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Berkeley College review: horrible school 36

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4:34 pm EDT
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Staff is rude, they never return phone calls, do no know how to answer questions and the credits I earned did not transfer to Bergen Community College. Only 7 of 21 credits transfered. I got a B+ in English Comp I at Berkley, but no one will accept the credit and I had to take it over at Bergen CC. TWO of Berkeley's English (I and II) equals only ONE of Bergen's. It's sick! And I'm actually happy I had to take English over again, I learned a lot that Berkeley never touched on. Their training is horrible, and no one will accept them. I wasted my time and money going to Berkeley. Please do not waste your time or energy with them. Or money...they are super expensive. Listen to the negative rumors - they are true!

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36 comments
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Chelsea Fisher
, US
Feb 10, 2022 11:02 am EST

This school completely scammed me! I had a mom from the school because my financial aid for some reason didn’t cover all of my costs. I took a break from school for a couple of years and they said if I came back and finished I wouldn’t have to pay it back. So I went back and during my time there I got pregnant. My due date was around the time the semester ended so I wasn’t too worried, but things happen. The baby came 6 weeks early and I was in the hospital for a week. I contacted my advisor and explained to her what happen and so they put me on academic disability. Which gave me to time to make up my work. The disability advisor sent an email to all of my professors explaining to them what exactly needed to be done. They needed to get in contact with me and put me on a schedule to complete the work. Only one person got back to me and actually followed directions! The worst part about it was I just couldn’t jump back into my assignments to make them up because the material was closed due to tone seater being over. I emailed the other professors multiple times and they acted like I wasn’t important enough to respond to. I didn’t get them to open up the courses until the last minute and one of them still wasn’t open. I basically did not get to complete my assignments and now I can’t finish my degree and so much time has been wasted. I am in so much debt and I have nothing to show for it. This school really doesn’t care about you, they only care about making money.

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fred smith
, US
Mar 27, 2019 9:17 pm EDT

They are now being sued by New York City. The lawsuit alleges that Berkeley recruiters misrepresented facts about financial aid to students and tricked students into taking out loans directly from the college.

“Berkeley representatives block students from paying their balance any other way, misrepresent the terms of the financing, and even generate loans without telling students, ” according to the complaint.

The complaint details that recruiters promote Berkeley’s grants, which do not need to be repaid, to encourage people to enroll. However, they fail to disclose that the institutional grants require students to borrow the maximum amount of loans available through the federal government.

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Elite900
, US
Jan 03, 2017 1:42 pm EST

Berkeley college is a scam. It is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Plus, According to government statics, The default rate for students who end up failing to pay their loans is over 14%! That's way above the national average. Plus, The graduation rate is very low. Honestly, you should only go there if you intend to transfer somewhere else afterwards to get around SAT requirements as a transfer student. Aslo, The IT department are a bunch of i####s, they have a terrible sense of cyber security. Long story short, I found sensitive information online which may have been leaked from Berkeley college.

http://pastebin.com/vcKpHSRL
http://pastebin.com/XWydYSiZ
http://pastebin.com/qhmStzps
http://pastebin.com/gnx3BXR2
https://www.zerobin.net/?a6edefc0c90e6bf4#7FmzzSGSRr56Phwd NmVVfqpr5NfqWqaDypB61Nck6g=

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ShellRuggiero
, US
Nov 25, 2016 7:42 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This College is a total fraud! We spent almost 20 thousand dollars to receive nothing. Thank God for my son who checked this school out and told me to get her out of there. They were going to give her a bachelors in Medical and then told her should could start out filing for $12.00 an hour. Totally ridiculous. Do not go to this school. I wish I had enough money to get an attorney to fight for justice. Then they gave her a challenge loan when she started. Free money they said. But because we took her out. Now they want that money too. Total fraudulent school.

