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If you are considering a career in Cosmetology, please do your research! I was taken in by a very convincing speech about why I should go the STL Academy (it has since changed it's name to Paul Mitchell The School-St. Louis, but has all of the same incompetent staff still employed.) I regret it more than anything in the world.
When I was first looking into schools in early 2007, I was immediately drawn into the glitz and glamour of going to a Paul Mitchell School. I love PM products, and thought if the school is half as good as the products, it's gonna be the best experience of my life. I was so wrong.
I was told on my tour that my $15, 000 tuition would cover EVERYTHING I would need for the entire 1 year duration of the program. While it did include a mediocre kit and lackluster training dvds and books, I was still forced to buy additional training supplies on a weekly basis...extra doll heads, scissor sharpening and razors, make-up for required make-up courses that would have to be used on several other students during classtime, combs, clips, papers, pens, dye...and a monster car park fee because there was absolutely NO free on-street parking. I had to pay on average an extra $20-50 a week on extra training materials, transportation, and clothes that would get easily worn working 35 hrs a week being splashed with dye, etc.
My kit was pathetic, cheap, and virtually useless. The scissors are not good enough quality to be used in your career after school. The combs and brushes are flimsy and most are not heat resistant. The clippers' batteries only last for about ten minutes before needing a charge. On time after all of the students left for the day, the kits were raided by administrators to retrieve our capes. We were no allowed to take our kits home with us, yet admin could just raid out kits whenever they wanted? These kits, btw, cost $3, 000! If we were allowed to assemble our own kits, we could have had better materials for half as much. It was just another way to gauge students for every penny they could.
The staff is dreadfully incompetent! I cannot believe how many stories I heard of our teachers being irresponsible! In the 6 short months I went to this school, guess how many staff members had either quit or been fired: 6! Six out of the less than dozen people that are employed by the school at a given time, were fired or quit in six months. Why is turnover so high here, yet some teachers are allowed to stay and continually slack off and get "chummy" with students?
Besides the teachers, be prepared to deal with a TON of student drama! The people that go here are straight up CATTY. Police have been called, fights have been started, numerous things had been stolen. One girl had her camera stolen by a girl in her own class. Even the nicest person is not immune to the name-calling and cliquey-ness. Prepare to enter high school, part 2. This school constantly promotes a book called BE NICE OR ELSE, a book that encourages students to supress negativity in their lives, not watch violent movies, and basically be fake to everybody they meet in order to get what they want, yet it's one of the meanest environments I've ever been in.
Speaking of high school, be prepared to spend a lot of time making posters with magic markers and magazine cut-outs. And they waste a lot of valuable learning time doing things like pancake breakfasts, "free hugs, " and charity. I know a ton of students that can't get jobs because they just aren't taught anything! Favorite students get passed without a second thought, and the others are either forced out or made to work twice as hard for their grades.
I could go on, but if this isn't enough to change your mind, I don't know what will!
P.S. This school IS NOT ACCREDITED! That means no government loans or grants. The only fin. aid available to students is a loan from Sallie Mae at a very high interest rate. This is a $15, 000 program that is not accredited, when you could get thousands of dollars from the US government in grants and low-interest loans if you simply choose an accredited school!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I go to paul mitchell in Huntsville alabama and its great ive learned a lot so far our kits come with 4 doll heads and you can buy more for 25 dollers a piece which isnt bad. My teacher is great and makes sure we understand everything. Our owner is great. He did a cookout ffor all of us this week free of charge. Yall just need to do your research on a school before attending. Just done jump into it on what someone says. Do research duh
we all need to get together and file a class act law suit because I went home in tears more often than feeling happy about being at S.I.C.E. Paul Mitchell Partner School in modesto, Ca I swear the learning leaders are barely grads. themselves and go on power trips. i had one take me in the storage closet and lock me in by her standing infront of the door yelling at me mean while i had a client in my chair. I didnt agree with her so she lied to management going back on her word what she told me, all about my client being 15 mins late and not letting me start a service. we always gave clients 15 mins before canceling them. regardless she had no right to do that to me and then takes me in the office for poor attitude cause my word against hers in the closet and i get written up. oh you know what write up i love the best...not really, but... is my client after being there 5 hours wanted to smoke a cigarette who am i to tell a grown 40 some old woman no. but i asked learning leader she said yeah thats fine shes processing and the school is close, so when i walk her back in frpm smoking i get called in the office and get a write up cause i shouldve known better. the temperature outside couldve messed with her foils... are you kidding me i asked permission, she says well i didnt want to start anything with you and your client sitting right there. wow you couldve just said no instead a fake yes. oh i hated that school. and wow i can really say we had probably the highest roll over rate for learning leaders i think i went through 7-9 theory teachers. Im honestly not gonna stop till they are found guilty.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY HOLD YOUR MONEY and say its just not in yet, but you know damn well they don't like you because you don't like to jump rope you want to work and learn.
Paul Mitchell School in Davenport IA. Discriminatory practices against minority students (there were only 3 in my class and I was one of them). Volunteer for special assignments but NEVER selected; their reasoning ran the gamut of 'well so and so has been here longer than you, or I didn't realize you wanted to do this assignment...' PROBLEM: Only selected white females/males. Each minority student who has attended this school has been gouged and told that they owe more tuition money (even though Pell Grants and Student Loans supposedly covered the tuition. They withhold our cosmetology license (after you have passed the state boards) until you pay the money you supposedly owe them. My particular amount is over $1600! I cannot get a job because I have no license. I am not the only one as I have stated earlier EVERY SINGLE minority student was treated in this fashion. We students brought the money into this facility by bringing in customers who pay or the services. The money went to the school and we were always required to sell product and had to meet quotas. We were their cash cows and were treated like dirt after all of the hard work and blood, sweat and tears we went through to get our skills and pass the state cosmetology board exam. My suggestion is that EVERY MINORITY STUDENT who was treated in this manner and had to pay additional money to finally receive their license band together and contact the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to il a law suit against this organization.
