Anthem Institute Reviews

"This school is a joke. I went to the New Brunswick campus, and they had promised a job or after I graduate I can come in and they can help me. Haha the only time they called was of course about the loan, NOTHING about helping me In the future. They did finally, after 8 months called and asked how my search was going. They didn't help, didn't care, nothing. So for 5 years after I graduated I didn't have any job in the field I was In. Now I finally am in the field but it's taken me time to get back to the flow. This school is a JOKE."

"I attended the Springfield, PA location, but at the time of my attendance it was The Chubb Institute. Seems as soon as it became Anthem it went downhill. The campus and staff were amazing and everything I was told was true. After my classes I was placed with a company to complete my Externship and at the end of that program I was hired. My instructor at Chubb was AMAZING! The admissions department was great, honest and cared about all their students. One of the things that I was told was that even after I graduate I can return and take additional courses and refresher courses for free. A few years ago I went back and I definitely was given a certification prep course free as promised during enrollment. Sad that the school has gone downhill and now bankrupt and closing. I was looking to go back, but glad I saw these reviews before I wasted my time. IF The Chubb Institute was still open I definitely would recommend it, but NOT The Anthem Institute!"

"The school in north Brunswick nj is absolutely horrible. Besides for one select member, they do not care whether you graduate, come to class, pass, fail, or drop out. All the staff and organization cares about are the paychecks they get each week. I must say though, their so called recruiters are extremely gifted at luring you in with broken promises, the classic ''we don't get paid unless you graduate and succeed'' speech, and convincing you that anthem is the place to be and will help you be successful and better your life. When i first went there i was optimistic, my grades were great,attendance impeccable the whole nine yards. Besides literally one teacher the whole entire staff is horrible. the job placement department to put it lightly is one of the worst i have ever came encounter with. The dean of admissions, the head of staff, every single one of them didn't care whether you succeed or fail. I was literally one month away from graduating when they dropped the atom bomb of horrible news and said the campus was closing. THERE WAS NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF IT EVER SHUTTING DOWN. The way the staff conducted it was just absolutely horrendous,informal, and just had a ''you are all beat, but we still get ours'' attitude. To make this fairy tale of a place even better i had suffered a major set back and had gotten into a minor car accident that totaled my way of transportation. What did the staff at good ol anthem do for me? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. They did not let me study at home, and made me wait an entire month to rejoin the school. Plus, made me pay for additional classes since my financial services ran out. I hope this reaches some of the staff members, and they read this. I hope that they read this and see that i think the school is a joke, the efforts of those employed were horrible, and the lack of concern was sickening. And lastly, I just wanted to ask, as a general question, where did all the money? the students that had just signed up asked questions and the So called dean said we cannot answer any at this time. THIS SCHOOL IS, WAS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE A FRAUD. WHAT EVER CAMPUS IT IS, WHERE EVER TEACHER YOU GET IT IS ALL LINKED TO THE SAME COMMAND, MONEY COMES FIRST NOT THE STUDENT."

"I went to US colleges in San Diego when i stated it was an Anthem school now i beleive it is a IEC school This place is extremely frustrating! I went to this school for Phlebotomy tech level 1. I needed it because the MLT program requires you to have the certificate to take the course. I chose this school because it has a night course. M., the teacher is really good. She is a little intense in the lab because she doesn't want you to hurt anyone or get yourself hurt. She is the only great thing that comes from going to this school They tell you that it is a "6 week course" to a certificate. This is a LOAD OF CRAP! I started the class on June 6. The classes ended on July 10. I took my NCCT exam on August 22. I did my externship in September at the MCRD. I am still waiting for my NCCT certification. The reason that I am waiting for my NCCT certification still is because US College has not paid for my exam or turned in my necessary paper work to obtain my certification. I am at a stand still. I call them twice a week and I get the same run around. "this will be taken cared of by the end of the week" "we were bought from a new company and the new company has not paid for those exams" excuse after, excuse, after excuse! I don't understand as to why mine was not paid for. My classmate that took the NCCT exam on the same day I did already has her NCCT certificate and she is now waiting on her State certification. The State certification takes up to three months to obtain. So if you think that you are going to get a new JOB in 6 weeks think again!!!!! Do yourself a favor don't take short cuts! Go to Grossmont College and take their course. It is THOUSANDS time cheaper then this crap school. If after reading this and you still want to use US Colleges just know that if they say they are going to call you back they won't! Also be on top of your education. CALL CALL CALL! Use the Study classes with Tony before you take your NCCT. He helps you pass!"

