Berkeley College Westchester Campus

Date: May 17 2010
Major: Business - Management and Administration (This Major's Salary over time)
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.