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screwberkeley
, US
Oct 30, 2016 10:16 pm EDT

I am a current Berkeley College student (Paramus) and I absolutely hate every minute I spend there. I made the biggest mistake ever attending this college. I chose to come to this crap college after high school because it was close and everything, but there is no campus life whatsoever. If you're looking for a real college "feel" THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE PLACE. Also, the money that I'm paying to attend this 'college', I could also attend William Paterson and DORM for the SAME PRICE AS THIS SCHOOL.
Please don't make the same mistake as me going to this crappy "college"

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tarazig
, US
Aug 01, 2016 12:34 pm EDT

As someone who graduated from another school before attending a certificate program at Berkeley I hate to say it; I'm with the negative side here. The administration is all over the place, obviously they don't communicate, the staff treats you not like an adult rather a high school student. The majority of my program is made up of adults who have been to college like me, or parents just wanting to further their education. When class ended early we were told to "sit in our seats and wait another 10 minutes". The professor wasn't going to teach but he had to be in control. We all have full time jobs a lot of the class has a family to drive home to take care of. When you miss a class however their communication skills are AMAZING. When you miss a class they call your house, your cell, your emergency contact;I was getting a tooth pulled and it went on longer than expected. So, I missed a class. Everyone in my family knew about it because they all got calls from Berkeley. Now, I'm not getting a degree i'm doing the certificate program because it's tough in my area to find a job; but the lack of respect for students the babysitting with the phone calls, the poor administrative work; makes me wonder if it's all worth it. There is a professor who pretty much makes up his math system because who needs math right? He uses it not so students succeed so they fail have to stay longer and pay more. I have all my graded work, i've gone to the administration and said this does not factor out to a 55 it's 75 which isn't great but still not the end of the world I could pull that up no problem. Their reply? You should withdraw because you'll have an F. But it doesn't make sense...do you not use math here? It's a glorified high school that overcharges and would make Big Brother proud. Don't waste your time, go to your community college or a real school.

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gojoe1
, US
Jan 20, 2016 1:24 pm EST
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Be aware of the of the bigotry and racism at the White Plains campus. If you are living in the dorms at the White Plains campus you should be alert because you can be kicked out for anything and your money will not be refunded. The security staff are very rude and unprofessional and love to abuse their authority.

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gojoe1
, US
Jan 20, 2016 1:15 pm EST
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I agree with Lstevens15 everything said on the comment section by that user is true and explains the over all experience at that school.

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kyle2121
, US
Aug 01, 2015 7:46 pm EDT

I had a horrible time here. Uneducated professors, vicious way of making you borrow money, and just a bad student body. My accounting exams were like what is a debit what is a credit. This place is a scam! Do not go here! There are much better schools in the city Pace, Fordham, and any of the cuny schools.

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Lstevens15
Milford, US
Mar 31, 2014 4:41 am EDT

Berkeley College is exactly what it says it is a business they will tell you anything to get your money. Dorming (an extra $3000 added to the 35 grand) was the biggest mistake, there's no meal plan, if your classes get cancelled at the Westchester campus good luck getting transportation to the city campus, that comes straight out of your pocket as well as food expenses. Activities? What's that? Unheard of. Professor Carl Ward is a raging ### who is totally inappropriate. The staff switches every other semester to the point where you wouldn't know who to call if something were to happen on campus. don't share your business with the counselor; she will tell it all. They've had bed bugs & tried to sweep it under the rug. Those who know Berkeley knows that there are a lot of foreign students that may bring any sickness back from their country. They've had windows fall on students, that was "swept under the rug." They have a new COO & dean every semester. The degree is honestly easy to obtain as others have explained; there is no challenge. A number of students are contacting lawyers because of the "Berkeley experience" the admissions staff is fake & will tell anyone what they want to hear as long as they make that deposit. The three year program is a joke, I know students who enrolled in 2009 & still haven't earned a degree. They give you unnecessary course that won't even give you credit towards graduation. Mind you; you still have to pay for that course. Their lounges are half ###. I actually lost ambition in fashion attending this school forcing me to change my major in my second quarter to general business. This is only half of the scam of Berkeley college.

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honestly_
Woodbridge, US
Sep 26, 2013 1:52 pm EDT

Berkeley College in Woodbride Nj Sucks Don't go to this school . If U are attending this school get out before you get into more debt. I was in there for a bout a year I ended up owing them $6, 000 . My friend just earned his degree if 3 years and owes $60, 000! Get the hell out of there. I transferred my classes from Woodbridge Berekely college to Middlesex County College and two Berkeley classes = equaled one Middlesex County College. Plus n Berkeley college u don't really learn anything. It's a fake scam . Get out and spread the news no body got time to give up so much money.

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watcher2
Rego Park, US
Mar 03, 2013 11:03 am EST
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One of the other issues is the sexual harassment of students by the head of the ASC tutoring department in Manhattan really over the top and so far as I know Paul Hebert is still there. Look at the other complaints about him.

