Sessions College

For all those interested in attending Sessions College, there are two main areas I would address. I’ve been attending Sessions for three semesters now, the first two at full time and the third at half time, studying in the AOS of Graphic Design. First, if (like many) you are skeptical due to Sessions’ size and lack of renown amongst its peer schools, no worries. Despite it being relatively small, Sessions is a good, thoroughly accredited school. Curriculum is kept up to date, and when I have noticed anything is not, teachers always tell me they are working on updating it. As for the instructors, all are working professionals. Most are active in the design field and many have years of personal experience with the subjects they teach. The classes themselves are neatly presented, which makes it easy to navigate the online format. Additionally, the consistency across all their classes and submission times makes it reliable and expected for students with odd study schedules. Most importantly, the things they teach are applicable to the real world. No underwater basket weaving classes, as I like to put it. Everything either works directly into a toolbox of marketable skills, or they boost your overall capability and quality of work as a designer. It isn’t a “top of the line in every way” kind of school, due to its smaller size and scope, but they are professional and dedicated. Second, Sessions College is a unique school that meets a specific kind of need. For those looking for quality achievable classwork in a flexible online environment, it is an excellent fit. Myself, I live in a rural location (over three hours from the nearest Wal-Mart or movie theatre, for context) and also travel often in addition to regular life. On top of that, I have never been interested in the “starving artist” idea, so I wanted a school that taught practical skills at an affordable price. These are all things Sessions provides. However, the reality is that there are a few things that kind of specificity implies, and it could make the difference in your student experience. Here’s why: You get out what you put in; the flexibility means you must be a self-motivated learner to excel. You need to keep yourself accountable, hunt down what you need, and be present and persistent with both coursework and interactions with school staff. Further, the online environment and lack of scheduled “meeting” times, (although highly convenient for people with inflexible lives), also mean that there is limited interaction with other students and the teachers compared to normal schools. While teachers are available via email, and some will answer within the business day, it can take up to two days for a response sometimes. In my case, I regularly use alternate sources for additional learning and for help with minor problems. Interaction with fellow students is limited to commenting on discussion board posts. Again, these are all things that work to my advantage, but if you are someone who needs a lot of dedicated help or interpersonal interaction, it is something to be aware of. Long the short of it, Sessions College a great school that has met my needs, with the benefits I gain vastly outweighing the negatives. I have enjoyed attending. For those who can’t get to physical classes, have demanding work schedules, have families they must work around, like to work at their own pace, or any other of similar life scenarios, I would quickly recommend it.

I loved these courses! They were extremely well written and informative. The lessons were extremely detailed, which was helpful for a complete Adobe software beginner like me. The exercises that went with each lesson did a fabulous job of helping me learn how to apply the skills. The color theory, logo, and typography class were amazing. The information they shared, along with the projects that I completed were very in-depth. The feedback from the instructors was high quality and detailed. I am planning on taking additional classes to achieve and advanced certification in logo and branding.

