Brown Mackie College review: Worst place ever 74

BMC is the WORST college ever. As a former instructor and I am proud to say FORMER instructor, I have seen students lied to before they even sign on the dotted line. Admissions PROMISES them whatever they want to just get them to sign up to attend BMC.

There is a Dept. Chair where I use to work that is NOT qualifed in that position but they put that person in place because the accreditationboard was coming to visit and they did not want to be cited and pay a fine.

Mgt. thinks all of the students are STUPID and they don't care about the students. Their main goal is $$$$$$$$$$. They will suck a student dry.

DONT GO TO BROWN MACKIE...GO TO A REAL SCHOOL!

Im currently a student in the nursing program, and i would like to know if there are any of you that have contacted an attorney reguarding these issues. I was lied to from the beginning and now im stuck in this program not even half way through. They platyalot of favortism and dont follow there own rules. This place is a joke and someone needs to do something about it. Please respond

I am curious how much the instructors make at Brown Mackie.

all colleges want your money how do you think they get paid duh so any one who ### about them just wanting money think about your self what do you need to get by in this world money. how do you support a family, with money. so thats a stupid reason to cry about. If you cant read or right then you probly shouldnt have passed high school and that makes college impossible to even be accepeted to so dnt blame the school blame were they went to high school at first for leting them graduate. next if you cant find a job right away look! at our economy duh we are in a recetion jobs just are not out there and second if you were a ### student nobody will want you in their company or if you suck at interviews that could be it to so dont be so quick to judge the school and look at yourself and find what you could have done diffrent.

Be very careful. Education for profit can be a nightmare. Doesn't have to be; but it certainly can be. They tend to go after the naive, poor people - easier to take advantage of.

To those of you who believe the following: "I too am a current employee of Brown Mackie College. However, I have a different view on what we do. We give students the opportunity to get an education, maybe for the first time. "

I use to think this when I started working at Brown Mackie. However, my experiences there have shown me otherwise. This institution is NOT giving students an opportunity to get an education, it is taking the money of students who are not prepared to go to college by making them believe that they will be able to transfer to other universities, acquire jobs, etc. They offer several degrees which are completely unheard of at other institutions and charge a hefty fee per credit. In many instances, the students cannot read or write, and instead of offering them remedial classes which will prepare them for a "real" college experience and will help them secure jobs, they simply allow them to make it through courses.

Those of you who believe they are giving people chances are missing the big picture. College degrees are not about chances, they are about creating prepared and competent individuals. In the end, a degree is worthless if you can't even put words together to create sentences. Brown Mackie is doing a diservice to our community. They need to aim to prepare these people for life, instead of being so focused on making money.

Wow... reading these comments has really took me over by a bomb. I'm a current Brown Mackie Student studying Paralegal. I agree with the statements about the money issue, This school is very expensive. Its just so much hatred going on, but I'm not going to lie I enjoy coming to class every morning. My GPA i s a 3.8 and I plan on keeping it that way. I know there may be ###s that go to my school, but I never ever fail to place myself in that same category. Obviously it seems like some people feel like they made a mistake and might just be that dumb to have stayed and get played because I've never caught an employee acting like they don't have any work ethics or isn't professional. I worry because some people stated classes were taking place in kitchens or what ever. By any means why did you stay? Some people should be lucky because if they would have applied to another school they behinds probably wouldn't have gotten accepted. So take this and run with it. If you feel that BMC is playing with you take that approach and leave.

I too have been snagged by the big BM. My degree will total almost 50, 000 if I stay to graduation ( I am fighting for my withdrawal at the moment). Brown Mackie is giving people degrees who can not read or write. To the above poster, no one will hire you if your degree is from Brown Mackie College. In many cases I have heard that they laugh at you when you state your college, and many people take it off of their resume to get hired. What was supposed to change mine and my childrens lives has turned it into a very scary nightmare. I CAN get into any degree program, but with CHILDREN and WORK it is quite impossible to go to school full time. Hook, line, and sinker they got me. Also, to the above poster; your anger towards people is ridiculous and you should not judge lest ye be judged. Who cares if you can write "appropriately" when apparently you have not even educated yourself with basic manners and etiqute.

