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.