Jay M., Parent of FORTIS Student

To prospective parents and students: I am the proud parent of a Surgical Technology student here at Fortis, and would like to give you my heart-felt recommendation that you and your student definitely consider Fortis as your educational home.

As a graduate of Purdue University from the 1990s, and having my oldest daughter graduate recently from Butler University, I have a good deal of experiences to use for comparing and evaluating Fortis College. Let me share three points of comparison with you and tell you how I see Fortis as far superior to the standard college/university.

First, concerning Class Schedule:

Here at Fortis, the class schedule and enrolling/signing-up is a breeze! No limited list of classes offered the next term where you need a class but it isn’t available, no running from a 'councilor' to an instructor for signatures and then having a registrar tell you the class is already full, no class being dropped after you manage to get enrolled in it because not enough students signed-up for it. No hassles! I had to go thru enrollment in the manual-paper-form days when I attended Purdue, and my oldest daughter didn’t have any better experience with electronic enrollment procedures at Butler. While I could commiserate with her, I couldn't help much. She, like I, had to always worry about the next set of classes. It seems that colleges don’t want to be bothered with actually providing classes for their students when they need them.

When you enroll at Fortis, your classes are laid out for your entire degree program. Your schedule is set-up, and you are locked in! You know what courses you are going to take in each term, in what order, so there are no pre-requisite surprises, and you don’t have to worry about next-term enrollment while you are trying to study during your finals week! You KNOW you are already enrolled in the next-term classes.  I can’t find the words sufficient to praise the Admissions and Administration staffs for their wonderful work, their attention to detail, and their commitment to the students here at Fortis. This enrollment/class-schedule mode! And program configuration here at Fortis is simply amazing - this is how enrollment should be done! Having seen/experienced enrollments at other colleges, I can declare that Fortis is superior - hands-down.

Second, concerning the Term:

Having been involved in the 'semester' systems at Purdue and Butler, it was not common to have 4 different classes during the semester. This meant there would be 4 mid-term exams, and 4 final exams, to study for at once. A few times, I and my oldest daughter had 5 at once. Here at Fortis, your student always has two classes in a term. 2 exams to study for, mid-term or final. I would have been overjoyed to only have 3! While it is true that the course-work is intense, the term only lasts five weeks, and the ?workload for a class is exactly the same as it would be for a 12-week semester, the fact that at any one time there are only 2 classes to focus on, 2 exams to study for, is such a blessing to the student.

Third, concerning the Materials:

Books/Supplies. I and my oldest daughter would struggle to purchase the textbooks for upcoming classes from ‘college bookstores' that had ordered the wrong editions, or not enough were ordered or delivered, for each and every semester. Worse yet, many times a 'used text' was not only very little savings from the regular price, it would be almost useless because of changes in the new edition. And I very rarely received anything but cents-on-the-dollar when I tried to ‘sell-back' a book once l had no more use for it. And the prices were always making huge jumps from year to year. Of all the textbooks I purchased, I have only eight that I kept. 2 books for each year of college work. My oldest daughter’s experience was no different. Here at Fortis, the textbooks are ready for you in a package as you being each term, with prices you know when you enroll and with no shortages, backorders, or other surprises.

I am so impressed with the amount of effort and coordination I know is involved in this process, and how the staff of Fortis makes this happen so the student can focus on the class work! My youngest daughter is already building a fine library of reference for her upcoming career- I can see how each one will be useful in the years to come.

I just these three areas, I am convinced that Fortis is a superior educational environment and experience. Granted, there is no 'ball team' to go root for - or pay for. There is no sprawling campus to walk or bike across... in the cold or rain or snow trying to get form one class to the next. But when the 'rubber meets the road,' a college is all about the education. lt boils down to the classes. How well are the students prepared? It is my firm belief, backed up by the fact that my youngest daughter is a student here, that Fortis is a better place to train her for her career than any other school out there.

And let me just say a few words about the Admissions Staff, the Financial Aid Staff, and the whole Administrative team as Fortis. Not only are these people professionals, knowledgeable about their work and how to get things done, they are totally committed to the students and their success. Compared to how incoming students, let alone the active students, are treated and worked with at Purdue and Butler, l can tell you the folks at Fortis are second to none. We have even been helped by the Financial Aid staff here at Fortis with questions and issues my oldest daughter could not get answers from the folks at Butler!

I hope that my few words help you to come to the same conclusions as parent and student for your educational goals that l did. Fortis is the best place to train for that career.

Sincerely,

Jay Moles
Parent of Miss Molly Moles
SurgTech Class of May 2014