College of Alameda

This is not a good school. The instructors are not trained and don’t have their MA degree (look in the class catalog in the back) like university professors. Admissions is a joke. Go to Berkeley City or Merrit College which is in the same college district or take a extra 15 minutes down south to Chabot College for better, organized people. Also, I was very uncomfortable at this school because it was biased towards Oakland not the city it is in (hence the name of the college).

I would give 0 stars if possible. People are only here to get their paychecks. I’d stay away from this campus, staff working at the administration office are all full of shit and don’t do their jobs properly.

I’m not sure why all the hate here! I usually mistrust 5-​star ratings myself, but I gotta bump it up from 4 to 5 to combat the overly negative scores. These negative reviews might be from students butthurt over failing really hard classes.
I think some people here are confusing a state-​funded $ 250-​per-​class community college with the $ 50,000-per-semester universities. You guys expect too much! For a community college, Alameda is freakin’ awesome, man. No joke. The campus is nice, the facilities are nice, the professors are overwhelmed with work and large classes, but honestly, they’re doing their damnedest, and some of them seem to actually care.
That said, I don’t view community colleges as places to take full programs. I’m not in one of those. I don’t know if they prepare you for work or not. What I do know is that this is a great community college for preparing to transfer to uni. Yep yep.

DSPs program here is a joke. The people that work in this department are a joke. I’m disabled and have trouble writing because of an old injury I have with my right hand. I waited 40min to speak with a counselor «for 40min» just to be cut in line. I was told that they were there early. Yeah so was I. That was my third time going in there just to be told to come back again. Get it together

This review is for their library. Quiet Study Area is never quiet, and is extremely cold I’d have to bring a jacket on a day it is over 90 degrees. I have made few unsuccessful attempts to quiet people down but these immature ghetto kids think it’s cool to be obnoxious and breaking all the rules. Stricter control is desperately needed.

Honestly if there is a zero rating, I would give it a zero. I’ll give it one star cause they have good EOP consolers. And Book store, library, tutors are awesome. And great student helps and student workers.
I’m upset of this place cause first of all most of the teachers SUCKS!!! Most of them, not all of them. THE WORKERS at the records ARE RUDE. Classes are small. Regular consolers are the worst. NOT EOPS. I’m talking about the regular ones. You can’t make an appointment. So I have to wait 3 hrs just to see one. To give me a paper and not even answer all my questions. It feels like the DMV WTF!!! THE regular consolers don’t do shit. They take one person after 30 mins with the student. They wait 30 more mins just sitting there who knows what they are doing. Looking at emails or some kind of bullshit.
The environment looks alright, you can see the City From third floor. It’s cool but my experience here sucks. Can’t wait to transfer this year.
Also I’ll recommend Berkeley city college or meritt college. Not alameda or Laney. Just saying. Go for the best choice not the alright choice.

Avoid this place by all means, especially if you are from the South Bay. If you have no choice but to take some college credit here, God have mercy on you. I was taking an online class here last year and they sucked up my money just because I am not from the county. If you are not from Alameda County do good in your own community college or face a few weeks of wage loss. Lucky for me I also work in the East Bay which is fine if there is administrative problems. Don’t come here in person too because the staff here just suck up money and do no work. They do not show respect for city employees as well. My family is still mad that they refused to refund me the money I made from work. For anyone from other community colleges focus in school and don’t be short of units to transfer.

I gradutaed from this college. I was ther for 4 yrs. From present day standards and trend it is a very Liberal and Left Leaning College. I dropped of few classes like Political science and African American Studies because of outrageously race bating tactics by PHD holding so called teachers.
I feel bad for students fresh out of high schools whose brain gets washed here.

This place is a ghetto and a haven for molesters harrasing female students. Mostly black males touching and grabbing students like its ok. The councilors do very little in matter of guideing people in their education. Please avoid going there as one cant even study if the clowns make it impossible to learn. Most of the staff is a joke… very little else that can be said. Find another place to go to as you will come out of there wasting your life.

It’s like high school all over again. One place where you can still experience the Bay Area Hyphy Era 2003 – 2007 ish.

