Southern Careers Institute Corpus Christi — Local services in Corpus Christi

Review of Southern Careers Institute – Cosmetology Program (Parent Perspective) I’m writing this review to express serious concerns based on my experience as a parent of a student currently attending Southern Careers Institute (SCI). When my daughter first enrolled, things seemed promising. However, just a few months in, instructors began leaving one after another. What was supposed to be a structured classroom experience quickly turned into daily salon attendance — not by choice, but because there were no instructors available. Students were left in limbo, unsure of what was happening, and this situation persisted for months with no resolution. To make matters worse, I recently learned that none of the students in the cosmetology program had received their Milady Cosmetology textbooks, which are supposed to be included in the tuition. Instead, the school claimed they were transitioning to a rental system — but no clear explanation was given as to how this change aligns with what we were billed for. Then came the financial pressure. A financial aid representative, Maria Castaneda, pulled my daughter aside and told her she needed to figure out how to pay the remaining balance of $5,000, or she wouldn’t be allowed to return. We were given less than a week to come up with a solution. I explained that I couldn’t make the $451 monthly payments and would need to explore other options. I applied for a loan through my bank and returned to the school to request a statement for the loan application — only to be told that only my daughter could request it, despite me being the parent and financial supporter. I asked to speak with the school director. While our initial conversation was respectful and he promised to follow up, I never heard back. On Tuesday, September 30, I called again and was told he was in a meeting and would return my call afterward. That call never came. I drove to the school, signed in, and waited nearly two hours — only to be ignored again. To top it all off, my daughter has felt harassed and unsupported throughout this process. As a parent, I’m deeply disappointed. This is not how a professional educational institution should operate. Students deserve structure, transparency, and respect — not confusion, pressure, and neglect.I am requesting a formal review of this situation and a clear explanation of:

Why the program has lacked consistent instruction. Why textbooks were not provided as part of tuition. Why financial discussions were handled in such an aggressive and unprofessional manner. What steps SCI is taking to correct these issues and support its students. I would appreciate a prompt response and a meeting to discuss...

Be aware of wrong communication!I went there for the Medical Assistance program & was told to take my certification test through the wrong agency! Shortly after graduating my father became ill with cancer so I delayed taking my certification test. I checked in with my professor's on several occasions during his illness to make sure I had the correct information to test out for my certification. I saw on the certificate web site that they had lifted the time limit from five years after graduation. That you could still take the test after five years as long as you took the course & received a diploma from the accredited school. I felt I had the time to focus my energy on my family & caring for my father. After he passed & I was able to gather my mind correctly I contacted the agency that I was told to go through by not one but two of my MA professors only to find out it was the wrong one! After several phone calls I finally received the correct information & I had missed the deadline to take my certification. I am now fifteen thousand dollars in debt and cannot use my degree. I can not find work as a MA because even though I have fifteen years experience as a CNA companies expect you to have experience as a MA or be certified. I had contacted the school letting them know my issue & asking if there was job outreach help for me. All they did was apologies and say the instructor was misinformed, and that since I live in Mississippi now there was no resources they could offer me! I busted my butt & sacraficed a lot to graduate from SCI only to be mislead on several occasions that I have not listed, but this was the worst! Now my choice is to retake the program again and rack up another fifteen thousand on debt!...

At first I was excited to start my journey and get into a new career in medical assistant but after a while I realized that this school doesn’t care. They’re not organized, have no control over their students and classrooms. Students will talk back and run the class while the teachers did nothing. Teachers will quit in the middle of the mod and we had no instructor then be placed with another class where it was packed! There’s no structure in these classes and you’ll end up being mixed with people who haven’t even taken the fundamentals and expect to know how to draw blood. Teachers/staff are rude, they made students cry, they gossiped about the students and didn’t do anything to make things right. I expected so much more for the money I paid and the school didn’t have enough supplies or resources for us to use. They did not help me get a site at the end after I originally expressed i didn’t want pediatric. They did not tell me there were no spots available for where I wanted to be not until 2 days before externship so I had to do my own search and the Friday’s that were supposed to study for NHA was a waste of time and learned nothing. I will say there’s 2 instructors who did help and I did learn from but other than those two that was it. I’m lucky to have some medical experience so I wasn’t so lost in lecture but the people who didn’t were lost and it was frustrating to see the school do nothing to improve the quality of learning. I would not waste my money here. I’m nervous about the exam to get my certification since I don’t feel prepared. I recommend going somewhere where it’s organized, has structure in their classes, professional instructors and students who aren’t causing drama...