Having been in the Information Technology industry for over 15 years and working as an IT director, I looked forward to getting a degree in IT in order to join the ranks of management. With the birth of my son and having to work up to 10 hour days, few if any options were available for me back in late 2006. Browsing on-line and looking at various colleges and available options, I was set to attend night school at a local community college and work towards a bachelor’s degree by taking night classes. I received several calls from recruiters from a few IT colleges inquiring about my requests for information. Benjamin from Westwood won me over. Researching Westwood on-line, there weren’t many complaints as compared to the other colleges of this type at the time. After discussing with my wife, we decided that I would enroll in Westwood College Online which would allow me to be home with my newborn son and help my wife while obtaining a degree. Ideal isn’t it? Admission Promises During the admission process and in retrospect, Benjamin the Admission Counselor, whom I would discover after graduation was actually a sales rep, told me what I wanted to hear to gain my confidence and “make the sale”. I knew the differences between accreditations and he assured me that they were working hard and would not quit until they received Regional Accreditation (Westwood eventually voluntarily resigned this accreditation). Yes, the cost of the education ($60,000) is expensive but “you get what you pay for. Westwood College is well known throughout the IT industry and we send students to Microsoft, IBM, HP, … We have a high graduation rate and you can make serious money after graduation”. He emailed me the datasheet for the Information System Security bachelor’s degree. I was very impressed. Since I would probably like to continue my education and work towards a master’s degree, I was assured by Benjamin that the credits I earned from Westwood would transfer to any traditional brick and mortar college. Financing would be no problem through various loans and grants that they would help me sign up for as long as I had a high school diploma. Job placement assistance was another selling point with Benjamin. Being an older learner and with my vast experience, they would assist me in getting interviews with several of the larger IT companies in Southern California. After passing the admissions exam, getting transcripts to them etc., I received various emails in regards to loan applications and how to complete the FASFA. The rush to get me enrolled made my head spin. Looking back at it now, trying to keep up with the many demands that the admission process required kept me off my guard. But, I was enrolled and on my way to get a valued bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Security. Quality of Education Remember I get what I pay for? Not wanting to cheat myself, I took every class seriously. Studied during my work breaks and did not use the books for exams. I wanted to make sure I was getting everything I was going to pay for. Attended all of the discussions and did all of the lab work that was required. But there were doubts about what I was learning. I asked several of the instructors why we were reviewing outdated technology in some of the classes. I was told that the information in the class is on the certification exams that you can take after you successfully complete the course. Being gullible, I took that as a good explanation. Having several certifications under my belt already before starting Westwood, I did not remember seeing old tech questions on previous certification exams but this was a college and they wanted me to succeed!. A month after graduation, I attempted to take several certification exams using the books, notes and tests I was given at Westwood. Using that information, I was bewildered to find that I was ludicrously unprepared and failed. Went to a book store with an attached coffee shop and reviewed the books there, at no cost. Comparing the material given by Westwood to what was in the test prep book; I was an astonished to find that the material from Westwood was watered down. Chapters made out of footnotes? I did pass the exam after a retake but I used books from a book store and not the material I paid for from Westwood. I have all of the books that Westwood sent me. Comparing them to the technology exams and other material out there readily available for free, it is my opinion that I could have saved myself all of this trouble by visiting the book store and studying for free. Westwood gave me a weak, watered down education, which did not prepare me for the real world or did it have any relevance to real world issues. Value of Degree “Westwood College is well known throughout the IT industry and credits will transfer to other colleges”? After taking a break from graduation three years ago, I took my transcript to Cal Poly Pomona to start my tract for a master’s degree. Upon review by the admissions office, they stated that they could not transfer any credits from Westwood. I explained what Benjamin had told me and swiftly called Westwood upon arriving home. Upon reaching a representative, I was told that until they obtain Regional Accreditation, some credits may not transfer to some colleges. Not what I was told through the admission process and all during my experience at Westwood from the instructors, counselors and finance people. Not deterred, I traveled to several other colleges in my area and was told the exact same thing. Credits will not transfer. A Fullerton admission rep explained that I could test out on classes already taken at Westwood. DSST, CLEP and EST exams are routinely given for a fee and if you pass, most State and Private Colleges will give you college credit. So, books in hand from Westwood, I studied and as above, I failed. Same issue as previously stated; watered down books that had no related information that you would normally receive with a real college education. I went back to the book store for independent study. Yes, after studying the test prep guides and books related to the classes, I prepared to take standardized tests to get credit for classes I had already taken at Westwood. After several weeks of studying and prep using books from the bookstore, I passed. Cost of Education “Get what you pay for”? Well, if you have read my story so far, you would wonder if I did. So far, almost everything I was told by Westwood representatives was either a lie, or a twisting of the truth or a willful omission. The excitement over obtaining a Westwood degree soon diminished to disdain. Things