What a total waste of money. If I could give this NO STARS, I would have. I've been working in the print industry for 14 years but I need to learn how to code web pages in order to get a new job. Nobody hires just print artists anymore. You need web knowledge. And even though I have an AA degree from a different college, I was told I had to take all the preliminary classes - again. As I figured, I didn't learn anything. But with all the hoops you have to jump through, it still took me several weeks to get through those classes each, even though I treated them like a job working 8+ hours a day, when they say it should only take you around 15 hours to complete a class. So I finally get to the HTML/CSS class. This stuff is hard to understand, and I told them BEFORE I signed up that I am a visual learner and that I was concerned with this type of curriculum because I'm not a book learner. But I was assured I would have plenty of help. HA! No there isn't. Not even close! It's all just reading a short little paragraph, and if you don't understand it, you're outta luck. There is no one to verbally ask questions to. You can however email your instructor, but it will talk a minimum of 24 hours to receive a response; sometimes as many as 4 days, and meanwhile you have another handful of questions. Occasionally there's a little minute-or-so video that basically reiterates what the paragraph above it just said - sometimes verbatim. That's all you get. The curriculum is written for those who already understand it. It's only easy when you know how to do it. And there are so many errors in the curriculum, that other people before me have complained about as well, that still have never been corrected. Didn't anyone proof this before it was uploaded? How am I supposed to trust that the information is correct when there are so many errors?? Knowing nothing about coding, even I knew that organized lists and unorganized list can't both be coded <ol>. One of them is WRONG. I was having a hard time understanding pseudo classes. I spent over 8 hours a day for 10 days straight trying to figure it out and all I got from Catherine my instructor was a link to something that looked absolutely nothing like the curriculum which was no help whatsoever. Gee, thanks. Another time I asked about what the indenting protocol was for the Style Sheet, and she told me that she couldn't design my website for me. WHAT? That's not what I asked!! Did she even read my question? When I asked her again - and had to wait ANOTHER 24 hours, she told me I could do whatever I wanted. I found out later from a tutor that there IS proper protocol. Um, hello? I don''t want to just get by, I need to use this knowledge to get a JOB and "do whatever you want" and forming bad habits isn't going to increase my chances of getting a job. Isn't that what I paid for??? So then I had to find other sources for help, because the school is no help at all. I Googled; I bought books; I asked a total stranger at the book store; I hired a tutor and paid him $50/hr; and I found someone from my church who gave up his date night with his wife to help me.....and I only got through 1/2 the HTML/CSS class. I couldn't try any harder!!! And they DON'T CARE. So now I'm locked out of my classes because I didn't "finish in time" and I was given an extra 2 months, however it was already 1/2 way through the month and I SILL don't have access to the curriculum. What's the point of that? So then I was told if I needed more time after that I could pay $30/month or $200 to reactivate my curriculum if I wanted to take some time off. After all, I'm not a kid living with my parents. Eventually I have to do some work to keep the lights on and a roof over my head. Then just the other day I received an email telling me that I would have to pay a prorated rate on the classes I didn't finish. Are you kidding me? They keep changing the rules. I'm out of money. I'm living on savings as it is, and the last thing I'm going to do is give this joke of a school more money. In a nutshell, keep looking for another way to learn coding. EJ Media has a whole bunch of videos on YouTube, and FreeCodeCamp.com were much more helpful. Sessions College is clearly ALL ABOUT THE MONEY and not about their students succeeding.

I am currently enrolled at Sessions for the Graphic Design degree and let me tell you, it has been well worth the time, effort and money. The ease of online classes, the staff and administration, the course work...all of it has been great thus far. I was very skeptical about pursuing an art degree online but the way Sessions has everything laid out makes it work very well. The portal is easy to navigate and understand, the lectures are well described and lengthy, the teachers are easy to communicate with and if you happen to have a question they'll return your email in a very timely manor. I am so happy with my decision to join Sessions and continue reaching my goals. Oh, and the tuition is a lot cheaper than many other schools i looked into. you get A LOT for what you pay for with Sessions. The course work is challenging and really pushes you to be creative as well.

Sessions College has opened up many opportunities for me. Without the school I would not be able to work full-time and be a mom. I'm happy to work at my own pace. The teachers promptly answer all my questions. How I look at it is, you get what you want out of the school. I would highly recommend attending Sessions College. I look forward to my future with all the added skills I've gained from Sessions.

I went to CMC & RRCC for my first degree and I learned fast I did not like the in classroom experience. There was not many job opportunities that worked around my class times. So when I decided to go back to school I researched online learning and Sessions was the first college to pop up. After studying and comparing this school to others I choice this one and am happy with my choice. Pricing is not bad and I still get a college experience with the time I can. It is accelerated learning. Meaning you go to school in the summer and do not get spring break and other holidays off. However, you get a nice break after a semester and then jump right back into it. Sessions gave me the time to learn what I wanted to and get the degree I wanted.

I am currently working on my under graduate certificate in graphic design. Where I live, there's not many affordable options when it comes to an art degree, so I did some research. Sessions quickly started to pop up everywhere I looked, I found it to be strange since I have never heard of the college. After comparing all of the different schools and options that were open to me, Sessions was at the top of the list. All of the courses are very flexible and you have all of the material up front so you know what is going to be expected throughout the semester. The staff is great with any question or concerns that you might have responding in a prompt manner almost always, that being huge to me since I take classes online. I would without a doubt recommend Sessions College to anyone who is looking for a flexible online degree program.