I just wish I was able to help the people who are wrapped in and do not have the sense to check the school and their precious money.

Since the majority of you can't write appropriately, let alone spell, it is a good thing you are spending time practicing writing. Why don't you try going to a traditional school? What's that? You can't get in? SUPRISE! But Brown Mackie gave you all the opportunity to try so you could get an entry level job and the ability to support yourself. Too bad you would rather complain and blame them for your own poor decisions!

DeVry University does accept credits from Brown Mackie. DeVry's accreditation is regionally yet they accept the credits. I know because I was able to do this. I am working on a Bachelors.

Brown Mackie College is the biggest joke of a school I have ever attended. It changed hands 3 times while I was there. First it was Stazenburger, then Southern Ohio College (in northern ohio), then Brown Stain Mackie. I transferred there because Owens CC was sending me 30 min away everyday for my AutoCAD Classes. BMC was right down the road and offered an AutoCAD class and accepted my credits so I figured, why not.
Once my classes started I got the sinking feeling that I had been douped. My class, which consisted of 3 people, was the last AutoCad class they had. The teacher I had was never there and I knew more about CAD than he did. I ended up teaching his class for him. The other students were all asking me how to do things. I DONT THINK I LEARNED ANYTHING WHILE ATTENDING THERE!
Then upon graduation I got another rude awakening. NO ONE HIRES BROWN MACKIE GRADS! Even the nursing students can’t find work. They all end-up being ### wipers in old-folks homes.
So then I decided I would finish my bachelors. WRONG AGAIN! NO ONES ACCEPTS BROWN MACKIE CREDITS! When I spoke with admissions at BGSU they had to choke back laughing in my face when I told them where I graduated from. Owens Community College would not even take their credits. Luckily by the grace of god Phoenix Online finally took my credits and I am now finishing my Bachelors.
BROWN MACKIE IS A COMPLETE JOKE! The teachers are a joke and most of the students are well-fare receiving, GED having ###s that can barely read, write or do simple math.
Please warn everyone you can.
DON'T GO TO BROWN MACKIE!

Wow! I hope that all of you have filed with the EEOC and other agencies. Perhaps this is a class action suit against EDMC (harassment, discrimination, etc)!

The Art Institute also function the same dysfunctional way-fire at will replace employees crappy raises and constant harassment. The Art Institute of Charlotte charges $526.00 per credit hour and they are not even regionally accredited. What a joke!

I was a student at brown mackie this year. When I first enrolled I made mention that I had just been laid off and needed better education to land a good job. The admissions woman even asked how my first interview went which was the first day of school. She asked how i would be able to make payments even though i already had student loans and a pell grant that i was applying it still didn't cover my tuition for the LPN program. In my third month i was flagged for non payment and was denied entry into class, desperate to continue I worked up an agreement with the financial aide department and they said I could only continue through to the next class if i paid 300 dollars by the middle of july. I came up with the first half but couldnt make the other half of the payment. For an unknown reason at the time they let me finish out that class. I knew since i owed even more at the end of that class i had to figure out some sort of arrangment, I spoke with my financial aide rep and she advised that i would have to pay 700 dollars to be able to continue and charge books as well. I told her that with my not having a job that this would be impossible. I let her know that I would have to take the next month off and try to find a job to save the money. Now a month and a half after that conversation brown mackie is telling me that I have to pay for that entire quarter even for classes I never sat in and even though they were denying me entrance to class for amounts lower than what i owed when they didnt deny me. On top of that i have to pay a "withdrawl fee" which i find utterly insane, in order to come back. I am angry and disappointed beyond belief. I ignored all the tell tale signs urging me to go elsewhere, the rushed classes, the constant cramming, the "car salesman" like behavior of the admissions reps. In spite of everything going on in my life I took my education there seriously, i maintained a good gpa and was a daily fixture in study group. I hope that I do not have to file a lawsuit but if I do not get a positive response to my complaint about the withdrwl fee, I will have to. I have never heard of such a scam. They also bill for entire quarters not classes, which i was unaware of until now. They are billing me for a class i never sat in and for which I was denied entrance based on my conversation with financial aide.

WHO LET'S THIS COLLEGE RUN LIKE IT DOES!? WHAT A JOKE!

