As a parent of a high school student attending this college as a concurrent student, I have to say that the enrollment process could definitely use some work. There was quite a bit of confusion when it came to getting information about enrolling, touring, and registering a high school student, and at times I felt like we were being given the runaround. For families who aren't already familiar with the college enrollment process, I think the information should be much clearer and easier to navigate. First impressions really matter, especially when you're a new student or parent trying to figure everything out. Thankfully, we did encounter a counselor who completely changed the experience for us. He was incredibly helpful, patient, and willing to walk us through the entire process--from enrollment to registering for classes. He even took the time to give us a tour of the campus on his own down time when he absolutely didn't have to. That level of service stood out to me because that's exactly the kind of person you want representing a college to new students and their families. I do think the front office and admissions area could use some additional training when it comes to professionalism and face-to-face customer service. The people greeting you when you first walk (admissions desk) onto a campus are often the first impression of the entire institution. If I were judging the college solely on my initial enrollment experience, I honestly don't think I would have felt very welcomed or excited about becoming a student. There is definitely room for improvement in this area. However, once my son was registered and started classes, our experience became much more positive. He's only taking one class this semester, but his professor has been wonderful. She is kind, attentive, and genuinely seems interested in getting to know each student individually. She even set aside time for the class to complete a "getting to know you" form, which I thought was such a great personal touch. As a parent, that made me feel much more confident that we had made the right decision. I've also had the opportunity to meet several other professors while on campus, and those interactions have been really encouraging. They've been welcoming, polite, and enthusiastic when meeting students, and that energy makes a difference. When professors are excited to see your student and make them feel welcome, it naturally makes both the student AND the parent excited about this new chapter. Overall, I see a lot of potential here. I just hope the people overseeing admissions and the front office take a closer look at the new-student experience. A young adult coming straight from high school shouldn't have to navigate a confusing process to get basic information, and parents shouldn't feel like they have to piece everything together themselves. The enrollment process may have been a little rocky for us, but the positive interactions we've had with the counselor and professors have definitely helped turn things around. I'm hopeful that with some improvements in communication, organization, professionalism, and customer service, the college can create the welcoming first impression that new students and families deserve. read more

Being an older transfer student was difficult to navigate an application. I came in and someone stood beside me and walked me through everything. The guys at the desk and the women at the front desk were all so friendly and welcoming. I didn't feel intimidating and I've also had great interactions with people on the phone read more

My experience about the campus is professional and very knowledgeable. I did my visit and tour myself around the campus and it was about 65 years old since the establishment in 1961. What I like about the campus is the track and the football field stadium itself, however they should get an official track team and being able to host the track meet including the conference championship. read more

Grossmont College - Grossmont College Sports Field - Colleges & Universities Near Me - El Cajon, California

I've been a Grossmont College student for about four years. I would say that the quality of this college has gone down significantly. This includes factors such as the closure of its on-campus food service and a lack of help from departments such as Financial Aid. The closure of the only good food service on campus has left students dependent on either food trucks (which aren't scheduled as often as one would like), vending machines, or a cafe that closes by the time afternoon classes begin. Meanwhile, services like Financial Aid will leave you waiting minutes on end whenever you try to either call or do a Zoom meeting, with no indicator of when things will begin, forcing you to go to campus to get any issues resolved. Things such as clubs are never advertised by the school aside from one day of each semester, far beyond the beginning when clubs would get the most benefits from being advertised. The only foundation to "help" out clubs has been ASGC, which is run by students who could care less about what they are literally there to do. Parking became paid last year, which goes to show another decline. It really hurts as well when you have to have other departments (such as the ones located in the Village) in order to get a decent response from anyone actually higher-up for any issues you could have with finances, finding things on campus, etc. I have no qualms with the teaching department since every professor I've had was lovely. It's more of a foundational issue I have with this school. The college feels like it does as little as possible to make students feel involved anymore. read more

Avoid this college like the plague. They are the most incompetent and disorganize college I have ever dealt with. I've dealt with 3 with my college age kids, and this one is bottom of the barrel bad. From the lack of competent and knowledgeable workers when you enter the front admin building, to the bookstore that overcharges AND THEN DOESNT GET YOUR BOOK TO YOU AFTER 3 WEEKS, this school will have you hating the college experience from day ONE. The counselors give vague and unhelpful transfer info and everyone in general here seem either unhappy to work or that they don't care to do anything but the bare minimum to clock in and out. Cuyamaca is run far, far better, bet even more so, go to City college or another that has better transfer rates to SDSU or other unis. read more

