IBMC College Longmont — Local services in Longmont

I honestly don't know where to begin in a way that will accurately articulate the experience I had at this "college". I'll start by saying I have completed their program, so I certainly have a foundation for my grievances. I wasted 18 months in their "Computer Support Specialist" program, in which I had multiple teachers openly admit to our class that they had yet to read the book. Aside from one committed teacher, Justin, the remainder of our teachers either saw us as a paycheck, or realized the farce they were participating in and left after 1 ten week session.

I was sold the program under the guise that it was going to focus on networking and computer support. I asked, and it was confirmed multiple times, that this program was to be on par with the similar courses at Front Range Community College. In the 18 months I spent in their program, we did not look at one server rack. We did not work with any modern, small client desktop computers. As far as server side applications, software as a service (SAAS) and cloud computing, all we heard were the names. The program covered information enough to fix your grandmothers old windows XP machine, and understand the parts inside. If you can identify a CPU, explain the difference between RAM and HDD, connect your computer to a wireless network, then you are overqualified for this program.

The level of support for this program was so poor that we did not have a functioning wireless internet connection to run any tests, download software mentioned in our textbooks, or use Office 365's Lyve, a webcam/chat client we spent a week learning about. Furthermore, bringing these issues up to staff, we were met with denial, ignorance, and in Melanie's case, she laughed at us.

Through all of this, they were sure to spend at least 1 hour every ten weeks pumping kool-aid down our throats about how this program would benefit our lives, how we were making positive change, and made the implication that it was required to recommend others to succeed in their program, handing out accolades in a Scientology-like fashion for roping family and friends into their financial aid scheme.

When I signed up for the program, I was told they would be expanding their computer lab, that we'd be getting new computers and our own classroom to work in, as well as a suite of tools to use. In the 18 months I was there, they did nothing to expand our program, provided us with personal laptops running windows 7 when 8 was current and 10 was on imminent, taking close to $1000 dollars of our financial aid to pay for the laptops. Looking up the model online after receiving it, they were listed closer to $400.

In that same 18 months, they built a new, "state-of-the-art" Cosmetology wing, and encouraged us multiple times, interrupting our class time, to refer our friends and family for this exciting new program.

The only way we could work on our networking assignments was to set up an intranet network between all of our computers, using an archaic cisco router and a computer running windows server 2008 r2. We had to set this system up EVERY CLASS, because despite what I was sold in the tour, we did not have a dedicated classroom and we had to clean it up for the medical students who needed to use it on our off days. This ate heavily into our learning time, taking at least the first hour to get the system up and running, barring any issues.

The externship program was similarly over-hyped, with students who worked full time (and most with families) being asked to work on unpaid internships. I personally was never contacted until the placement advisor was about to hit her deadline, and by that time I had found a job that would count for this externship of my own accord. I Have never been contacted by their job placement advisor, and no one has yet to follow up with me to see if I still have a job.

Trying to transfer these credits to CSU, I was denied.

I've hit the review character limit, so I'll finish with this;

Do not waste your time...

The Pros vs. Cons for the Esthetician program I personally experienced and that I paid thousands for

Pros • The beauty bucks reward program is GREAT!!!

• The Image Skin care line is GREAT!!

• Certificates in microdermabrasion and chemical peels (the slides that they teach you from for chemical peels have so many typos, and the same excat sentences throughout the chapters! To fill up space??? Thats terrifying! Body dysmorphia was discussed in the chapters and our instructor told us she thought it was a nodule in the skin😥😥😥

• The Image Skin care representative, shes AMAZING and VERY knowledgeable about the product, skin, and working in the field.

-side note.... our instructor spent a WHOLE WEEK on ph balance and getting the skin back to a neutral level and a few other things. We questioned the image skin care about the things we just learned the previous week (without her knowing that's what we were taught) she told us all of that is out dated and for verbatim, WE WILL NEVERRRRR USE THAT IN THE FEILD!!!!!!!!!!! I cant make this up. I learned more from her 4 visits that I ever did from any of my instructors and I wish I was exaggerating!!!

Cons • The instructors!!! NONEEEEEE of the instructors have anyyyy field experience in ESTHETICS (mind you this is a esthetician program)NO skin experience, No waxing experience, NO makeup experience!!!!! WHAT??? Every single instructor had ONLY hair experience, perfecting the 15min hair cut and only working in hair salons. Thats great for cosmo but NOT the ESTHETICIAN program. My instructor, the instructor for the class before me, and the instructor after me, it was their first time going through the curriculum, the reading material, and instructing that program. If you can imagine the inability to really educate students, future industy workers, the complexity of skin, field experience and knowledge of growth. At the end of the day I paid thousands of dollars for an instructor that actually knows skin, makeup, waxing, and high frequency.

• The esthetician program is a young program at this location, just a few years old and you can tell. So many grey areas and every week rules changed. EVERYWEEK!!!! The second session of the essti program was very kaotic!!!! No structure! No time management! Again the instructors reflect that as well.

• The Ofra makeup you pay for in tuition is terrible!

• The sheets and blankets are SCRAYYYY!

• The machines are all breaking, there arent enough machines for the students they allow to each class

• I moved and spent hours of my 600 hour program setting up my classroom and...

I have been into the school 3 times to see Ashley. Ashley was great! My experience with her was relaxing, and enjoyable.

However, as a school, I would expect a better level of professionalism from the staff. The front desk lady seems misreable with her job. The professors are too busy to actually teach before hand but more than happy to criticize after the fact. The lady at the front desk is always way more concerned with whether or not she is getting her lunch when she thinks she should or bad mouthing someone who isn't around at the time. She makes you feel as though you are an inconvenience when you walk in the door. The last time she was out to her lunch "that she never gets on time." When I was checking out, and the students that did help were way more friendly, and helpful. And I was thankful that I didn't have to listen to her complain about being "Sick of this s*."

The students go through a questionnaire with you at the beginning of a process, once that is done they get the professor before starting the facial process, the last time I was there my paper clearly stated Eyebrow waxing and Chemical peel. Ashley had asked 2 teachers before my arrival if she could do both on the same day. She was told yes. The professor who was supposed to sign off on my sheet before we started didn't notice. She chose to sign off on my sheet AFTER the procedures, then chose to chastise Ashley in front of me, on how she should not have done them both, and if she really had to how she she did it wrong. Not really teaching, more complaining. Not the best learning experience for anybody.

The rooms while small, and somewhat relaxing have worn out blankets, sheets, and towels, that were probably white at one time and just seem dingy now. I understand it is a school. However, at some point these students will be heading out to Salons and Spas to start their careers. Some of the clients they have had at the school may be following them, or they have hope's of them doing so. Showing a level of professionalism, and appreciation to the clients, the students and your job helps everybody in that scenario. Set a level for your students that they should want to follow...