Brown Mackie is Nationally Accredited not Regionally Accredited. You can't go to any state university with a nationally accredited degree - they won't take those credits. I am a former employee of a state university and we didn't accept any EDMC coursework. Sure it's great if that two year degree is all you want. Yet, the quality of the degree is pathetic!

I attended brown mackie after receiving my bachelors degree because I wanted to get my PTA certification. The admissions rep told me I can get it done in less than two years (lies). The admissions staff also seemed like they cared for me. They would call me once a month to see what was going on in my life...that was up to the first day of classes.

I realized the games this college plays during the first week of classes. I had an issue with registration and it was like pulling teeth out to finally get my problem solved. My phone calls were never answered and every time I went to talk to the registrar guy in person, either he'd say he'd fix it soon or he just wasn't there. At the university I worked at, if I told a student I would fix the problem later, I'D BE FIRED! We fix the problem then and there and we give the student a print out to prove the problem is fixed. I think Brown Mackie needs to restructure their philosophy of customer service.

My problem was never fixed and I decided to drop out of clown college. When I did withdrawal from the college, my paper work was never processed and they signed me up for the next month's class without me knowing. Sounds like a good way to make money to me. Fortunately, I fought it and now I don't owe for the class I was "signed up for".

And how was my experience while I was there? Well for one I didn't feel safe. The student population consisted of ex-convicts, there was cussing in the hallways, cussing in the classrooms... I even walked out and saw a group of professors arguing with each other as if they were angry at something. That's professional! Challenge of coursework? No challenge whatsoever! Cost of the program? RIDICULOUS! If I stayed there for two years to get my degree, I would have payed more for it than what my bachelors degree cost! In fact, it would have been more than my masters degree (which I am now getting)!

If Brown Mackie's philosophy is to help students get degrees they would have never been able to get then they should have told me that upfront because I don't fall in that category. I also believe Brown Mackie isn't the only option for the untraditional student. Community colleges are becoming increasingly accommodating to the untraditional student - offering night classes, saturday classes and online classes. Even an online degree from a university would be better quality than Brown Mackie!

Your handle says it all: JBMC, current employee... keep drinking the koolaid, girl. You may have good intentions and love your students, but wake up and see that BMC's accreditation and credentials are severely limited and do not satisfy requirements of nationally accredited universities and technological schools. Can you truthfully say that BMC's credits will transfer to a state university? If you say no, then you are a liar.

My PhD in New York State cost me less than the money BMC charges students per class for superfluous associate degrees and certificates. In addition, BMC's required books and fees are usurious. Look, potential students, if you want REAL education that will transfer into viable jobs, avoid scamster, "private" schools such as Brown Mackie. If you are not willing to do the work required in an accredited university, then give it up - don't ransom your financial future by paying Brown Mackie thousands of dollars of YOUR money for a worthless piece of paper on which you can wipe your bum. Believe what you want, but as a former instructor at BMC, my observation is that you either take up the yoke of a real university education, flip eggs at the Waffle House, or throw away your future on money making machines such as the Brown Mackie College.

I too am a current employee of Brown Mackie College. However, I have a different view on what we do. We give students the opportunity to get an education, maybe for the first time.

Actually, there are some employees who are there for the wrong reasons, but for the most part, the educators are there because they care and want to be there.

Yes, Brown Mackie College is proprietary, but is also an educational institution. We are held to the standards of our accrediting bodies (yes, we are accredited!) and if we don't meet those standards, we are held accountable for that. There is a way to provide quality education to students and still have a successful business. I know there are those of us there everyday who strive to provide this.

Sometimes during a day we have students who curse at us, don't show up for class or if they do are on a cell phone. Each of us have to hold them to a higher standard and be consistent with it and some students don't like that! Perhaps those are some of you who have posted comments?

But you know what, I know I have knowledge to share and the ability to do it, so I will be back in my classroom tomorrow, at Brown Mackie.