Sessions College For Professional Design is that college that will provide both quality and quantity. The overall experience has been great, and the quality of course content is fantastic (detailed and thorough). Their course content is always being updated to remain relevant with software updates, and they are continuously adding new courses. There are not many schools that can provide this quality of education at a fair price like Sessions College, and this was one of the points that caught my attention when looking for an online school. The instructors are well experienced in their respected creative fields, and many have won awards both as designers and teachers. The learning environment is immersive, and we get to collaborate with many like-minded classmates both within our school platform, as well as on our social pages. This interactivity has lead to some great discussions and the entire program has been a gratifying experience. The instructors and staff all provide helpful feedback and guidance when needed, and they provide flexible scheduling that allows me to learn at my own pace. I can honestly say Sessions College has helped prepare me to be a successful multi-disciplined designer in this exciting field. I highly recommenced this school to anyone who is looking for an affordable quality education with flexible scheduling. If your looking to take that next step on your creative path, Sessions College is a great place to start.

I learned alot from the Professional Web Design program. Tons of info in a short amount of time. I was in the VRAP so it is definitely an accelerated program. In my opinion it would be more efficient if the methodology was kept down to one procedure. I found it difficult to retain the information. Not only because of the accelerated program, but I found the lessons to be too information intensive. I couldn't afford Adobe and found great open source software that worked great and was easier to use. Adobe is just too redundant with so many ways of doing something, it's almost ludicrous. I found the majority of the instructors spent no time "correcting" lessons and exercises. In a class room environment assignments are returned with corrections and comments. Maybe even help completing a task. Not so with Sessions. I was on my own to find solutions with the comments limited to what was wrong. Nothing as to how to fix anything. Networking could definitely be greatly improved. I made no connections or contacts. I would have liked to have met other students. There is a Facebook page but participation is almost non-existent. I think networking should be highly promoted, maybe even required. I'm leaving with no contacts or possibilities for future work with fellow graduates.

I'm happy with Sessions, it's an online course and of course it is what you make of it. The courses are good, and the teachers (most of them anyway) are receptive to questions. There are a few that I had to e-mail a few times before getting a response a few days later, and a few that would respond almost immediately to any question I had. One teacher in particular was very helpful and was willing to help with any question. I think this is pretty common with any school. I made sure to inform the school of my opinions of the instructors because I'm not paying for someone else to half ass my education. It's what you make of it. The curriculum is good, it gives a nice foundation to build on. Although I think it's a bit pricey considering what I'm getting. Overall though, I would suggest this to anyone who is looking for a solid foundational education who isn't afraid to make some noise to get what they want. I have never had anyone be rude or non compliant, when asked I was helped, overall a good experience.

Sessions has been great for me to learn Web Design. I feel challenged every week that I get a new assignment. The teachers provide really great feedback on the work you have done and give you the opportunity to implement that feedback and resubmit. You also get to see other students' work which really helps to see how others interpret the same assignment you did. It is amazing to see the different abilities that students have. The schedule for the lectures and assignments is very regular, so you always know what to expect each week of the program. It does take some effort to fit everything in, but it doesn't really take as much time as you might think to fit it all in. If you love doing the work, it isn't really a chore anyway! I have found that the lack of community can be a little challenging at times. I would really like to connect more with my classmates. There isn't really a good forum to chat or connect with students or exchange ideas when you get stuck on assignments. There are discussions with other students, but they aren't very lively. You enter with a group of students, but you don't stay with that group of students all the way through. New people come in and others you know move on to other classes. I feel like I will leave this school experience with no comrades or network to work from when it comes to looking for jobs or comparing notes on how life after school is going. Overall, a lot of great skills can be gained at this school. I have a lot of positive things to say about the knowledge I have gained and I have seen a massive improvement in my skills. If you are looking for really strong student community, it isn't the best for that.

