Vet Tech Institute of Indiana — Local services in Indianapolis

I started this program gleefully and for the entirety of my stay I held very high grades that never averaged below a high B and were mostly high A's. I took my education very seriously and did everything I could to overlook the glaring issues this location had.

First off, before you even consider enrolling, the teaching staff will tell you that you cannot get through this program without having friends. I thought they were joking since that sentiment seemed so juvenile and ridiculous. What they really meant was that you will need to charm someone who lives on campus and is willing to take your work load for when your kennel shifts become too invasive, which will happen. If you are unlucky enough to not fit in with your Indiana brethren due to a different background, heritage, age, political, and/or religious status, you may find yourself struggling to succeed despite all efforts.

Secondly, you will work in the kennel, which is great at first! However, you will be working shifts that go on for hours and hours without any sort of compensation--not even actual course credit. If your team is incompetent, you will be stuck doing 4-5 hour kennel shifts before or after your full day of class. This may not be a big deal to people who have nothing else to do except school, but as a married woman living off campus and managing an adult, non-parental-funded life, this became overwhelming. Since I did not connect well with the student body despite having a few nice acquaintances, I never once had someone cover a shift for me even when sick with the flu.

In fact, the staff gave students the power to suspend other students. That's right, in college as an adult you can be suspended by your peers--just when you thought being suspended at all was ludicrous enough.

Furthermore, the student body has so much pull that it makes the teaching staff look irrelevant and incompetent. While it is nice to have students step up to the plate, it is completely inappropriate for them to be running this program. The teaching staff was rarely prepared, nearly incapable of using technology invented past the year 2002, and would insist on dated techniques of completing schoolwork based on their technological ignorance. For example, some instructors required hand-written definitions because they feared some students would cheat by "copying" with a computer. E-mails would go unanswered--in fact, e-mail addresses were rarely functioning, therefore a student had to call the office repeatedly and hope they would finally get the instructor they were looking for.

Your instructors will give you fill in the blank notes, disorganized, dated and contradictory handouts based on important information, and discourage using your text books to study because they would not help with your tests. One instructor's handouts were so difficult to decipher in the English language that it was common to misunderstand basic, but important patient life saving information, and arguments frequently had to be made to save your test scores on tests. This means that I could almost always count on having to show an instructor where their own information contradicted itself, what a text book we paid for says, and how the test was incorrectly graded.

The social issues regarding this program are spawned by the lack of preparedness of the staff. Since the students are heavily relied upon to police kennel shifts, severe social discrimination was a common motif. As if one instructor boasting that our black president should go run with elephants in Kenya was not enough of a disgust factor, I was once suspended for politely refusing to participate in a prayer circle with evangelical students. After this event, my whole schooling experience went from "not perfect but tolerable" to fearful and inappropriate.

To make matters worse, even after I informed the staff of my unenrollment, instructors continued to nuke my grades in the system by entering in 0's, thus hurting my hard-earned efforts.

Use extreme caution before committing to...

I never imagined how significantly my life would change when I took a seat in my first class at VTI/IBC. Like most who show interest in becoming a Vet Tech, I too had always wanted to work with animals; however, I had no idea what that really meant until I began my studies at VTI. It wasn’t just about the cuddles and kisses, it was much more than that. I learned about nutrition, wound care, dental hygiene, and surgery rotations, just to name a few. Every day had new challenges and opportunities such as being chosen as a Kennel Leader, Shelter Team Leader, inventory assistant, and even a student classroom assistant. All of which would make me a valuable asset to any future employer.

Vet Tech Institute always made time for review sessions, study tips, and extra hands-on practice. Their open door policy allowed me to walk in, sit down, and start asking questions without feeling like a nuisance. Because of them I actually learned, not just memorized, the information that would ensure I would be successful when taking the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE).

I hadn’t taken the decision to attend VTI lightly. I researched a few other colleges that offered a Vet Tech program, and found that VTI was the only American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited program in the state of Indiana (outside of Purdue University). I also spoke with numerous local veterinarians and they confirmed my decision by stating how impressed they have been with how much more knowledge and hands-on skills the graduates of VTI have in comparison to other programs.

Because I chose to walk through the door and begin my journey on becoming an RVT, I now have a career that I love. The cuddles and kisses from all the animals are just a bonus - because now, I actually have the ability to...

I'm a 2015 graduate from the International Business College's Travel & Hospitality Management program and I couldn't be happier to have chosen IBC. This isn't a school you choose if you're not serious about your education and your future! It's a very small school with very dedicated teachers who will notice if you're not getting it, you're not trying as hard as you can, or if you're not there. Every staff member in the building from the receptionists to the President want you to succeed and they are there to help you every step of the way.

Living in the dorms was a fun experience. Moving in with strangers can be intimidating, but it's worth it in the end. I made my best friends at IBC because they lived across the hall.

The school's placement office is also a wonderful asset not to be ignored! If you need help with your resume, finding jobs in your area, preparing for interviews- they are there to help! Even after you graduate, that is a wonderful perk to have in your back pocket when the job hunt seems like it will never end!

IBC is definitely a GREAT school that you wouldn't regret attending. They all want you to get out there, get jobs, get experience, and start your life two steps ahead of everyone else. Put in the time and effort and it...