I am 100% agree with all the above-mentioned comments. I admire those who are able to leave and land another job. I am the unfortuante one - I am still working at Brown Mackie. Yes, the school is a joke. The college hires those "canned degree" faculty - they got their degrees via online classes. Come on, you must be kidding - people can get their nursing degrees via online classes! The teacher are underqualified and the students are under achievers (losers). The programs are NOT accreditated. The credits cannot be transferred. I am so surprised that so many people are willing to waste their money and time on the classes. One class a month - it is a big joke. The classes are supposed four hours each day; but most teachers let the students get out of the classroom less than 3 hours. I overheard the teacher todl students that, "it is a blended class. You just need to go online. It doesn;t matter you stay on for just a minutes or 18 hours." SO what is the regulations? Wake up! Don't go to Brown Mackie. There are many community colleges that you can apply for. I am so shameful that I am working here. But I have no choice. I need money to pay my bills. I even do not have the courage to tell my friends and family where I work. I have been looking for employment opportunities over a year. With the bad economy, I don't thinnk I will be able to find one. I feel being trapped and no ways out. Please, please, please pray for me to get a new job before the end of this year (2009).

I am a current dept. chair at a BMC campus and I have recently filed an EEOC complaint against the campus I work at for very different reasons from most of the ones I have read on this site but I do agree with what I have read here today.
If you feel you have reason to seek legal recourse you should all consider speaking with an attorny and the EEOC in order to establish if you have a legitimate complaint. If you do, you should follow the necessary steps in order to make those responsible answer for their actions.
In my case even the parent company EDMC did not or will not respond to these charges or they may attempt to cover the whole thing up I guess only time will tell.
Those who are current or past student should consider doing the same. Remember a paper trail of all actions is a legal document in a court of law, redcord everything and document everything in case you ever it need for a court case.
Good luck.

I am 100% agree with all the comments I read. I have been with BMC for barely a year. I have to say I feel shameful to tell my friends and family where I work. I am a person who always take pride in her/his work and take the task very seriously - I am a straight A student in graduate school. After working a year at BMC, I am very depressed - daily basis. I have bben trying to seek for employment for over year. But with the bad economy I am still looking. I even consider of quitting without lining up a job. Some coworkers have siad that we should be happy what we have right now. Yes I agree BMC IS NOT a college. I have seen all the negative issues at BMC, as above-mentioned comments. There is one thing I wouldl like to add on that. Yes those adjunct or full-time teachers do not care about how to educate students. I have seen a few faculty members even sold "junk" to the students to exchange A's. SOme students have no interested in those "craft" but in order to get a A, they have no choice but bought the "craft" (necklaces, etc) from their teacher! I saw it from my own eyes. What a pity! - I really am sick of BMC. I guess ... the only thing I can do now is to keep looking for another job.

There were so many NACAC admission violations regarding my enrollment, that I finally withdrew with a four-page complaint outlinging each of those violations. Even the "small" things - (like the school NEVER having a school catalog, so that you could compare courses) - to "BIG" things - such as the admission office AND Dean telling me that my credits would transfer (in July) - only to discover that as of June 2, BMC Corp. had a policy change, and that BMC would accept NO transfer credits to the surgical tech program. PEOPLE LISTEN: YOU MAY HAVE RECOURSE: IF a college institution deceives you, or allows you to attend classes when your "student file is incomplete", OR if there are policy changes that you are not made aware of . . . . You may have an option to sue BMC. Check the NACAC admission policies, and check with a local attorney. Above all: DO NOT GO TO BMC!

Brown Mackie financial administratiors told me i was ahead by $1800.00 plus dollars then they suddenly told me I owed them $700.00 When I was expecting my disbursment check. This school blatentlly cheated me and i intend to contact the government, and dept or education in indiana. They would not return any of my calls [one entire month] til i contacted the home office. Aslo the credits there aren't any good. They are not accredited in everything that they teach, I would not recommend this school to the devil to attend.

I was considering Everest Institute but the day before my test my friend calls me and tells me to RUN! I looked them up online and I couldn't believe what I was reading.. People were getting charged for classes they didn't even take... So now I'm thinking about Brown Mackey and they seem just like Everest .. I'm just happy that my financial aid didn't go through and I haven't even taken the ATB test.. All in all my friend saved me

I am a former student that watsed my money at BM. I had terrible instrcutors had people who failed classes 3 and 4 times. Its ridiculous. I am now transferring to a real college and my A&P classes and Psychology class that I took do not transfer. We all need to get together and file a lawsuit!