As a certificate program student, I have been very pleased with my overall experience at Sessions College. Years ago, I was a successful marketing executive when I decided to leave the workplace and stay home to raise my family. I am so glad I did. However, with my children now in school full time, I wanted to update my skill set and have confidence reentering the creative job market. Sessions met that objective for me. It was imperative to me that I receive thorough instruction in the Adobe design software. Online tutorials were one option, but I found that by having access to my Sessions instructors allowed me to ask questions and get clarification easily. The deadlines helped me stay on track too. The courses are broken into 3 or 6 lessons. Each lesson has a lecture section and then an assignment section. At the end of both sections, I felt confident I was given the necessary information to tackle the exercise with success. I loved having the student gallery to browse through and see the quality work that was coming from fellow students. But my highest praise for Sessions College is for the fact that you can customize your certificate program to suit your evolving needs. For example, I enrolled as a Graphic Design concentration. Switched to Marketing Design and then later still, I realized I wanted to swap one of the marketing courses for a website software course instead. I felt I was able to get the most for my money. So overall, I recommend Sessions for anyone wanting to gain useful skills in the field of design.

The Good: self paced, no interaction with other students, no interaction with teacher unless one has questions, overall, the material is very good. The Bad: No one proof reads the material. An 6th graded could find typos and major issues in the material that this college seems to miss. I have taken 9 classes and every single one of them has had typos in almost every single lesson and exercise. Some of the typos are syntax issues, some are major flaws/errors in the teaching. I have written comments on all these and they tell me they will correct them right away. The issue is that I shouldn't have to find errors that they missed. The JavaScript course is also severely lacking and I completed the entire class in 2 days. The assignments were a joke and the teaching was too. I have used what I learned a lot but the class was not worthy of 3 credits. The tuition for advanced certs is a joke and costs 2-3 times what the classes taken separately cost. Given that there is no difference in class work and no teacher interaction, I am not sure why an advanced cert costs so much and the school has not been able to answer this for me. All in all the school is great but I am very disappointed in the proof reading this college does given that the printed material is the only class material as there are no lectures or books to buy. One would think that given this is their only material for the class, they would review it with a fine tooth comb.

I decided not to go with this school. The school counselor did not communicate with me how much money the program would cost. If my GI Bill did not come through promptly, they were going to take a lot of money out of my checking account. So, luckily, I did not sign the contract. In addition, they were trying to force me to work in cohort groups and I found out they're not even accredited in my local area, Phoenix. I am much happier with my less expensive "Web Design" program at my local community college and they are definitely accredited. I am glad I didn't make this mistake.

For what it is, an online school, it is very good. I had attended another very well known media arts schools' online web development program in the past so I have something to compare it too, and I can say that Sessions is very good, much better than the other school I had attended, and much less expensive. As far as interaction with other students, I can honestly say that there is not much. Basically, you have up to 3 or more courses going at a time, and you can access any one of those courses at anytime, so you have "real" classmates which attend the same classes at the same time as you. I have been taking this program for 8 months now and have never chatted with another student. I classes can be very demanding. I was already somewhat versed for example, in HTML/CSS, and each individual assignment still was time consuming, so I can see how people that have no familiarity can be somewhat lost at first. I had taken Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop before attending sessions, so again I was very familiar with these software programs but I can honestly say that I learned much more in the Photoshop and illustrator classes at sessions than I had learned in other school courses. The quality of the courses is very good, in my opinion. I'd also like to talk about the interactions with the instructors. Unless you ask questions via Email, the only time you will hear from the teachers is via the grade and feedback they give for each assignment. This is not necessarily a bad thing because they do give very good feedback, and if you need to correct things, you read their feedback, do the corrections, then resubmit the assignments. The course materials...there is none, except what you read on the course assignments web page. Again, this is not a bad thing because the assignments are broken up into two part, you have the lecture and the exercise. In the lecture portion they explain how to do the assignment, tell you tips etc (a lot of instruction, links to read more as well) then in the exercise portion they talk about the assignment and actually give you further instruction. I have found this to be more than sufficient. If I had one complaint, it would be that in the orientation, they said that you can do an assignment (lecture and exercise) in about 10 hours. I have found that to really learn a the material and do a good job with everything, I am spending on average 2/3 longer than that. I hope its just not me, haha. I must reiterate that this is an ONLINE school, you can learn great skills as long as you put the effort in, and it being online means you have to try extra hard to stay motivated because there is no one else to motivate you, except you. I recommend this for anyone wanting to learn web and graphic design.

