Sonoran desert institute Reviews

I graduated SDI last year and had a great learning experience. I am currently obtaining my B.S. in CJUS and forensics at LU. The ballistics training was great and I liked the labs. As most oppurtunities in life, the time and effort you place into personal education will always reward your efforts and determination to excell. Thank you SDI for the education and good experience. Note: USMC veteran, very glad I used my GI Bill here. Semper Fidelis!

Feeling overwhelmed with the course work sometimes. I don't do well with time limits. I know that as a gunsmith, I am going to have time limits, so I am working with that, comes with the trade. Anywho, the faculty and my student advisor are a bit tough to get a hold of in a timely manner, should an issue arise. Other than that, I really don't have any other concerns.

I have two classes left my experience with SDI has been mixed. SDI is the 7th School I have attended & will earn my third degree. Most of the classes require a discussion board post, 2 discussion board responses, two assignments, & a quiz, & sometimes a lab. That is for one class and most classes are this way, most of the discussion board posts are just like an assignment rather than it being a discussion or opinionated question. Most of the discussion questions are just like an assignment so it's three assignments per class per week rather a discussion. You will be teaching yourself most of this work. SDI is more of a correspondence course than it is a school. It's not very interactive at all, other than checking the box with the discussion board post that really isn't a discussion. You'll spend the majority of your time looking for other resources and video instructions for Gunsmithing.

I would highly recommend SDI if you're looking in the field of forensic sciences. There's a lot of information on ballistics, Law, physics and theory. SDI offers little Hands-On.

The tools they send you are mediocre for Gunsmithing. I would expect the cost of this course to have the best tools possible.

Be prepared to spend $$$ out of pocket to supplement tools that were not provided, however highly recommended.

I did not use my GI bill to pay for this, I used vocational rehab so fortunately I still have my GI Bill that I'll be sitting towards other degrees.

Be prepared to spend 80% of your time writing and doing academic work rather than any kind of trade work.

Most of the labs will also require a discussion and assignments in addition to the lab.

Be prepared to do a lot of writing.

I didn't know much about firearms prior to starting this course I knew just the basics that the Marine Corps taught me. I am still going through the program but if you are looking to change jobs or you do this for a hobby and want to learn more then I would look into this school. The staff is exceptional with everything they do, and if you ever have questions or want feedback on your work they are there for you and always answer in a very timely manner.

Very generic details. Instead of teaching, they just link to magazine articles. The parts they do send (when they don't decide to not send them), are the cheapest available, and are worth the cost. This school is also very willing to roll over to just talks about legislation changes, and use it as an excuse to screw you out of several hundred dollars if materials. If you only want to blow your GI Bill, enroll here. If you want experience, and to be respected, go elsewhere.

Took the degree program about 6 years ago. Sent many emails and made many phone calls after completing the program. Never was sent a degree, no one returned calls or emails. Used my gi bill so they did get paid. Would not recomend at all. Talked with the VA about getting my gi bill money back. Been in the hospital and been dealing with some medical stuff for the last 4 years now I can finally deal with these crooks.

Save your time and money. I just finished 1 semester and everything I have learned can be found on Google our YouTube. With the exception of your labs you will spend most of your time doing essays and being graded like your taking English composition. Not a very user friendly system either, when I asked about why I wasn't getting a heads up on when my classes start (and why my calendar is never updated) I get informed that there is a second portal to download the list. Most of the instructors I have dealt with are alright but if I knew what this school was going to be like before I started I would have never signed up.

A joke of a school. Instructors copy and paste feedback for forums and assignments. Instructors don't give any instruction at all, just grade assignments that you are left alone to read directly out of the book. Tools included in the course are cheapest on the market. If you want a piece of paper that says you have a degree this is the place for you. Do not waste your GI Bill! No one will hire someone based off of the material taught by this school. If a grad is hired it is because of knowledge gained from another source.

I chose this school with the intentions of becoming a gunsmith. I am three weeks from graduating and I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. It s not that I haven t been paying attention, if that was the case I would not have passed all of my courses with 90 s. It s simply because you can t learn how to be a gunsmith from reading a book and watching YouTube videos. The instructors do not help, they do not respond to emails. It s very expensive, expect $17k for your associates. The sole reason I chose this school over other gunsmith academies, was the AR build course. I was expecting to learn how to assemble an AR, I was expecting a kit to be mailed out to me, I was expecting instructors to help me with my project. I am three weeks from completing this school and I have not received my build kit, they tell me that the instructor will guide me through it after graduation. Why would I expect help after I graduate if I can t even get help while enrolled? I can tell you about a firearm, I can tell you how it goes boom, but I can t physically apply anything learned in this school to a trade.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY (or G.I. Bill)

The response of staff is blah. I am definitely not going back to this school. I WILL BE ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF YOUTUBE.