I have been enrolled at BMC for two years in a vet tech program that was not accredited when I enrolled. I was told that they would be accredited by the time I graduated. Guess what! My two years are up, I finished with a 3.5 gpa. I still cannot do externships because the AVMA denied our first attempt at accreditation. Now the AVMA is supposed to visit again in September, results to be know in October. If favorable, I and my whole class would be doing externships in November, December and January, 2010. We of course cannot transfer to an accredited college because our credits do not qualify. We recently participated in a large animal x-ray lab for which we got no credit, because it was not done according to AVMA standards. Our director told me some story about not being quiet in an equine lab, instead of just saying they blew it. In the meantime, we have gotten a bill for $900.00 when I am not even attending classes. Is a class action possible?

I agree with all the comments that were made about Brown Mackie Clown College. I got my degree in accounting in 2008 and havent had any luck finding a job in my feild. The places I was sent two for my externship were a joke. The companies only wanted free labor and did not allow me to gain experience in my feild. Dont be fooled by the smiling faces of the admission reps. They only car about money and really dont care if you succeed or not. I know that you are the only one who can make your life better but if your paying 40, 000 for a associate degree the staff better do their part as well! If your considering attending this college go to a phsycologist A.S.A.P. at least then you will get something useful out of it and not Sallie Mae Blowing up your phone.

I am currently a student at Brown Mackie College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. What a joke! It's the school of "We will tell you whatever you want to hear if you give us your money" I have never been so disapointed about a choice I have made in my entire life. I feel like I have wasted my money, and now realize that these credits will not transfer ANYWHERE! Someone needs to shut this place down. To all the people, like myself, who are just trying to better themselves...RUN RUN RUN..don't waste a penny at this scam school! Invest your time at a "Real" college!

Hi, I am a current student at Brown Mackie North Canton. I was enrolled in Stark states nursing program, I went to Brown Mackie to inquire about their LPN program. They told me that they had just got new accreditation and my credits would be transferable. They also told me that some students had to make a monthly cash payment, my response was I could not afford monthly payments, so we did a mock financial aid report, she came back and said that I would be OK, that I would actually be receiving a refund of 1200 every 3 months. So I decided to enroll, I have been there for 5 months, and they are now coming to me saying owe them money. I started questioning there practices when my exact refund is what I had owed them. Another thing that made me question the school was, when a student was teaching a class, he is my age and knew nothing about teaching. I worked so hard to maintain straight A's and having perfect attendance. I am transfering back to Stark, but my question is, is there anything I can do about them lying to me about my financial aid, and credits. I am just very upset because I wasted 5 months and about 7000 dollars, I am a single mother who is just trying to make a better life for me and my child. There has got to be something I can do, if you guys could help me I would greatly appreciate it, Thanks.

While I was there, not as a teacher, I saw that the students were not getting the best education because the standards were very, very low. The problem with the low standard education is that the employers get their graduates and they don't hire very many of them, if any at all.. God forbid any of those nursing students ever get a jbo! But I saw many instructors who tried to do a good job but they were insulted by students with nasty attidudes and then further cut down by administrators trying to keep the numbers.

I agree that this school was more concerned with keepng their federal money for each body (live or zombie) in place. It's sad because some of the students tied hard but others were just loafing thru.

Just be gladyou were employed for the time you were and move on. In this economic crisis companiescannot survive very long on cheating and lies.

I am also a former BM teacher for two semesters. I was never rehired because I gave out too many good grades and was told by a certain Akron "department chair" {hahaha!} that I needed to grade on a curve! WTF! She was one of the most hateful and rude people I've ever met, fie on BM Akron.

Speaking of BM dept. chairs and deans, these yahoos at Akron and Canton BM would not even get their feet in the door of a real university, yet they have the audacity to proclaim themselves as "college" chairs and deans... and they never even hit a real grad school. Students, beware - as the other posters have noted, the only real element of education at Brown Mackie Ohio is your tuition and overpriced textbook money.

Finally, if BM is so great, why do they need to advertise four times + per hour during dumb afternoon judge shows? The answer is that they can only attract desperate, unemployed, welfare, or disabled people as their students. Buyer beware, people... take your tuition money to a REAL college!

