truly awful in every way. - Admissions Representative South College Employee Review

1.0
Apr 12, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They expose you to all red flags early on, as soon as you see their training model even, so you are not stuck in your position miserable for very long. 2 months to a year tops is all it takes for any well aware individual to realize all the dysfunctional systems and unfair policies South College (Nashville specifically) retains. The pro is you will get to see the fast turnover as a chance to meet lots of new friends cycling in and out to job hunt for other opportunities together on your micro-managed lunch breaks.

Cons

Where do we begin? 1. Don't have any kind of personal/family emergency that requires you to leave the office for any reason. And do not even attempt to file for FMLA in an extreme emergency. You will just need to quit entirely at that point. You will be berated and questioned heavily, so far as to break HIPPA laws to determine if your need to leave is "justified". HR and all of management are ruthlessly unforgiving, and will ask probing questions and worst of all, gossip amongst themselves about your traumas and personal life. 1a. In regards to gossiping: all of management are friends with each other outside of work, so will frequently spend the weekends socializing and gossiping about employees under them. During the week, they will stay behind closed doors together regularly heard laughing and ranting about work and the employees far from discreetly. ****2. Upper management's "commitment to diversity" means hiring 1-2 people of color for the whole college, and showing fake favoritism to one over the other. Management shared facetious smiles and cheesy email shoutouts, but never offered any real promotions, professional recognition, or additional benefits to showcase their significant outperformance of everyone else on the team. The employees of color were continuously commented on for appearances and "attitudes". This is a topic that can be elaborated on in a lengthy essay format, so I would advise and prospective or current employee to research all the former and current lawsuits against South College in reference to their diversity and inclusion insufficiencies. 3. The office environment was always filled with negative competitiveness created by the harsh sales metrics and meaningless praise each week, drama between employees and management, hot tempers, and uneasy feelings. You always felt like you were being watched. Calls are recorded, for legal reasons, yet you know you were constantly being monitored/listened to and judged for "training purposes". You couldn't make small talk with your coworkers for longer than 30 seconds without eyes peeping around the corner signaling to break it up. 4. The covid policies and procedures almost left everyone in the office without a job or sick. Management arrived to work, knowing they were sick with covid, risking everyone else in the office, and we were instructed to keep it within admissions. No other departments or students were notified of the potential exposure, although admissions had had contact with students and other departments every day, which is a moral and health and safety disaster. Approving time off for covid was nearly impossible as well. Additionally, when the vaccine was being offered at the school, you were made to feel extremely guilty if you chose to opt out and seek your own vaccine site or otherwise. All of HRs policies around covid were so unsafe, and work from home was never on the table for positions and job duties that the department could have easily made exceptions for. 5. All attempts to foster a positive work environment felt forced and proved to be moot. Friday mornings were spent in trainings and department get togethers sometimes sponsored with bagels or coffee. If there were treats at one of these meetings, this usually meant there was an underlying purpose to stir up issues, talk about drama in the department, and show unfair favoritism under the guise of "professionalism training". There was no way to feel personal or welcome on this team without faking your personality or professionalism in such a tense environment. 6. All of the tech and systems the college uses are out of date and convoluted. There are too many separate systems that are used for too many different functions that are hard to learn. They have a poor sales system and tracking, which make it harder for reps to be on top of their outlandish goals in the first place. The whole process needs to be streamlined to make it easier both on employee and student. 7. Internet and power outages in the building. Also, building maintenance, in general, seemed to always be unreliable between frequent outages, broken elevators, construction, TERRIBLE PARKING, and regularly broken heat/ac in the coldest and warmest months. 8. There was always the moral dilemma of selling a school and program to students who were vulnerable and unaware of the business model a for-profit school like South College provides. We were trained to literally manipulate students, who were clearly in no financial position to spend $50k on a 2 year program to invest and come up with false solutions. The retention rate is so low at South College for exactly this reason; admissions lies to them to get them into classes, and they drop when they can't meet the unrealistic expectations, the curriculum/instruction is low quality, and of course the blasphemous financial burden. The CEO and upper management takes no time in choosing programs and instructors (and tuition pricing) for the students themselves, but solely for the highest paying programs. They do this by investing a lot of money into top quality facilities, for attraction and good marketing. But what good is a fully operational high-tech dental clinic, if the aspiring dental students are not all graduating and alternatively choosing irreparable debt that's just lining the CEO's pockets. The overall attitude toward the business model feels completely and utterly about the owners and founders benefit, and not an ounce about the well-being and success of students choosing career-focused programs. 9. The whole benefit plan is garbage. Insurance plans are ridiculously expensive, time-off policies will chain you to your desk begging for a break and defending your reasoning for vacation etc.

Explore other reviews about South College

5.0
May 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Excellent opportunities for advancement -Tuition reimbursement benefits -Commitment to the student retention and offering programs that lead to good careers - Quality faculty who have experience in their field of study - Innovative in program delivery -Focus on providing modern facilities and labs

Cons

- Medical benefits and time off could be more competitive

1.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Having meaningful conversations with students and being able to help them take steps toward furthering their careers. When the role focuses on student interaction, it can feel rewarding and impactful.

Cons

My experience working here has been extremely difficult due to micromanagement, inconsistent training, and a highly high-pressure environment. Despite reaching strong enrollment numbers, I experienced frequent write-ups. After going through an HR accommodation process, I felt that my performance was more heavily scrutinized, and I continued to receive write-ups following that period. Training was poor and did not adequately prepare employees for all processes and scenarios, yet there is still an expectation that you will know how to handle every situation. The role is heavily micromanaged, down to minute-by-minute activity, including strict monitoring of breaks and bathroom usage. The workload is extremely demanding, requiring over 150 calls, voicemails, and texts per day, along with managing emails and meetings throughout the day. There is very little time to properly organize tasks or work efficiently. The environment is very controlled and closely monitored. Employees are expected to remain at their desks except during breaks, while managers appear to have more flexibility in their day-to-day behavior. This contributed to the environment feeling highly critical and demoralizing at times. Overall, the standards often felt unachievable given the lack of training and structure provided. There is a strong focus on enrollment numbers over employee well-being, and I believe there is significant room for improvement in training, workload expectations, and workplace culture.

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