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synzz
Brooklyn, US
Feb 19, 2013 5:53 pm EST

It's been 5 years now since I graduated from Berkeley...and because of my disability, I was unable to attend the Graduation Ceremony, plus receive my Degree. I have called and even went in person several times per year trying to acquire my Certificate of Degree. Does anyone know how, or where I can acquire this plaque or Certificate of Degree which I've spent precious money for?!?!

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Hermy
white plains, US
Jul 13, 2012 2:56 pm EDT

Well everyone has their own different experience in Berkeley College. Some like it and some don't.
If anyone is interested on attending Berkeley College, I encourage them because it might be what you are looking for.
I personally attend Berkeley College and so far I only have good things to say about this school. I have learned so many new things and am looking forward to learn more of what Berkeley has to offer for me.

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lcw123
Hewitt, US
Jul 13, 2012 10:24 am EDT
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I completely disagree with all the comments mentioned above. The staff is NOT rude, they ALWAYS return phone calls, and they are very knowledgeable in all questions that are asked. I understand that sometimes things do fall through the cracks, but I can almost guarantee that nothing would go overlooked. I always got a returned phone call within a reasonable amount of time and all my questions were answered. Even in the event that the staff wasn't sure, they would follow-up and seek to find the correct answer for me. I am not pointing fingers, but it's almost on your part too as a student, to follow-up.

I haven't had one negative experience at Berkeley College. Even as an alumni now, I still have nothing but kind words to say about the college. I keep in touch with the professors and staff I had over the years and they are very happy to hear all about my success.

Also, I have to say that I completed the 3 year program, so it could be that your friends didn't graduate in that time frame due to the lack of credits or if they failed a class, they would need to retake it. Definitely not a scam, because I am living proof that you can graduate in 3 years...and it was the best decision I made. I was skeptical of doing it because I would be going to classes all year for 3 years, but it was amazing.

Berkeley College has tons of activities and clubs to become involved in. I know at the Woodland Park campus, they offered an Activity Period, in which everyone was encouraged to go the student center and check out the clubs and join any events that were going on that day. There was always something going on for Activity period and it was a lot of fun.

I am very happy with my decision to choose Berkeley College. I received my Marketing degree in 3 years and I am now working full time as the Head of Marketing. These negative comments could have been a result of one bad experience, but I honestly think that you need to visit the campus, meet with the staff, and talk to students who are happily enrolled at the Berkeley College campuses. In the end, it's your choice and you need to make the decision for yourself. These other comments don't speak for everyone. As I have stressed before, Berkeley is a great college!

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berkeleycollegesucks
newark, US
Jun 06, 2012 2:03 pm EDT

I'm on the negative bandwagon too. Berkeley college is a joke. I had ever intention on finishing my education with them. I will not EVER go there again. I will tell other to look for a repatble school. My situation with them is 4 pages long.. so again.. look elsehwere.

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montalvo50
Newark, US
Mar 01, 2012 3:30 pm EST

So, far I'm with the negative complains.Because my son graduated from this college, We went to the graduation and he received a degree only to find out his name was misspelled.So far 4 years later he has not received a corrected degree.So, how you like that for a so called college..I personally called this college and was not able to get in contact with any person responsible for this degree.All I got connected with was the operator that connected me to an answering machine. I don't speak to an answering machine.So, I will have to go down there personally.

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Apple20
, US
Dec 07, 2011 10:17 pm EST
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I have several female friends just graduated from Berkeley College in New York. They were SEXUALLY HARASSED by their English tutors. Stay away from this college! this oneguy Paul H is so mean to his students but all the girls are all over him. They buy him food and giftcards and they promise him things (like SEX). He dates them.. I know of more than one girl. He breaks their hearts and then they graduate and no one says anything. My fiends are too EMBARASSED and HUMILIATED to say anything to the college. The staff at Berkeley are a joke and noone should be treated this way...

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AndrewDido
Clifto, US
Sep 12, 2011 8:51 pm EDT

This school is a scam. Any "school" whose credits don't transfer should be avoided like a herpes-infested prostitute who takes the money and leaves you with a lifetime of regret.