"I did not get to Anthem Institute. They closed before anything could be done. I would though like to share my admission experience. I applied to Anthem Institute on 6/25. When I went to school for information, I told them outright that I was on welfare. I explained my concerns about affording the tuition and that I needed financial aid. My interest was the medical billing and coding program. After I spoke with Natasha R. about the program and her regaling me of how her friend, a medical billing and coder at Liberty Medical Center was able to "fix" her medical bills after her car accident because she had access to her records (apparently she told her not to say anything about it, ever. Whoops). She then assured me that the school would help me in every way to get financial aid. I was later on told that for $80 a month, I could attend the school since my financial aid package was not enough. Again I told Natasha that this would be a problem because of my financial situation. She had me speak with Director of Admissions, Deborah A., and she told me that I could always get work study and to hurry and register before classes are full. A week later, after I signed the admissions and loan documents, I was then told that the school may not be able to give me work study and that it doesn't happen until 3 months after admissions. I explained what the Dean told me and was told that they would have her get in touch with me since she personally gave me the information. This never occurred. Three weeks later I received a call from Natasha telling me that she had "good news", in her words. The school would not be opening on 7/28/14 as planned so I would not have to stress about the tuition anymore. I am still trying to figure out how this was good. She then shared with me her woes about keeping her position since the school now had new owners. I asked about a refund for my application fee. She assured me that I would receive it and a formal letter telling me about the school's closing. I have yet to receive either of these things. I did however receive a quick ext message saying that Orientation was canceled and not to come to the school. Also interesting because aside from the loan documents, I had never received correspondence form the school. Not a welcome later, not anything telling me about orientation. I called and left messages for Miss R because I did need that letter and I wanted my fee back. She did not return these calls. I also called the schools main line but was told that particular location would have to give me the letter and refund."

"They tell you one thing and it's always wrong. If you go for the radiology technician program you will only be able to get a job as a medical assistant. Go full scope (not limited scope) and go to a community college or university. This school is not worth the head ache and high price paid. If you are absent 50% of the time or score low on tests, they will pass you anyways. Don't become the topic of the next medical lawsuit. If you want to really learn I suggest you go to a better school - again community college, or university. Don't get fooled by this school. Please save yourself the trouble, go elsewhere!"

"I was hesitant when I first went to talk to the Adviser at Anthem in cherry hill. They told me of how they would be supportive and if I came to class and paid attention I would do well. They also said they were their to assist and help me if I had issues. I have to be completely honest, it all sounded too good to be true. I have to say they followed through and delivered on what they said to me. My instructors were very good and they took the time to assist me when I needed it. They helped me after hours and it worked! When I lost my job and wanted to drop out my admissions person took the time to sit down with me and help me with my resume and help me find another job so that I could stay in school. I recently graduated they set me up on 2 interviews and I was hired. I have to say that my experience was fabulous. I have read some reviews on this site and I will say there were students who did not push themselves and wanted to make excuses all the time. If you apply your self and work with the staff there you will finish school with a strong knowledge of your field and they will assist you in finding a career. Aces in my book!"

"I completed classes on a Monday, had a job interview on Tuesday and landed my dream job on Wednesday! You get exactly what you put into it. Easy pace for someone working full time and with children. Highly recommend!"

"I was really excited to start the surgical tech program at North Brunswick location for anthem institute. Once I started the program I was put in 2 preclasses to have us adjust before entering our official medical class. These classes are basically nonsense..... things you learn in middle school. Then after that you enter your program... I have been in my program class now for 6-7 weeks and I have had 2 TEACHERS GOING ON 3 NOW. THIS IS TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL. We are paying over 20k for a good education to get thrown around to different teachers.... I'm so lost, upset, and constantly having to adjust to a new teachers way of instructing. I WOULD NOT RECCOMMEND THIS SCHOOL TO ANYONE not even my worst enemy."

"I Loved my experience at Anthem (springfield). Heres the breakdown.. expensive tuition, but great and helpful financial aid department. Great resources and materials, horrible instructors. This school lies just as much as all the others!! You just have to push through and learn to be an independent learner. I don't recommend this school, and especially this program to anyone that is not willing to work really hard. To anyone that is motivated and hungry to learn, I encourage that you go to Anthem. I'm nineteen, had no income, or transportation & i made it there everyday & graduated with a 3.8 GPA..If I can do it, you can do it!"

