The Nossi College of Art

Date: Apr 14 2015
Major: Video/Media (This Major's Salary over time)
I should have listened to the other reviews splattered all over the internet but instead I bought into the whole flashy "independent, fun art college" image they try to portray, from their website to their campus. You can clearly see where all of their money is invested, and it's marketing, NOT your education. First of all, the first red flag I ignored was their sales based website, with the "make an appointment!" pop up on the bottom of every page. No credible college is going to beg you to attend. It's clearly marketed very carefully to draw in as many customers as possible. I say customers because this "school" is purely profit driven and their staff is very well polished in being "nice" and appearing "caring" because that's what good sales associates do (the guy that sold me my new Verizon phone a few days ago was just as nice and "caring").

There is no requirement for acceptance in this "college" - anyone who is stupid enough like I was to sign away their life on student loans, and shell out nearly $6,000 for a 3 1/2 month semester, is accepted. No one's money will be rejected! The only thing they worry about is if someone has a history of dropping classes, because that may affect them negatively and the US Department of Education might catch on that they are running a scam, taking on anyone and everyone who will pay. They have to maintain an image, of course. This I figured out while talking to their CEO Cyrus, who is also the son of the owner and also holds a degree in business.

I enrolled in their videography program, and got talked into going full time, despite my full time work schedule. I took the Photoshop for Photographers class, Videography, Intro to Photography, and "Conceptual Math" (i.e. a BS math class they created to be unlike any other college math class so they can make sure your credits will never transfer to any reputable institution). By the way, if you ask ANYONE who has transferred in or out of Nossi, THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT FROM EVERY SINGLE STUDENT IS THAT CREDITS DO NOT TRANSFER! The faculty dismisses this by saying that "with any college, credit transfers are not guaranteed", but the fact that Nossi specifically structures their classes in such a way so that they do not transfer in or out, is really shady.

The only class that was legitimate was Photoshop, by Bob Dixon. His classes were extremely well structured; he provided video tutorials and lectures for each class, along with project files, and plenty of resourceful links. He gave all the help and coaching you needed, you just had to ask.

Unfortunately, that's it. Intro to Photography was a joke, run by John Yates who is a narcissistic local wedding photographer. Most of his classes were spent casually chatting with students about their equipment while the rest of the class twiddled their thumbs, showing random YouTube videos (the only time I learned anything at all), and complaining about how he has nothing for us to do because the class was scheduled for the evening hours and it was dark outside (how other "professional" photographers ever get any photos during night time - that's a mystery! If only they could produce LIGHT somehow!). Each night in this class proved to be more annoying than the next.

Videography was taught by Hans Chilberg, who is a wonderful person, very passionate and good hearted. He was familiar with cinematic concepts, but his only credentials are that he went to a community college in Los Angeles and studied cinematography (I don't know if he actually has a degree. As far as I know, he did not have any real industry experience and even his teacher profile on the website is lacking, starting with:

After studying screenwriting in Los Angeles, Hans moved back to bring the film industry to Nashville and is currently producing an independent micro-budget film with two other producers.

Don't get me wrong - he's very passionate about what he does, but not everyone who is passionate is also qualified to be a teacher. Keep in mind that with a $5900/semester price tag, each class costs you $1475, whether good or bad.

When I realized that the quality of education is lacking, I had a meeting with Cyrus, the CEO of the school. He acted very caring, and took notes about the things I told him. His excuse about John Yates' disaster of a Photography class was that it was his first time teaching it, and that they will try to work with him. As for Videography, same thing - they'll take my feedback into consideration to "improve the quality" of the classes. Then he told me that I was SOL (S*** outta luck) on tuition and that everyone pays, whether or not the classes are actually worth anything or not, I am contractually obligated. He didn't care about my financial hardships, nor was he sympathetic - he only urged me to talk to the instructors of the classes I stopped attending (because they were a waste of time) to see if there was anything I could do to still pass, even though I didn't wish to continue attending. Then he started talking about their university accreditation and how it affects them as well when students don't pass. Basically, he was just looking out for his business.

He mentioned that he has allowed graduates to come back and audit a class or two; basically, take it for free. I sent him an e-mail the next day asking if I could audit Bob Dixon's advanced Photoshop class since the other classes they gave me were worthless (I didn't say the last part, I was nice about it, but it's true). His demeanor quickly changed and since I am no longer contributing to their profit, he basically sent me an "F you" e-mail.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I couldn't afford to make the final payment of $150 for April, and after they harassed me with phone calls made to my cell phone, work number, and to my emergency contact person (I didn't know a late payment was seen as an emergency), I asked them if they could use the funds from the $600 scholarship they awarded me for next semester, to cover the remainder of the balance due to my financial hardship. The next day I received a very stern e-mail from Cyrus threatening sending me to collections over that $150, and gave me a half-assed

but we can do payment plans

alternative. Apparently even though I am now nearly 6k in debt in just 3 1/2 short months, and have accrued further debt trying to get all of the equipment they demand you have (a MacBook laptop, DSLR camera with accessories such as tripods, back up drives, etc), it was still not reason enough for him to cut me a break over $150 dollars. They need every last penny.

Don't believe me? Here is the e-mail:

"I hope your doing well this morning? You had emailed me a question and responded to Kristi's email regarding your tuition balance.

By deciding to withdraw after this semester, you will no longer be considered a student at Nossi. This means that you will not be charged tuition for the summer semester and you will not be entitled to any federal financial aid or scholarship funds for the summer semester or any other semester thereafter (at this college). Your financial obligation is only for this current Spring semester. To cover your tuition cost for the Spring semester, you agreed to federal financial aid, you received a scholarship and you have monthly payments to cover the remaining balance. Therefore, your suggestion that we give you a scholarship for a semester you are not planning on attending, to pay for the previous semester is unwarranted.

You also asked to take a course (audit) one of your instructor's advanced courses. First off, that course is not being taught next semester. Secondly, that's irrelevant because you will not be a student at Nossi. Auditing courses are only allowed for current students who have passed a class and want to re-take it for a non-grade or Alumni (through a program called the "Together Program"). Even if you decided to continue at Nossi and attend next semester, you would have to pass the intro course before being allowed to take an advanced course.

From our discussion, you were not happy here at the college and you made that clear. That does not relieve you of your financial or academic obligations for the Spring semester. You will get final grades in your classes and you will need to pay your tuition balance.

We can however help you with the financial burden by agreeing to a payment plan for the balance owed that will be within your budget. You will need to contact Kristi to discuss a payment plan. We do not have an in-house collection department, we use a third party collection service if a payment arrangement is not made or met on an ongoing basis.

I just wanted you to have all the facts and understand how college works so you are better informed. We do try our best to work with our students within the framework allowed.

Best-

Cyrus Vatandoost

Executive Vice President nossi college of art

615.514.2787 (ARTS)

NOSSI.EDU"

So there you have it. I got royally screwed with no sympathy from anyone on their "caring" staff, just a snooty e-mail. It's funny how quickly their demeanor changed once I announced that I am no longer going to be contributing funds to their scam. I was stubborn and didn't want to listen to the negative reviews, and now I will be paying for it for years, literally. Don't make the same mistake I did.