Henry Ford Community College

Date: Aug 02 2011
Major: Fine Arts - Painting/Sculpture/Photography/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
I was enticed by Henry Ford because as a transfer student, they accepted 40 credits and only require 20 credits taken from Henry Ford for certificates AND degrees (or so they say—more later).

I've gone to four other colleges and have to say, my experience with HFCC was the absolute worse—a nightmare. The student services department literally would not answer their phones for the first week when I was trying to get admitted. There were no answering machines or messages. They simply didn't answer.
Most of the operators were rude and don't know how to answer a phone with civility. This should've been the first sign. But I kept trying.
I needed faculty approval/feedback for classes and none of the faculty would answer my inquiries. I called one department four times over a week and ahalf and still no response. Faculty would only respond when I complained to the head of student services.
I was able to register for some classes but then was told by faculty person that I should not be in one of them. A month and ahalf later and still no answer about what I should be in.

Meanwhile, while HFCC says you have to pay for registration by Friday of the week you register, they repeatedly mis-billed me, first overcharging; then undercharging. I called the office repeatedly over the course of a week, afraid they'd cancel my class if I didn't pay, but not wanting to overpay. Of course, no one answered the phone, returned my call, or responded to my emails. I was able to obtain the head of Cashier's office finally, to get a refund (I dropped all classes and am going to another college).
After a month and a half of b.s. from them, I was told I would have to take 75 percent of their program classes (most of which I had already taken) for a residency requirement, which way surpassed the original requirement of 20 credits at HFCC.
I felt like a mean trick had been played on me and really, HFCC's 20 credit minimum (taken at HFCC) and 40 credit transfer acceptance is nothing more than deception they use for recruiting purposes.

So if you are wanting to transfer credits to HFCC, be forwarned. You may be in for a nasty surprise. I'm just glad I found out before the semester started. But I'm angry that they stressed me out and ruined half my summer with their incompetence and b.s.
Henry Ford, btw, is grossly understaffed, which is why you will find yourself waiting in line all day to accomplish anything. While enrollment has increased dramatically, their staff has not. I'm sure they are angry, burned out, and feel exploited. However, paying students do not deserve to bear the brunt of this and the administration who is overworking them has a lot to answer for.

The college, I understand, was once a great campus but unfortunately it has evolved into a student hostile environment. For people new to college, I want you to know that it's not like this at all colleges. If it isn't too far, try one of these: OCC, Schoolcraft, Macomb, or WCC. They all have much better student services.