I'm having the worst time getting a copy of my diploma. I'm getting the brush off. I live too far away to do an office walk-in, the operators are not helpful. read more

DO NOT GO HERE! Especially if you rely on financial aid to support you while you are getting your education. They are extremely unorganized, change the distribution rules every year to accommodate their delays, and they leave unprepared workaid students in the front by themselves to deal with upset students and families. Was super excited to go back to school after 10years of working and it would've been nice to be able to have consistent income to focus on my education instead of my survival. read more

NOTHING is open on Fridays even though there are classes in session, not even the bookstore... the ONE place that IS open has this nasty old boomer in charge that has a chip on her sad little shoulder the size of Jupiter. Grow UP. read more

We call it sh..mont for a reason. Don't go here. The counseling department is useless. Each person will tell you different and wrong information. They find a way to charge you and try to get you to take classes you don't need to make money. S...mont read more

For a 1st time college student and being out of school for over a decade I was extremely nervous attending especially after all the horror stories you hear about regarding college. Did the orientation and recommend it to anyone planning to attend. Let's you get a general idea of the campus layout and some of the names and locations of offices that can help you with financial aid, student services, etc... Campus if spread out but not so bad, a little turmoil right now as they are remodeling a few buildings on campus. Tech center right in the heart and middle of campus. Griffin center, Book store and Administrative offices towards the front of the campus. Parking is a pain so plan ahead and get there early. Been fortunate enough to only had to park in the back soccer field once and that was a walk to get to class. All in all its a great school. Recommend it to anyone just wanting to get there gen. eds. out of the way or get your AA. Majoring Culinary Art/Culinary Entrepreneurship. Business coming soon everyone! read more

I met with a counselor Melody Valencia and she helped me a lot. She went above and beyond and guided me to transfer my college courses from elsewhere and made things a lot easier. Not only that but she told me which classes I needed and which ones met with my major general education requirements. Very patient, nice and helpful. read more

This is thee worst school I've ever attended Please go to Cuyamaca. They are nicer, organized, and professional.

Terrible communication, can never get anyone from any office on the phone with me, been coming to this school for a whole semester and still haven't received my financial aid for me to get my textbooks and I have alerted the college multiple times and still no response or communication, very dirty campus as well, none of the soda machines work, and very weird off setting staff, 1/10 not recommended I would suggest trying a different college in the area, at least if u are expecting a transfer read more

I have never experienced a college experience like I have here. I attended a different college in the past and they were lovely, financial aid was always on time, staff was great, etc. I took one class online here at Grossmont back in 2017 and it was great; however, I decided to come back in spring of 2020 with a different major. I took some classes then covid hit so I decided to change my major because of covid. Once things started opening back up, I had a few more classes to take but they went in person so I was not comfortable due to very strong medical issues in the family, which forced me to change my major once again to stay online. I talked to every one I needed to and now I'm set to graduate in summer 2022. However, the real problem here is financial aid. Financial aid at this school is a joke. They are ALWAYS late on disbursements, they constantly change the dates so don't count on receiving money on time, and they told me that covid is not a valid reason to change my major because my original major went back in person. They told me that covid is temporary which is bullshit because covid is still VERY much a thing and hate to break it to you, if my family catches it, THEY WILL DIE!!! Because of medical issues. Financial aid told me that they had to deny it cause I was over units so I put in an appeal stating everything going on with medical documentation, statements from family members in my household and all the office could tell me is well, we cannot approve you cause covid is temporary and you don't have a remote job lined up after you graduate. Who the hell has any job lined up before they graduate?! Especially in this job market. If you value your education, assistance for said education, and your mental/physical health, do NOT attend Grossmont college. I've heard city college is WAY better, busier, but better. Do NOT waste your time and effort with this incompetent school!!! read more

Worst student services in two schools I've been to. Offices for many depts are all closed, must do online appt. after a year they haven't figured out a decent system. They miss appointments, their phone message boxes are full, their student disability services don't put in much effort to support or inform of possibilities for support, hard to get testing accommodations, they funnel everyone through students phone answering before you can get to the desired depts phone services, generally unfriendly worst school I've been at. read more

