is wondering, so I'm still figuring out what I'm doing with my life step by step. But that's my plan so far.

Another thing I was looking at is, Michigan offers a No Worker left behind program here. It helps you earn a certificate or degree in a post-secondary school if you unemployed, or you employed and you family makes less than $40k. Up to $5,000 grant per year. I'm gonna go see if I'm eligible for that. I mean, on top of FASFA, if I get that it'll be $20,000 in grants for two years.

[sevenalive]

Hmm, i was thinking about joining the airforce so the government can pay off my loans, is it possible to take the tests online?

[BlackDragonZero]

Yes you can. http://Www.military.com has practice test you can take to see where you stand. You will however need to fill out a account there. And after that the military will probably contact you for an interview(no big deal, they just want to talk to you to see what your interested in, read below)

Here's what you need to know though. There are a ton of people in the military right now, you will have to wait at least 6 to 9 months to get in, but these 6 to 9 months count towards your 3-4 year contract. So in no way are the recruiters going to try to trick you to get in, since there's so many people. The government will help pay off loans while you are in boot camp, but once you are out you will be responsible for them. You will make $1,400 every half a month as a E-1, and will get promoted to E-2 after 6 months of service(assuming you behave and do well) or so, and you'll start making almost $1,900 every half month. And it just goes up for each rank from there. You also get $350 for food. So it shouldn't be much of a problem to pay off loans while in the military. While in the military, once you pick your job, you will be trained for it. You can then also attend college on top of that during your service. Also, by law, any college that you are able to attend in the military will transfer to any college, period.(As long as its on their list of colleges, I think)

Also, if you go talk to a recruiter, they now make you take a pre-screening test to see if your even worth their time since there are so many people trying to get in. This test takes question from four of nine(I think) categories on the big test. This is applied math, algebraic math, paragraph comprehension, and word understanding. If your good at Math and English you'll do well.

If you get two friends to join with you, you will automatically start out as a E-2 and get up to a $4,000 bonus(depends, $2,000 a friend). Which is what I will probably be doing. I'm looking into the air force as well. Or Marines, or maybe the Navy.

Some jobs have signing bonuses as well, depending on how much your branch needs them. But the military seems like a great idea. You get health care for life, life insurance for life. And it gives you job experience that you can combine with your degree. You get $80,000 to attend college with. And if there is money left over you can use it to live on, or gas money or whatever.(Keep in mind you can only take so much out at a time) On top of that, you get to serve your country and defend the people you love.

[sevenalive]

Well every single marine i know (including my grandfather) says don't join the marines LOL. Air-force seems like the best option for me, i probably would be picked to do communications and other tech stuff.

[BlackDragonZero]

Yeah, the Marines are the craziest, I'd say. I hear you have to learn to climb ropes upside down in boot camp. But at any rate, if you finish the Marines boot camp and decide you want to switch to another branch, you won't have to take the other branches boot camp, and you'll start out as a higher rank. The Marines are the elite after all.

Anyways, I thought this was interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50WtaxdZ ... re=related

I have done a little research on Kaplan, and it is true they are regionally accredited. But I have so far read mixed reviews. Although a lot of regionally accredited colleges have mixed reviews. Even so, if you can switch your ITT Tech Nationally accredited degree to a Kaplan regionally accredited degree(assuming your not too far in) that would probably be helpful. Tuition is expensive here too, but over $100 cheaper then ITT's. Maybe you could finish your degree this way, Seven, you said you got booted at 8th quarter right? I figure one semester of online classes would be easy, especially if they are going to accept ITT's credits, better then nothing I suppose.

[aka name]

[...]

Interesting to know.

[BlackDragonZero]

Did a bit more research. Seems like they might be the real deal. At least more so than ITT. They are regionally accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools which is supposedly one of the better ones. The teachers are supposed to be good from what I read, but the finical department is as bad as ITT Tech's. Another thing to note is their classes are wroth 5 credit hours. But even so you would save $15,000 in comparison to ITT Tech for a associates, and $25,000 for a BA. If you are able to transfer your credits to their online program, you will have to complete at least 25% of the degree there, for them to give you one of their degrees. So if you have seven quarters done, I'd say you need to take at least two-three semester there. But probably better then starting over. The tuition also covers the books like at ITT.

Looking at the IT degree, their classes kind of sound better. Have a lot more focus on programming. And you get to select a large variety of electives at the end to custom tailor your skills.

Still overall, like many people say. Your best bet is to still go to a CC then a State college. But this wouldn't be a bad idea if you were already almost done with your degree at ITT and just wanted a degree that's worth more. Or at least get something for what you started.