I don't know where to begin. I am a service member and always had a positive experience with online schools up until I reached this school. I had five different people taking care of my admissions. It was so confusing and unprofessional. I completed 3 courses and they failed to notify the VA so I can receive my GI Bill benefits. When there was a suspension with TA, the VA counselor insisted I use my GI Bill which I kindly declined and he sounded very defensive. I even reported this behavior to the CEO which she retaliated and stated that they will refuse to report my completed courses to the VA! WOW! I cannot believe this. I will not recommend this school EVER to anyone. Very unprofessional and so ungrateful. I'm so appalled and if they decide to come back telling them I owe them money? I am so prepared to show all documentation. Please do not go to this school or waste your time. You can spend more money going to a real, credible design school. With this said, I think the VA should know what types of schools are treating servicemembers like they are worthless to their business!

The school does not provide a good photography program. Their program is filled with a lot of other non photography related fluff. Very little actual photography training

I am currently pursuing an online degree in web design. I have to say I'm extremely impressed with my courses thus far. I was also in a competitive marketing working environment and realized that I needed to differentiate myself by gaining creative skills. I have a prior bachelor's degree in Business from one of the top universities in the country, and I know this might sound crazy but I'm learning faster and about more real world applicable things online at Sessions College than I ever did in my 4 years gaining my bachelor's degree. I work a very stressful full-time job- and basically my days consist of waking up early and studying and then going home after work and studying. I don't think I would be able to keep up this busy schedule if I wasn't so engaged by my classes at Sessions.

I am currently pursuing the Marketing Design certificate with Sessions College. After graduating with a B.S. in Marketing from a 4-year university and being in the workforce for over two years, I’ve learned that the marketing/advertising industry is highly competitive. I considered pursuing a MBA in Marketing to gain a competitive advantage in the field; however, I didn’t see the value in spending $30K to do so. After doing some research, I came across the Marketing Design certificate program with Sessions College. This program in particular has allowed me to build-upon my background in marketing and develop essential design and branding skills. Although I was hesitant to pursue an online program, it’s been great thus far because the program is flexible enough for me to still manage the daily stress from my full-time job. I would definitely recommend this program and Sessions college for anyone looking to enhance their design/marketing skills and further their career progression.

I am a graduate of the certificate program and i loved it so much i went back for my associates degree. I am so pleased with the school and the way it is set up. I am able to communicate with my fellow class mates and discuss our projects, and they are incorporating group projects! I feel very confident with the lectures they give and i look forward to my assignments. The teachers give great feedback and give you room to improve, which is exactly the push i needed in school!

I have recently finished a certification in graphic design with an emphasis on web and print production. It's an ideal program if you want flexibility and a self-starter/motivator school. The courses are developed by successful designers themselves, which is reassuring. The lessons are practical, real world scenarios almost every time. This is a perfect solution if you are wanting to be get into design or a freelancer because it is built around your initiative and drive to get things accomplished.

I am a big fan of my school. the course work is clear, valuable and actually relevant to today's design world. My instructors have all be tremendous. They are real deisgn and arts professionals who do creative work as their "day job" in addition to being instructors for Sessions. I have always felt like I mattered as a student and that faculty and staff alike have been very responsive to my questions and challenges. I have gained a lot of skill with new software but also have a better understanding of design fundamentals that now inform my work. After a year of classes, I can do and design things I never dreamed i'd be able to. The certificate program pricing was part of me decision to take the Sessions certificate program. Instead of credits, it is a flat fee for the certificate and advanced concentrations. The same number of courses on a per credit basis would have cost me significantly more at a competing institution. The affordability of the program was part of what enabled me to go back to school!

What I love most about the experience that Sessions College offers is the feedback you receive from both other students and instructors. The class sizes seem to be small enough that you get a really personal critique from the instructors on each project. Each course offers much more than simple tutorials, and the instructors are always happy to answer questions about an exercise, or just answer any question you have about a tool or technique in the Adobe program you are learning. I currently work full-time and feel that Sessions offered the best option for me to get my AOS degree in Graphic Design online. I was skeptical at first, but extremely happy with the results after just two semesters in the program. I will post more reviews as I move further along in the program and have a better feel of how the program is progressing.

I have had a wonderful experience with Sessions College, and I would recommend it to others that are looking for a well rounded education in the design industry.

