Westwood College : Los Angeles
Westwood College : Los Angeles is a established in (unknown). The campus is located in and hosts students with an endowment of .
Address:
Phone: (no local phone number)
Email: (no public email address)
Institution Type: Unknown
Established: Unknown
Campus Enrollment: N/A
Acceptance Rate: N/A
Graduation Rate (6Y): N/A
Campus Endowment: N/A
Tuition (Local): N/A
Tuition (Non-Local): N/A
Tuition (Foreign): N/A
Mandatory Fees: N/A
Housing (Room): N/A
Latitude:
Longitude:
Tax ID: N/A
I enrolled at Westwood College in 2009 because the greatest selling point was not only would I learn what I needed to enter my desired career field through the convenience of online study but I was promised job placement. Unfortunately their admissions process was deceptive and misleading as I am still working in retail sales, I have been working in retail for over 20 years now. I enrolled and pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design: Game Art but have not been able to get a job since I graduated in 2012. Westwood’s advisors have not assisted with job to pursue a job in animation but have not been granted successful job placement as promised.
At the time of my enrollment, when I initially interviewed with Westwood, they misrepresented salary and jobs available for those in my field of study. For example exaggerating animator salaries stating they earn more than 60-70,000 per year when it turned out that they make around 30-40,000 per year. They also made it sound that it was a robust industry however there are nowhere near as many job opportunities available as they led me to believe. There is also an issue with Westwood’s predatory loans and lending practices, both private and federal loans, and I have a questionable number of loans at this time – a total of 21 loans. I am confused on the total cost of my education as my student loan amounts today seemed to have nearly doubled what I was initially told tuition would be. My loans have changed servicers a couple of times and I have asked for copies of all promissory notes on all loans several times since my loans started to come due in 2014, but only one institution was willing to disclose this information (Navient provided these documents in September 2015, I have printed copies of the MPNs that they were able to retrieve but they said that the MPN’s they have only cover 9 of my loans; but no one can account for the remaining 12 loans).
After reviewing all of my personal records, emails and printouts, it appears as though I did not physically review the terms for any of the loans provided by Westwood nor did I sign for each loan they are now trying to collect from me. It appears as though Westwood financial advisors inputted the information because the two MPN’s provided by Navient do not show that I signed for them. I was not aware of the number of loans and the size of these loans until I started reviewing my credit reports this year and began the mortgage prequalification process; I was denied the mortgage because to my surprise, the amount of my student loans doubled my income (100% debt to income ratio) and also because loan servicers had reported my account as delinquent when it was to be in either deferment or forbearance which had a negative impact on my credit score. Now onto the job placement issue….Westwood misrepresented their employment statistics and stated they guarantee job placement but kept switching advisors who never assisted with job placement. They would ask for an updated resume, would claim to email potential jobs, then I would never receive any job listings, I would follow up with the advisor after not hearing from them anymore to find they left and that I was assigned another advisor and the same cycle would repeat itself. The first advisor was Andrew Zimmerman (left in 2012), the second advisor was Melissa Heigle (left in 2013), the third advisor was Brent Geske (left in 2014), never heard from another advisor since.
FROM THE WESTWOOD WEBSITE:
“Career Services https://www.westwood.edu/student-services/career-services
At Westwood, we provide career advising from the moment you begin classes. Getting to know you and your career goals will help us guide and prepare you throughout college. Employment assistance begins long before you graduate and continues afterward whether you are relocating or just looking for a new opportunity. We’ll help prepare you for a successful career; then we’ll help you get hired
Career preparation
We can help you start developing résumé packets long before graduation. This helps you understand how your coursework, internships, volunteering and part-time jobs all work together to build a strong résumé.
We also assist with cover letters and make computers and fax machines available to students who need them. We’ll be your guide as you review and update your résumé, polish your portfolio, and strengthen your interviewing techniques. We are committed to supporting students in building the lifelong skills and resources needed to launch and take charge of their careers.
Discover for yourself how we make finding the right career much easier with the use of online résumé creation and interviewing tools:
Optimal Suite
CareerShift
As a student enrolled in one of our online programs you’ll have access to a number of additional tools:
Career Management Series Workshops – Get training on career empowerment
Climbing with the Experts Presentations – Hear from various industry experts
Career opportunities
As a student enrolled in one of our programs you’ll have access to potential employers through the campus career services department. Many employers recognize the quality and value of our training and seek out Westwood graduates. We compile listings of their job openings and interview dates and make this information available to all students at each campus. A number of high-profile national employers also visit Westwood campuses to conduct interviews.