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Lisa Alessandro
Paramus, US
Jul 25, 2011 6:20 pm EDT
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I currently am an employee of Berkeley College and I have had a great experience. I often come across students who are happy with the education they are receiving as well as the community that is formed inside and outside of the classroom. Berkeley College offers great opportunities to students from academics to lifetime career placement and even relationships with staff and faculty. Berkeley College is a great place to work and a great place to continue your education.

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VeteranUSMC
, JP
Jun 23, 2011 4:45 am EDT
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Berkeley college is the worst for veterans. I server my country for 9 years and decide to use my 9/11 Gi Bill, the paper work went very slow to process and their Veteran department consist of only one person of Rachael Hudson to handle hundreds of Veterans which mean I never got paid on time and everything was slow for us veterans. I was also eligible for state and federal grants and didn't receive it for 6-8 months because they wanted to keep the money has long as they can for their budge purpose. I finally got paid after many emails and phone complaints but this proves if you don't speak up Berkeley college will take your grants and Veterans benefits. The main complaint I have is the withdraw process, after 3 weeks of class the teachers are not obligated to take attendance and in this case i was withdrew because of my low grade but yet i had attended every class, so because of this unfair withdraw that i am fighting with the Gi Bill that i did attend the classes, Miss Rachael Hudson the only VA rep in that school decide to get revenge on me because of all my complaints and all other political reasons that school has. Can you believe Berkeley college just withdraw me because they want their school reputation to have good grades. They prefer to lie to keep their reputation. I could type all day about the bad 9 month experience has a Veteran, I was taken advantage financially, I was withdrawn for their own grade purpose, Their VA rep has no Military background and never care for us Veterans to process our paperwork fast enough and take care of our other grants that was not military related, Their teachers are not understanding of at all and doesn't have to take attendance after 3 weeks which means they have the power to say 'withdraw' if they feel their class grade point average is getting low. AND THE BEST PART IS, their staff will never help you with any information, their adviser will protect their own job rather than help you with some information that will help you if you have a problem with the school. My problem was with the withdraw process and i try to talk with advisement, student service, student accounts, teachers and even financial aid and NOT ONE PERSON would help me because if they gave out the wrong information they would get in trouble so in the end is, forget the students let them figure things out on their own. I am currently going to Mercy College which is one of the top military friendly college and so far the support is great. VETERANS STAY AWAY FROM BERKELEY COLLEGE, they don't care about us Veterans and their rep Rachael Hudson has no military background and no understand and is one person trying to handle hundreds of Veterans, they just send me an email if i wanted to come back. To pay $7000 per semester that's only two and half months long, they are crazy. NOT A MILITARY FRIENDLY COLLEGE, PLEASE STAY AWAY

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montalvo Herbert
Newark, US
May 06, 2011 4:07 am EDT
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The only complaint I have about this college is that one of my sons has graduated from there and they misspelled his name on the degree.My wife went to the college to see why they misspelled his name and after 4 years my son has not received his degree yet.

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collegemom
, JP
Jan 06, 2011 12:38 pm EST

I am a online Berkeley college student and am in Japan. This is my fourth semester at Berkeley and I attend full time. I thought the time difference would be a hassle when trying to schedule classes, send in my forms, and get financial aid. On the contrary, the employees respond to my emails within two days, they set up times with me to call so I'm not up all night trying to contact them, and even when they have advice about my schedule they email me promptly. Although I will never be on a campus, I feel involved. There are online contest that I can participate in (one in which I won textbook money), there are various organizations that I can get involved in, and they even send me congratulatory letters on my performance. I was even asked to do an article for the newsletter. I can't say I have any complaints about Berkeley, if I have a problem it is fixed quickly. As for the curriculum, I feel that I actually have to work in my classes. My instructors force me to study and know the material, I don't believe this is an "easy" school. They make you work for your grades. it is worth the money only if you apply yourself. By far, I have a few friends and siblings that take online courses and I must say, this curriculum has been one of the best who make you earn your grade! By the way, I am not a representative for this school who is hired to post things. You can look me up on facebook to see I am real. Ladilvia Lee

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Berk student
brooklyn, US
Dec 30, 2010 10:35 pm EST

I am currently a student at Berkeley College, in the NYC campus. Honest to God, LOVE LOVE LOVE Berkeley College. I am a very hardworking student and mom. Currently, my GPA is a 3.93. Berkeley has the best financial aide packages with a challenge and achievement award for students who maintain high grades. They have quarter semesters, each semester is like 3 months long. No lie, every semester, I receive a refund of $2700 from the school. This is a huge blessing as I am a mom of 2. It really helps with the bills. Ive been to many of the CUNYs, I hate em. Berkeley treats you good when you handle your business. Most people complaining here are lazy as hell. If you goof off and mess up, dont blame the school dummy! lol...