"I think every student should be aware of how Anthem will help cover their financial aid. The year I attended was very poorly managed by the administration and the financial aid professionals. Had I known what I know now, I would not have attended. When they learned that they would not receive the Cal Grant, they called students out of class and forced them to sign a document that gave them to immediately withdraw & get their money back or stay and pay what they had not intended to pay at the time of sign up. They pressured us to sign the document on the same day. (I have proof of this)We were already half way through the semester when this happened. Then we had a new administrator who seemed to run the building and school like a D.I. in training. Totally unapproachable. She set up a meet and greet as her welcoming party and served pizza. She served the pizza by using her hand to hold one end of the pizza as students ripped off pieces. Furthermore, she never introduced herself, nor was she introduced. I could go on and on, but many instructors left after she took over the administration. It's normal for people to leave, but the stress level of many employees and students became almost unbearable. Great Instructors and Support Staff. Poor Administration."

"I personally LOVED Anthem but where my problem lies now is the fact that they say even when your gone you can always come back and get extra help weather its freshing up on your vitals or your vocab! I have called and left voice mails with the dierctor of the medical assistant program and I have not recieved 1 phone call back. I want to refresh myself with EKG's and because I havent recieved a phone call back i will not apply to anything but blood labs for fear of messing up an ekg and being fired!. I do not recmond this school just because of that broken promise! and I was really upset after finding out I still have to pay for the certifaction test when I have to pay 15,000 for going to school it should have been included"

"I had a great teacher. It did get me a better job than working retail. But please don't come here and expect to EVER make more than 10-14 an hour, unless you have been at your job before 2006. That goes for any medical assisting school. It costs alot to go here, $20,000 for me---when you could have just went to a community college for a fraction of the cost. SO many people are flooding towards this school and schools like this, which means pay in the field goes down, and certain kinds of people are willing to work at a much lower rate. Places are work are not looking for quality workers, they are looking for who will take the least amount of pay.I moved to Florida 2012 and on any interviews I went on they laughed at me when I told them I was working at a company for 5 years (labcorp) and ended making 14.50. The phlebotomist in hospitals around here are making 9-11 an hour. Medical assistants are being paid anywhere from 10-12 an hour. When I was in Jersey, 13-14 per hr seems to be standard, and I know many people working as medical assistants up there. The job you have most likely will drive you to the ground. Its very hard work. I recommend getting an associates degree to get started. But if this is good for you, do it."

"I feel bad for you. I really do. Because if you're reading this, it means that you're at least giving thought to attending Anthem Institute in Cherry Hill, NJ. Don't!From entry to graduation, this school has been nothing but conflicting information, disorganization and bold-faced lies. I won't bore you with the details of everything I've been told that has turned out to be a lie but trust me when I tell you, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing at Anthem Institute. Career Services doesn't know WTF they're doing and the information you get from day to day from ANYONE at the school changes with the wind. Everyone from instructors to Career Services to Financial Aid will tell you whatever you want to hear in order to get you to sign those contracts. Don't do it! This school and everything about it is a JOKE, including the worthless DIPLOMA you receive. Yeah, did they forget to mention you won't have a degree when you're done?"

"I recently graduated from Anthem Institute in Cherry Hill, NJ and I have to say I am surprised to see some of these reviews written below me. All of the advisors that I met with in the beginning were very honest and helpful about what to expect throughout the process. It was emphasized to me that Anthem would help a lot, but I had to work hard to get the results I wanted, and I did just that. Anthem is a school that offers a lot of great resources, but you have to work hard, show up to class, and put the effort in to get the results you want. It was a hands on class room where a lot of the stuff I was taught, I am doing out on my job now. I could probably point out the students around the school that wrote some of these negative reviews, because you can tell they are the ones that expect things to be handed to them on a silver platter. It does not work that way. If you are looking for a job in a field that Anthem teaches, you can come here and accomplish just that. I tried the community colleges, and visited other schools, and I am very please with my choice of Anthem Institute. I work in the field that I studied in, and have no regrets about my education from Anthem. They are now offering to pay for me to further my education to become a nurse. If you have questions or concerns, just talk to your advisors and they will help guide you in the right direction."

