Pueblo Community College — Local services in Pueblo

I have been a student here for a long time and have taken a quite a few courses here. I originally started with pre-nursing, EMS, Medical Assisting and now Sonography. One of the requirements for the Sonography programs is you have to have an Associates degree is a medical field of study. So I finish my Associates of Applied Science in Medical Assisting (a completely useless degree but it beats wasting 2 years on a different degree). So I am now a graduate as of the end of summer. I enrolled into the fall to take the prereqs for the sonogrpahy program and was label ineligible for financial aid due to maxing out 150% of my degree path. So I file an appeal. In my appeal I stated "I am starting prereqs for the sonography program, one of those requirements is an Associates degree in a medical field of study. I have a 3.5 overall GPA and I have gotten straight A's my spring and summer semesters. I have a 90% completion rate." I sent this appeal on Monday 08/14 and my appeal was denied 08/18 at 4pm. This mean I can not use any financial aid. No student loans, grants of any kind, and no fafsa. I have completed my application and have been approved for fafsa, pell grant, and an unsubsidized loan but I am not allowed to use it at pcc because they have decided I have taken too many courses so therefore I am ineligible. I was told I can reapply when I am accepted into the Sonography program which will not happen when I have not completed prereqs. Classes start Monday for most if not all colleges. They waited until the last possible...

I am outraged about what I just learned about Pueblo Community College. I recently checked into the Cosmetology program. I learned that in order to be admitted to the program a person must pass a background check. I do have a felony and have been to prison and been on parole and have done all that is required to "pay my debt to society". I am outraged that that a person is denied an education from a public institution of learning.

I know that a cosmetology certificate is offered in the prison system and many salons are only too happy to employ ex offenders. Who is PCC to deny someone the opportunity to gain the tools to better themselves and gain entry into a profession (one of the few) that is willing to offer employment to this already prejudiced slice of society. When the federal government of tax advantages to companies that will hire felons who is Pueblo Community College to deny that opportunity to anyone. A community college is a tool that all people from all walks of life should be offered to better themselves by being able to have a job , earn a living and be able to provide for a family and become a contributing member of society. I realize that at some point in my life (26 years ago) I made a mistake so I ask you if this mistake for which I have paid for impede me and the right to earn a living for the rest of my life?

I feel that this is just one more form of...

If you're thinking about going to PCC, consider this your warning. Don't waste your money here. You have other great options for online college or schools in Pueblo and Colorado Springs, so please use them.

My biggest issue, and a common complaint among students, is how incompetent the staff is. The financial aid office and front desk are full of people who either don't know what they're doing or just don't show up. They're often student employees who can't help with even basic questions about departments or dropping classes.

I was charged for a class I dropped, and when I tried to fix it, the staff at the Pueblo and Fremont campuses just passed me back and forth. The person who could actually help was never available. This lack of support is why I couldn't get my FAFSA sorted out and had to pay for my classes out of pocket. I've been to other schools like CTU, where the staff was professional and helped me with my financing—PCC is a complete failure in comparison.

It's not just the front office, either. I've heard from friends that their classes are weeks behind because instructors don't show up. The leadership seems absent, and the whole school feels like it’s falling apart. You can see it in how empty the halls are and how they can't even fill up their nursing programs.

I regret my decision to go here. The school has a bad reputation for a reason. Save yourself the headache and go...