in general regarding Westwood began to spiral downward. Time to pay the piper came quickly. Sallie Mae and Great Lakes started sending me bills. Not getting anywhere fast and the economy now heading downhill just as quick, getting raises and promotions with the degree I obtained was proving to be a little difficult. News was out about the fraud and deception tactics Westwood had performed at several campuses across the US. In fact, Westwood’s name kept pulling up in search engines under scam, fraud, degree mill…and my HR director was not stupid. She questioned the validity of the degree I obtained therefore denying me employee reimbursement for educational expenses. No chance in making management now either. According to my employer, Westwood still had not obtained Regional Accreditation and until they do, I was out of luck. Emails to Westwood asking for explanations were never responded to. Representatives would direct me to the website for answers. So, no extra money for me to help pay for this educational misadventure, no pay raise and no management position for me. Started paying my signature loan but Sallie Mae wanted almost $750 month for this education I received. Totaled to almost half my take home salary between the two loans. Not what I was told during the admission process. Low interest loans easy to pay back after you graduate because we will help you land a job. Try 18% interest over 30 years. WHAT?? I will be 70 years old before this loan is paid off. No retirement for me huh? Starting to cost me more than what I bargained for. So I pay what I can after taking a pay reduction to keep my job when people are losing their shirts. Credit score has dropped but I have a roof over my head and able to feed my family. I still have no answers or have been offered any help for this after 3 years of trying. Job Placement Assistance “We will help place you with a company after graduation, free resume review and posting services will definitely get you in the door at some of the largest IT companies so you can kick start your career”. Not exactly what I was offered during the admission process but that’s OK. I was not looking to start as a bottom feeder for minimal wage but if I could get in the door, I could show them what skills I had to offer. Westwood representative reviewed my resume, an instructor from one of the last classes I took walked us through posting it on-line and that is where the help ended. Asking for leads, I was told three separate times by two different Westwood employees that they could not help me. They do not have what I was looking for, no available work in Southern California, no large IT companies either. I could travel 60 miles and work desk support, apply for assistant manager at a fast food restaurant or apply for other entry positions not related to my field of study. Well, this is definitely not what I was told during my admission process by Benjamin. Panic and depression is now setting in. Reputation of Institution Several websites are warning potential students to stay clear of this college. Due to the fact that there are several litigations in process due to fraud and other informational websites have picked up the degrading fact that Westwood College students and graduates are “Jerry Springer’s”. Playing an active role in the IT community here in Southern California, I have queried many industry experts and IT companies and they do not recognize Westwood college degrees as being valid. SCE, Wells Fargo, Shuffler, NTT Data, Experian and many others have indicated that they would not hire a Westwood graduate. Independent on-line research reveals search engine results returning key words such as fraud, law suites, deceptive practices and diploma mill. Not looking real good for a graduate is it? Wikipedia definition of a diploma mill: A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit. These degrees are often awarded based on construed life experience. Some such organizations claim accreditation by non-recognized/unapproved accrediting bodies set up for the purposes of providing a veneer of authenticity.[1] Wikipedia has also included a page to include for profit schools: Out of the fifteen sampled, all were found to have engaged in deceptive practices, improperly promising unrealistically high pay for graduating students, and four engaged in outright fraud, per a GAO report released at a hearing of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held on August 4, 2010.[28] Examples of misconduct include: offering commissions to admissions officers, employing deceptive marketing tactics by refusing to disclose total tuition cost to prospective students before signing a binding agreement, lying about accreditation, encouraging outright fraud by enticing students to take out student loans even when the applicant had $250,000 in savings, promising extravagant, unlikely high pay to students, failing to disclose graduation rate, and offering tuition cost equivalent to 9 months of credit hours per year, when total program length was 12 months. One of the four for-profit colleges found to be engaging in fraudulent practices were: Guess who? Westwood College in Dallas, Texas: Admissions representative telling applicant to falsely add dependents to qualify for Pell Grants, assuring the applicant that the dependents would not be verified through previous income tax returns nor Social Security numbers, and financial aid representative encouraging applicant not to report the $250,000 in savings, stating that “it was not the government’s business how much money the undercover applicant had in a bank account.”, when the Department of Education requires students to report such assets, along with income, to determine how much and what type of financial aid will be awarded. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For-profit_school Further search engine inquiries reveal hundreds of complaints regarding Westwood College similar to mine. Summary Westwood College representatives lied to me, used deceitful practices and mislead me in regards to the quality and value of education I received. A Westwood education has left me with over $75,000 in college loan debt and with a degree that is not recognized, anywhere by anyone. The reputation of Westwood College is tarnished. I have done better studying independently using books free of charge and paying only for the test taking fees to obtain valid college credit. I have resigned myself to years of hard work and no hope of retirement due to Westwood’s false promises, lies and omissions and I foresee no bright future for myself or family.