The one star is for the Counseling Department. Can’t comment on the classes as we didn’t even make it that far. My wife who is from Japan wanted to talk to someone about the schools ESL program. So we stood at the Counseling front desk for about 20 minutes waiting for someone to help us. Finally a lady asked us to fill out a yellow information sheet, we explained that my wife is not a student but a prospective one, and that we wanted to ask some questions about their ESL program. Finally another lady called us into her office and asked for my wife’s student ID. We explained that she was not a student yet. She then said she can’t talk to us because she is not a student. I asked how does one know if they want to be a student if there is no one to answer questions about the program, she replied that we can read about it online… well that doesn’t answer all of our questions I said. The lady laughed and said well I can’t help you. Told my wife that this is what she has to look forward to if she goes here and that we should go… the lady let out a big laugh and said «see ya!»… Professionalism at it’s finest.

–1 start for the geese poop, I always looked like a weirdo walking and jumping around the poop.
Laney didn’t offer classes at time that worked for me so I moved here. I love that the peralta system has all of your information already so you can basically go to any school under the peralta system.
Education:
So, I prayed that in my efforts through my trajectory of community college would land me to the ultimate level to… STATISTICS! The final round before I go to the «big leagues» (transfer lol). I took a math course with Ted Tanaka. OMG. THE BEST MATH teacher hands down. I only took one course here since it fit with my schedule so this is all I know. My classmates also agreed that he was really superb! You know you’re a good teacher when you have an impacted class and by the end of the semester, it is still packed! This should probably go on ratemyprofessor but whatever.
Environment:
Located very closely to Laney, it makes commuting to and forth a breeze. Not sure about AC transit though. I like the lunch area, good snacks. Tbh, I wanted to buy a parking permit and NEVER saw the staff at the kiosk but luckily it was a $ 1.00 (versus other schools making me pay $ 2.00 or even $ 5., so ridiculous and stupid!). I’m thankful for that. The little things are what adds up and I am not a money machine, so thank you College of Alameda for that. All those darn geese though, I liked seeing them but from afar.

This is for the School of Aviation Technology.
One word: FERGITABOUTIT!
I should had know when they didn’t return my inquiry phone calls. It turns out they had only one, ONE full time instructor + one other what they call tool manager. This full time instructor, and this is great, decides to retire 2 weeks before the fall 2012 term starts, so they cancelled the whole thing for the term. AT THE LAST MINUTE.
I had a job offer but turned it down because I had decided to go back to school. THEY MESSED ME UP ROYALLY. And wait for this, when I asked how to get refund, they just directed me to read the catalog (bad sign). I called the cashier office and they never returned my calls. So one day I drive 35 miles to the office to get my refund and the very helpful casher (being sarcastic) says «the computer is down! just give us a call tomorrow.» Yeah right, she was SOOOOoooo good at returning phone calls. She did not offer to write my information down and take care of it when the computer came back, of course not! Where do they hire these people? This is bureaucracy to the worst and my tax money is funding this $^%@$ college am sure.
I give them zero star if it was possible. Don’t waste your time.

I’ve come here a couple times for pre-​requisite classes, and have overall had a good experience with the school. The classrooms are decent. Nothing special or new. Parking is readily available. Just be sure to bring quarters or dollars because the credit card reader doesn’t always work. In terms of professors, the ones I had were just OK. They weren’t extremely difficuly, although they didn’t really seem to want to be there. The location is nice if you’re coming from Oakland you can just jet right through the Webster Tube. There are lots of food places nearby, so you need not worry about going hungry. Just take a stroll down Webster St. and I’m sure you’ll find something. Alright school. Gets the job done.

college of alameda
the campus, instructors, and staff are pretty boring for the most part.
i always have to watch out for goose poop when im walking to class. the campus is smaller, but for some reason it takes forever to get help to see a counselor or get any other type of service. i think i also mentioned in my review for laney, which is a part of the peralta system that they need to do a major update to their computer systems cause theyre down most of the time.
and i don’t like how they didnt notify students that they didnt have to pay for parking so we can all save $ 2/​day for a week and a half because permits werent available, which meant no sheriffs to give tickets!
–end rant
stars are for easy classes, parking, and for giving me a really good friend (which i met here at coa 5 years ago)

Teachers are horrible everywhere you go. Get over it. It doesn’t matter if it’s here, UC Berkeley, or Stanford. But what does COA have that those schools don’t?
PARKING! I have never been stuck without a spot since I started coming here.
Automatic 5 stars. It’s a done deal.

