Pinellas Technical College - St. Petersburg — Local services in Saint Petersburg

I loved the program I completed. The Dental Assisting program is great and ensures you’re prepared to enter the work force with knowledge needed. The program is not the problem. The Financial Aid and Business Office need work. Aside from how unpleasant people in those offices can be, they do not clearly communicate policies regarding your “scheduled hours”‘ for your program versus your “enrolled/completed hours” as it pertains to financial aid. I completed my DA program early and because my scheduled hours were greater than the hours I was actually enrolled, I accrued a debt in the amount of $1120.02 due to an “overage” of Pell Grant disbursement based on my scheduled hours versus enrolled hours. This issue was not caught until after I graduated (which is odd because you have to notify financial aid and the business office of anticipated graduation for the term you’re graduating anyway.. this could’ve been caught prior to graduation), and now that I’m trying to receive transcripts a year later to further my education, I’m being told to pay the 1k before they will release them (which, they reduced from 1k to $800 after I questioned the entire process). I’m being charged $800… for a piece of paper. I was told that this is due to the Pell Grant I applied for and it’s essentially my fault however I do not recall reading this policy as part of the financial aid paperwork I completed and signed with my initials and signature, each term I was enrolled. If that was the case I would’ve happily set that money aside that term. After asking to enter into a payment plan to satisfy the debt, I was told until the debt is paid in full I still cannot receive my transcripts. I do understand why, however the entire process needs review. Not many people, especially the student population at this school, can come out of pocket $800-$1000 with no warning. And I say with no warning because I was told I was notified by mail of this debt a year ago, but I did not receive any notice of debt, and it’s literally been sitting with the school for A YEAR.

Long story short— don’t complete a program early. Verify your scheduled hours versus the hours you were actually enrolled each term. Set aside your Pell Grant disbursement so you can pay the school back if needed. Good luck dealing with...

First I would like to say thank you for taking the time to sit and talk with me. I also would like to say to you and the Faculty of PTC Thank you for the Commercial Photography Program for without the opportunity that I was given I Would not have been able to fulfil my dream. PTC was affordable for me and others that were in my class. For years I took "Pictures" but it was when I was laid off from work that I was able to say I'm tired of just doing work I want to do what I love doing and it was then that you instilled in me that they were not "Pictures" but they we indeed "Photos" I will never forget that moment that something clicked in my head. I am so grateful that you took the time to instruct and teach and made sure I understood what I was doing. I am so happy that you are still able to do what you love and that is to teach and instruct, to help the next generation of photographers find their niche so that they can put a smile on someone's face. My prayer and hope is that you will continue to instruct at PTC and continue to help others earn their Photography Certificate. Someone out here is smiling because of YOU and the material that you have taught. Funny truth when I first started the course I thought you were a little mean but as time went on I realized you weren't mean you were teaching the course and you saw potential. If you didn't care about your students I would have walked out knowing nothing and still just taking pictures. So again I say Thank you Thank you again for seeing my potential and thank you for your words of encouragement when I stopped by, it is very much appreciated. Mr....

Terrible accommodations for minority students The cosmetology program is a scam. They pick their favorites and the outline of the class is a scam as well They forced you to finish certain parts of the course before starting other parts and on the main focuses of the full scope, beauty program like chemicals and cuts And gives you about four weeks at the end of the course to learn everything while you spend most of the class doing over 300 shampoos and conditioners, and the teachers are very biased even towards the new teachers that start working there And the teacher gave us a whole spill on how to make 200,000 off of $10 blowouts per day, which is funny if you amount the amount of blow Out the salon does with all the students from the day and night class. It’s even more than the 200,000 so the fact that they’re packing all this money for the salon and pocketing money For tuition and yet we have the most bare minimum kit as well as multiple times during the class. We had no products at all in the entire salon for the services we were doing for that chapter And it’s funny I even came back because the esthetician teacher was so imcitful and explained in full extent but I guess fullscope cosmetology. It just doesn’t roll that way very caddy teachers and undertrained I felt I learned EVERYTHING from the book in almost seven...