I am also a former BMC employee. When I first started the school was a good place. Students were held accountable; teachers were given freedom in how they handled academics and could fail individuals who were not competent. One by one I saw the good teachers leave and I became one of them, in time.
The idealistic teachers will stay for years and often the learning and success is equal to if not above local community colleges because of the dedicated staff. But the bottom line with the administration is money and they overwork teachers (they facilitate classes in the morning and evening), underpay and berate those who do the right thing in the classroom. Admissions Representatives will recruit individuals who are not prepared for the college experience. Those who are high minded will try to minimize this and often go out of their way to encourage individuals who are struggling. I've seen many students whose lives were transformed by the experience at BMC and who did go on for more education and graduated from universities. But that was then. This is now.
When American Education Centers took over a few years ago, the best instructors saw the writing on the wall and moved on because they knew the academic standards would not be maintained as the previous owners had permitted.
Since the college had achieved accreditation they knew the new owners would rest of these laurels and go after only the money from that point forward, throwing the previous crew under the bus.
Those at the top are a small cliche who should be selling anything rather than knowledge as they have a ganster-insulated mentality.

I feel sorry for the individuals who are still there, slogging away with the best of intentions without realizing it is a dead end for them both financially and emotionally. Many of them are fine couselors, assistants and educators. They stay because they truly care about their students but they don't realize the higher ups don't care one whit about them!

Move on!

I also am a former BMC employee and left after 17 months of seeing exactly what this writer describes. BMC cares nothing for students; only money. No credits will transfer to other colleges, and I've seen BMC throw a student out who was two weeks away from graduating simply because she had the audacity to complain of the crappy way things were being done, i.e., overcrowded classrooms, no equipment to properly prepare students, etc. BMC constantly overbooks classes. Every month, I had more students than I had seats. When I complained, I was told not to worry--enough would drop so that the rest of the students would have seats. Does that sound like BMC cares about it's students? Shouldn't they attempt to encourage every student they enroll to stay? I've also personally experienced students who were enrolled who were illiterate. One had to have his mother fill out his enrollment papers, and he failed my class twice, though he unbelieveably passed Comp 1 with an A!
I agree with the writer--save your maony for a real college. At the very least, call employers in your desired profession and ask them how much value a BMC degree holds.

I am also a former employee of BMC college - just a different location. Let me begin by stating I left on my own accord, after having received an exceptionally high performance review only weeks prior. BMC, and its parent company, Education Management Corporation are only interested in one thing - MONEY. They do not care about students.

Their admissions counselors consistently lie to potential students to get them enrolled. They don't care if you only sit in class one day EVER - they get to "count" you towards their monthly enrollment total and that is their bread and butter. See, admissions counselors compete with each other to see who can get the most students enrolled and the admissions counselor with the highest annual total gets a free paid vacation! Yes, there is great incentive to tell you whatever you need and want to hear just to get you in a seat. They could care less what happens to you after you have signed that roll book on the first day. You sign that roll book just once, and you're committed to that school and the loans!

I have witnessed blatant lies being told to students. I have heard the President of the college remark that she wasn't going to help a student because she was fat and she didn't like her. I have seen the Dean of Academic Affairs sexually harass multiple female employees with no fear of consequences because previous complaints about his behavior went unaddressed. I have seen teachers pass students who were illiterate! I have seen them pack students into break rooms and hallways because they wanted to get enrollement numbers up, regardless of whether the area was conducive for learning or not. I have seen science LAB classes forced to be held in a kitchen because they didn't have enough lab rooms and didn't want to not hold the class because it would lower enrollment numbers.

No matter what they say, the school's accredidation more likely than NOT will transfer to a reputable school. If you want to pursue a bachelor's degree or change your major and go to another institution, you most likely will receive NO credit for the classes you took at BMC. You will be out time and money and need to start completely over.

Please, I am begging you - go to your local community college. It is state-funded and subject to strict accredidation standards. Brown Mackie College is a FOR PROFIT school. Beware of this school. They are worried not about your education and future, but are worried about their bottom line. Please, heed my warning - go elsewhere.

If you need to read a student's review of Brown Mackie - go to Google and type in "Brown Mackie CLOWN College" and you will see a real student's review of her experience at another BMC location!

Whoops the number is [protected]. I had the old one.