Awesome school i can't believe the ratings on here I've had nothing but positive experiences here! Enrolling was a breeze and the counselors were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction. The staff in the administration office were all very friendly and so helpful! All my professors were amazing and very helpful as well! The library is wonderful for all your studying needs! library staff are so friendly! This is a wonderful community college! read more

COVID or not, the administrative and financial side is terrible. You can't communicate with a human unless it's through Zoom or emails. This has become a part time job (and I have a Master's Degree) just to assist my son in all areas including the VA (Chp 35), registering (have to send an email and wait for a code to be emailed back just to enroll in every, individual class), and incorrect billing with finance department. This is his second semester enrolled and it hasn't gotten any better. The ring finger should talk to the middle instead of sending students to 10 different areas! read more

I enrolled in a swim class here for the summer and I have to say I really enjoy it despite my aversion to exercise. I can't comment on the rest of the campus, but the athletic department seems pretty okay. Obviously some of the buildings are older than others. The pool is a decent size. It goes from 4 to 14 feet in depth and does have a diving board. They have assistive equipment to help people with disabilities get into the water. And of course a lifeguard is on duty during classes. The major bummer about the pool is it is not heated! Believe me when I say that it is freaking cold when you get in there, even at one in the afternoon. It's a shock to the system. Most afternoons I just wanted to jump back out. Even after I got home I was still cold until I got into a hot shower and warmed up 20 minutes later. It almost feels like torture some afternoons. That is why I was told they don't have classes in the spring, because the pool is too cold. I registered for my class online. It was really easy and only took a few minutes. My class ended up meeting four times a week for six weeks. It's a small group of people too and everyone is pretty friendly. The instructor is really fun. Parking is not an issue since it is a summer class. Also I got an email the day before telling me which lot to park in from the instructor, that was pretty helpful since I had no idea where the pool was. The only issue with the parking lots or campus I really had is that they're doing some kind of construction on the road between lot one and two so it's blocked off and you have to drive alllllllll the way around to get to lot two which is a pain in the ass with their ridiculously excessive speed bumps and pot holes. read more

Grossmont College - Fake beach volleyball anyone? - Colleges & Universities Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Worst experience and wasted years/semesters . Have been seeking counselors to help me see what classes I need left and I ended up taking more classes than I should of had and had counselors who offered help by letting me contact them but they never contact me back. Bad communication . Not organized. Super upset and can't even contact anyone . I call and get hung up read more

Campus is nice, parking lots all around, feels like a big high school.... Sadly though most of the teachers I had are @ that same level. I would have to say a 80/20 split between bad teachers and good. I have had numerous teachers in different fields. I always look up professors on ratemyprofessors.com. seriously look them up and rate your teachers too! O and the rooms are some times old and worn, and its all to often you will have crappy chairs. Since switching to Cuyamca I have had better well everything...parking isn't as convenient but then again its not nearly as crowded read more

Grossmont College - Colleges & Universities Near Me - El Cajon, California

The people at the veteran window, when first walk in are amazing!! So helpful. Gia was the best. Maria Martinez at veterans resource center....soooo helpful. No question was too dumb! Looking forward to the new spring semester. read more

If you can choose between this college and San Diego Mesa College, definitely choose Mesa. It has better assistance, better resources, better campus, better financial aid, and even better professors that have more realistic expectations. The only pro is that it has some classes that mesa doesn't have, but financial aid will be impossible to get a hold of since their phone is in an automated cycle and you will not be answered. Their help desk doesn't have anywhere there even if you wait for hours like I do on my laptop. It is really unfair because students need to know about their financial aid status before books and classes.They are rarely open (bookstore, library, computer room,etc) unlike mesa who provide library constantly and so much more. read more

Worst college experience. The office and counselor system is unorganized, not efficient, and extremely unhelpful. I'm very disappointed in our community college as I have grown up in this neighborhood and wanted to see it as a positive place. read more

Poor expirience, woke education and ideologies. Not a safe space for those with conservative values. Books needed for course's and online work is astronomical. Especially in these trying economic times. Would recommend a trade school or investing your time in entrepreneurship where you can learn to be your own boss. Complete waste of money and strain on mental health the way education system is set up. read more