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berkeleysucks
North Bergen, US
Dec 17, 2010 9:44 pm EST

Berkeley College sucks balls! I have maintained a 4.0 GPA, maintained my position on the "Presidents List" and I even became a member of the Phi Thetta Kappa National Honors society. For my internship, Berkeley College expects me to work somewhere for 25 hours a week for three months and not get paid a single penny! The other option they gave me was to work as a "Loss Prevention Associate" the glorified name for security guard! I wish I never attended this horse-crap school, I could have been a security guard on my own without have to pay some worthless school $20, 000.00! If you are planning on attending this "Institute of Meager Learnings" then go right on ahead and waste one and a half years of your life and $20, 000.00 in order to work for minimum wage.

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Jessica Schwartz
Brooklyn, US
Nov 04, 2010 6:23 pm EDT

I'm am currently a Berkeley College student, I'll try and remain calm about my opinion of this school but it's rather hard to talk about it when I have such an intense detest for this 'college'. I'd like to start by saying that as of the upcoming Spring I will no longer be a student of Berkeley college. I chose to leave this school and after a lot of trouble managed to do so. After approximately a year of dealing with the CUNY system I will be going to Hunter College, a school I was accepted into with 'High Standings'. I state this to underline the fact that I am in no way, shape or form, an idiot complaining about my problems but doing nothing to change them.

My opinions of Berkeley College are very mixed. I genuinely liked my teachers, two of them are my reason for transferring, I received practically a full scholarship in attendance to the school, I was a student blogger, and I was admitted into the honors program seminar. However these seemingly good attributes are easily darkened when further examined. To start I would like to talk about the professors in the school. I won't include their names in fear for their jobs, but I would like to note that these two professors were large influences in my life.

In my freshman year, I took a course taught by a temporary teacher in Berkeley college who believed grades shouldn't just be handed to you. He made the claim that within the classroom at most one student would get an A. He claimed that his test wont be easy to pass and that he majority would in fact fail. However, the bar will be set by whomever gets the highest grade. All others would be held to that standard. I was proclaimed an outlier in this class because if he held the other students to my grade than the majority would have failed. I received an A in this class, which I was quite happy about, and I even passed his 'impossible' test with a 73%, while the average was 45%. It wasn't until he asked to see me after class in an email that I began to worry. "Why are you here?" he asked me with a serious look on his face. I hadn't understood the question, at first but when he pulled out my grades and compared them with the other students I quickly understood. He told me to transfer, that I was too good for this school and that I was better off in a CUNY, which was affordable and had more prestige. That's when I filled out my CUNY application form.

Another teacher told me the same thing as we went over my transcript and compared my grades to the other students. I told my professor that I wished to be a lawyer, and he told me to leave now while I can still get a decent degree in a respectable college. "A degree in Berkeley is just a piece of paper, with a signature on it. No one will take you seriously...". He was a great teacher and I learned a lot from him. But he pointed out a very interesting fact, Berkeley didn't even require students to take the SAT's there was no competition in the school what so ever.

As for the 'honors program' I was admitted into. I feel as if its a glorified deans list which asks the students within them to write an occasional essay in order to have the words "honor" on their diploma. To say that this scribbled word would make anyone believe anything else about the college is hopeful at best. To quote a previous post a degree at Berkeley College is a "Crackerjack" Degree.

Lastly I would like to state that just because Berkeley College is not the college for me doesn't mean it is wrong for everyone. However, if you wish for a college filled with competition then I suggest not attending Berkeley College, because although they have a handful of good professors the student population isn't all too bright.

Hopefully this rather lengthy post is actually read and helps someone make a good decision.
- Jessica A. Schwartz

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Quicker
Yorktown Heights, US
Sep 23, 2010 9:52 pm EDT

I am a a student at Berkeley college at Garret mountain campus. I actually like everything about the college, and I disagree with the people who discredited the college in many aspects. But over all, I think that the responsibility to insure a student's success is the responsibility of the student himself. And no matter what college a student attends it's all depends on the student's perseverance and effort to educate himself by the opportunity given by a college. you can't say that Berkeley college's students are losers! I have met many Berkeley's students who are professionals in their careers and successful in their lives. On the other hand, I have seen a lot of NYU, NJIT, and other big-name colleges's students who don't understand what they're talking about when it comes to their areas of study. further more, a lot of them simply couldn't find a job.