"I've been an Anthem student for six months now. I started off with my "Anthem Train Ride" go-go rally and began school the next Monday. It was one of those "Come and drink the Koolaid" rallies to get you all hyped up before class started. It was a nice attempt at making you feel good about your school choice but in the long run it was about making you feel like the staff was on your side...which they rarely seem to be once you start your classes. Anthem preys on people of lower economic status. The majority of people attending school here are on some sort of government program, which makes it easy for the school to get paid. They don't care about the quality of students they have, they just want your money. That's the hard truth. First of all, there's alot of confusion about externships. Some teachers say they only send you to a place that's hiring and others will tell you thats not at all the case. I've talked to many people who have finished their program and only two have gotten jobs through Anthem. And, I don't think the jobs are anything you couldn't have gotten without wasting $17,000 on your certificate program at Anthem. (A certificate that carries absolutely no weight in the work field. Why the f*ck don't you get your CPC certification after a year of school? Is it because the AACPC wouldn't dream of recognizing Anthem as a legitimate school? I think that's it!) My teacher, M B is a not nice. No other way to say it. She's a dominating, talk-over-you-if-you-dare-to-speak kind of person. If you attempt to ask a question, she'll cut you off and give you an answer without hearing your question. Then, when you get frustrated because she wouldn't let you finish asking your question before she started to answer, she'll belittle you in front of the entire class. Her ego is enormous and she thinks she's God's gift to MBC. Even if you can show her in black and white that she's wrong, her standard answer is, "The book is wrong!" The most irritating thing about her is that she plays games with your grades and I find this completely inappropriate. If everyone in the class scores poorly on an exam, she automatically gives everyone 10 points added onto their grade. It's not out of the kindness of her heart; its to make herself look good. She can't uphold her holier-than-thou persona if her class flunks her tests, can she? She runs the school in Cherry Hill, even though she's not the dean. The other staff members are wrapped around her finger and they're too intimidated by her to stand up to her. Over our holiday break, we were invited to come to the school for a non-school breakfast function. Those who said they could not come and those who said they could but did not show up were chastised. Those who showed up got 10 extra points for a future test. How the f*ck do you do that? How can you get extra points added to your test for showing up to a non-school-related event, even if it was held at the school? Those who said they wouldn't show up are being punished for being honest. Those whose plans might have been changed during the ten days we were off also got punished for not contacting her when we don't have her number and the school communication (Moodle) system was down. Our class is jam packed with over 20 students while the other instructor has three students. Why? Because she's not qualified to teach MBC, yet she's an instructor at Anthem. That should tell you alot!!! This is what you have to look forward to with the MBC course at Cherry Hill. Trust me when I say, I cannot wait to get the hell out of this school and just be done with it. I've wasted my money, my time and my brain in thinking I would be better off going here when in fact, I would have been much better off going to a legitimate college or junior college that would have offered me more than a worthless piece of paper when I'm done. I drank the Koolaid when I first started attending Anthem but now that I've been her for awhile, I see what a joke it truly is."

"I have mixed feelings about my experience at Anthem Institute. The instructors have a great energy toward recruiting and getting you hyped up before you begin your courses. The "Anthem Train" rally is almost cult-ish but it's at least encouraging and welcoming. The school is set up to appear to be a legitimate "college". There is an Alpha Beta Kappa wall in the hallways and photos of people with cap and gowns on in another. Those all made me feel pretty good as I started my program but now that I've been there awhile, I see those as a joke. Do I really believe that anyone (an employer) will recognize my Alpha Beta Kappa from Anthem Institute? Not really. Unfortunately for me, my recruiter no longer works for the school so I can't go back to him and ask about things that were initially told to me. I've been in school for five months not and some of the information, and unfortunately, a very important part of the information is never fully answered when questions are asked about it. Externships.I was told when I signed up that I would be doing a four week externship at the end of my coursework at a facility that was hiring people for MBC. My first two instructors repeatedly told us that this was the case. Then in my third class, my instructor said that externships have to guarantee that they have open positions. My externship doesn't guarantee that I'LL be the one they hire, but they do have openings. Okay, I'm good with that because in the end, it's up to me to prove myself during this externship in order to land the job.When I went to Career Services to get clarity about the externship, I was told that the externship does NOT have to have openings in your field or any openings at all...they just "have to have the ability to hire and fire people". In essence, as long as someone on staff at your place of externship has the ability to hire, they are an acceptable facility for externships. That's a lot different than telling me that my externship has openings in MBC. I've never heard of a business that doesn't have someone who can hire and fire people so I feel like this is a really slimy, creepy way of slithering around the truth. I try to get as close to as many people in my program that I can so that I can get their feedback as they progress through the externship. MANY have had issue even getting an externship and a large percentage of them have been at facilities two hours away that aren't hiring. What's the point of sending us to do an externship at a place that isn't hiring? We're all going to Anthem to land a job at the end of our program and if the school can't provide at least the opportunity for me to have a fair shot at a job, they are not doing their job or fulfilling their promise to me. My first two months at school were a joke. I made peanut butter sandwiches, did a "magic carpet ride", put together a puzzle, made a poster board...all things that were a complete waste of time and money. My second class started to get more worthy of the money I'm paying Anthem but the instructor had no clue and gave us the test questions the day before the test. If you didn't come out of that class with a 4.0, you must be retarded. My core program is much more intense. My instructor knows coding like the back of her hand. However, she can be very demoralizing and condescending to the students. She never allows questions to be asked during her lecture and on the rare instance when she does, she usually belittles the person asking the question. Like I said, she knows coding but in turn she expects that the student who is new to this should know it as well as she does after one lecture. Her lectures are long, boring and off-subject for a majority of the times she's speaking and if there is any reference to people in her story, you can bet they're going to be Jewish and you can bet she saved the day. Her ego is tremendous. She's a smart lady but she was not intended to be an instructor. This is an unbelievable complicated field of study and I think I made a mistake trying to do it through an "accelerated" program. Do I think I'm learning at Anthem? Yes, I am. Mostly due to applying myself and reading my books nightly. But if I had to do it all over again, I'd go to a community college or other college to get a degree that will carry more weight and not just a diploma at the end of it all. (Your CERTIFICATE is up to you to get after you're long gone from Anthem with your diploma in your hand.) I rushed into my decision to come to Anthem and wish I had not. I was pressured because classes were starting the following week and if I didn't start then, I'd have to wait another five weeks at a miserable job. I'd caution others to really look closely at the school before deciding. Talk to other students and ask to sit through a class in your potential core program. Any legitimate school will let you do that, at least for an hour and it would be an hour well-served."

