M C.
Misleading ‘Online’ Program, Conflicting Financial Aid Guidance, Undisclosed In-Person Requirements, and Poor Communicationly don’t even know where to…
I honestly don’t even know where to begin with my experience at LIM College. What was supposed to be a straightforward online graduate program turned into confusion, stress, and constant back-and-forth with no clear answers. This program is advertised as fully online, yet I was suddenly expected to complete assignments that require in-person visits to retailers. That was never clearly explained in the syllabus or upfront. I chose this program specifically because it was online, so being told later that I need to physically go to locations just doesn’t make sense. It feels misleading, and honestly, unfair. What made things worse was the constant conflicting information. Financial aid told me that in-person visits shouldn’t be required, but then I was told to pick retailers I can physically go to. Which one is it? No one seems to be on the same page, and as a student, you’re left trying to figure it out on your own. On top of that, I was told my Cost of Attendance doesn’t include travel because another school supposedly covers it—which is completely untrue. LIM-related travel is separate, and now I’m being expected to complete assignments that could require travel without any support for those costs. The attendance policy was also shocking. I was told only the Dean can approve absences, and only for extreme situations like hospitalization or death in the family. That’s incredibly restrictive and not even clearly stated in the syllabus. Real life doesn’t work that way, and students deserve some level of understanding and support. Overall, this experience has been exhausting. It’s stressful trying to keep up academically while dealing with unclear policies, conflicting instructions, and a lack of transparency. I expected structure and support, but instead I’ve had to question everything just to stay on track. I really hope LIM takes a hard look at how they communicate and structure their programs, because no student should have to go through this in what’s supposed to be an online learning environment.