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Aqua Melon
, US
Sep 14, 2010 11:08 am EDT

I attended Berkeley College in Fall 05 and believe I graduated in Fall/Winter 08 with a Bachelors degree in Management. 3 1/2 years. I was on the Dean's List the entire time at the school and also through Berkeley managed to land a job at the Board of Education. I had to take out loans of course with Sallie Mae but in total it came out to be 26k. Internships are not always paid. I was lucky enough to work for the Township through Berkeley and from then on went to get my Board of Education job. I had to work for it, I had to network, I had to pull my own weight. Berkeley helps in opening doors. However if you don't give a 100% effort how can you expect to get a job out of the internship or get an A in the class. I took classes at 3 different campuses and in my final 6 months took online courses. As a personal preference I enjoyed the online classes.

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BamBam79
Jersey City, US
May 27, 2010 5:30 pm EDT

I've taken classes at Berkeley College in NJ and online. I already have a Bachelor degree from another college in NY, however, but I would not discredit Berkeley in the same way that others have done so on this website.

First of all, any college has flaws. Ask the Harvard student whose roommate hung himself from real Ivy league stress and he'll laugh at those who complain about the pressures of Berkeley's ongoing quarter system. No one forces you to graduate in three years. The benefit is that your financial aid is applicable to your 4 quarters, including the summers, unlike at a semester college.

Second, Berkeley doesn't claim to be a university with multiple majors and 100s of extracurricular activities. It's not fair to complain about this as if they do boast about it. In fact, they quite specifically market themselves on tv and on their own website as career-oriented, but they are fully accredited by Middle States, and are respected in the business world as a fully accredited college. The college has been around since 1931, and literally works with most companies that people would die to work for, and yes, some internships are free, but that's not the requirement. Whoeever wrote that is lying. All of the internships are paid, and if you want to work for someone specifically or waited until the last minute, you may get stuck with an unpaid internship. You are only required to do 3 months anyway, not 6 months. Plus, their JOB statistic is always over 90% and that's why most people pick Berkeley when they attend, because it gives them a good shot of paying off all of those loans. When I asked career services, they said that they make their job placement statistic after THREE months of graduation, so the losers who couldn't get job are not different than the low-achieving graduates of any other college.

Additionally, I had asked about graduation rate, since I found it interesting that the Bachelors is completed in three years - over 92% of all students graduate within FOUR years, so that means that most people graduate faster than they would have under a semester system. THAT IS WHAT YOU PAY FOR. If you and your friends are the lazy 8% who fail 4 out of 5 classes each semester - well, you can't speak badly about the college. That's not different than students who take 5 years to complete an Associates at the community colleges due to basic classes or ESL! You can't blame a college for your own performance or inability to keep up with the programs. Many students do just fine - most of them actually.

Although I never intend to complete my degree at Berkeley since I already have one, I have not been disappointed with the professors or the process. I went to an elite college in NY, and I left college with over 60K in student loans. It is unfair for people to expect a good education to be cheap. Berkeley costs less than 20K a year, and that's not odd or weird or expensive in the state of NJ for a non-state college. Have you checked out SPC or Seton Hall or NJIT or William Paterson or Princeton?

The whole college credit piece really depends on when you graduated, too. I've heard current students complain about this, but the current president of the college made changes to the whole entire curriculum last year, and even before then, the credits from Berkeley were fine. They give 4 credits for their classes, and that translates to 3 credits to a semester, just like a semester translates to a quarter. If you graduate in less time from a degree, the state has certain requirements. As far as I know, Berkeley updated all of their courses and weeded out the non-transferrable courses for students. Again, no college, not even Berkeley, accepts anything below a C grade.

College is a project of your own merit.

If all you do is complain, you'll fail to see the good things available to you.

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drt1986
Bedford Hills, US
May 16, 2010 10:37 pm EDT
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I've wasted two years of my life and money at the Berkeley College
Westchester Campus, and I regret it so very much.

At the time, the idea of attending a commuter college close to home
was convenient, but it didn't take long to realize that this "college"
is essentially nothing but a dolled up degree mill which churns out
degrees to any paying customer with a pulse.