Be warned - make sure you keep all correspondence between you and the college. Make sure you know the courses you are taking are for credit. I was told mine were, until I recieved my transcript then I found out mine were considered not-for-credit :-(

I came to Sessions to begin a new career as a graphic designer. Other than limited exposure to the subject and some second-hand software, I had no training whatsoever. Due to some physical limitations, I wanted to attend an online school. I compared programs and tuition and found Session to be tops in everything. It was affordable, offered a certificate progam in graphic design and did not require any additional purchases of books or software. Adobe CS5 was included with my tuition when I started in 1/2011. So far the school has completely exceeded my expectations. The instructors, lessons, student advisors and fellow students have all been what I hoped for when I began. I have already learned so much in my first course and am eagerly looking forward to more. I can't say enough about this school. I went through a lot of schools before landing at Sessions and it wasn't always a great experience. Recruiters would call constantly and pepper me with hard sell sales pitches. Sessions was never that way. They were always straightforward and never pushy. Their tuition was the best deal and it didn't take me long to find they had the best reputation for this program. If you are looking for the best training and educational experience, I can't think of a better program or school that the Graphic Design program at Sessions School of Professional Design.

I have found Sessions College to be an exceptional school for the price. The education is great--you receive feedback from professionals in the field of the class you are taking. Also, the education is relevant to the field I am going in. Every class I have taken has only strengthened me for web design. For instance, I've taken Design and Composition, Photography, and Drawing as some of my classes. You may wonder what this has to do with Web Design, and my answer is they are enhancers. The Drawing class has given me the confidence to sketch out my ideas. The Design and Composition class taught me to be aware of how my design is presented. This affects how people view my designs, along with where I want to draw their attention. The Photography class gave me strong skills in being able to take great shots. This can tie in with Web Design because many pages often contain images. If the client is unable to provide pictures, I can perform a photo shoot to acquire great shots for the site. These are some examples of how the classes have helped me. Obviously, there are the foundational classes in building the actual web site, and these are solid in their teachings. With anything in life, there is usually room for improvement. Sessions College is great for learning how to design along with the theories of design. But, to get really good, I find I have to use outside sources (meaning the web) to acquire new techniques in design. Here is an example: While learning Illustrator (which is a vector based program for computer drawing) they taught me how to use the program. The class was fantastic with the amount of information on how to use the program along with some projects. But my skills weren't growing like I wanted them to. Personally, I needed more projects to get to where I needed to be with my skills. So, in conjunction with the class, I found some great tutorials to learn various styles. The result? I feel very confident in designing with Illustrator to create powerful images. My instructors have been friendly and very helpful. I am free to ask them questions, to which they respond in a timely manner. The feedback on my work has been great. Sometimes it isn't what I like to hear, but their comments challenge me to become better. I prefer honesty to sugar-coated responses that don't help me grow. As a blooming designer, going to Sessions has made a tremendous impact in my career. I have studied web design on my own and made progress, but I wasn't getting the same results as when I went to school. Sessions College gives me clear focus on what I need to learn to be successful in the real world. The classes are structured to integrate with one another. I feel very strongly that, once done with the program, I will be able to take my career and pursue it anywhere I want. To recap, Sessions College is a great school. It is not for everyone. You have to be responsible for yourself and highly motivated. You will get out of the school for what you put into it. Meaning, the more time you can practice what they teach, the better you will become. Support is there anytime you need it. It is always clear as to what is expected from you--deadlines for assignments, when classes start, etc. Also, the school is affordable. The class schedule is free enough that I am able to work full-time and do school without stressing out. If you are looking for a school that will give a high quality education for an affordable price, then consider Sessions College. I have been pleased with my experience with this College.

I decided to attend Sessions College for Professional Design, for an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design, after spending months researching different online schools. I wanted to find a school that had the reputation, accreditation, and creative drive to meet my educational needs. Since I’ve joined, I’ve found them to have a very progressive learning environment that’s anything but ordinary, and the interaction I’ve experienced with representatives from every level of their organization has been excellent from day one. I expected online learning to be an impersonal and isolated experience, but the classes at Sessions are anything but. The constant interaction with faculty and students, as well as the discussions and exchange of ideas that takes place in their online student areas really bring you together. I have no problem recommending Sessions College for Professional Design to those who are seeking an excellent education. They’re way ahead of their time, and it shows in the quality of education they provide.