Part-time opportunities
Most of our students work part-time or full-time jobs while they attend Westwood. Our career services group can help you find suitable employment. We also coordinate on-campus work-study jobs for students who qualify.
Alumni support
No matter which campus you graduated from, Westwood College provides Career Services support to all of our alumni. After graduation, should you need ongoing support, you can reach out to the campus where you graduated, or any of our campuses nationwide. For more information, check out our alumni page or contact one of our campus locations.
Employer opportunities
At Westwood College, we take great pride in developing relationships with companies who value education and foster career growth. We are committed to helping employers find the best candidates to fulfill employment needs and offer a variety of employer benefits. Learn more about hiring our students and graduates.
LinkedIn University Pages
We have also set up LinkedIn University Pages for our students and alumni to connect and professionally network. Utilizing LinkedIn provides many benefits:
Network with thousands of other professionals as well as thousands of Westwood College graduates
Find and connect with fellow students and graduates and uncover new opportunities
Start a discussion with other students and graduates that share common interests
Provide information helpful for new students making the decision to attend Westwood College
Access the appropriate campus page from any device with Internet access anywhere in the world”
In other words, all the above is common sense social networking tactics that anyone with a brain is capable of accomplishing on their own. No degree required for common sense.
Since I was not finding work in my field and was not making enough to pay for basic cost of living and loan repayment I had to defer my loan after graduation. After the second deferment they told me I was no longer eligible for deferment and that I had to apply for forbearance. After applying for it, ACS denied my application and sent me a letter stating that if I paid one month in full that it would bring my account up to date, prevent default and they would retroactive my forbearance status, the forbearance period was from February 2014-2015, they should have removed the 60-180 day delinquencies reported to the credit bureaus because I did pay the amount they requested when they requested it in order to have my forbearance status retroactively reinstated. Their letter stating they need one payment plus a copy of my payment are on the next two pages. I followed up on the status of my account on 8/15/14 and a woman by the name of Theresa stated that my account was retroactively placed back into forbearance and that it would be in forbearance until 2/2015 and at that time I could apply for income sensitive repayment.
Other issues encountered with Westwood:
They made several errors in paperwork when I enrolled (have email correspondences stating they made errors in my start date, classes and other things).
They would not transfer some credits in when they were legitimate prerequisite courses that could have been transferred.
Finally….They delayed my graduation date due to issues on their end, changing it from August 2011 to January 2012, did not graduate until December 2012 because they made me change loans, adding a private loan on top of federal loans, forcing more loans.
IT’S NO WONDER WESTWOOD HAS CLOSED ITS DOORS AS OF MARCH 2016 – ALL STUDENTS FROM ALL CAMPUSES SHOULD WRITE TO THE DEPT OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, CONGRESS, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF COLORADO, AND ALL STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THEIR FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS DISCHARGED AS THEIR INSTITUTION, WESTWOOD COLLEGE, IS GUILTY OF COMMITTING COUNTLESS CRIMINAL ACTS BY DEFRAUDING STUDENTS!
Do yourself a favor and apply for Federal Loan Discharge. When they deny your loan discharge application, appeal it, get yourself a lawyer and fight it to the very end. No one should be forced to pay back student loans for attending a corrupt institution where the individual gained absolutely NOTHING from it but an expensive and worthless piece of paper while the institution takes your HARD EARNED CASH.
Even the Dean, School of Technology of WOL who I met lies to me about future accreditation. Where does it end?
Westwood has voluntarily dropped from Regional Candidacy. As I work a second job (nights and weekends) trying to pay for this now $80,000 education that is worthless, trying to stay afloat of this financial h**l that this college create, my anger grows. So what did I learn that cost me $80,000 and nothing but grief, financial insecurity and embarrassment? That For-Profit schools like Westwood are out to make money off the backs of those who want to succeed and have dreams by lying and making false promises. They are in it only for the money and will not supply you with an education that will allow you to enter the job market. You will be placed so far into debt that no matter what job you apply for, you will not be able to realistically pay it off timely and if you do get a degree from them, it is better used as toilet paper.