Upon entering the campus, you'll quickly notice it's not bad looking,
and even looks quite luxurious (offices and restrooms, especially.) On
your first visit, you'll quickly be greeted by one of their many
near-super model level guides, who will give you the grand 10 minute
run-through of the tiny campus, being sure to usher you past the many
students spouting obscenities and blasting rap music in the halls,
computer labs, and recreational area.

On topic of the students, the culture is very limited. If you are
going to waste your time with this school, you had better make sure
you love BET, hip-hop, and, most importantly, hate learning. If you
don't fit that criteria, you will make very few friends in the school,
and have nothing to relate to in conversations. Many of the students I
did talk to were quite friendly, but that only goes so far when none
of them actually want to learn.

It's evident that most students in the school are only there because
they feel they need to be, and all jump for joy upon hearing of a
canceled class, and unanimously grumble when professors do walk in the
door, or assign homework. Most students just don't want to do
anything, and if you are someone who actually wants to get what you
pay for, you'll be paying dearly in time when you end up doing all of
the work for your group in any given collaborative assignment.

Luckily, for the slackers that account for the vast majority of
Berkeley College students, most every course is expertly crafted to
ensure that every student will pass with at least a C, so long as they
maintain a reasonable attendance, and turn in something even
semi-coherent for homework.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to study under
a few great professors, though their teaching styles were suppressed
by the college in ways that forced them to limit challenge, and cater
to slackers. In fact, in a Managerial Accounting course I took, a
student was caught cheating on the course's final exam by the
professor, and she told him he was to automatically fail the class for
doing so, and had him removed from the classroom by the dean in a
justifiable rage. Upon contacting that student, he still passed with a
D. Amazing.

What's more, is that the most intelligent and interest professors I've
had at Berkeley would often pull the brighter students aside near the
end of the trimester to recommend that we transfer to a different
school to give ourselves the proper level of education we deserve for
the large amount of money we're spending.

The funny part is, I've never been a straight A student growing up,
yet I was quite consistently at, or near the top of my class, even in
those that I barely lifted a finger in. It's definitely easy to become
the big fish in a small pond at Berkeley, that's for sure.

As for extracurricular activities, don't be fooled; Berkeley really
doesn't have much. At the start of a trimester, they'll present
students with a decent list of clubs to join, but when only two or
three students show up to the clubs at most, most are quickly
canceled, leaving nothing to do after classes but to go home or to
your dorm.

Most importantly, DO NOT come to this school in hopes of actually
graduating with a Bachelors in 3 years, it's a flat out lie. I've kept
in touch with the few great students I've met in Berkeley, who started
with me in Fall 2005 on a 3 year program, and those who remained there
all ended up graduating in 2010. Some program that turned out to be.
According to them, the two years longer than expected came partly from
stress in back to back trimesters year round for 3 years straight with
a total of 5-7 weeks off every year for three years straight. No
student I've heard of was able to get through that without running out
of willpower, and faltering from the strict program requirements
really screws you up, and increases the cost of classes. The other
problem was how key classes are conveniently and repeatedly
canceled/unavailable to the point where a student can be kept from
graduating because of it. Definitely a scam of a program that
shouldn't be trusted.

Thankfully, after two years of being told to transfer from my own
professors, I finally did, and I never looked back. Unfortunately,
most of my credits did not transfer, and those that did were cut in
half by 2/3 in the switch from Berkley's trimesters to a real
university on a semester program. That said, I'm graduating from a
reputable university in Southern California, and couldn't be happier.
I'm actually thankful for having to start from close to scratch in
transferring, as I've learned so much from my current university that
my classes in Berkeley failed to even touch upon.

In summary, I urge all prospective college students to stay way from
Berkeley College.It's nothing but a proprietary scam, and you will
regret any and all time you spend there as a student. Berkeley doesn't
prepare their students for the business world, they just charge them
tens of thousands of dollars for a piece of paper that makes them
appear like they are.

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BCNO
, US
Feb 17, 2010 10:40 pm EST

I would never recommend this "college" to anyone. They EXPECT you to take a 6 month internship for FREE at 25 hours a week. Now unless your a rich kid living in a mansion on Daddy's pay then maybe this would be ok. However most of us have to work to make a living and have bills to pay. How the hell do they think that I can work at a paying job, take the FREE internship, and take courses in the evening?! It really is too much. They are also really REALLY expensive. Heed our warnings please stay far FAR away from them.

