Ana G Mendez University

I graduated with a Master in Education (M.Ed.) with a major in Guidance and Counseling from the Metro Orlando Campus in Florida. Ana G. Méndez University is fully accredited by the Middle States Comission on Higher Education, which means that the institution meets the core requirements to operate and receive Title IV funding (financial aid in the form of grant or student loan) from the US Department of Education. In addition, since 2003 it has been authorized to operate in Florida by the Commission For Independent Education from the Florida Department of Education. HOWEVER, here is the trick: most of their academic offerings lack programmatic accreditation from the respective accrediting bodies. For example: my program in guidance and counseling was not recognized by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Such accreditation is voluntary, but many states require all counseling degrees from CACREP granting institutions. In my case, I was able to work in Florida. However, the situation changed once I moved from that state because my diploma was not valid in the new state. So you have to pay careful attention to programmatic accreditation before seeking admission. I believe that universities should prepare professionals who are able to obtain their professional license in every state they move, not only in one. Ana G. Méndez University is capitalizing the desperation of many Latin American professionals that come to the US who do not have the English skills required to get admitted into an institution with better reputation. In addition, I witnessed blatant academic dishonesty from classmates and professors turning a blind eye. I regret my studies at that university because I did not have challenging classmates. What I saw was academic mediocrity. All of these are my reasons for giving just one star. My skills in English come from further studies during the almost 13 years of residence in the US, not from my studies at Ana G. Méndez. The accelerated bilingual methodology that they use of switching languages back and forth every week, does not work only for their own marketing to gain more victims.