Now the have a placement guarantee that is really not a guarantee. See the other posts to see how it works. It’s your money that they are giving back to you if they cannot help you find a job. You are still paying for it and once the six months are up, you are still saddled with outrageous school loans.
No one who graduated with me was able to work in their field of study and failed to keep their promise of job assistance. Westwood college (joke) needs to be shut down.
Westwood ruined my credit, finances and future dreams.
I am amazed at the amount of fraud,deceit and lies from this degree mill. Online research has provided me with some interesting information.
On 04/20/2011 the BBB accreditation wassuspended due to recent government action concerning the marketplaceand its customers that demonstrates a significant failure of thecompany to support the principles and purposes of BBB accreditation. The matter will be reviewed by the BBB’s Board of Directors at its next meeting.
On December 14, 2010 the Colorado Commission of Higher Education (CCHE) changed Westwood College’s status from Full Authorization to Probationary Authorization due to it’s probation order from the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has pulled GI Bill funding from all three Texas campuses of a for-profit college accused of misleading advertising and enrollment practices.
At the December 2, 2010 regular CCHE meeting, Commissioners voted to defer action for Westwood College until staff had received notification from the Accrediting Commission for Career Colleges and Schools. Department staff received a “Continued Probation Order” from the ACCSC on December 9, 2010. The ACCSC reviewed the September 1, 2010 Probation Order and the school’s response to that action at its November 2010 meeting. It was determined that the school has not demonstrated compliance with the ACCSC’s requirements relative to student achievement outcomes.
Additionally, Westwood College was requested to provide information with regard to compliance to several and various state agencies and other accreditors given the allegations of the Government Accountability Office August 4, 2010 report.
On April 6, 2009 the United States of America (on behalf of the United States Board of Education) filed an Amended Complaint in the United State District Court of the Northern District of Texas. Charges filed indicate the business was in violation of state law prohibiting a failure to comply with Statutory and Regulatory Requirements for Proprietary School Operations. Particularly, some charges related to unethical and/or misleading recruitment practices, failure to report unsatisfactory job placement rates for graduates, and/or failure to properly register school representatives. The matter was resolved by a settlement in March 2009.
In 2009, Westwood’s parent company, Alta Colleges Inc., of Denver, agreed to pay the U.S. government $7 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the Texas campuses of submitting falsified federal student aid forms.
Wow….and they have the nerve to tell me they are transparent?
These scammers need to be shut down.
So I tried taking my transcript to 3 local community colleges and was told the credits are non transferable. Went to 2 local “for-profit” schools with ACICS accreditation as well and was also denied. Tried using this fake degree to apply for several positions with SCE, IBM, Oracle, Wells Fargo, and a hand full of respectable and known IT companies. Received nice thank you letters but was told that I did not meet the minimum educational requirements by two potential employers because this ‘college’ did not meet their criteria as an educational institution. Yet, I did meet the experience portion of several but because of my lack of an actual degree, was denied an interview.
So now, several years down the road I see that Westwood has voluntarily dropped from Regional Candidacy. As I work a second job (nights and weekends) trying to pay for this $50,000+ education that is worthless, trying to stay afloat of this financial hell that this college create, my anger grows. So what did I learn that cost me $50,000 and nothing but grief, financial insecurity and embarrassment? That For-Profit schools like Westwood are out to make money off the backs of those who want to succeed and have dreams by lying and making false promises. They are in it only for the money and will not supply you with an education that will allow you to enter the job market. You will be placed so far into debt that no matter what job you apply for, you will not be able to realistically pay it off timely and if you do get a degree from them, it is better used as toilet paper.
I was duped and feel like I’ve been made a fool by attending this joke of a college. Yes, I am trying to pay off this bogus debt. I have been in the IT business for over 20 years, hold certifications in Cisco, Microsoft and database administration, all obtained prior to Westwood. Some people have hobbies, collecting coins, boating, needle-point. Starting today, my hobby will be to go online at least once a week, visit as many websites as I can and spread the word on what this school did to me, financially and emotionally, and of those that graduated from Westwood with me that I am still in contact with, here is a list of their current positions as of today: Manager KFC, Walmart Clerk, Homeless and Unemployed, Clerk 7-11, Student (went to a real college to start over)
No one who graduated with me was able to work in their field of study and failed to keep their promise of job assistance.