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bs666
New York, US
Dec 21, 2009 1:55 am EST

*at BERKELEY NO*
So you attended all of the campuses in the NYC and NJ area in 4 yrs? Rightttt. I am convinced these proprietary scam colleges read these complaints and post far fetched responses trying to discredit the ripped of student.

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BerkeleyNO
Toms River, US
Oct 22, 2009 12:52 pm EDT

The students complaining on this website seem to be confused. Berkeley is full of wonderful career opportunities and an informative staff. I have attended every campus in the 4 years at the college. This is primarily due to my work, mother, and wife duties and schedules. In the 4 years, I managed to keep my "Dean's list" status. Berkeley gave me many grants and scholarships because I kept my GPA in good standing. I was offered a job as a Junior Accountant at a company in Bayonne in my 3 rd year. Today, I am a Junior Accountant for the company, and I have managed to keep the position for about a year now. If Berkeley didn't have an exceptional coursework I wouldn't be able to do my job today. Everything at Berkeley wasn't perfect, but the small imperfections of certain staff members shouldn't overshadowed the great deeds completed at the school. Some students don't have the experience of interacting with other colleges and their staff members. If the students here did they would see that the change they are looking for has to be within them. Please donot waste your time and money pointing out the failures of others, and focus on your tenacity for a degree. FYI: All of my loans for 4 years ( a little over the time actually needed to complete a Bachelor's Degree) accumulate to 26, 803 with Sallie Mae. It cost to go to college, and Berkeley College isn't supposed to be a free ride. As around, trust me there are people with much higher student loans than me or many other Berkeley students. Just one more tip for all who want an education at Berkeley...TRY GETTING AND STAYING @ GPA 4.0, it will do wonders for your Tuition at Berkeley College. Signing out...A BERKELEY COLLEGE SUCCESS STORY

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BerkeleyNO
Toms River, US
Oct 03, 2009 10:00 am EDT

The colllege cost me a little over 50, 000 in loans and due to the fact that I could n't afford to pay for the last semester of an attempt to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting I am not given the opportunity of receiving an official transcript. The total to pay is 2, 400.00 in outstanding loans, because I couldn't pay for the remainder of the last semester. Now, I cannot obtain my transcripts and I can't find a job to pay for the balance to obtain the transcript. The jobs available for accounting are slim to none, and you are not considered if you don't have a degree. I made the worst mistake of my life when I chose to attend Berkeley College.

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Jennifer Hinkley
, US
Oct 22, 2018 12:40 am EDT
Replying to comment of BerkeleyNO

Had had something like thing and stupidly paid the amount owed to get my diploma on time when I left this school

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BerkeleyNO
Toms River, US
Oct 03, 2009 9:37 am EDT

Do not choose this school if you expect a positive response from prospective employers. Do not attend Berkeley College (Berkeley College of Business) if you want anything more than a "crackerjack" education for an inflated price. I spent four years of my life at this school, primarily due to my schedule and home life. The only thing I can about Berkeley is the scheduling was okay. I am a mother of three with a great husband, we all have negative things to say about Berkeley. The accounting classes in West Paterson were taught by "The Remedios Clan" and a very small number of classes related to accounting were taught by some on and off professionals. The Remedios team was a husband and wife that were overworked and consistant with bringing the "outside issues" into the school. I can remember a terrible incident when Mrs. Remedios gave a student an "F" as an error. Mrs. Remedios was out of line and a few of the students, including myself, didn't want to call her on it due to the possible backlash in the future. The issue came about when the final exam was returned. The exam had a deadline of 6:30pm on the last day of school, yet Mrs. Remedios said to the student, "I didn't say that, you are mistaken and it was actually earlier". The class was scheduled from 6 pm until 9:30pm, She was still in the class when the student returned, still she didn't accept the test. It was a mistake on her part, but she never admitted it, the student went to the Accounting Board and all the members sided with Remedios. At that point, I realized that the student didn't matter. The student would pay again, plus for Berkeley, the teacher would most likely be Mrs. Remedios, plus for her, and the student probably would not make it do to the extra cost on tuition among other things; not a problem. The student went through so much hardship and anguish that she had to drop out. My issues with Berkeley come down to high cost for unreliable education.