Megan Hansen Statement for Senator Durbin Forum 4-28-11

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


My dream was to work as a parole officer and then go on to law school, but that doesn’t look very realistic at this point. After graduating, I quickly found out that most agencies won’t call me back when I apply for jobs, and most traditional colleges don’t recognize Westwood’s degree or credits. My pursuit of higher education and the promise of a rewarding career have come to a screeching halt.


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


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


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


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


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


I went to school to better my life, but I’m still working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office, as I have for the past six years. So for now, I don’t really know what to do. I can’t afford to pay back my $65, 000 in loans, which are deferred for now. In September, I’m getting married, which is right about the time I’m supposed to start paying on those loans.


This should be the happiest time in my life, but instead I’m full of anxiety about what the future holds. I can’t get a job in my field, I can’t continue my education at a traditional school, and I can’t pay back my loans.


Getting a college degree was supposed to give me a brighter future, but all it’s done is put me in a worse position than if I never went to college at all. I hope other people looking to further their education will listen to my story and be very careful before they sign up at one of these schools. I don’t want them to end up like me. I wasted all this money, and, now I’m totally sick to my stomach and don’t know what to do.

I was gullible enough to apply to this fake college. After searching around, hoping to get into a bachelor’s program where I could move into management, I was contacted by a Westwood representative by the name of Ben who told me nothing but lies and mislead me during the application process. Yes, at the time, they were seeking Regional Accreditation. They had their ACICS accreditation but I was told by the recruiter that they were way past the point of candidacy and it would be only a short time before they were Regionally accredited. False promises, lies about their accreditation and several years later, I graduated. Took my degree to my current employer and after HR review, they explained to me since they do not have Regional accreditation, I was out of luck and could not be considered for management. My employer would not even allow me to apply for educationally assistance or reimbursement because this “college” was not a valid institution.

So I tried taking my transcript to 3 local community colleges and was told the credits are non transferable. Went to 2 local “for-profit” schools with ACICS accreditation as well and was also denied. Tried using this fake degree to apply for several positions with SCE, IBM, Oracle, Wells Fargo, and a hand full of respectable and known IT companies. Received nice thank you letters but was told that I did not meet the minimum educational requirements by two potential employers because this ‘college’ did not meet their criteria as an educational institution. Yet, I did meet the experience portion of several but because of my lack of an actual degree, was denied an interview.

So now, several years down the road I see that Westwood has voluntarily dropped from Regional Candidacy. As I work a second job (nights and weekends) trying to pay for this $50, 000 education that is worthless, trying to stay afloat of this financial hell that this college create, my anger grows. So what did I learn that cost me $50, 000 and nothing but grief, financial insecurity and embarrassment? That For-Profit schools like Westwood are out to make money off the backs of those who want to succeed and have dreams by lying and making false promises. They are in it only for the money and will not supply you with an education that will allow you to enter the job market. You will be placed so far into debt that no matter what job you apply for, you will not be able to realistically pay it off timely and if you do get a degree from them, it is better used as toilet paper.

