I would not recommend this school, especially the Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) program. I…read moregraduated from the program, so my opinion is based on my own experience from start to finish, not just a single incident.
One of my biggest concerns is that the school seems more focused on making money than on supporting its students. During orientation, students are strongly encouraged to leave positive reviews before they've even attended a single class. At that point everyone is excited to have been accepted, so of course many students leave glowing reviews. Looking back, those reviews do not accurately reflect the experience many of us had throughout the program.
If it weren't for my classmates, I honestly believe many of us would not have graduated. We became each other's teachers because we had to. We formed study groups, explained concepts to one another, shared resources, and spent countless hours trying to understand material that we felt wasn't being taught effectively.
Some instructors came across as dismissive and rude. When students asked questions because they genuinely wanted to understand the material, we were often met with responses like, "I already explained that," instead of having the information presented in a different way. Reading directly from PowerPoint slides is not teaching. Students learn differently, and instructors should be willing to explain concepts using different methods when an entire class is struggling.
The quizzes and exams were another major frustration. Many of the quiz questions covered material that wasn't emphasized in class or on the PowerPoint presentations. We quickly learned that simply attending lecture wasn't enough--you had to read entire textbook chapters and hope you studied the right sections. For a program this demanding, students need structured study guides and practice questions. Instructors at other colleges I've attended provided hundreds of review questions throughout the semester, which greatly improved retention and exam performance. Something similar would have made a tremendous difference here.
The testing environment also added unnecessary stress. During exams, instructors would stand behind students and watch our computer screens while we tested. I have attended multiple college programs and have never experienced that before. It created additional anxiety during already stressful exams and made many students uncomfortable.
The facilities were unacceptable considering the amount of tuition students pay. During our first year, several classrooms had little or no air conditioning. Students were sweating during lectures, feeling dizzy, and struggling to concentrate because the rooms became so hot. Learning complex medical concepts is difficult enough without having to sit in uncomfortable classroom conditions. There were also frequent issues with supplies not being stocked in the labs and bathrooms, which should never be a recurring problem.
Considering the cost of tuition, I also believe students should receive better educational resources. Many ultrasound programs provide students with a Butterfly handheld ultrasound probe as part of the tuition for us to keep after graduation. That would provide far more long-term value than some of the resources currently included in tuition(backpack,cheap uniforms).
The registry review resources also need improvement. We received only limited access to URR during the review course. Students preparing for the ARDMS registry would benefit much more from extended access to review materials or subscriptions to resources such as MyUltrasoundTutor and Prepry.
Career services were perhaps the biggest disappointment. We were instructed to submit our resumes, but no one provided meaningful edits, guidance, or feedback. They simply collected them. There was no assistance with networking, interview preparation, or actively helping graduates apply for positions. However, the school had no problem contacting graduates to ask whether they had found jobs so they could report employment statistics. There seemed to be much more interest in collecting placement numbers than actually helping graduates become employed.
The advertised job fairs were also misleading. We were repeatedly told that Diagnostic Medical Sonography employers would be attending, but when we arrived, the majority of employers represented Medical Assistant or Radiologic Technology positions, making those events of little value for DMS students actively seeking employment.
Overall, I am grateful that I graduated, but I credit much of my success to my classmates and the countless hours we spent teaching each other--not to the support we received from the program itself. Students deserve an education that reflects the high tuition they pay, and unfortunately, that was not my experience.