"These people are horrible . They will harass you back to back to back to back to BACK ! I never seen somebody call so much in my life . It was almost like a bill collector . I even told them I've decided i dont want to go there any longer and they still are calling me . I don't understand what's so hard about taking my name off the calling list . It's so annoying . The financial aide department SUCKS ! They don't help you . What they do is try to scam you . They make you do your fafsa with them so you can put info that they want you to put on there vs what the actual truth is . They claim they do things the legal way . This is a LIE ! Ive took college courses before . A real college doesn't make you complete FAFSA with them. FAFSA is supposed to be a tool that students use on there own to determine how much funding will be available for your education . By the time they made me put all that bullcrap on my fafsa i was not eligible for an grants . They wanted me to take over 16,000 out in loans just to go there .. It's a waste of money and also a waste of time . The credits won't even transfer to a real college . You dont recieve a college degree from here . All you get is a certificate. IT'S NOT WORTH ALL THE MONEY THAT YOU WILL END UP PAYING IN THE LONG RUN ! You will be paying for the rest of Ur life and all you will have to show is a dum certificate . Please do not waste your time . Go to a REAL COLLEGE . Even if its just a community college at least you will be able to transfer your credits and get a REAL DEGREE !"

"That's the wrost school I ever went to some of the teacher was alright,non of theplacement service was willing to help me in any kind of way,they use to be call chubb institute to me they still doing the same thing stealing your money I call them repeatedly no one return any on my call ,all they did was steal my money,didnot help me find a job,I graduate in march they still not willing to help me, here this is August now, today I am in roll in a real college now getting mymasters degree,so if anyone considering going to anthem ( PLEASE) don't waste your time or money!!!!!!!!"

"I was there for one semester when the courses was a fly by night,I flunk almost every semester I attend.While I was working on a project,the instructor Barf told me "to keep working on a past due project while he critic others work,and when he start critiquing my work to pay attention to the details"I replied and said okay.Now the head bitch in charge of the facility walks into the classroom to evaluate the instructors performance.Ten minutes later he starts critiquing my work.I turn around to see the details as instructed then after he was done I turned around to continue working on my past due assignment she later on told me to come with her. She asked "why I wasn't paying attention to barf when he was talking"I said I was then I explained to her what was going on,and what he instructed me to do.Later when I returned to the classroom I explained to him what had happen he left to speak to her about that.I can assume he did however that wasn't the last time I had to deal with her or his nonsense.The thing that get me upset is now I have to pay back the student loans for dropping out of that hell hole,then after the first altercation I didn't even get an apology.It was the way she did it also was suspect to pull me away from the class instead of doing it for others to bare witness to her lack of understanding,and so they can be in my defense.To avoid conflict all she could of done was talk to barf about it,and left me alone.In conclusion that place bums me out big time,I hope you take my advice,and never go to that school its not worth it."