$422,469.84The truth about Brooks became clear immediately. Housing wasn’t included, and when I visited the financial aid office, I was told the limited federal grants I had wouldn’t come close to covering costs. I was pushed into private loans with devastating interest rates. One of my loans was tied to work study which landed me a job in the financial aid office, where I witnessed a lot of these predatory practices first hand on many students. I saw other young students cry after being denied federal aid, only to be pressured into involving their parents or taking on private loans they didn’t understand. 

I learned after leaving Brooks in 2005 that the school was not accredited—something never disclosed to me. My credits didn’t transfer to Santa Barbara City College, and I had to repeat all my core classes. I ended up spending $11,000 on a single repeated course due to Brooks’ policies. There were no learning supports, even though a later instructor suspected I had a learning disability. Looking back, I see how the school profited from our setbacks—students repeating classes, constantly needing equipment and materials, borrowing more money every term. None of us were prepared for this. I was just a teenager with dreams of becoming the next Annie Leibovitz. I believed in the promises they sold.

Today, that decision still affects every part of my life. My credit has been destroyed for over 15 years. I’ve been denied apartments, lost job opportunities, and even experienced homelessness. I’ve received calls demanding $5,000 monthly payments, despite never earning more than $3,500 a month. I’ve tried to return to school, but I maxed out my aid because of Brooks. I can’t get private loans in a new field. My dreams of a stable life—starting a family, owning a home, saving for retirement—feel impossibly out of reach. 

Thanks to interest and fees I currently owe $422,469.84 in student loans. From a school that no longer exists. 

We were defrauded by institutions that were eventually shut down for illegal practices. We should not be punished for their greed. Other industries have received bailouts. Why not us?

Do you feel the school pressured you to take out the maximum amount of loans during enrollment or while you were attending? 

Yes and when I returned the additional cost of living funds they are still on my loan balance as being received 

When applying for loans did the school explain the difference between the private/federal loans or how loans will be capitalized? No

Did your school ever forge your name for loans you did not want? 

Yes because I refused the cost of living additional money and when the check came in they asked me to endorse it and it would be for books and “additional” tuition. I refused to endorse it and told them I want the funds returned to FA because I did not want to graduate in too much debt.

I was told that it was required for me to include the cost of living in my loans and that I could not just apply for tuition alone. I was told it wouldn’t be approved because it was a full time program so I couldn’t work and I needed to show I have money to live. When I didn’t qualify for a private loan they told me to have my mother cosign because when she dies “the loan would die with her.” I am still paying on that loan and my mother died in 2019.

Do you feel you received an education equivalent to the money you paid for said education? No

How do you feel about the education you received at your school? 

There was turnover by faculty because of the delay in APA accreditation. Some faculty told us we needed to remediate an assignment or exam so they can give us higher grades. We were told if students received low or failing grades we would not be granted APA. The same for the comp exam.”

Do you feel your school misled you about the total cost of the education? Yes

Please tell us about any controversy you experienced or witnessed while attending your school. 

Fees kept increasing each year. I was told my tuition would not increase when  accepted and it would be fixed for the time in the program. With the delay of APA we were told not to defend our dissertation so our degree would not confer because they said we needed APA to take the EPPP license exam. I paid for an additional year for the dissertation course to delay my program waiting for EPPP.

Are you working in your field of study? No

I couldn’t buy a house due to the debt ratio to income. I could not buy or lease a car. I filed for bankruptcy with hope of loan discharge and was told they were not dischargeable. Because of having high debt I could not cosign for any of my son’s student loans. I could not get employed because I could not pass the license exam. The school did nothing to help and support studying for the exam.

My current loan balance with all of the interest is $450,000

 Like Sisyphus, we find ourselves damned to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. After years of f  hard work and learning, we find ourselves with little more than ballooning debt. 

You remember Sisyphus, right? He defied the gods and put Death in chains so that no human  needed to die. When Death was eventually liberated and it came time for Sisyphus himself to  die, he concocted a lie which let him escape from the underworld. After finally capturing  Sisyphus, the gods decided that his punishment would last for all eternity. He would have to  push a rock up a mountain; upon reaching the top, the rock would roll down again, leaving  Sisyphus to start over. 

We are like Sisyphus. 

Carrying this loan debt is a vicious cycle. I struggle to earn a livable wage, which prevents me  from contributing to the economy, ultimately impacting my community. As a matter of fact  today I am facing an eviction. Not because I’m a bad tenant but can’t keep up with the bill.  there are few resources that can help until it’s too late.  

For-profit education is little more than a business created with the intent of taking advantage of  people trying to do the right thing. It is a business created with the intent of syphoning tax  payer dollars into corporate accounts through people like me. We were exploited and left to  pay for less than we were promised. This is criminal. 

I loved my time at Brooks Institute – it was a school where I felt like I belonged. I owe my career  to my experience there and I can honestly say that it changed my life. I don’t believe that  paying for it should take my entire life. 

We need change now.

My one friend who did graduate with his doctorate degree had to move every year to complete his training. He commuted 1.5 hours to class and 1.5 hours to Peoria for his practicum training, and then Minnesota. His determination to find resources to complete his degree is the only reason he can practice now. Had I not been determined to get my degree and keep applying for practicum placement, I likely would not have been able to get my doctorate.”

Relief from the chains of student loan debt is not only good for the borrower, but good for the economy. A recent study conducted by Jain Family Institute in partnership with Student Borrower Protection Center, University of Maryland, and University of Utah showed that borrowers who received cancellation went on to buy homes and cars; they obtained higher credit limits with lower credit utilization rates, and significantly higher credit scores. While credit card debt rose following cancellation, this likely reflects their confidence in purchasing goods and services with the knowledge that they can cover that cost. As shown by this study, student debt cancellation leads to increased spending in the economy.