My journey with the Northwestern / edX / 2U coding boot camp, which began in May, has been far from smooth. I was really looking forward to starting the part-time coding classes at the end of July, supported by the WIOA program’s educational voucher. The initial interaction with the edX representative (whose name escapes me) was promising. She was diligent in following up, ensuring that all necessary paperwork was completed, and the entrance test was taken.
However, during June, I was also navigating the WIOA program’s processes to secure the voucher, which included interviewing a developer and comparing edX / 2U with another coding institution. But when I had some challenging questions for her, she asked if she should call me back, and all she did was end up ghosting me.
By the start of July, I had received no word from the admissions team, prompting me to call again. This time, I spoke with Sam. Despite his initial willingness to address my concerns, Sam’s actions fell short of his promises. He even set up a Zoom call to discuss my concerns further, but when the day arrived, he ghosted me again. This lack of professionalism was deeply disappointing.
Frustrated, I called the next day and insisted on speaking with a manager, leading me to Candy, the admissions manager. I explained my situation, only to be assigned back to Mary, the original admissions representative who had previously ghosted me. With the course start date fast approaching, my primary concern was their receipt of the voucher, especially since the WIOA program hadn’t heard from edX / 2U and the form they filled out was incorrect.
Two weeks before the course start date, I was still uncertain about my enrollment status. Despite the WIOA program’s attempts to assist, edX offered nothing but unfulfilled promises of callbacks. A week before the course, I found out that Candy was out of the office, and there was no backup. After some pushback, I was eventually transferred to Sandy, the Director of Admissions, who promised to investigate my case but also ghosted me. In the end, Candy called to inform me that I would not be able to join the current cohort and would have to wait two months for the next one due to an error on their end. I asked her why I would want to come back after all this. She mentioned the job placement, which I told her I wouldn’t need.
In conclusion, my experience with Northwestern / edX / 2U coding boot camp has been marked by a lack of communication and unfulfilled promises. It’s disheartening to see such a lack of professionalism, especially from an institution using the Northwestern name.