Lewis University

Date: Feb 17 2011
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
When I began attending Lewis University, I was super ambitious, excited, and really naive. The landscaping alone from the entrance drive to the Aviation building in the rear of the campus was enough to solidify my tuition payment.

After all is said and done, I do accept personal responsibility for the fact that I now have close to $100,000 in students loans and have a minimum wage job, working for tips. But it wasn't because I was lazy, or didn't work hard, or was stupid, it was because I couldn't get the right answers from my program directors. What I needed was honesty, and really frank advice. I went to the career counselor's office probably a dozen times throughout attendance, and I hate to sound so cynical, but looking back I can't help but feel like they let me just slip through the cracks. They got my money, and I don't have a job commensurate with that amount of money, even after my "$32,000 scholarship". Hey kid, I'll sell you this shiny job-landing piece of paper…it's worth $100,000, but if you buy it right now, I'll give you $32,000 off…whattya say?

The job placement program consists of rumors and myths, and students sitting around and wishing there was a good job placement program.

The teachers at first seemed very knowledgeable and caring, and even when I had a really, really bad semester (I was having anxiety attacks so badly about how much debt I was going to be in when I graduated, that I couldn't get out of my room, or even concentrate to study. Medication helped, but also got my Aviation Medical license revoked! Good thing I spent $150/hour for 75 hours on all that training!)I still managed to get A's when I deserved a B or C, and C's when I should have probably gotten a D or failed completely. I began to notice that the departments that were more desperate for students would "coddle" their students, protecting them in their soft cocoon of lies, giving false hope to those with even obvious lack in skill or talent. I know that sounds really mean, but it's a harsh, extremely competitive job market out there, especially now, and trust me these kids were not done a favor when their professor's encouraged them as majors in subjects that they should have NEVER been allowed to get into, that they were going into counting on the idea that when they graduated, this would be their CAREER, this would be what put food on the table, gas in their cars, and of course, that $800 check to The Student Loan Company, Inc. every month.

The best thing I got out of my education, was that I am now forced to think critically about a person's motives. I've avoided getting sucked into pyramid schemes and don't for one second believe that my professors at my local community college really give a hoot about anything but keeping their programs full of starry-eyed, gullible students…just keep that career danglin' at the end of the stick.