One of the best Jr. colleges ever . With a gray campus. You can here the wind blowing though the trees and landscapes are well lay out. Teachers are the best. I have a 2 year degree from here and I hated to leave. New building are beautiful and useful. Go there is the best! read more

This is a wonderful school! I cannot believe the low stars! I'm Currently enrolled for the nursing program Here with a transfer to sdsu to finish up with a bachelor degree. The teachers are wonderful! So far Mr. Sako has been my favorite read more

I have been to the veterans affairs office window at Grossmont many times, and every single time without fail, at least 1 person is rude and cold towards me. I wish I got his name, this time it was a black guy with a buzz cut, military style haircut. He was very condescending and had a major attitude the whole time, sort of acting like I was inconveniencing him. Not cool. read more

Never experienced ageism until I had to deal with the staff at the Veterans Service Window. Apparently The elderly lady and the mid 20's female that work there have an issue with retired service members taking advantage of their GI Bill. They would continuously find one small issue after another with my paperwork throughout the course of the semester. I am going to be filling a grievance with the VA against the school. read more

Been going here for almost 3 years now and I'm ready to graduate and transfer. Only to find out that the counselor I spoke to in my first year never switched my major, according to an email I just got today saying I was still applied to the major I first signed up for. And the very same counselor had such an indifferent attitude and wanted things to move fast so he could have coffee with his coworkers. He didn't even help me with the CEP. So now it's a waiting game. Campus is nice though. Edit: I ended up planning for classes myself, without the help of a counselor, and I'm glad to say that I'm finally graduating! It was really nice here at grossmont, but counseling still needs to improve. read more

Fresh out of high school! And came here for a few semesters! There were some hot guys but the food in the cafeteria was really bad we always had to walk 2 miles to the next plaza to get Starbucks and Panda Express and Denny's and sushi and we would have to run back to school so we wouldn't miss our 2 PM classes read more

Every semester it's a different issue getting my G.I. Bill with the the veterans window. I have a family member enrolled in the same program using VA Chapter 35 and has had zero issues getting their entitlements. I have finally withdrawn from this school due to the lack of professionalism from the VA desk. The women who is in charge seems to have a problem with older vets. Ageism at its finest. read more

It may not be a big deal to some, but after attending another college with an incredibly unhelpful bookstore staff - I realize the importance of a campus whose bookstore cares. Every time I am in, whether it is to get tea or "datalink" forms (or so help me god, every once in a while I actually buy textbooks here), the staff is quick to assist with any questions I have. Jake, I believe that's his name, is almost always in - he is genuinely a day maker. He is fast to help and always goes over the top to make sure my needs are met. This campus is a wonderful one, the bookstore is just a perk to it all!! read more

Accompanied a friend of mine here not too long ago and their parking was HORRENDOUS. I would think that if you're going to expect a number of students attending your college, you would accommodate those students that drive. I mean come on, really? No exaggeration, we circled the campus for 45minutes before deciding to park in the neighborhood across the street and even with that it took us another 10-15minutes to find parking, having to park the car almost a mile out from the school. I wouldnt be surprised if homeowners made complaints. I dont care if they have exceptional facilities, classrooms, staff, and someone even mentioned their bathrooms- if one cant park to be able to experience the facilities, classrooms, staff and yes, bathrooms then whats the point of having exceptional amenities? But then again, its just my opinion. read more

So far so good...I've been going through the enrollment process with my daughter and so far the staff has been very nice, accommodating, informative and helpful. The campus is beautiful, parking is easy, no complaints!! read more

I hate this school, It is hardly a college. The teachers are unorganized and ambigous and the office staff is very unhelpful. I had a similar issue to a comment further down. I found out last minute my pre-recs were not cleared even though I had a meeting with an office lady to look at my pre-recs from another school. she did not tell me about how to clear a pre-rec so i was left waiting over a week to get this done after my registration time and now I have to crash the classes I need. In addition, the school looks bleak and like a terrible place to be (not a nice academic atmosphere) and the cafeteria food is usually unhealthy and over priced and the staff are slow and rude there as well. There are no smoking areas anywhere on campus and parking is terrible during rush hours. read more

