I feel scammed out of 14,000 from my school

[shannon965]

This is the email I've sent the biology department, department and associate department head, the student affairs associate professor and the director of undergraduate biology department.. I haven't gotten back pretty much anything besides that sucks from one person. I need to know what I can do. I'm so lost!!



Department and Associate Department Head,

I am currently a graduate undeclared major and I am taking prerequisites to apply to the Biomedical Visualization MS program at UIC. The final two prerequisites that I need to take are Cellular Biology and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. I satisfied all other prerequisites with my Bachelor's degree. I started attending UIC last spring and began taking CHEM 100, CHEM 112 in the fall, I took BIO 100 over the summer and I am currently enrolled in CHEM 114 for this semester. At the time the chemistry classes were all prerequisites for BIO 222. Yesterday I was looking at classes being offered over the summer and fall to try and get an idea of the order in which I am going to take my classes when I noticed that there were no longer any chemistry prerequisites needed to take BIO 222 in the fall of 2016. I had previously checked the classes earlier this semester and the prerequisites were still there. I contacted the biology department and was given Greg Keller's email. I received a response stating that these classes were indeed no longer needed for BIO 222 because of a change in curriculum in the biology department. This comes as a huge disappointment. I received no warning of this change and since I am seen as a graduate student who isn't in a program yet I am not eligible for any financial aid, private or federal. I have been paying for these classes out of pocket and to be honest with you I have had to sell my car and max out two of my credit cards to pay for these classes. I have spent close to $14,000 on classes that are no longer needed. This is extremely upsetting. I feel like as a student there should be some warning of changes in prerequisites of classes that are needed and to make matters worse we are passed the drop period. My experience at UIC has been great, but I have wasted an entire year that I could of spent on the classes that I actually needed to take and could of already applied to my program here and at the other colleges with Medical Illustration. I was given your information from the Student Legal Services and I would like to know what my options are.

Thank you for your time,

They changed the prerequisites just 3 weeks ago with no warning. They changed it past the drop period so I'm stuck in this class I don't need, paid for it and I'm struggling to make a C in it because we've been doing thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, organic and nuclear chemistry. Is there something that states they need to give warning of changing prerequisites? I feel scammed out of a lot of money!! Please help!

Shannon

 

[tranquility]

Would your eventual degree be worth more if you were required to take the prerequisite classes?

You don't have damages because the requirements are less because of the change. You have damages if the degree you seek is worth less because you no longer need to take those classes.

 

[not2cleverRed]

I would never have the audacity to send such a letter.

You are trying to impress people enough to either accept you into their program, or recommend you for acceptance into a program.

By taking these courses, you are hopefully more knowledgeable than those who have not taken the course. (Granted, I've personally taken some graduate level courses that left me knowing less.)

If you performed well and impressed a professor or two, you now have a reference for w hen you want to apply to a specific program - which in turn could improve your chances of getting a stipend.

You have no case.

And sending letters like this can backfire on you. I've known people who have torpedoed their future in a graduate program for showing such little maturity and tact.

 

[shannon965]

I absolutely do not need these classes. They don't look better applying to school or give me a better chance to get in than a student without them. I am upset there was no warning of the curriculum change and okay.. drop one class i see, but all three??

Would your eventual degree be worth more if you were required to take the prerequisite classes?

You don't have damages because the requirements are less because of the change. You have damages if the degree you seek is worth less because you no longer need to take those classes.

 

[shannon965]

I don't need to spend 14,000 to get a reference. I already have them. My program isn't in or at the Biology or Chemistry department. I understand that these people probably know each other but I don't have money to burn. I know the department head of the program I want to get in and he would be totally sympathetic. I don't understand why you think the email was immature or lacked tact, but that is your opinion.

I would never have the audacity to send such a letter.

You are trying to impress people enough to either accept you into their program, or recommend you for acceptance into a program.

By taking these courses, you are hopefully more knowledgeable than those who have not taken the course. (Granted, I've personally taken some graduate level courses that left me knowing less.)

If you performed well and impressed a professor or two, you now have a reference for w hen you want to apply to a specific program - which in turn could improve your chances of getting a stipend.

You have no case.

And sending letters like this can backfire on you. I've known people who have torpedoed their future in a graduate program for showing such little maturity and tact.

 

[tranquility]

An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.

As to shannon965, you ARE spending the money for a reference. The approval of your school is what you seek. In the life I imagine when the Pope's cross is not the only important thing, what you know is what is required. Perhaps a test of some sort. Of course, those who make money from the total experience over what their student's know will disagree. But the world is changing.

 

[anearthw]

This isn't unusual in college, especially programs that are broad preques. You expected notice, but you're assuming they knew. Curriculum changes/course requirements aren't always planned long-term.

I'm sympathetic, really. I recall when tuition was tripled overnight. Reality is, universities do this often and that's not going to change. They can't cater these decisions to every student's plan.

 

[quincy]

This is the email I've sent ...

Department and Associate Department Head,

... I ... began taking CHEM 100, CHEM 112 in the fall, I took BIO 100 over the summer and I am currently enrolled in CHEM 114 for this semester. At the time the chemistry classes were all prerequisites for BIO 222 ... I noticed that there were no longer any chemistry prerequisites needed to take BIO 222 in the fall of 2016 ... I received no warning of this change and since I am seen as a graduate student who isn't in a program yet I am not eligible for any financial aid, private or federal. I have been paying for these classes out of pocket and to be honest with you I have had to sell my car and max out two of my credit cards to pay for these classes. I have spent close to $14,000 on classes that are no longer needed. This is extremely upsetting. I feel like as a student there should be some warning of changes in prerequisites of classes that are needed and to make matters worse we are passed the drop period ... I have wasted an entire year that I could of spent on the classes that I actually needed to take and could of already applied to my program here and at the other colleges ...

First, I can empathize - not with your financial pain but with the pain of taking chemistry classes that are not required. I cannot think of any subject that I would less like to take classes in if I didn't absolutely have to.

I agree with not2cleverRed's thoughts on the letter you sent. If you are going to put something in writing, you need to have someone proofread it for you (the word you wanted was "past" not passed; it is "could have" not could of), and you should have left out of your letter all emotion (the "to be honest with you" part and the "extremely upsetting" part and the "I have wasted an entire year" part). Your letter would have been more professional if you stated only facts.

That said, I don't think your arguments are unreasonable. Education is too costly to pay for classes that are not necessary for your degree.

They changed the prerequisites just 3 weeks ago with no warning. They changed it past the drop period so I'm stuck in this class I don't need, paid for it and I'm struggling to make a C in it because we've been doing thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, organic and nuclear chemistry. Is there something that states they need to give warning of changing prerequisites? I feel scammed out of a lot of money!! ...

I have known students in the past who have been able to structure their own course schedules with the help of the department heads, based on what these students needed to know rather than what the school told them they needed. These "exceptions" are not that uncommon in a university. Perhaps you can work something out so that your chemistry classes replace classes you might otherwise now need to take?

If your goal is to drop the chemistry class and get a refund, though, I am not seeing that as too likely. I think you will probably have to suffer through learning about quantum mechanics and thermodynamics.

My suggestion is to make an appointment with the department head to see what can be worked out. Good luck.