John Kukla

Review of Tri-county technical college

The academic programs at TCTC, along with all of t...

The academic programs at TCTC, along with all of the faculty that I have encountered, are absolutely fantastic. They are competent and willing to engage students to whatever extent necessary to ensure their success, assuming that the student is willing to put in the effort necessary. (This is college, after all). Academic resources from the Library to the Tutoring Center and other forms of student support are tremendous.

I'm a current nursing student here, and I absolutely cannot say enough about the nursing faculty and the admin / support staff that keep things running seamlessly behind them.

That being said, the Financial Aid office, TC Central (the clearinghouse for financial aid, payment and registration issues) and Admissions has some work to do, to put it politely. Pinning down a correct answer, or getting the correct paperwork often requires multiple inquiries, calls or trips. I have had to meet with the director or assistant director of Financial Aid to get simple issues solved nearly every semester - due to mistakes or misinformation given by others in the department.

That being said, the administrative and leadership staff are sympathetic and responsive to student complaints and issues, and will universally bend over backwards to get them solved promptly. While this should *never* be necessary, their dedication is tremendously appreciated.

During the Spring 2020-Summer 2021 semesters, with the COVID-19 pandemic and it's associated disruptions, transitions to online / hybrid classes and labs were largely seamless, and the communication to students was outstanding.

I'm giving the four stars due to the difficulty working with TC Central and its associated departments - if the frustration and stress of dealing with them could be eliminated, TCTC would be an absolute top-notch institution.