Let me start by saying that I would never publicly write a negative review to make a school or any other place look bad if I did not feel so strongly about my experience. I am a graphic design major and I am sorry to admit that I honestly could not have chosen a worse college. I had nothing but problems after being accepted. First of all, the school ended up costing me significantly more money than what I had been introduced to while applying, and the financial aid department was less than helpful in any way. We were told that the financial aid that I was given was incorrect and was much less than what we had expected.
I also would have liked to have been aware of the shuttle that I took everyday to and from school. Everyday, students would stand and wait at the bus stop for one shuttle to arrive every hour. The shuttle holds 10 students, which leaves those who were not able to fit on the bus to wait longer for a shuttle to bring them to the T stop. Both shuttles were rarely on time and sometimes didn't show up at all. I ended up bringing my car and paying $180 to park for the semester. I felt that this was necessary due to the lack of dependability from the shuttles, and because the school has a strict attendance policy. Whether you are in the hospital or get in a car accident before class, excused absences are not recognized at this school.
I was also unaware of the 2 campus's. Each day I would walk back and forth between campuses for classes (about 10 minutes walking distance). The T was also an option, but either way you still end up walking. The school has little area for students to ""hang out"" or just sit down and relax. I often found myself wandering around waiting for classes to start, which came to be a problem as cold and winter approached.
I experienced issues everywhere from entrance exams and registering for classes to hornets infesting my dorm room. During the first week of school, I accidentally left my key in my room and was charged $25 to get back inside.
To keep many very long stories short, after pushing through and completing my first semester and passing all of my classes, I transferred to another college in my area. Withdrawing from the school was another hassle all in itself, and once I was finally able to leave, I was scheduled to check out of my room at the convenience of the RA's, which just happened to be in between my two final exams. Once I had checked out and completed my exams I drove home and planned a new start at a new school. I requested my transcripts from NEIA and was rejected because they had no records of me taking the entrance exam. The entrance exam is what must be completed before even registering for classes. They asked if I would take it again and I explained that I had completed this, as well as the exit exam, which is required to leave the school. (The entrance exam must be taken before the exit exam). I have been at my new school for a semester and still have not received my transcripts from NEIA. I recently received a bill from the school including the costs of breaking the housing agreement, as well as 2 thousand dollars in damage fee's that I am completely unaware of to this day.
All in all, it was a learning experience for me. Sadly, it was not at all what I had hoped it would be and it is unfortunate that I regret to say one nice thing about the college. My roommate as well as several other students in my building agreed that this school was not at all what they had hoped, and 2 others on my floor had been so miserable that they chose to withdraw before the semester even ended. If I had to say something positive about the experience, it would be that many of the professors are pleasant and very creative minded people. However, this was not at all enough to convince me to stay, and I'm reluctant in giving the school even 1 star. I would not at all recommend The New England Institute of Art.
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