I was duped and feel like I’ve been made a fool by attending this joke of a college. Yes, I am trying to pay off this bogus debt. I have been in the IT business for over 20 years, hold certifications in Cisco, Microsoft and database administration, all obtained prior to Westwood. Some people have hobbies, collecting coins, boating, needle-point. Starting today, my hobby will be to go online at least once a week, visit as many websites as I can and spread the word on what this school did to me, financially and emotionally, and of those that graduated from Westwood with me, here is a list of their current positions as of today: Manager KFC, Walmart Clerk, Homeless and Unemployed, Clerk 7-11, Student (went to a real college to start over)

No one who graduated with me was able to work in their field of study and failed to keep their promise of job assistance.

Westwood College is a Degree Mill. If you are a slower than normal student or have any type of learning disability, the instructors have no time for you. They will ignore you until you drop the class or quit school. You will end up paying for a degree you never received. Your self esteem is affected and you will waist your money, just be cause you learn differently. If you don't fit in to the style of teaching, you will set yourself up for failure.

I unfortunately fell victim to Westwood in the summer of August 2003. I too a starry eyed teenager of 18 with all the hopes and dreams that one has at that age was deceived and lied to in my own home in front of my parents with a Westwood College recruiter.

I went to Westwood with the high hopes of becoming a successful computer programmer. I enrolled in the newly developed gaming degree that was only offered in the Denver North Campus and so I moved out to Colorado.

After being enrolled in the program for a few months and seeing how disgustingly unprofessional the instructors were as well as the financial aid department I decided to drop down from the BS degree I was aspiring towards in gaming to an Associate’s degree in Software Engineering.

The simple task of dropping down to the associates took about an hour until it finally came down to me threatening to drop out all together if not allowed to drop down to the associates degree. The reason for my decision to drop down to an associate’s degree was when I noticed that I felt as if I were a guinea pig for the gaming degree because I was there in its first running the very first time they were introducing it.

The reason for those feeling was caused by the lack of structure and knowledge on behalf of the instructors. I once had an instructor admit to me that he did not know the material himself and that we were learning together as a team. I undoubtedly replied, " I'm not paying $60, 000 for us to learn together you’re the teacher and I'm the student." Hence my decision to demote myself to an Associate’s degree that was $30, 000 VS $60 grand and I guess I figured I was cutting my losses.

Throughout my education at Westwood if that is even what it can be called I experienced teachers with half ass teaching methods and a mentality that as long as one person or enough people follow along then the rest can catch up. No one took the extra time to make sure everyone was on board before proceeding.

The classes were not structured at all I found myself at time taking advanced programming classes for which I had not even completed the assigned prerequisite math class yet. I also saw students that came after me getting a better overall teaching experience in the very same classes that I had just taken a few months before. Which all came back around to the whole guinea pig theory?

I was fortunate enough to have my father help me pay off the debt from a house he had recently sold as his profession often included flipping houses, but I can only image how much worse it could have been if it had not been for his assistance.

I graduated from Westwood with a degree that seemed as if they printed it on regular printing paper with fancy font but I guess it makes no difference than if they would have printed it out on Charmin for me.

Ironically I still pursued a career in the Computer Industry but I pursued it doing what I had taught myself before I attended the school which was Desktop support/Hardware support for PC’s.

The few things I did learn about programming I taught myself and I walked away from that school with a degree, but not with the confidence or knowledge to take those so called skills and apply it to a professional setting in the business in which I went to school for.

I look back on my years at Westwood and see wasted time and a great life lesson that came unexpectedly to a young man with hopes and dreams. Life preys on the ignorance of adolescence and unfortunately we all have to learn that lesson the hard way. My teacher for that lesson was Westwood and I can honestly say it was the only thing they taught me!

Education is invaluable and for an Institution to profit on the hopes and dreams of others with little remorse of the damage they do by providing false hope, financial burden, and a less than subpar service is not something that should be allowed or let alone tolerated.

Please to all those reading this story make your voices heard and fight back and join in seeking justice for those that have been harmed by Westwood's greed.

I fall out of the scope of those that can seek financial retribution due to my year of graduation but I fight and make my voice heard for those that can still have justice served for them and have Westwood pay for the injustice and harm they have caused.

More information can be found at: http://westwoodscammed.me/