Okay, okay, suppose I gotta say:
Taking a summer course this term I’ve had the privilege of learning under a great astronomy professor (who holds a PhD in physics)… He’s a GREAT teacher! And he definitely helps make up for a lot of the other shortcomings of this school. At least it feels that way, anyway.
Also, I feel that the campus looks all around better maintained. I dunno, I guess my overall approval rating of this college has gone up a peg or two.
(All this not counting the bad@$$ view from the top of the building!)
Okay, okay, I guess I’m a *fan*… Just barely. :]

Great Teachers. Awesome Industry Driven Education. AFFORDABLE!!!

After 18 months of banging my head against the wall trying to enroll in basic math and science classes at City College of San Francisco (every section closed long before my registration date, standing room only on the first day, two weeks before you find out if you can add), I found the Peralta system online and discovered that the classes I still needed were open at CoA! The heavens opened and the hallelujah chorus began playing. I was finally willing to consider driving the 10 miles to the East Bay in the hopes of actually learning something.
I registered online two days before classes started. I had to drive over to have my prereqs verified/​waived by a counselor. Good impression right from the start: plenty of parking for $ 1 a day and a very friendly greeting when I walked into the counseling center. I saw an efficient and helpful counselor within 20 minutes. In another five she had checked all my boxes and I was able to enroll in the classes I needed right in the lobby. What was a grinding disappointment at CCSF with desperate students packed in like rats was quick, simple and pleasant at CoA.
Classes have just begun, but I’m very optimistic. The chemistry class I’m taking uses the same text as the impossible-​to-​enter class I’d been laboring to take at CCSF and is taught by a PhD who seems great so far. Campus is cleaner and facilities a little nicer than at CCSF. Traffic hasn’t posed the slightest problem since my classes are before the rush hours.
I find people on campus to be polite and friendly. As a white person I’m definitely a minority there (the majority being nonwhite people of every possible variety), and I find that to be an interesting and broadening experience. Students are mostly younger people probably right out of high school, but there are a few nontraditional adult students. In general I feel welcomed and comfortable so far.
I can’t believe I didn’t migrate to Peralta sooner. I could have been much farther along toward my goals. I feel sorry for the poor suckers still pressing their faces up against the windows at CCSF.
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After two semesters at CoA, I’ve moved to Merritt College up in the Oakland hills. Unlike at CoA, there’s not urine sprinkled over the ladies’ room toilet seats every time I use them. There’s a great view from campus, and the students seem to skew a little older and calmer, though it might just be the classes I’m taking. CoA is a bit ghetto. Not scary, but a little scrungy. I’m liking MC better, though.

Look– the first best thing about this college is the matriculation counselor– Trulie (I forget her last name.) Within 15 minutes, she was able to see that I could combine all of my credits from other colleges and graduate in one additional semester by taking 2 more classes. Sounds easy huh? Not so easy for the counselors at Berkeley CC. If I had listened to them I would have had to go three additional semesters to get an AA.
The next best thing about Alameda is the convenience of parking and the cost– one dollar– YES, $ 1.00!!! And you even feel safe going to your car, all hours of the day.

I’ve written previously on the Peralta Community College District, finding it the worst-​run operation I’ve ever seen. I ran across this email in my box which unfortunately is another example of ineptitude at the College of Alameda, one of 4 campuses of the district. They are currently sporting the bombed out Bagdad look with a pace that apparently matches that of Iraq’s recovery. It essentially looks as devastated now as it did two years ago when I started teaching there. Whomever is coordinating their construction doesn’t know the first thing about project management, and doesn’t care to learn. This email pretty much makes the case for me:
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Construction Update: Building L restrooms to be closed for renovation
Shirleen M. Schermerhorn
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 12:31 PM
To:
COA-​FAS
Attachments:
Hello all,
Beginning probably this Wednesday, June 17, all restrooms in the L Building will be closed for renovation. The work is expected to last two months, due mainly to the need to measure for and order partitions (which take four weeks to arrive) only after the demolition has been done. It is necessary to do all restrooms at once in order that the construction can be completed by the beginning of fall semester. The nearest restrooms will be in the F Building, on both the first and second floors. Ordering portable toilets was considered, but did not meet with any enthusiasm. Met with screwed up faces, in fact.
The college & the contractor apologize for the inconvenience.
Shirleen Schermerhorn
Public Information Officer
College of Alameda
(510) 748‑2213
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How could I possibly make this up?
I personally witnessed a restroom door repainting that took two days at the college (removal, painting, rehanging). With two workmen paid weekend overtime for the job. If anyone wants to know what is wrong with California’s public sector, one needs to look no further than here.