Easy classes. I took 2 classes this semester while going to State. It's a lot like high school, which could be good for some people, but annoying for those like me. Getting points off for arriving late to class is useless I think. Teachers need to know that students need to realize on their own that they have to make it on time if they want to learn. If not, then that's not the teacher's problem. Just teach please. The cafeteria sucks horribly. I try to avoid eating at school because of the ridiculous prices for sandwiches I can make. What also sucks is that there's no food-friendly areas in the library/tech mall if you want to munch and cram at the same time. And lastly, there are some weird people here. Well, maybe that's just me. read more

The State budget cuts have really sunken it's teeth into Grossmont. Staff are improperly trained and highly inefficient. Redundancy and lack of cordination between the various department are troubling. Questions about placement test and registration have varying answers depending on who you ask. One person said they don't accept ACT or SAT scores. Another person said they "do" , but only directly from ACT or SAT. Third person took my score, photocopied it and said it will be in the system within 24 hours. 3 weeks later and it's still not in the system. Paid ACT board to expedite my scores twice. Yet Grossmont staff says scores are not there! Everyone says this is how you do it and "I don't know why the other staff told you differently". I just had two wisdom teeth pulled and it wasn't as painful as dealing with Grossmont office staff. read more

I can't believe this college only have 3 stars. It's a fantastic school with wonderful teachers. I earned my Associate's degree in English from Grossmont. Honestly, each class tells you if you need pre req's and which ones you need. I got my degree by using their very helpful website and without talking to a counselor once. A couple recent teacher's that i would recommend: Paul Vincent for Spanish (easy A), Ryan Griffith for any English class (not an easy A, but he's a fantastic teacher), Tony Ding for British Literature (A loooot of reading, but he's a great teacher). Beautiful campus, the dining hall is good it's not that bad of prices considering it's college dining. It's a no smoking campus but students are allergic to abiding by the signs. The parking structure SUCKS, but isn't that how every school is? Sometimes it's hard finding a computer in the library, but you won't have to wait more than like 5 minutes, that's the longest i've ever waited and that's really just walking around the room looking for one. I love the campus so much so I won't go down a star but good lord, the wait time for a counseling appointment is an absolute joke. Trying to do it online doesn't work and never has. If you want to call, you have to call on monday to get an appointment the next week. I called one monday and the woman told me I couldn't get an appointment for the next two weeks. It was in the middle of the semester, it's ridiculous when it comes to getting an appointment. read more

I attended Grossmont for several years before transferring to San Diego State. The availability of night and online classes is excellent for working professionals. I found most of my professors to be engaging and helpful. Like others have mentioned, do your research on Rate My Professors, or conduct a simple Google search to determine the best professors for your desired subject. Most professors are willing to meet with you by appointment if you are unable to attend their scheduled office hours, simply ask if they can accommodate you at an alternate time. If you're not sure which classes to take, look at Assist.org or use the "Ask a Counselor" feature, instead of waiting months for a counseling appointment. If you are lucky enough to receive an appointment, the counselors are genuinely helpful and care about your educational goals. They'll review your transcripts and provide you with a clear path ahead, but it's up to you to put in the time and effort. The Math Tutoring Center is a wonderful, free resource to all students. Definitely take advantage of this, as the tutors are friendly and eager to help. If you're looking for inexpensive entertainment, the plays are fun to attend, and it's a great opportunity to meet your peers. My area of concern lies with the administrative staff and the inefficient handling of transcripts by California colleges as a whole. Upon applying for graduation, Ms. Wight was incredibly rude, condescending, and unhelpful with my request. A little courtesy and help would have gone a long way compared to the frustration I experienced. It would be incredibly helpful if the California colleges had identical course numbering systems, and were able to digitally transmit transcripts instead of relying on traditional mail. This archaic system not only causes confusion and potential delays, but is incredibly inefficient when time is of the utmost importance. Buried within the Grossmont website is this page which allows you to provide feedback directly to the school. Hopefully more people consider using this feature to provide feedback and encourage change within our schools. http://www.grossmont.edu/college-info/consumer-information/default.aspx read more

I have had nothing but a great experience at this school. The counselors have been great (especially Mrs. Hellon). I never thought I'd be a part of community college, but I am so glad I am. Grossmont rocks! read more