Meridian College — Local services in Sarasota

The 4 star reviews here are only for the cosmetology program. If you’re thinking about enrolling for ultrasound here…please don’t.

I can write a book on all the problems with the school but I’ll save you the read.

[ ] NOT CAAHEP ACCREDITED ( you 1000% need this accreditation if you want a fair chance at succeeding in ultrasound; especially as a new grad) [ ] Ms. Kim will be kind and smile all throughout your enrollment process. Once you’ve signed the agreement, she will give you rude looks and make sarcastic comments whenever. [ ] The lab professors are not always the best help, most of the time they are sitting on their phones or having conversations over weekend plans with one another. [ ] Lianne, the didactic instructor, is the best of the best but she is not always available to help you scan when you need it most. [ ] You get barely 1 month to learn, practice and scan the module of that month. Ex: you only have about 3 weeks to study, scan and perfect your technique in the pelvic, lower extremity venous/arterial, carotid, abdomen, and thyroid modules. [ ] The entire scanning program is only 9 months (the last month is your exit exams) THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR YOU TO FULLY COMPREHEND AND LEARN ULTRASOUND. You will be teaching yourself 99% of the time. [ ] Internship….a joke. I waited MONTHS before being sent out to my clinical site. The way they do clinicals is either you already have your own site that is willing to take you in (not everyone takes in a non CAAHEP accredited student) or you have to wait for your turn since they currently only have 6 contracts with clinical sites. They are still sending students from the class of 2020. [ ] The clinical director is no help whatsoever. She mispronounces the names of ARRT & ARDMS 10000x. She will scare you into not taking the ARRT (because it’s a long exam) when ARRT is most likely the only way you will be able to secure a job as a new grad. She does not respond to emails or phone calls in a timely matter as she oversees the dental and medical assisting students as well. She has way too much on her plate and does not know how to handle it. [ ] The prerequisite do not prepare you for ultrasound at all, it’s just a way for the school to charge you for classes that you may have to retake as they do not transfer all of your college credits. [ ] You better hope and pray your class it’s not larger than 10 students because if so then you will be forced to sit outside of the lab (in an area that only has 3 chairs) to wait your turn to practice scanning as they do not have enough machines to facilitate a large class.

Please spend your money towards a...

Horrible school. I wanted to be in the Ultrasound program but I got told since I have no medical background or experience that I would be better off being in either the medical assisting or billing and coding program. I also had to take a basic assessment test to see if I’d be eligible to be in the ultrasound program and the test was on a piece of paper and every question was tiny and bunched up right next to each other. I could barely even read the questions and I only missed by two. No multiple choice either and I don’t even remember the last time taking a test on paper lol. Anyways, I decided to take the medical assisting program which is $17,000!!! And the ultrasound program being $42,000!!! This school just wanted me to do a extra program so they could get more money out of me but literally at any other school that offers ultrasound, all you have to do is take your prerequisites and then you’ll be in the ultrasound program. Which don’t get me wrong, having some kind of medical experience does help when it comes to getting job placement as a ultrasound tech but you can get a job as a medical receptionist for the time being to get your foot in the door and I was working at a medical office as a receptionist after I started my medical assisting program and they even offered to train me to learn how to be a medical assistant which is crazy because it’s like here I was spending $17,000 on a school that was so nonchalant, some of these teachers would dress like there at home watching football, not professional at all and most the time I would show up to school without wearing my scrubs which you are required to but no one cared. Now don’t even get me started on the library. I had to use one of the computers to finish an assignment and all the computers are dinosaur/old. The elderly man who works in the library let me use his computer because his was the fastest one out of all of them and let me tell you, his keyboard was so nasty. I had dirt on my fingers like sir clean off your keyboard please. But here’s the worst part, I had to use Microsoft word and the Microsoft word was from 2003!!!!!!!!!! You’re telling me this is a private, very expensive school that can’t even update their Microsoft word to current time???? Like 20 years old? Be for real!!!! Literally no one at this school cares. Everyone is so laid back it feels like a joke, even my classmates felt the same way and that we weren’t really even learning. Save your time and money and go to any other...

I’m currently a cosmetology student and yes i have learned the basics of hair but as far as spending $18,000 I feel I have wasted my money. My kit I received when I enrolled has already began to break down as it is jsut glued together , not every student receives the same tools inside the kit , out of the entire 12 months your in school the only time you can practice color is during the color month so for $18000 you have 30 days out of your entire time here to practice color unless you spend you own money and buy your own color , of course there’s clients who come in wanted the basic brown ,blonde, or grey coverage but actually experimenting and exploring that’s out , there has been some changes for the better and some for the worse when I was enrolled I was instructed to try and use my tools for pedis and manis as little as possible as the nail room supplies many extras now those tools have been tooken from us and were forced to use are tools so by the time you graduate you will have to buy new tools ;setting you up for nothing . I have also learned nothing about doing nails other than the basic painting and I have watched a 6 minute video on gels. You only get credit for cuts on clients so any cuts on a maniquin no credit , the list goes on jsut know there is cheaper options and you will learn wayyyyy more and hopefully be supplied with a well...