I only read two comments and I started smh. First you have to assume response ability for your self. I have attended cosmetology schools and you sign a contract. If you sign with out reading the contract that is on you. And the highschool comment all I have to say is birds of a feather flock together. Once your loan has went to collection you have no attachments to the school. And no matter what agreement you made you singed a contract. That is what will stand in court. In my experience many go to school long enough to get the cash loan then drop. Others come because it is a short course. Others because they have the passion to do hair. Those are the ones that give good reviews. That being said bottom line is read your contract before you sign it. If you don't understand all of it it is your legal right to have it explained to you. I set through 600 hours in the esthetician program here about others weekends baby daddy problems people coming in late disrupting class peoples phones ringing etc. I graduated on my expected date three hours early and passed my stateboards the first go around. School is what you take from it. Not what other students are doing in their life.
Totally disagree with the complaints. It really does depend on what you put into it yourself.
I would be willing to bet there are trends with complaints and negativity in other areas of your life, not just hair school.
I go to Paul Mitchell the school - Columbia Missouri. I like it. We do not have to pay for any materials ever. Its sad that you guys are dealing with such crappy schools. But clearly not all Paul Mitchell are the same.
Contact the CFPB, they're an agency that can help
Charging students 40% of what they could have received in financial aid if they drop is illegal. Got news for Paul Mitchell, Corinthian College did the same thing and the Feds shut them down. My best friends daughter enrolled at Paul Mitchell and wanted to drop out. The financial aid office told her she owes 6000.00. My best friend called to ask my advice because I have worked in the financial aid/student loan industry for over 10 years. I have done everything from packaging financial aid to working on defaulted student loans. I could not believe what I read in Paul Mitchell's enrollment agreement. I filed a complaint with the DOE, our local Attorney General and the Consumer Protection Bureau. I recommend everyone to do the same. SHAME ON YOU PAUL MITCHELL. More of my tax dollars going down the drain on the crooked despicable wealthy trying to make more money off federal funds. Also blasted on Twiiter. I'm sure all my Bernie followers will love this!
I was a student at Paul mitchell, I had taken out loans for living expenses and not received one check. I had voiced my concerns regarding the school not implementing their curriculum and since then I had dealt with hostile environment & retaliation. Many occasions i felt forced to quit, until few weeks before graduating I was wrongfully terminated. My question is how are they able to keep our financial disbursements and personal loans? What can I do?
Is there anyway to receive a loan forgiveness from this school? My daughter had a horrible experience as well and now I am stuck with a debt that exceeds any of the tuitions mentioned. Any help or suggestions are most appreciated!
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Your kit is cheap but, you pay 2, 000 for it the boxes you have to get signed off are not cosmetology related and we have numerous things we have to do already to get our license they have like 70 things you have to get checked off every month and half of them are bs like master cd of the month why in the hell do we need to know about famous people that went to Paul Mitchell they make sure their education is great acting like brain washed nice ppl to disguise their bull #### they are an occult and as soon as a good school like Regency Opens up gets popular it gets shut down and they blamed for profit schools not just them not having enough money but, I think they were too much competition for Paul Mitchell and failed because they weren't established Paul Mitchell is all about money they only reason you learn more from this school is because you get thrown out on the floor and your basically already working paul Mitchell has been around for so long they know the best way for students to learn & how to recruit people because they want your MONEY and their name to get BIGGER and BIGGER not because they are a good school and care about future professional they will let anyone go to their school ANYONE...people steal sooo much & they do not tell you when you have EXCESS FUNDS they say they are teaches us how to be professional but, they are teaching u how to kiss ### they pick really great people in their admissions and financial aid and when you get in e school you meet extremely fake people I believe their are alternative school they say Paul Mitchell is the best school but, it's not they just got a HEADSTART. 11 ppl out of 23 in my class dropped!
Attending Paul Mitchell School Albuquerque
I have been in class for 6 months. We are not allowed to work on each other’s hair. Instructors will not help guid while gives cut. Instructor is too busy teaching another class while us students are on the floor with walk in clients. We pay 20,000 and can not use product that the school doesn’t have for us. No hands on and instructors are rude and lazy! I would never recommend this school to anyone
Hi Yes Im Josephina. I was contacting you guys because I have been experiencing a lot or bullying/discrimination. I started my school 5/6 months ago before even starting there was a lot of confusion as far as my acceptance letter. I was discriminated against for simply wanting the correct name. The original 1st copy had the wrong name (Cheyenne) on it so I asked for the correct name. I got a few blank docs. Then one whitened out. Finally I send the one with the wrong name then I got a copy of that with my name. The financial aid leader at this point sends me email very upset stating that “they fell they had to go out of there way too much for me”
I’m sitting here telling my friend everything I had gone through while she was on a 1 month leave. I literally got tore down by this girl threatening me with her 40 in her car. She was 1 of the favorites. The favorites are the ones who get the appointments. This woman was constantly walking back n forth being nosey. I wasn’t talking to her at all. Then this other girl flips a table on to me. Apparently n defense of her friend. She screamed shut up. I said who are you? I look at my friend like y is she talking to me like that. Im standing there shock & shaken up! The director comes in screaming at me as if I did something wrong but everybody sat back including the staff while things escalated until I said something. All I said was I can’t believe this just happened to me. What was that about?